A New Progressive Narrative: What Could Be A Part Of It, And What Should Not
May 17, 2012 | No Comments
I’ve posted a new article at Vive Le Canada on what could be part of a new progressive narrative that better reflects today’s political reality, and what should not be a part of it. Questions and comments are of course welcome.
To subsidize or not
May 16, 2012 | 1 Comment
Amid all the chaos in Quebec over the government’s decision to hike tuition fees, there lies an essential debate that has been lost. Affordable education is something worth discussing. Too bad this debate has been lost after months of protests, bull-headedness and now violence. From what I’ve read in the English media, and in some [...]
The Politics of Hope
April 30, 2012 | No Comments
In amongst all my volunteering and consulting and fathering and what have you, I managed to put together some writing on politics! The essay, which is a bit of a political opus for me, reflects on my experiences volunteering for the respective NDP leadership campaigns of John Horgan and Nathan Cullen. It also looks at [...]
Talk about the issues, please. No, really.
April 20, 2012 | 1 Comment
Apparently, the Canadian media just refuses to learn from its own mistakes. The Alberta provincial election seems like a recurring nightmare. In this case, a lot of people are talking but no one is really saying anything. And, no, I’m not talking about the party leaders. In this case, the media is just as guilty. [...]
Blogging Dimebag
April 12, 2012 | 4 Comments
Here are ten random thoughts I don’t feel like developing into full blog posts: 1. The Penny: Good riddance. It’s a waste of money and a waste of time. I’m surprised that the Tories actually brought in such a sound and reasonable policy. And if we’re worried that it will just result in stores rounding [...]
Do they really want him working that two extra years?
April 5, 2012 | 1 Comment
Recently, the federal government decided to make (eminently sensible) changes to Canada’s retirement age, raising it from 65 to 67. Apparently, though, that (eminently sensible) change isn’t going to affect the Prime Minister: All Canadian prime ministers who served at least four years in office are given a $100,000/year allowance beginning at the age of [...]
Well, this isn’t good
March 30, 2012 | 10 Comments
It seems a Tory MP got into a little (alleged) hot water after a recent visit to an Ottawa high school: Garry Breitkreuz, the Tory MP best known for his campaign to repeal the long-gun registry, denies an Ottawa woman’s claim that he was “promoting gun violence” during a recent speech to her daughter’s high [...]
Quebec, language and oppression
March 29, 2012 | 2 Comments
I’ve been negligent in responding to Jared’s thorough post on Quebec’s language laws. He makes some solid points, but I still think the overall jist of the post is off-base. It really deserves a thorough discussion, but I’m not sure I’m up to that right now, so - as one who is disgusted by Quebec’s language [...]
Jamaican Journal
March 19, 2012 | No Comments
This post has little to do with voter turnout, politics, or even Canada. Just a quick update for Commons readers- I have moved to Jamaica as a Cuso volunteer to work with Y.O.U. Jamaica. It is an NGO that works with youth, providing mentoring and career counselling. I am excited about this wonderful opportunity, but [...]
Let Air Canada rot
March 9, 2012 | No Comments
So the federal government has decided to step into the current Air Canada labour disputes, stripping workers (read: citizens) of their leverage in their contract negotiations. The government will make claims of saving the national economy or helping ‘average’ Canadians, but it’s all rhetoric. This isn’t about economics, it’s about control and it’s about politics. [...]