On the 23rd of November 1936, a newspaper with a circulation of 78,000 pages merged with a rival publication that had 118,000 readers, creating a paradox that press reports of the time described as a minnow swallowing a whale. This unlikely union between The Globe and The Mail and Empire formed the modern The Globe and Mail, a publication that would eventually become Canada's most widely read weekday newspaper. The merger was orchestrated by George McCullagh, who served as the first publisher of the new entity, fronting for mining magnate William Henry Wright. The resulting newspaper inherited a complex legacy from its two predecessors, blending the liberal political roots of The Globe with the conservative business orientation of The Mail and Empire. This fusion created a unique institution that would evolve from a partisan organ into a national voice, navigating the shifting political tides of Canada for nearly a century. The story of this merger is not just about business strategy but about the survival of a newspaper that had to reinvent itself to remain relevant in a rapidly changing media landscape.
From Reform Party To National Voice
The origins of The Globe and Mail trace back to 1844 when Scottish immigrant George Brown founded The Globe as a weekly party organ for his Reform Party. Brown, who would later become a Father of Confederation, initially targeted a specific audience of liberal-minded freeholders but soon recognized the economic potential of reaching a wider readership. The newspaper adopted a motto from Junius, The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures, which remains on its editorial page to this day. By the 1850s, The Globe had transformed into an independent daily newspaper, distributing copies by railway to other cities in Ontario shortly after Confederation. At the dawn of the twentieth century, the publication added photography, a women's section, and the slogan Canada's National Newspaper, which continues to appear on its front-page banner. The newspaper began opening bureaus and offering subscriptions across Canada, establishing itself as a national institution rather than merely a local publication. This evolution from a partisan tool to a national voice set the stage for the newspaper's future role as Canada's newspaper of record, a designation that reflects its influence on national discourse and policy.
The Business Of News And Politics
The newspaper's political stance has shifted dramatically over the decades, from supporting the liberal politics of George Brown to becoming a main media vehicle for Canada's right wing in the 1990s. Under the editorship of William Thorsell in the 1980s and 1990s, the paper strongly endorsed the free trade policies of Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and became an outspoken proponent of the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord. The editorial the day of the 1995 Quebec Referendum mostly quoted a Mulroney speech in favour of the Accord, demonstrating the newspaper's alignment with federalist policies. However, the paper also continued to favour socially liberal policies such as decriminalizing drugs and expanding gay rights, with a 1967 editorial arguing that the state has no right or duty to creep into the bedrooms of the nation. This complex political positioning has led to perceptions of bias, with a 2017 survey finding that 50% of respondents viewed The Globe and Mail as biased, placing it in a tie for first place with CBC Television in terms of perceived bias. The newspaper has endorsed various political parties over the years, including Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives in 1984 and 1988, and Stephen Harper's Conservative Party in the 2006, 2008, and 2011 elections, while calling for Harper to step down in the 2015 election.
The newspaper has undergone significant transformations in the digital age, launching its website in 1995 and beginning to cover breaking news with its own content and journalists on the 9th of June 2000. In 2004, access to some features of globeandmail.com became restricted to paid subscribers only, and the subscription service was later reduced to include an electronic edition of the newspaper, access to its archives, and membership to a premium investment site. On the 23rd of April 2007, the paper introduced significant changes to its print design and a new unified navigation system to its websites, adding a lifestyle section entitled Globe Life to attract readers from the rival Toronto Star. The paper followed other North American papers by dropping detailed stock listings in print and shrinking the printed paper to 12-inch width. On the 1st of October 2010, The Globe and Mail unveiled redesigns to both its paper and online formats, dubbed the most significant redesign in The Globes history by Editor-in-Chief John Stackhouse. The paper version features 100 per cent full-colour pages, more graphics, slightly glossy paper stock, and emphasis on lifestyle and similar sections, an approach dubbed Globe-lite by one media critic. The newspaper also launched its News Photo Archive, a showcase of more than 10,000 photos from its historic collection dedicated to subscribers, digitizing tens of thousands of negatives and photo prints from film, dating from 1900 to 1998.
The Scandal And The Staff
The newspaper has faced significant challenges in maintaining its reputation, including a high-profile plagiarism scandal involving staff columnist Margaret Wente. On the 25th of September 2012, The Globe and Mail announced it had disciplined Wente after she admitted to plagiarism, following accusations raised by University of Ottawa professor and blogger Carol Wainio on her blog. The scandal emerged after Wainio repeatedly raised plagiarism accusations against Wente, leading to a public relations crisis for the newspaper. In 2013, The Globe and Mail ended distribution of the print edition to Newfoundland, and in 2017, it ended distribution to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI. The newspaper has also faced legal challenges, with former Minister Michael Chan filing a libel lawsuit against The Globe and Mail in 2015 for $4.55 million after the paper allegedly declined to retract unfounded allegations suggesting that Chan was a risk to national security because of his ties to China. The case was dismissed in August 2024 after Chan's failure to file court documents on time. Despite these challenges, the newspaper has maintained a strong presence in the Canadian media landscape, with employees represented by Unifor and a three-year contract set to end in 2024.
The Business Section And The Century Initiative
The newspaper's Report on Business section, commonly referred to as ROB, is the most lengthy daily compilation of economic news in Canada and is considered an integral part of the newspaper. Standard ROB sections are typically fifteen to twenty pages, and every Saturday, a special Report on Business Weekend is released, which includes features on corporate lifestyle and personal finance, and extended coverage of business news. On the last Friday of every month, the Report on Business Magazine is released, the largest Canadian finance-oriented magazine. Business News Network, formerly ROBtv, is a twenty-four-hour news and business television station, founded by The Globe and Mail but operated by CTV through the companies' relationship with CTVglobemedia. The Top 1000 is a list of Canada's one thousand largest public companies ranked by profit released annually by the Report on Business Magazine. The newspaper has also been involved in promoting the Century Initiative, a project founded in 2009 as the Laurier Project and backed by Dominic Barton, the former head of the consultancy firm McKinsey & Company. The initiative's stated goal is to increase Canada's population to 100 million by 2100, requiring Canada to increase its annual immigration intake to make this a reality. In 2021, The Globe and Mail launched a webcast in partnership with the Century Initiative called People and Prosperity: Planning for Canadian Growth, demonstrating the newspaper's engagement with national policy debates beyond traditional news coverage.
The Physical Spaces And The Future
The newspaper has occupied several significant physical spaces throughout its history, from the William H. Wright Building at 140 King Street West, where it was produced from 1937 until 1974, to 444 Front Street West, which it occupied from 1974 until 2016. The building at 130 King Street West was demolished in 1974 to make way for First Canadian Place, and the Front Street building along with the Toyota dealership next door were demolished and redeveloped as The Well. In 2016, the newspaper moved to 351 King Street East, adjacent to the former Toronto Sun Building, occupying five of the new tower's 17 stories and named the Globe and Mail Centre under a 15-year lease. The headquarters site at 444 Front Street West was sold in 2012 to three real estate firms that planned to redevelop the site into a retail, office and residential complex. The newspaper has also published a distinct west-coast edition, edited independently in Vancouver, containing a three-page section of British Columbia news, and during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, published a Sunday edition, marking the first time that the paper had ever published on Sunday. These physical and geographical expansions reflect the newspaper's efforts to maintain its national presence while adapting to the changing media environment.