All it takes is one column to pull you in. Rich in humour, overflowing in ideas. This is Jaime Watt at his candid best.
The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, PC, CC, GOQ 18th prime minister of Canada
Just as they do on those television cooking contests when the bell rings and the contestants hands go up, at four oclock on Friday afternoon, the column is filedready or notto the columnists horror, discomfort, or self-satisfaction.
Regardless, one exigent and unrelenting thought remains: what you wish youd said. Such is the life of a weekly newspaper columnist. Unable to ignore the urge any longer, in What I Wish I Said: Confessions of a Columnist, author Jaime Watt has collected forty-eight of his most eye-opening, illuminating, and provocative Toronto Star columns and with humour, candour, and wit, hes responded to each with what he wishes hed said.
The collection also features contributions from former senator and columnist André Pratte and from journalist and former editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star Michael Cooke. Widely regarded as Canadas leading high-stakes communications strategist and the architect of groundbreaking campaigns that transformed politics with their boldness and creativity, Watt brings his insight to bear on some of the most vexing and consequential issues in Canadian life by reappraising his past work.
Across six topical subject areascivil liberties and human rights, portraits of leaders, the Liberal Party in power, the Conservative Party in opposition, the Donald Trump presidency, and the COVID-19 crisisthis subtle yet accessible collection offers a distinctive look at recent times. Whether he got it right or wrong, Watt pulls no punches when it comes to critiquingand at times lambastinghis past columns.
Revisiting his best and worst takes, Watt and his co-author Breen Wilkinson look at what might have been said in the columns he has been writing for more than seven years. And as he does, Watt challenges with new perspectives and ideas, inviting readers to consider what they wish they might have said, to consider how their points of views, and even their values, may have changed with time.
Recenzijos
More than most, a Jaime Watt column requires you to read between the lines. Hes in the know on so much that never gets published, so I look for the hints and clues to what lies beneath. -- Phillip Crawley * Publisher and CEO of The Globe and Mail * "In our time of information overload, Jaime offers thoughtful consideration. His even-keeled perspective stands out from the stridency that too often characterizes today's commentary." -- Honourable Dalton McGuinty * 24th Premier of Ontario * Very infrequently in life do we get the chance to do over something from our past. Jaime Watt has created this opportunity and all of us benefit. I love that we can hear Jaime thinking about what he got right and what he didnt. Maybe he will set a precedent for other columnists and the whole world of political opinion would be the better for that!
The Honourable Kathleen Wynne 25th premier of Ontario
Jaime Watt is the Executive Chairman of Navigator and Founder of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation. He specializes in complex public strategy issues, serving both domestic and international clients in the corporate, professional services, not-for-profit, and political leaders at all three levels of government across Canada.
Currently, Jaime is the Chancellor of OCAD University. He also serves on the board of the University Health Network, Childrens Aid Foundation of Canada, CANFAR, and the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
He is a past president or chair of OCAD University, the Canadian Club of Toronto, the Albany Club, Casey House, Literary Review of Canada, Canadians for Equal Marriage, Canadian Human Rights Campaign and Canadian Human Rights Trust, among others. Additionally, he is a past director or governor of many organizations, including the St. Michaels Hospital Foundation.
He is an adjunct faculty member of the Directors Education Program, jointly developed and administered by the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Deeply involved with efforts to promote equality and human rights issues, he was the inaugural recipient of Egales Lifetime Achievement Award and has been awarded the Queens Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals for service to the community.
A highly regarded speaker, Jaime often appears as a public affairs commentator in the media. He is a regular contributor to all CBC platforms across Canada. He also writes a weekly column for The Toronto Star. The Honorable André Pratte has enjoyed a successful career as a journalist spanning nearly 40 years. Most of this time, he worked for La Presse, Canadas foremost French language newspaper. From 2001 to 2015, he was the papers Chief Editorial Writer and was part of the companys management team.
In 2016, ?André was appointed to the Senate as an independent Senator. Disappointed by the partisanship that still dominated the Senate, he resigned from this position in 2019.
In 2022, André received an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts.??Earlier in his career, he had studied economics at McGill University and received a B.A. in political science from the Université de Montréal.
Besides his journalism career, André wrote several books on history, the media and politics, including a biography of Wilfrid Laurier. He has spent years reflecting on issues such as crisis management, the medias role in society, the social license to operate, businesses purpose, economic development, the exploitation of Canadas immense natural resources, and climate change.
André also sits on the boards of The Lighthouse Children and Families and of the Paul Gérin-Lajoie Foundation. Michael Cooke has had a successful global career in journalism with over 40 years of experience and is bilingual. Most recently, Michael served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Toronto Star until 2018. Michaels breadth of experience in communicating pressing issues to global audiences will drive the work that he does with CPCC.???
Michael began his journalism career in England working in the north and then in London. He emigrated to Canada arriving at the?Toronto Star?where he became assistant national editor before moving to senior editorial roles at the Montreal Gazette, the Edmonton Journal?and the?Vancouver Province. Michael was a founding editor of the National Post and oversaw the merger of the paper with the?Financial Post. Michael also served for a decade as Editor-in-Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times and the New York Daily News before returning home to the?Toronto Star.??
Michael is an ardent advocate for human rights and the importance of local journalism. Michael is the Chair of the Board of Journalists for Human Rights and has focused on supporting journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh among many other countries. Michael serves on the board of the Michener Foundation, is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and holds an?Honourary?Doctorate in Literature from Trent University for his contributions to journalism and human rights. Breen Wilkinson has over six years of experience at Queens Park in strategic communications and engagement. He served at the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (LGO) as the offices lead writer, managing speechwriting and correspondence operations. During his time at LGO, Breen led a wide range of impactful projects and events, including international goodwill missions, policy symposia, the production of an art exhibition, and constitutional ceremonies. He holds an MA in English literature from McGill University and an Honours BA in philosophy and English literature from the University of Toronto. Passionate about the literary arts, Breen has presented his scholarship on modern theatre at the annual MMLA Convention, written a published play, and recently completed a novel at the Humber School for Writers.
