Maclean's
Encyclopedia
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.
journalist
/entrepreneur
Lt.-Col.
John Bayne Maclean
, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house business journal, along with its 5,000-strong subscription base. The Business Magazine, was launched in October of that year as a pocket-sized digest of articles gathered from Canadian, British
, and American
periodicals. It sold 6,000 copies. Inside its bright blue cover, the fledgling monthly anointed itself, "the Cream of the World's magazines reproduced for Busy People." Its aim, Maclean wrote a year later, was not "merely to entertain but also to inspire its readers." It was renamed The Busy Man's Magazine in December 1905, and began soliciting original manuscripts on varied topics such as immigration, national defence, home life, women's suffrage, as well as fiction. Maclean renamed the magazine after himself in 1911, dropping the previous title as too evocative of a business magazine for what had become a general interest publication.
Maclean hired Thomas B. Costain
as editor in 1917. Costain invigorated the magazine's coverage of the First World War, running first-person accounts of life on the Western Front
and critiques of Canada's war effort that came into conflict with wartime censorship regulations. Costain was ordered to remove an article by Maclean himself as it was too critical of war policy.
Costain encouraged literary pieces and artistic expressions and ran fiction by Robert W. Service
, Lucy Maud Montgomery
, and O. Henry
; commentary by Stephen Leacock
and illustrations by C. W. Jefferys, F.S. Coburn, and several Group of Seven
members, including A. J. Casson
, Arthur Lismer
, and J. E. H. MacDonald
.
In 1919, the magazine moved from monthly to fortnight
ly publication and ran a notable exposé
of the drug trade
by Emily Murphy
. Costain left the magazine to become a novelist and was replaced by J. Vernon Mackenzie who remained at the helm until 1926. During his tenure, Maclean's achieved national stature.
After Mackenzie, H. Napier Moore became the new editor. An Englishman, he saw the magazine as an expression of Canada's role in the British Empire
. Moore ultimately became a figurehead with the day-to-day running of the magazine falling to managing editor W. Arthur Irwin, a Canadian nationalist, who saw the magazine as an exercise in nation-building, giving it a mandate to promote national pride. Under Irwin's influence, the magazine's covers promoted Canadian scenery and imagery. The magazine also sponsored an annual short story contest on Canadian themes and acquired a sports department. Irwin was also responsible for orienting the magazine towards both small and big "L" Liberalism
.
During the Second World War, Maclean's ran an overseas edition for Canadian troops serving abroad. By the time of its final run in 1946, the "bantam" edition had a circulation of 800,000. Maclean's war coverage featured war photography by Yousuf Karsh
, later an internationally acclaimed portrait photographer, and articles by war correspondents John Clare and Leonard Shapiro.
Irwin officially replaced Moore as editor in 1945, and reoriented the magazine by building it around news features written by a new stable of writers that included Pierre Berton
, W.O. Mitchell, Scott Young, Ralph Allen
, and Blair Fraser.
Allen became editor upon Irwin's acceptance of a diplomatic posting in 1950. This era of the magazine was noted for its articles on the Canadian landscape and profiles of town and city life. The feature article, "Canada's North," by Pierre Berton
, promoted a new national interest in the Arctic. Prominent writers during this period included Robert Fulford, Peter Gzowski
, Peter C. Newman
, Trent Frayne
, June Callwood
, McKenzie Porter, and Christina McCall
. Exposés in the 1950s challenged the criminal justice system, explored LSD, and artificial insemination.
Maclean's published a memorable editorial the day after the 1957 federal election
announcing the predictable re-election of the St. Laurent
Liberal Party
. Written before the election results were known, Allen failed to anticipate the upset election of John Diefenbaker's
Progressive Conservative Party
.
The magazine struggled to compete with television in the 1960s by increasing its international coverage and attempting to keep up with the sexual revolution
through a succession of editors including Gzowski and Charles Templeton
. Templeton quit after a short time at the helm due to his frustration with interference by the publishing company, Maclean-Hunter
.
In 1961, Maclean's began publishing a French-language edition, Le Magazine Maclean, which survived until 1976, when the edition was absorbed by L'actualité
.
Peter C. Newman became editor in 1971, and attempted to revive the magazine by publishing feature articles by writers such as Barbara Frum
and Michael Enright, and poetry by Irving Layton
. Walter Stewart, correspondent and eventually managing editor
during this period, often clashed with Newman. In 1975 Newman brought in columnist Allan Fotheringham
. Fotheringham made famous The Back Page, where he wrote for 27 years. Readers would go to read the Back Page first and then proceed to read the magazine from back to front.
