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CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Demystifying the mysterious death of great Canadian painter, Tom Thomson
* Originally published on November 9, 2018. Tom Thomson's paintings are among the most famous and beloved artworks in Canada. Thomson himself is one of the most mythologized Canadians of his time — and ours. Now, 100 years after his mysterious death on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park, when he was at the peak of his powers, IDEAS producer Sean Foley asks one central question: does the mortal and material fascination with Tom Thomson leave us with something enduring — something to carry us through the next century, and beyond? Finding beauty in the void Tom Thomson didn't — couldn't — leave behind the same detailed traces that we do now. He may not have wanted to. He didn't seem like an 'Instagram your supper' kind of guy. But then, that's just projection on my part. When he died suddenly in 1917, he left a few letters, a relatively small number of major paintings, and — the real treasure — hundreds of oil sketches done on boards in one corner or another of Algonquin Park. As for us, we're captured on CCTV cameras everywhere we go. We want to show the whole world where we are and what our ideal selves look like. These days, it's not so hard to distract ourselves from the unknowable. So when we confront the unknowable, how do we react? In this two-part series, I explore what we think we know about Tom Thomson, what distracts us from knowing, and what connects us to the deeper gifts of his life and work. We'll look at the historical record, and how it's been spun out over the past century. We'll also explore the poetry of Robert Kroetsch, Joyce Wieland's film The Far Shore, and, most powerfully, the paintings Tom left us, many of which he simply gave away to acquaintances, friends, and family. Gregory Klages is a historian and author of The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson: Separating Fact from Fiction. He has traced the stories about Thomson's life and death back to as many primary sources as he could find. And it's fascinating to see how little factual evidence underpins many of the most popular Thomson tales. "All sorts of aspects of his life and death and artwork became good hooks or interesting things for us to talk about and speculate on. And sometimes to make an interesting story, to make a provocative story — to insert something a little bit salacious or juicy or to to riff on an idea that made people go 'ooh I never thought of it that way. That's interesting, that's intriguing.' And there's nothing to contradict the idea. So it 'could' be true." Just why, and how, do we speculate? Well, we seem to do it reflexively. And we do it in the form of biography and history just as often as we do in fiction and mythology — especially with an elusive character like Tom Thomson. Sherrill Grace, a professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia, explores biographies and fictions about Tom Thomson in her book Inventing Tom Thomson. She's also an accomplished biographer herself. She says we can't — and perhaps shouldn't — think we can capture the 'real person' we're writing about. The minute we start writing about somebody, or performing something about somebody else's life, we are already creating a fiction story about that person which matters to us; and if the person is dead, that person doesn't give a damn, do they? - Sherrill Grace But of course we do. Which is probably why we can't stop reading, writing, or even tweeting our own life stories, and those with whom we are fascinated. Though it has its pitfalls, the mythologizing and the storytelling and the intrigue is part of why I did this series. I had to hear about Tom Thomson to fall in love with his paintings. British art historian Ian Dejardin first heard about Tom Thomson in the library at the Royal Academy in London. Now he's running the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario — which has nearly 100 Thomson paintings, as well as the actual shack he worked in. For Dejardin, it's Thomson's lightning-fast mastery of paint during the last few years of his life that fascinates: "He suddenly found his language, and he found it in colour and immediacy and also that whole business of being an explorer out there in the 'wilderness' so-called with your canoe. [It] meant that you could only paint on a small scale. You had to paint on a small board that you could then carry in a box. And that fed into his genius as well. Those conversations, that liberation of colour, and the technique that was forced on him by the business of having to carry your stuff into the wilderness in a canoe... resulted in this perfect storm: an absolutely perfect marriage of genius, eyesight, and technique." And, ultimately, that's what fills the void: beauty, energy, and joy, all rendered in paint. Gregory Klages is a historian and the author of The Many Deaths of Tom Thomson: Separating Fact from Fiction (Dundurn Press, 2016). Sherrill Grace is Professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia and the author of Inventing Tom Thomson (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2004). Ian Dejardin is an art historian and the former executive director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
![BTH: US tariff hike & OPR cut [WATCH]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2FNST-Logo%402x.png%3Fid%3Db37a17055cb1ffea01f5&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
BTH: US tariff hike & OPR cut [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia confronts the reality of a 25 per cent tariff imposed by the United States, attention turns to what may have gone wrong during months of quiet negotiation. Despite early efforts by the government to de-escalate tensions, including high-level engagements in Washington, the tariff now threatens to disrupt Malaysia's export economy, raising questions about the transparency and effectiveness of our trade strategy. Meanwhile, as other Asean nations strike independent deals with global powers, Malaysia finds itself chairing a fragmented regional bloc. Can we still lead a cohesive Asean response, or are we witnessing the limits of regional solidarity in the face of economic nationalism? Meanwhile, the surprise OPR cut by Bank Negara Malaysia — the first since 2023 — has sparked mixed reactions. While the Prime Minister describes it as a prudent, proactive step guided by encouraging inflation and employment data, analysts remain divided. Does it indicate underlying economic stress, or is it a strategic move to spur domestic demand amid global headwinds? This week on Beyond the Headlines, we're joined by IDEAS Deputy Director of Research Dr Stewart Nixon to unpack the shifting landscape of global trade tensions, regional realignment, and domestic economic policy. From the tariff fallout to investor sentiment and strategic repositioning, we ask — Is Malaysia losing ground or quietly finding its footing in a new economic era? Watch the full discussion on NST Online's YouTube Channel.
