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John Macfarlane

John Macfarlane is the editor and co-publisher of The Walrus.
Illustration by Kellen Hatanaka
March 2015 / Media

Editor’s Note

February 12, 2015April 10, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

I signed on for six months but stayed six years because I believed in the project and enjoyed the work. As I take my leave, I want to introduce Jonathan …

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Illustration by Pascal Colpron
January/February 2015 / Media

Editor’s Note

December 15, 2014April 13, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

These are troubled times for North American journalism. The organizations that fund most of it—newspapers, magazines, and radio and television networks—are distressed. The business model that made them so profitable …

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Illustration by Jesse Jacobs
December 2014 / Media

Editor’s Note

November 17, 2014April 13, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

The Walrus Foundation’s mission statement asserts that our mandate is to promote debate on matters vital to Canadians. This magazine is one way we do it—but it is only one. …

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Logo for The Walrus
November 2014 / Society

Editor’s Note

October 15, 2014April 13, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

Earlier this year, the Fraser Institute, a Vancouver think tank, published a study that claims Canadians spend more on taxes than on all other household necessities combined. Its authors, economists …

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An old cover of The Walrus with an illustrated drawer of things
October 2014 / Politics

Editor’s Note

September 15, 2014July 1, 2016 - by John Macfarlane

In a year—or less, depending on the wishes of the prime minister—Canada will hold a federal election. While the outcome is far from certain, it seems unlikely that any party …

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Illustration by Jeannie Phan
September 2014 / Sports

Editor’s Note

August 18, 2014April 14, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

I was never much of an athlete. I used to think my problem was talent, but what I really lacked was commitment. I’d have been better at sports if I’d …

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A drawing of a woman with floral patterns around her
Business / July/August 2014

Editor’s Note

June 16, 2014April 14, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

The first fishermen to employ nets were soon followed by others, and likewise the first farmers to fertilize their fields. Humans are by nature copycats, driven by self-interest to emulate …

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The Walrus (Volume 11, Number 5)
June 2014 / Media

Editor’s Note

May 19, 2014April 14, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

Until recently, reinventing the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation seemed merely desirable. Now it’s imperative. The public broadcaster is struggling to stay afloat in the face of a perfect storm: ongoing cuts …

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An old cover of "The Walrus" with a man an illustrated laughing man
May 2014 / Media

Editor’s Note

April 14, 2014April 14, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

Some of you may disagree, but I for one welcome the return of Frank magazine, which ceased publication after nineteen years in 2008. Satire is in short supply in Canada. …

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A cover of an old issue of The Walrus
April 2014 / Environment

Editor’s Note

March 17, 2014April 14, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

In Joseph Boyden’s novel The Orenda, there’s a moment when a Jesuit missionary tries to explain the Christian concept of God to a dozen Hurons huddled in a longhouse near …

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Our Latest Issue

Cover of the Mar/Apr issue of The Walrus magazine. Mar/Apr 2021

Double issue: declaring your data at the border, the Group of Seven 100 years later, an Indigenous-led camp for unhoused people in Edmonton, death in the age of Facebook, and quitting America for good.

Walrus logo with tusks and Canada's Conversation



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