Under Newman, the magazine switched from being a monthly general interest publication to a bi-weekly news magazine in 1975, and to a weekly newsmagazine three years later. The magazine opened news bureaus across the country and in international bureaus in London, England, and Washington, D.C.
.
, who also serves as the magazine's publisher. The magazine has been owned by the Rogers Communications
conglomerate since Rogers acquired Maclean-Hunter
, the former publisher, in 1994.
Whyte, who previously edited Saturday Night
and the National Post
, brought a new, arguably conservative, focus to the magazine, bringing in conservative columnist Mark Steyn
, hiring Andrew Coyne
away from the Post, and rehiring Barbara Amiel
. He also added a comedy feature by former Liberal Party
strategist Scott Feschuk, and a column by Andrew Potter
, who previously wrote for left leaning periodicals.
The Maclean's Guide to Canadian Universities is published annually in March. It is also known as Maclean's University Guide. It includes information from the Maclean's University Rankings, an issue of the magazine proper that is published annually in November, primarily for students in their last year of high school and entering their first year in Canadian universities. Both the Guide and the rankings issue feature articles discussing Canadian universities and ranking them by order of quality. The rankings focus on taking a measure of the "undergraduate experience," comparing universities in three peer groupings: Primarily Undergraduate, Comprehensive, and Medical Doctoral.
Schools in the Primarily Undergraduate category are largely focused on undergraduate education, with relatively few graduate programs. Comprehensives have a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of graduate and undergraduate programs, including professional degrees. Medical Doctoral institutions have a broad range of PhD programs and research, as well as medical schools.
In early 2006, Maclean's announced that in June 2006, it would be introducing a new annual issue called the University Student Issue. The issue would feature the results of a survey of recent university graduates from each Canadian university. However, many universities, such as the University of Calgary
, McMaster University
, and the University of Toronto
, refused to take part in this exercise. The three institutions stated that they questioned the "magazine's ability to conduct a survey that would be rigorous and provide accurate and useful information to students and their parents." In response, Maclean's sought the results of two university-commissioned student surveys: the Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium (CUSC) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Results from these surveys, along with Maclean's own graduate survey, were published in the June 26, 2006, edition of Maclean's.
For the November 2006 University Rankings issue, 22 Canadian universities refused to provide information directly to Maclean's. To rank those universities, the magazine relied on data it collected itself, as well as data drawn from third party sources such as Statistics Canada
. Among the universities that refused to provide information directly to Maclean's in the fall of 2006 were: University of British Columbia
, University of Toronto
, Dalhousie University
, McMaster University
, University of New Brunswick
, University of Manitoba
, Université du Québec network
, Simon Fraser University
, University of Alberta
, University of Calgary
, University of Lethbridge
, Ryerson University
, Université de Montréal
, University of Ottawa
, York University
, Concordia University, University of Western Ontario
, Lakehead University
, Queen's University
, Carleton University
, and University of Windsor
. The withholding of data served as a means of voicing the universities' displeasure with the methodology used to determine the Maclean's ranking. Indira Samarasekera
, president of The University of Alberta
, further discussed this in the article, "Rising Up Against Rankings," published in the April 2, 2007, issue of Inside Higher Ed
.
The University Rankings Issue contains a compilation of different charts and lists judging the different aspects of universities in different categories. The three main areas listed in chart form in the University Rankings Issue as at November 3, 2006, are: the overall rankings themselves, the university student surveys, and the magazine's "national reputational rankings" of the schools.
The National Reputational Rankings, like the main university rankings, are broken into three subcategories: medical doctoral, comprehensive, and primarily undergraduate and are based on opinions of the quality of the universities. The quality opinions gathered were contributed by secondary school principals, guidance counselors, organization and company heads, and recruiters. The results of the reputational rankings are included in the main university rankings, and account for 16% of a university's total ranking score.
, which is featured in a special issue each October. First published by Maclean's in 2002, this issue profiles the winners of an annual competition to determine Canada's best places to work. The competition is open to employers of all sizes, both private- and public-sector. Winners are selected using a variety of criteria, which range from forward-thinking human resource
policies to progressive community involvement projects that make use of employees' talents. Detailed reasons for each employer's selection are published in an annual paperback by an outside firm, which manages the Canada's Top 100 Employers competition and provides the research to Maclean's. A distinguished panel of academic advisors, drawn from universities across Canada, oversees the selection criteria for the annual competition.