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Think tank concerned about ‘secretive' US-M'sia trade talks
Investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz previously said that negotiators were bound by a non-disclosure agreement. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : A think tank has questioned the extent to which Malaysia's negotiations with the US on reducing tariffs will result in constructive outcomes, saying the talks lack openness and appear driven more by political considerations than economic rationale. In a statement, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said the minimal change between the initial 24% tariff imposed in April and the 25% 'final' rate set out on Monday after months of negotiations reflected a lack of substantive progress in the 'secretive' trade talks. IDEAS also called on the government to prioritise transparency in negotiations, policy consistency, and clear engagement with regional partners to protect Malaysia's long-term economic interests. Prior to the negotiations which kicked off in May, investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said the negotiators were bound by a non-disclosure agreement. However, he said they would endeavour to brief the relevant parliamentary select committees or caucuses on the tariff talks. In its statement, IDEAS said Malaysia must avoid being drawn into retaliatory trade barriers or a false choice between major powers, and continue to diversify and deepen partnerships with countries that share its interest in open and mutually beneficial trade. IDEAS's deputy director of research Stewart Nixon said that as the chair of Asean this year, it was imperative that Malaysia lead accelerated efforts towards a substantive and united regional response to US tariffs. 'The underwhelming outcomes from bilateral negotiations for Malaysia and other countries reinforce the need for collective action to combat Washington's divide-and-conquer strategy,' he said 'We cannot allow fragmented engagement to weaken Asean's position on the global stage.' On April 2, US president Donald Trump announced a 24% tariff on certain exports from Malaysia. This was paused for 90 days to enable negotiations. The pause ended on Monday when Trump issued a letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim outlining a 25% tariff on Malaysian exports from Aug 1. Singapore and the Philippines were the only two Asean nations that did not receive a tariff notification letter from Trump on Monday. They also have the lowest tariff rates as announced in April: 10% for Singapore and 17% for the Philippines.
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Rephasing global development finance
India's development cooperation with the Global South has been showing a rising trend for the last several years. India has made consistent efforts to expand the facets of these engagements and has also almost doubled the flow of quantum — from around $3 billion in 2010-11 to around $7 billion in 2023-24. While capacity building programmes and the initiatives for technology transfer and duty-free access to India markets have been important modalities of this engagement, the main instrument has been the extension of lines of credit (LoC) under the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS). If budgetary provisions for 2025-26 are any indication, the red flag from the Ministry of Finance on credit lines, as a modality of engagement, is absolutely clear. At the G-20, India expressed serious concerns over rising sovereign debt levels across the Global South. During the third Voice of Global South Summit (VoGS) in 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated the concept of a Global Development Compact (GDC), thereby implying a harmonious balance between all the modalities of engagement with the Global South. It is worth noting that there are five modalities of engagement, viz., capacity building, technology transfer, market access, grants and concessional finance. This balanced approach on modalities may be supplemented by India by having wider and deeper partnerships with countries that can work across third countries. In this backdrop, under the modalities of engagement, India has to refocus on LoCs as an instrument of engagement. India was largely borrowing from global capital markets and providing the resources to the partner countries at a concessional rate of interest. The difference in the rates of interest was being absorbed by the Government of India. With a rising global liquidity crisis, such schemes have lost their relevance as capital market predictability and the repaying capabilities of partner countries have become severely constrained. India should take full advantage of this new reality. Shrinking ODA and debt crisis The traditional official development assistance (ODA) providers are going through their own budgetary crisis while the partners of the Global South have challenges in coping with the debt crisis. With rising geopolitical complexities, the flow of global development finance in any case is witnessing a profound decline. The collapse of USAID and the decline of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have highlighted the emerging crisis in development finance. The availability and leveraging of resources have been hampered further by the declining trend in ODA, which is likely to be close to $97 billion. This proposed slashing of foreign aid is a near 45% reduction from the levels of ODA in 2023, which stood at around $214 billion. At the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), its Development Assistance Committee (DAC) has been an elite club for ODA providers, dictating the terms and conditions for the economic and political programmes for the South. Shrinkage in the resource flow is likely to affect several development programmes, across least