What is to be done when 'Harper is us'?
There is one basic, foundational ground on which all politics in Canada must find traction, or not have any effect. This is it. Less than 15% of the people are "political" as part of their daily thinking and activity. They are the few to whom the actions of politicians, and their words and opinions, matter. The rest are not...
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Stephen Harper, too, shall pass into history, recorded as one of the most destructive, personally malignant personalities ever to have soiled the Canadian political landscape. But in the meantime, Canadians are so distracted by his political blitzkrieg through the agencies, policies, programs and institutions that make Canada...
Erna Paris to receive WFM – Canada World Peace Award
Acclaimed Canadian author Erna Paris is the 2012 recipient of the WFM - Canada World Peace Award. The award, to be presented July 12 in Winnipeg, recognizes an outstanding Canadian whose work advances awareness and action in support of a more peaceful future for humanity. Paris (www.ernaparis.com) is the author of seven books...
OP/ED: Unplug the MP pension money making machine
By: Jordan Bateman, British Columbia Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation If you could put a loonie into a machine and get $23.30 out every time, would you ever stop? Probably not. That human nature may explain why Members of Parliament have been moving so slowly to reform their platinum-plated pension plan. Unfortunately for taxpayers, we are that […]
Expect more from your government
Something is happening in Canada that seems, in the context of a majority Harper government, counter-intuitive. Harper continues implementing his right-wing revolution by fiat, and Preston Manning’s “democracy” institute says Canadians actually want “less” government and more individual responsibility. Yet a flurry of polls...
Canadian swordfish eco-certified despite deaths of endangered sea turtles and sharks
Despite strong opposition from conservation organizations, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has granted eco-certification to Nova Scotia’s swordfish longline fishery which is responsible for killing 35,000 sharks and 200-500 endangered sea turtles each year as ‘bycatch’. According to yesterday’s announcement by the MSC,...
Budget 2012: At least the war on the environment is going well
Until this year, the purpose of the annual Canadian federal budget was to project government revenues, lay out spending priorities and forecast economic conditions for the upcoming year. Reading Budget 2012, announced last week by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, it soon becomes clear that this government has no intention of ...
Mourning Mulcair’s win
There will be lots of soul searching and head scratching going on this week about what happened with the NDP leadership race. The mechanics of the convention, the interesting lack of deal-making, and how the balloting progressed are all fodder for those who enjoy going through the entrails of leadership conventions. Others ...
NDP faithful picks Muclair as new leader of the party
The Huffington Post Montreal MP Thomas Mulcair has been chosen to succeed Jack Layton as leader of the New Democrat Party. Mulcair claimed 57.2 per cent of the vote in a fourth-ballot victory over chief rival Brian Topp, who claimed 42.8 per cent. The two front-runners were the last men standing after a day-long voting […]
Local MP criticizes Fed plans to 'gut' Fisheries Act
MP Alex Atamanenko (BC Southern Interior) said the Conservative’s plan to make changes to the Fisheries Act in an omnibus federal budget bill next week has been exposed and the federal government needs to come clean on its agenda. A former DFO employee Otto Langer leaked documents last week that shone a light on government ...