(CIC) launched complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission
, British Columbia Human Rights Commission, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission
against Maclean's accusing it of publishing 18 articles between January 2005 and July 2007 that they considered Islamophobic
in nature including a column by Mark Steyn
titled "The future belongs to Islam." According to the CIC complaint (as discussed in a National Post
article by Ezra Levant
): Maclean's is "flagrantly Islamophobic" and "subjects Canadian Muslims to hatred and contempt." In contrast, Levant says of the complainants that they are "illiberal censors who have found a quirk in our legal system, and are using it to undermine our Western traditions of freedom." On October 10, 2008, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal dismissed the allegations of "hate speech" made by the Canadian Islamic Congress. Maclean's consistently took the position that Steyn's article, an excerpt from his best-selling book, America Alone, is a worthy contribution to an important debate on geopolitical and demographic issues, and that complaintant's demands for equal space for a rebuttal was unreasonable and untenable.
politicians and organizers of the Carnival.
On September 26, 2010, Quebec Premier
, Jean Charest
, wrote a letter to the editor of Maclean's condemning the magazine’s "twisted form of journalism and ignorance," calling it "sensationalist," "far from serious," "simplistic" and "offensive,", saying the editor "discredited" the magazine. In an example of the law of unintended consequences, the controversy has had an unexpected benefit for the Quebec Liberal Government: The Opposition
in the Quebec National Assembly had been demanding that Premier Charest create "a public inquiry into allegations of corruption and collusion in Quebec's construction industry." However, seeing the Maclean's article as an attack from outside the province, an attack from English Canada, and "with their [Quebec's] acute sensitivity to criticism coming from outside the province, many in the province's media and political classes have shifted their attention from the Premier to the mischievous Toronto-based magazine." Thus, his letter to the editor of Maclean's posits Mr. Charest as "the defender of Quebecers in their 400-year struggle to preserve their culture and language. His letter demands that Maclean's apologize for publishing ‘a simplistic and offensive thesis that Quebecers are genetically incapable of acting with integrity.’"
In an editorial dated September 29, 2010, the magazine refused to back away from its position vis-à-vis corruption in Quebec. In the English-language magazine's bilingual editorial, the editorial board says that Charest's response to the Maclean's article was an attempt to "implicate ordinary citizens in a scandal created by [its] politicians. ‘It is bad enough that the people of Quebec have to put up with corruption in public office — they shouldn't be smeared by it as well,’" Notwithstanding this assertion, Maclean's acknowledged "that neither its cover story nor an accompanying column provided empirical evidence that Quebec is more corrupt than other provinces." This is not, however, a retreat from its contention that Quebec is the most corrupt province, given that the editorial board goes further, saying
, however, is of the opposite opinion, editorializing that "Maclean's is wrong. It didn't come close to making its case."
Despite the steadfast position of Maclean's editorial board, the magazine's publisher has issued a qualified apology. On September 30, 2010, referring to the controversy, Brian Segal
, the president of Rogers Publishing, apologized for "any offence that the cover may have caused," saying the province "is an important market for the company and we look forward to participating in the dynamic growth of the province and its citizens."
Finally, regarding Bonhomme Carnaval, organizers of Carnaval de Québec sued Maclean's over the controversial cover showing the iconic figure, settling out of court in November 2010.
main page
The university ranking issue courted controversy when in November 2010, under the editorship of Kenneth Whyte
and Mark Stevenson, reporter Stephanie Findlay and senior writer Nicholas Köhler wrote a controversial article entitled "Too Asian?", which led to allegations that Maclean's intentionally perpetuated racial stereotypes to court controversy for the sake of publicity. Amidst criticism from a number of student unions and politicians, on December 16, 2010, Toronto’s city council voted to request an apology from Maclean’s magazine as the third Canadian city to do so after Victoria and Vancouver. In a letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
, Senator Vivienne Poy
suggested that public outrage over the Maclean's article, "defined as material that is denigrating to an identifiable group," should deem it ineligible for government funding.
History
Founded in 1905 by TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
/entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
Lt.-Col.
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
John Bayne Maclean
John Bayne Maclean
Lieutenant Colonel John Bayne Maclean was a Canadian publisher. He founded Maclean's Magazine, the Financial Post and the Maclean Publishing Company, later known as Maclean-Hunter....
, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house business journal, along with its 5,000-strong subscription base. The Business Magazine, was launched in October of that year as a pocket-sized digest of articles gathered from Canadian, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
periodicals. It sold 6,000 copies. Inside its bright blue cover, the fledgling monthly anointed itself, "the Cream of the World's magazines reproduced for Busy People." Its aim, Maclean wrote a year later, was not "merely to entertain but also to inspire its readers." It was renamed The Busy Man's Magazine in December 1905, and began soliciting original manuscripts on varied topics such as immigration, national defence, home life, women's suffrage, as well as fiction. Maclean renamed the magazine after himself in 1911, dropping the previous title as too evocative of a business magazine for what had become a general interest publication.
Maclean hired Thomas B. Costain
Thomas B. Costain
Thomas Bertram Costain was a Canadian journalist who became a best-selling author of historical novels at the age of 57.-Life:...
as editor in 1917. Costain invigorated the magazine's coverage of the First World War, running first-person accounts of life on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
and critiques of Canada's war effort that came into conflict with wartime censorship regulations. Costain was ordered to remove an article by Maclean himself as it was too critical of war policy.
Costain encouraged literary pieces and artistic expressions and ran fiction by Robert W. Service
Robert W. Service
Robert William Service was a poet and writer who has often been called "the Bard of the Yukon".Service is best known for his poems "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", from his first book, Songs of a Sourdough...
, Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE , called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success...
, and O. Henry
O. Henry
O. Henry was the pen name of the American writer William Sydney Porter . O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings.-Early life:...
; commentary by Stephen Leacock
Stephen Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
and illustrations by C. W. Jefferys, F.S. Coburn, and several Group of Seven
Group of Seven (artists)
The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
members, including A. J. Casson
A. J. Casson
Alfred Joseph Casson, OC was a member of the Canadian group of painters known as the Group of Seven. He joined the group in 1926 at the invitation of Franklin Carmichael...
, Arthur Lismer
Arthur Lismer
Arthur Lismer, CC was an English-born Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven.-Early life:At age 13 he apprenticed at a photo-engraving company. He was awarded a scholarship, and used this time to take evening classes at the Sheffield School of Arts from 1898 until 1905...
, and J. E. H. MacDonald
J. E. H. MacDonald
James Edward Hervey MacDonald was a member of the famous Group of Seven Canadian artists. He is the father of Thoreau MacDonald.-Life:...
.
In 1919, the magazine moved from monthly to fortnight
Fortnight
The fortnight is a unit of time equal to fourteen days, or two weeks. The word derives from the Old English fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights"....
ly publication and ran a notable exposé
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
of the drug trade
Drug trade
Drug trade may refer to:* Illegal drug trade, the manufacture and sale of illicit psychoactive substances* Pharmaceutical industry, the manufacture and sale of medical treatment chemicals...
by Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy
Emily Murphy was a Canadian women's rights activist, jurist, and author. In 1916, she became the first woman magistrate in Canada, and in the British Empire...
. Costain left the magazine to become a novelist and was replaced by J. Vernon Mackenzie who remained at the helm until 1926. During his tenure, Maclean's achieved national stature.
After Mackenzie, H. Napier Moore became the new editor. An Englishman, he saw the magazine as an expression of Canada's role in the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. Moore ultimately became a figurehead with the day-to-day running of the magazine falling to managing editor W. Arthur Irwin, a Canadian nationalist, who saw the magazine as an exercise in nation-building, giving it a mandate to promote national pride. Under Irwin's influence, the magazine's covers promoted Canadian scenery and imagery. The magazine also sponsored an annual short story contest on Canadian themes and acquired a sports department. Irwin was also responsible for orienting the magazine towards both small and big "L" Liberalism
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
.
During the Second World War, Maclean's ran an overseas edition for Canadian troops serving abroad. By the time of its final run in 1946, the "bantam" edition had a circulation of 800,000. Maclean's war coverage featured war photography by Yousuf Karsh
Yousuf Karsh
Yousuf Karsh, CC was a Canadian photographer of Armenian heritage, and one of the most famous and accomplished portrait photographers of all time.-Biography:...
, later an internationally acclaimed portrait photographer, and articles by war correspondents John Clare and Leonard Shapiro.
Irwin officially replaced Moore as editor in 1945, and reoriented the magazine by building it around news features written by a new stable of writers that included Pierre Berton
Pierre Berton
Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, was a noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist....
, W.O. Mitchell, Scott Young, Ralph Allen
Ralph Allen (journalist)
Ralph Allen was a Canadian journalist, editor, and novelist.Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he was raised in Oxbow, Saskatchewan. At sixteen he became a sports reporter for The Winnipeg Tribune, before moving to Toronto's renowned The Globe and Mail where he served as a war correspondent during the...
