Nov 6, 2015 4 min read

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in North America as compiled by the Associated Press:

Here’s a thought. Every senior bureaucrat in Canada’s immigration, foreign affairs and defense ministries should tape a picture of the drowned Syrian toddler, Alan Kurdi, next to his or her computer screen, as a reminder of the Liberal government’s most urgent moral challenge.

There’s no more symbolically important file on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s agenda than lighting a fire under the Ottawa bureaucracy to honor his party’s campaign pledge to “expand Canada’s intake of refugees from Syria by 25,000 through immediate government sponsorship.”

Canada’s honor is on the line here. This will set the tone for this country’s renewed engagement on the world scene.

Reversing the Conservatives’ callous, years-long indifference toward the Syrian crisis can’t be managed in just a few weeks. The key thing is to get a more compassionate program rolling between now and year’s end, in close collaboration with refugee advocates and support groups.

That should be Trudeau’s goal.

No, Jeb Bush’s campaign isn’t close to imploding, and No, Sen. Marco Rubio should not resign from the Senate. But both of them have some explaining to do to constituents and supporters about recent statements and performances on the campaign trail if they want to claim their party’s nomination.

For the two one-time friends – they deny bad blood between them, but it’s hard to imagine their bitter exchange at the CNBC debate was not honestly felt – it’s a critical time. They’ve become two cats in a bag, whether they like it or not.

Rubio pointed out other candidates from the Senate who ultimately won the nomination had worse attendance records in the Senate than he did and weren’t asked to resign. And worse, he seems to have given up on the job that Floridians elected him to do. He must do better if he wants to stay on the public payroll.

His claim of “frustration” with the Senate doesn’t excuse his disdainful attitude. Heck, we’re frustrated, too. So are most Americans. But if he thinks Capitol Hill is frustrating, he ought to stay away from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. He should ask Barack Obama about frustration with the politics of Washington and dealing with a dysfunctional Congress.

The big surprise in the GOP campaign so far, beyond the popularity of outsiders Donald Trump and Ben Carson, is the lackluster performance of Bush.

Agree or disagree with his politics, Bush is smart, competent and honest. He was generally an effective governor for two terms. But on stage, he comes across as stiff and ill at ease. He often stumbles over his replies.

“The end is not near,” Bush told a reporter during a campaign stop a day after the debate. No, it isn’t, but he has to find a way to motivate supporters and fence-sitters who were expecting a better performance.

At its best, football is a beautiful sport. From the Olympic speed of NFL running backs to the masterful skills of quarterbacks, the game can take your breath away.

But the sport has a monumental problem. It is a game of tackling and hitting, essential to its entertainment value. Some of those hits become blows to the brain. Catastrophic injuries are rare, but concussions are prevalent and dangerous.

For too long, the NFL dismissed the hazards of head injuries. Its executives and medical staff denied that playing football could lead to permanent brain damage, defying common sense and the findings of specialists. Now league officials and teams want to show they are making the game safer.

Their target audience? Moms and dads, of course. Keeping kids involved – playing the game and loving it – is crucial to the NFL’s future bottom line.

The stakes for the league are huge. Football has good reason to fear going the way of boxing, a once beloved sport that lost its mainstream popularity.