Tom Clark
Chief Political Correspondent
Tom Clark is one of Canada’s most recognized and respected journalists.
For more than 40 years, he has witnessed and written history in Canada and around the world. At home he has interviewed every prime minister since Lester B. Pearson and covered every federal election campaign since 1974.
Abroad, he was the bureau chief in Beijing during the early 1980’s, and spent five years as the bureau chief in Washington DC. In that posting, he interviewed President George Bush, the first time any American president had been interviewed by a Canadian television network.
Besides his permanent postings, Tom has spent much of his career travelling the world, reporting from 33 countries. Tom has reported from six active war zones, most recently from Afghanistan. He was also one of only a handful of journalists who made it into Belgrade to witness the bombing of Yugoslavia. He was in Berlin the night the wall came down, in Moscow’s Red Square when the hammer and sickle was lowered for the last time, and in Tiananmen Square the night the Chinese army attacked.
In 2016, Tom was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Radio Television and Digital News Association. He also provided contextual analysis on the most contentious U.S. election in memory.
Journalism is in Tom’s blood – his great-grandfather, Joseph T. Clark, was editor of Saturday Night and editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star. His grandfather was a reporter with the Star, and his father helped spearhead Canada Newswire. Tom was born in Toronto, is fluently bilingual and spends what little free time he has flying his floatplane in Canada’s north.
Contact Tom Clark
Video Archives
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The Best of Plane Talk with Tom Clark
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Unpacking the politics of what lies ahead in 2017
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Tom’s Take: Saying farewell to journalism
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The Making of Plane Talk
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The West Block: Jan 1
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MPs celebrate their favorite holiday traditions
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How Canadian values have shaped the country: Charlotte Gray
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Community engagement key to Canada’s refugee resettlement success: experts
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MPs celebrate their favourite holiday traditions
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It’s time to bring how Canada treats cities into the 21st century: Toronto Mayor John Tory
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Young MPs optimistic about politics in Ottawa
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Unpacking the politics of cash-for-access fundraisers
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Prime Minister Trudeau’s overall approval rating dropping: poll
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Accountability role of news organizations important as fake news increases
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Carbon tax is fundamentally wrong for Saskatchewan: Wall
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Unemployment rates for Syrian refugees commensurate with other refugee populations: irani
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Electoral reform survey gets mixed reviews
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Electoral reform fallout: What’s next for changing the system?
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Trump’s pick for commerce secretary could be a rough ride for Canada: analyst
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Liberal government wants to see Keystone XL built: Carr
Author Archives
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Tom Clark says ‘thank you and goodbye’ during his final broadcastAfter more than four decades in the business, Tom Clark announced he was leaving journalism and moving on to a new chapter in his profession. Here are his final thoughts and words, spoken during his final broadcast.CanadaJan 1, 2017
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Tom’s Take: Donald Trump advocates for civil disobedience during final presidential debateThe key date for the American election might not be voting day, but rather the day after.PoliticsOct 19, 2016
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Tom’s Take: Debate performances reinforce views of Donald Trump, Hillary ClintonBrains can be funny things. Take Donald Trump’s brain for instance. It obviously has a sense of humour, or perhaps a finely honed sense of mischief. Either way it had a blast Monday night.PoliticsSep 27, 2016
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Tom’s Take: A picture worth a thousand words as Three Amigos meet in OttawaIf you want to know what was really on the minds of the three North American leaders, look closely at the photo-op as they all sat down for their one and only meeting.CanadaJun 29, 2016
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Tom’s Take: Why some Republicans fear, and hope, a Trump win destroys the GOPSo why do so many powerful Republicans wish they could have a do-over on the primaries that selected The Donald? Because they know that win or lose, Trump will probably destroy their party.PoliticsJun 7, 2016