, and Blair Fraser.
Allen became editor upon Irwin's acceptance of a diplomatic posting in 1950. This era of the magazine was noted for its articles on the Canadian landscape and profiles of town and city life. The feature article, "Canada's North," by Pierre Berton
Pierre Berton
Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, was a noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist....
, promoted a new national interest in the Arctic. Prominent writers during this period included Robert Fulford, Peter Gzowski
Peter Gzowski
Peter Gzowski, was a Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter, most famous for his work on the CBC radio show Morningside. His first biographer argued that Gzowski's contribution to Canadian media must be considered in the context of efforts by a generation of Canadian nationalists to understand...
, Peter C. Newman
Peter C. Newman
Peter Charles Newman, CC, CD is a Canadian journalist and writer.Born in Vienna, Austria, Newman emigrated from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to Canada in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. His father, Oscar, was a self-made wealthy factory owner. Newman was educated at Upper Canada College, where he was...
, Trent Frayne
Trent Frayne
Trent Gardiner Frayne is a retired Canadian sportswriter whose career stretched over 60 years."Billy" Frayne, as he was known as a youth, was born to father Homer, who was a railroader for the Canadian Pacific Railway and mother Ella...
, June Callwood
June Callwood
June Rose Callwood, was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She was born in Chatham, Ontario and grew up in nearby Belle River.-Early life and career:...
, McKenzie Porter, and Christina McCall
Christina McCall
Christina McCall was a Canadian political writer.McCall studied English at the University of Toronto then spent the next 20 years as a journalist at The Globe and Mail, Saturday Night and Maclean's and as a senior editor at Chatelaine, as a senior political writer and author. She later worked...
. Exposés in the 1950s challenged the criminal justice system, explored LSD, and artificial insemination.
Maclean's published a memorable editorial the day after the 1957 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1957
The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party , led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the...
announcing the predictable re-election of the St. Laurent
Louis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
. Written before the election results were known, Allen failed to anticipate the upset election of John Diefenbaker's
John Diefenbaker
John George Diefenbaker, PC, CH, QC was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957, to April 22, 1963...
Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
.
The magazine struggled to compete with television in the 1960s by increasing its international coverage and attempting to keep up with the sexual revolution
Sexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
through a succession of editors including Gzowski and Charles Templeton
Charles Templeton
Charles Bradley Templeton was a Canadian cartoonist, evangelist, agnostic, politician, newspaper editor, inventor, broadcaster and author. He was born and died in the same city, Toronto, Canada...
. Templeton quit after a short time at the helm due to his frustration with interference by the publishing company, Maclean-Hunter
Maclean-Hunter
Maclean-Hunter was a Canadian communications company, which had diversified holdings in radio, television, magazines, newspapers and cable television distribution....
.
In 1961, Maclean's began publishing a French-language edition, Le Magazine Maclean, which survived until 1976, when the edition was absorbed by L'actualité
L'actualité
L'actualité is a Canadian French-language news and general interest magazine published in Montreal by Les Éditions Rogers, which is owned by Rogers Communications. The magazine has over a million readers, according to Canada's Print Measurement Bureau, from its circulation which is mainly...
.
Peter C. Newman became editor in 1971, and attempted to revive the magazine by publishing feature articles by writers such as Barbara Frum
Barbara Frum
Barbara Frum, OC was a Canadian radio and television journalist, acclaimed for her interviews for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.-Personal life:...
and Michael Enright, and poetry by Irving Layton
Irving Layton
Irving Peter Layton, OC was a Romanian-born Canadian poet. He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made enemies. As T...
. Walter Stewart, correspondent and eventually managing editor
Managing editor
A managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
during this period, often clashed with Newman. In 1975 Newman brought in columnist Allan Fotheringham
Allan Fotheringham
Allan Fotheringham is a Canadian newspaper and magazine journalist. He is widely known by the nickname Dr. Foth and styles himself as, "Always controversial... never at a loss for words" and also as "the Great Gatheringfroth".-Life:Fotheringham attended Chilliwack Secondary School, where he was...
. Fotheringham made famous The Back Page, where he wrote for 27 years. Readers would go to read the Back Page first and then proceed to read the magazine from back to front.
Under Newman, the magazine switched from being a monthly general interest publication to a bi-weekly news magazine in 1975, and to a weekly newsmagazine three years later. The magazine opened news bureaus across the country and in international bureaus in London, England, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Current
In 2001, Anthony Wilson-Smith became the fifteenth editor in the magazine's history. He left the post at the end of February 2005 and was replaced by Kenneth WhyteKenneth Whyte
Kenneth Whyte is a Canadian newspaper and magazine editor. He has been publisher of the weekly Maclean's newsmagazine since March 2005. He is also president of Rogers Publishing Limited....
