John Macfarlane | The Walrus

March 2015 / Media

Editor’s Note

February 12, 2015November 20, 2019 - 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 …

January/February 2015 / Media

Editor’s Note

December 15, 2014July 1, 2016 - 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 …

December 2014 / Media

Editor’s Note

November 17, 2014July 16, 2019 - 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. …

November 2014 / Society

Editor’s Note

October 15, 2014July 22, 2016 - 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 …

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 …

September 2014 / Sports

Editor’s Note

August 18, 2014August 17, 2017 - 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 …

A drawing of a woman with floral patterns around her

Business / July/August 2014

Editor’s Note

June 16, 2014July 22, 2016 - 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 …

June 2014 / Media

Editor’s Note

May 19, 2014July 22, 2016 - 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 …

An old cover of "The Walrus" with a man an illustrated laughing man

May 2014 / Media

Editor’s Note

April 14, 2014January 9, 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. …

April 2014 / Environment

Editor’s Note

March 17, 2014January 7, 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 …