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Tom’s Take: Why MPs sobered up on ‘Elbowgate’Chances are good "Elbowgate" has qualified for the top ten list of political embarrassments for everyone, from the prime minister to the opposition, and right on down to the committee that was going to set things right in the world again.PoliticsMay 31, 2016
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Tom’s Take: How Trudeau’s ‘Elbowgate’ is full of sound and fury, signifying nothingIn the Canadian Parliament, it’s all fun and games until someone loses his temper. To fully understand what happened on Wednesday, it’s best to remind yourself of what it was like in Grade 4.CanadaMay 19, 2016
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Tom’s Take: Breaking the code on electoral reform rhetoricSome of what we will hear in the months ahead about electoral reform might be sincere concern for the state of our democracy, but almost all of it will be in political code. So let’s break the codes.PoliticsMay 12, 2016
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Tom’s Take: The long and winding road of Justin TrudeauJustin Trudeau has been playing the long-game for a decade, with the end goal of a global liberal legacy, but it's an ambition littered with landmines.PoliticsMar 18, 2016
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Friend and Foe: The twists and turns of Canada-U.S. relationsThere have been some epic fails in the relationship between Ottawa and Washington.CanadaMar 2, 2016
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Tom’s take: Authenticity matters in politicsFor decades now, there has been one golden rule for aspiring politicians: authenticity is everything, and if you can fake that, you’ve got it made.PoliticsJan 14, 2016
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No public funding for Victims of Communism, Mother Canada monumentsThe federal Liberals won't fund the Victims of Communism or Mother Canada monuments, sources tell Global News.CanadaDec 3, 2015
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A Senate state of mindI blame it all on Sir John A. MacDonald. How did he, and the other Fathers of Confederation, spend so much time arguing about the Senate, only to come up with mush? Did they just get bored? Were they all too anxious to take their mashies to the links? Whatever it was, they walked away...Jun 10, 2015
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Tom’s take: Monday’s tawdry tale of ambition and betrayalAs with any floor crossing, there are competing theories as to why and how it came about.CanadaFeb 9, 2015
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Tom’s take: the collapse of the Wildrose PartyPeople follow political leaders for one of two reasons: either they are genuinely inspired by them, or the leader holds the promise of power. In the case of Danielle Smith, she doesn't have either.PoliticsDec 17, 2014
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Tom’s Take: The big (oil) shiftTom Clark writes about possible political repercussions of low oil prices around the world and here at home.CanadaDec 12, 2014
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Tom’s Take: the real Stephen Harper steps upGlobal's Chief Political Correspondent Tom Clark takes a look at what was really revealed with Stephen Harper's comments on oil and gas regulations TuesdayCanadaDec 9, 2014
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Blog: Halifax security forum and the idea of ‘Fortress North America’Tom Clark on the questions he's asking at the Halifax International Security Forum, a gathering of 300 of the world's best minds on security and intelligence.CanadaNov 21, 2014
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Hong Kong and Tiananmen: the same but differentGlobal's Tom Clark reflects on his experience covering the current Hong Kong protests and the Tiananmen Square military crackdown of 1989.WorldOct 3, 2014
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Hong Kong protests: Calm before the stormGlobal News' chief political correspondent Tom Clark considers what's next for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.WorldOct 2, 2014
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Tom’s Take: The parliamentary session aheadThey aren't your typical political predictions. Tom Clark tells us what we can expect from politicians when Parliament resumes.CanadaSep 14, 2014
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On the ground in Kyiv, revolution trumps fear of RussiaOn an old storefront off Independence Square a poster calls on passersby to come in and join the army. But this is not your usual army: It’s a band of revolutionaries calling themselves the Self Defence Force.WorldMar 4, 2014
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Tom’s take: The best laid plansEven though the election is a year and a half away, the puck has dropped and a fight has already broken out.CanadaFeb 21, 2014
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Tom’s take: Leadership isn’t everything, it’s the only thingIt’s hard to imagine a better time in the United States than the summer of 1927. And there was almost no leadership whatsoever.PoliticsJan 28, 2014
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The silence of the political lambsIn the end, this is a crisis that only Rob Ford can defuse. Everyone else is a mere spectator. But that’s not to say spectators don’t have responsibilities.PoliticsNov 17, 2013