, who also serves as the magazine's publisher. The magazine has been owned by the Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
conglomerate since Rogers acquired Maclean-Hunter
Maclean-Hunter
Maclean-Hunter was a Canadian communications company, which had diversified holdings in radio, television, magazines, newspapers and cable television distribution....
, the former publisher, in 1994.
Whyte, who previously edited Saturday Night
Saturday Night (magazine)
Saturday Night was a Canadian general interest magazine. It was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1887.The publication was first established as a weekly broadsheet newspaper about public affairs and the arts, which was later expanded into a general interest magazine. The editor, Edmund E. Sheppard,...
and the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
, brought a new, arguably conservative, focus to the magazine, bringing in conservative columnist Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn is a Canadian-born writer, conservative-leaning political commentator, and cultural critic. He has written five books, including America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, a New York Times bestseller...
, hiring Andrew Coyne
Andrew Coyne
James Andrew Coyne is the national editor for Maclean's, a weekly national newsmagazine in Canada. Previously, he was a columnist with the National Post and an editor-in-chief of the University of Manitoba's newspaper, The Manitoban.-Background:Coyne was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Hope...
away from the Post, and rehiring Barbara Amiel
Barbara Amiel
Barbara Joan Estelle Amiel, Baroness Black of Crossharbour is a British-Canadian journalist, writer, and socialite. She is also the wife of former media baron and convicted felon Conrad Black.-Early life:...
. He also added a comedy feature by former Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
strategist Scott Feschuk, and a column by Andrew Potter
Andrew Potter
Andrew Potter is a Canadian newspaperman and author, best known outside Canada for co-authoring The Rebel Sell, with Joseph Heath.Born in Teulon, Manitoba, Potter attended Glebe Collegiate Institute in Ottawa, before earning a BA in Philosophy at McGill University, then MA and Ph.D. degrees in...
, who previously wrote for left leaning periodicals.
University Ranking Guide
Schools in the Primarily Undergraduate category are largely focused on undergraduate education, with relatively few graduate programs. Comprehensives have a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of graduate and undergraduate programs, including professional degrees. Medical Doctoral institutions have a broad range of PhD programs and research, as well as medical schools.
In early 2006, Maclean's announced that in June 2006, it would be introducing a new annual issue called the University Student Issue. The issue would feature the results of a survey of recent university graduates from each Canadian university. However, many universities, such as the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
, McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
, and the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, refused to take part in this exercise. The three institutions stated that they questioned the "magazine's ability to conduct a survey that would be rigorous and provide accurate and useful information to students and their parents." In response, Maclean's sought the results of two university-commissioned student surveys: the Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium (CUSC) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Results from these surveys, along with Maclean's own graduate survey, were published in the June 26, 2006, edition of Maclean's.
For the November 2006 University Rankings issue, 22 Canadian universities refused to provide information directly to Maclean's. To rank those universities, the magazine relied on data it collected itself, as well as data drawn from third party sources such as Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
. Among the universities that refused to provide information directly to Maclean's in the fall of 2006 were: University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
, University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
, University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, Université du Québec network
Université du Québec
The University of Quebec is a system of ten provincially-run public universities in Quebec, Canada. Its headquarters are in Quebec City. The university coordinates university programs for more than 87,000 students. It offers more than 300 programs...
, Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
, University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
, University of Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
The University of Lethbridge is a publicly-funded comprehensive academic and research university, founded in the liberal education tradition, located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with two other urban campuses in Calgary and Edmonton. The main building sits among the coulees on the west side of...
, Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
, Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
, University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
, York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, Concordia University, University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
, Lakehead University
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...
, Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
, Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
, and University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
. The withholding of data served as a means of voicing the universities' displeasure with the methodology used to determine the Maclean's ranking. Indira Samarasekera
Indira Samarasekera
Indira Vasanti Samarasekera, OC is the 12th and current President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Alberta. Succeeding Roderick Fraser on July 1, 2005, she was the first female president of any university in Alberta.-Biography:...
, president of The University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, further discussed this in the article, "Rising Up Against Rankings," published in the April 2, 2007, issue of Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed is a daily online publication focused on college and university topics, based in Washington, D.C., USA.The publication was founded in 2004 by Kathlene Collins, formerly a business manager for The Chronicle of Higher Education, and two former top editors of The Chronicle, Scott...
