A New Progressive Narrative: What Could Be A Part Of It, And What Should Not

Jared Milne

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

Michael Hammond

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

Scott H. Payne

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.

Michael Hammond

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

Jonathan McLeod

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?

Jonathan McLeod

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

Jonathan McLeod

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

Jonathan McLeod

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

Kate Chappell

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

Jonathan McLeod

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. [...]

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The Commons has brought together a diverse cross-section of unique and intelligent voices to generate meaningful debate and discussion. All contributors have made the solemn commitment to cultivate respectful, honest, vigorous, and open dialogue—and to promote that very kind of dialogue within the larger Canadian political discourse.