developed economies, particularly at a time when several of them are passing through an unprecedented debt crisis. Over the last 20 years, a series of overlapping crises and major geopolitical and economic transformations have reshaped the global financial environment, leaving many developing countries struggling to access funding. This has posed a risk to development progress at risk and jeopardised achievements. The investment needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030 has also surged from $2.5 trillion in 2015 to over $4 trillion in 2024. Without a major increase in financing, progress toward the SDGs (already derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and other global shocks) will remain elusive. Simultaneously, borrowing has become costlier and less predictable. Rationale for triangular cooperation A ray of hope lies in the possibility of evolving a new mechanism of pooling resources with like-minded countries. The flows from the 19 non-DAC countries that report to the OECD rose from $1.1 billion in 2000 to $17.7 billion in 2022. Some of these countries such as Indonesia and Brazil have evolved a rich global experience with Japan and Germany of working in third countries. Japan and Indonesia have worked together in several Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economies to implement development projects. Similarly, Germany and Brazil have worked together in Mozambique in multiple development areas. Triangular Cooperation (TrC) has emerged as a powerful mechanism to bridge the divide between the Global North and the Global South. The beauty of the TrC is that it brings together a traditional donor from the Global North, a pivotal country from the Global South, and a partner country (often from the Global South), creating inclusive platforms for shared learning, mutual respect and the co-creation of solutions tailored to local needs. Comprehensive TrC data is still being compiled at the global stage. However, the efficacy and the success of the model has been well established. Some preliminary data collection suggests TrC to be between $670 million to $1.1 billion. Partnerships with results The TrC has shown that addressing physical infrastructure can advance social progress. For instance, improving regional energy grids expands digital connectivity and provides access to opportunities in education and health. In this context, in 2022, Germany and India signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on the implementation of TrC projects in third countries (during the sixth India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations), with a focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since then, TrC projects are being implemented in several countries which include Cameroon, Ghana and Malawi in Africa, and in Peru in Latin America. These offer clear examples as to how to rephase global development finance in a manner that ensures assured and efficacious outcomes in a cost-effective manner. Engagement in TrC was further emphasised during India's G-20 presidency, with expanded collaborations involving countries such as Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and France. These partnerships span a variety of sectors and modalities, from grant-based projects to investment-driven initiatives such as the Global Innovation Partnership (GIP) with the U.K. These efforts illustrate how leveraging technical, financial, and human resources can deliver results in third countries. Sachin Chaturvedi is Vice-Chancellor, Nalanda University, Rajgir, Bihar, and Director-General at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi-based think-tank. The views expressed are personal
Free Malaysia Today
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Public roles not ‘political souvenirs', think tank tells PM
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday that political appointments made by a government to qualified individuals do not constitute an abuse of power. PETALING JAYA : A think tank today cautioned that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's justification of political appointments as rewards for party service sends a dangerous message. In a statement, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said the prime minister was effectively saying that public roles could be handed out 'like political souvenirs rather than earned through merit and competence'. 'Political appointments are not favours to be exchanged. They are positions of public trust that carry real responsibility. 'Whether or not appointees come from political backgrounds, all such appointments must be based on merit, integrity, and professional experience. 'Only through a transparent and performance-driven process can we ensure that our public institutions are led by individuals who can serve the people effectively,' its CEO Aira Azhari said. Speaking at the PKR national congress on Saturday, Anwar said political appointments made by a government to qualified individuals did not constitute an abuse of power. He said such appointments were a 'reward' that individuals deserved for their service and contributions to the success of the political party that eventually formed the government. Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh praised Anwar for his remarks, saying on Sunday that the government finally 'understood' Barisan Nasional's way of doing things. However, IDEAS said that state-owned enterprises carried significant fiscal risk, and that even a handful of poorly governed institutions could cause serious economic damage. It said appointing capable, ethical, and experienced directors was not just good practice, but an economic necessity. 'While there are political realities the prime minister must deal with, transparency, accountability and good governance are not principles that can be compromised,' Aira said.