.
The University Rankings Issue contains a compilation of different charts and lists judging the different aspects of universities in different categories. The three main areas listed in chart form in the University Rankings Issue as at November 3, 2006, are: the overall rankings themselves, the university student surveys, and the magazine's "national reputational rankings" of the schools.
The National Reputational Rankings, like the main university rankings, are broken into three subcategories: medical doctoral, comprehensive, and primarily undergraduate and are based on opinions of the quality of the universities. The quality opinions gathered were contributed by secondary school principals, guidance counselors, organization and company heads, and recruiters. The results of the reputational rankings are included in the main university rankings, and account for 16% of a university's total ranking score.
Canada's Top 100 Employers
Maclean's is also well-known for announcing the annual list of Canada's Top 100 EmployersCanada's Top 100 Employers
Canada's Top 100 Employers is an annual competition that recognizes the best places in Canada to work. First held in 1999, the project aims to single out the employers that lead their industries in offering exceptional working conditions and progressive human resources policies. Winners are...
, which is featured in a special issue each October. First published by Maclean's in 2002, this issue profiles the winners of an annual competition to determine Canada's best places to work. The competition is open to employers of all sizes, both private- and public-sector. Winners are selected using a variety of criteria, which range from forward-thinking human resource
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
policies to progressive community involvement projects that make use of employees' talents. Detailed reasons for each employer's selection are published in an annual paperback by an outside firm, which manages the Canada's Top 100 Employers competition and provides the research to Maclean's. A distinguished panel of academic advisors, drawn from universities across Canada, oversees the selection criteria for the annual competition.
Canadian Islamic Congress complaint
In December 2007, the Canadian Islamic CongressCanadian Islamic Congress
The Canadian Islamic Congress refers to itself as Canada's largest national non-profit and wholly independent Islamic organization without affiliation to any foreign group, body, or government and says it represents -- Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, men and women, youth and seniors...
(CIC) launched complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission
Canadian Human Rights Commission
The Canadian Human Rights Commission is a quasi-judicial body that was established in 1977 by the government of Canada. It is empowered under the Canadian Human Rights Act to investigate and try to settle complaints of discrimination in employment and in the provision of services within federal...
, British Columbia Human Rights Commission, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission
Ontario Human Rights Commission
The Ontario Human Rights Commission was established in the Canadian province of Ontario on March 29, 1961 to administer the Ontario Human Rights Code...
against Maclean's accusing it of publishing 18 articles between January 2005 and July 2007 that they considered Islamophobic
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
in nature including a column by Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn is a Canadian-born writer, conservative-leaning political commentator, and cultural critic. He has written five books, including America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, a New York Times bestseller...
titled "The future belongs to Islam." According to the CIC complaint (as discussed in a National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
article by Ezra Levant
Ezra Levant
Ezra Isaac Levant is a Canadian lawyer, conservative political activist and media figure. He is the founder and former publisher of the Western Standard, hosts The Source daily on Sun News Network, and has written several books on politics....
): Maclean's is "flagrantly Islamophobic" and "subjects Canadian Muslims to hatred and contempt." In contrast, Levant says of the complainants that they are "illiberal censors who have found a quirk in our legal system, and are using it to undermine our Western traditions of freedom." On October 10, 2008, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal dismissed the allegations of "hate speech" made by the Canadian Islamic Congress. Maclean's consistently took the position that Steyn's article, an excerpt from his best-selling book, America Alone, is a worthy contribution to an important debate on geopolitical and demographic issues, and that complaintant's demands for equal space for a rebuttal was unreasonable and untenable.
Quebec controversy
The October 4, 2010, edition of the magazine — web-published September 24, 2010 — had a cover article with the headline: "Quebec: The Most Corrupt Province," with the subheading inside the magazine, "Why does Quebec claim so many of the nation’s political scandals?". The cover illustration featured the Quebec Winter Carnival mascot, Bonhomme, carrying a suitcase overflowing with cash. This depiction angered some QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
politicians and organizers of the Carnival.
