Jen Gerson

Jen Gerson is a freelance journalist based in Calgary. She is a regular contributor for Maclean's, the Walrus and CBC. She also co-hosts the politics podcast Oppo.
Woman with virtual reality headset sitting by wall at home (Westend61/Eugenio Marongiu/Getty Images)

The makers of the metaverse want you to give up on reality

Silicon Valley is promising a digital world within our world. But logging in to the metaverse won’t solve our issues.

O'Toole during Question Period last June. On Wednesday, the Conservative caucus voted to dump him as leader. (Justin Tang/CP)

The Conservative Party’s identity crisis, post-O’Toole

Jen Gerson: There’s room for a Tory opposition that makes a sensible critique of COVID restrictions—and no sign this party is ready to fill it

Members of the Conservative caucus applaud Erin O'Toole following his address to them on Wednesday. (Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

Cheer up, Tories. And don’t do that stupid thing you’re thinking of doing

Jen Gerson: Let Justin Trudeau and the Liberals eat every morsel of cake coming to them, because time and circumstances are finally on your side.

Then Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Jay Hill speaks on June 15, 2010 (Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

The Maverick Party wants in—sort of

Jen Gerson: The new western conservative party’s plan is re-create the Bloc Québécois, and carve out a quasi-independent subnational entity just like Quebec

Singh on a walkaround at the Parkdale Public Market in Ottawa. (Justin Tang/CP)

Jagmeet Singh and the case for second chances

Our political parties are becoming magpies, dumping leaders for the next shiny thing. But look what happens when they don’t.

Ryan Reynolds (Courtesy of Guy Aroch/20th Century Studios)

Star? Or meta-Star? Ryan Reynolds explains himself.

The A-lister opens up about the tyranny of happiness, and why he tries to share the celebrity experience with fellow Canadians

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister takes part in a press conference at the Ford Connectivity and Innovation Centre in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 8 2020. He was joined virtually from Oakville by the Premier of Ontario Doug Ford, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited Dean Stoneley, and Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Stephen Crawford. (Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

This pandemic is far too important to be left to Ottawa

Jen Gerson: We can’t wish away the Constitution. But we can stop filling our provincial legislatures with over-ambitious dimwits.

The 11,000-sq.-foot house sits next to Hwy. 22 outside Calgary (Photograph by Sam Kazerooni)

The mystery mansion near Calgary that has everyone talking

The 11,000-sq.-foot residence’s front door is protected by statues of life-sized golden horses, and a golden chariot helmed by a giant winged man, also in gold

As other celebs flaunt their luxury lockdowns, Reynolds is using his influence for good (Magdalena Wosinska/The New York Times/Redux)

Ryan Reynolds is the quasi-hero we can all tolerate right now

Jen Gerson: Shattering the illusion of celebrity has pushed the self-effacing Canadian’s star even higher during the pandemic

The Bow Street Horse Patrol became part of Peel’s London Metropolitan police force in 1836 (Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

The case for police reform in the style of 1820s London

Jen Gerson: It’s difficult for someone today, subject to countless videos of police abuse, to wrap our heads around this idea—but the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 created a liberal institution

Singh rises Wednesday during a meeting of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. (Justin Tang/CP)

Jagmeet Singh, the ‘racist’ label and what Parliament won’t abide

Jen Gerson: Has the social-media age overtaken the rules of the House?

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Don’t let coronavirus turn us into a nation of snitches

Jen Gerson: Hotlines for reporting ‘non-compliance’ are evil tools that will damage the very trust we’ll need to rebound from this crisis