On September 26, 2010, Quebec Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
, Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
, wrote a letter to the editor of Maclean's condemning the magazine’s "twisted form of journalism and ignorance," calling it "sensationalist," "far from serious," "simplistic" and "offensive,", saying the editor "discredited" the magazine. In an example of the law of unintended consequences, the controversy has had an unexpected benefit for the Quebec Liberal Government: The Opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
in the Quebec National Assembly had been demanding that Premier Charest create "a public inquiry into allegations of corruption and collusion in Quebec's construction industry." However, seeing the Maclean's article as an attack from outside the province, an attack from English Canada, and "with their [Quebec's] acute sensitivity to criticism coming from outside the province, many in the province's media and political classes have shifted their attention from the Premier to the mischievous Toronto-based magazine." Thus, his letter to the editor of Maclean's posits Mr. Charest as "the defender of Quebecers in their 400-year struggle to preserve their culture and language. His letter demands that Maclean's apologize for publishing ‘a simplistic and offensive thesis that Quebecers are genetically incapable of acting with integrity.’"
In an editorial dated September 29, 2010, the magazine refused to back away from its position vis-à-vis corruption in Quebec. In the English-language magazine's bilingual editorial, the editorial board says that Charest's response to the Maclean's article was an attempt to "implicate ordinary citizens in a scandal created by [its] politicians. ‘It is bad enough that the people of Quebec have to put up with corruption in public office — they shouldn't be smeared by it as well,’" Notwithstanding this assertion, Maclean's acknowledged "that neither its cover story nor an accompanying column provided empirical evidence that Quebec is more corrupt than other provinces." This is not, however, a retreat from its contention that Quebec is the most corrupt province, given that the editorial board goes further, saying
It's true that we lack a statistical database to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Quebec is an outlier among the provinces. But that does not mean we are required to suspend all judgment in the face of a preponderance of evidence—scandal after scandal at every level of government in the province, all of them involving not just one or two bad actors but systemic corruptionMaclean's editors also note that "none of our critics has mounted a credible case that any other province better deserves the title of worst in class." Moreover, not all opinion in Quebec runs contrary to Maclean's position. The French-language "La Presse, the province's leading broadsheet, wrote that … [Maclean's] claim that Quebec has a higher number of scandals is ‘undeniable.’" Rhéal Séguin, writing in The Globe & Mail, notes that the English-language Montreal GazetteSystemic corruptionSystemic corruption is corruption which is primarily due to a weaknesses of an organisation or process.It can be contrasted with individual officials or agents who act corruptly within the system....
.
The Gazette (Montreal)
The Gazette, often called the Montreal Gazette to avoid ambiguity, is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with three other daily English newspapers all having shut down at different times during the second half of the 20th century.-History:In 1778,...
, however, is of the opposite opinion, editorializing that "Maclean's is wrong. It didn't come close to making its case."
Despite the steadfast position of Maclean's editorial board, the magazine's publisher has issued a qualified apology. On September 30, 2010, referring to the controversy, Brian Segal
Brian Segal
Brian Segal is a publishing executive and former university administrator. He is the president and CEO of the Rogers Publishing division of Rogers Communications....
, the president of Rogers Publishing, apologized for "any offence that the cover may have caused," saying the province "is an important market for the company and we look forward to participating in the dynamic growth of the province and its citizens."
Finally, regarding Bonhomme Carnaval, organizers of Carnaval de Québec sued Maclean's over the controversial cover showing the iconic figure, settling out of court in November 2010.
Too Asian? article
Too AsianToo Asian
"Too Asian" is a term coined in a controversial article published by Maclean's magazine in 2010. Initially titled “Too Asian: Some frosh don't want to study at an Asian university”, later re-titled “Too Asian? Some frosh don't want to study at an Asian university” and then finally “The enrolment...
main page
The university ranking issue courted controversy when in November 2010, under the editorship of Kenneth Whyte
Kenneth Whyte
Kenneth Whyte is a Canadian newspaper and magazine editor. He has been publisher of the weekly Maclean's newsmagazine since March 2005. He is also president of Rogers Publishing Limited....
and Mark Stevenson, reporter Stephanie Findlay and senior writer Nicholas Köhler wrote a controversial article entitled "Too Asian?", which led to allegations that Maclean's intentionally perpetuated racial stereotypes to court controversy for the sake of publicity. Amidst criticism from a number of student unions and politicians, on December 16, 2010, Toronto’s city council voted to request an apology from Maclean’s magazine as the third Canadian city to do so after Victoria and Vancouver. In a letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Minister of Canadian Heritage
The Minister of Canadian Heritage is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who heads the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal government department responsible for Canada's Arts, Culture, Media, Communications network, and Sport....
, Senator Vivienne Poy
Vivienne Poy
Vivienne Poy was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1998. Poy came to Canada as a university student in 1959. She is the first Canadian senator of Asian ancestry. She graduated from St...
suggested that public outrage over the Maclean's article, "defined as material that is denigrating to an identifiable group," should deem it ineligible for government funding.