The human cost of manufacturing our iPhones

Kate Chappell

January 26, 2012 | 9 Comments

Canada has fared relatively well during the current economic crisis. There are many reasons why, as many as why the U.S. has suffered so much. One factor shielding Canada is also something that people lament: a lack of a substantial manufacturing base. This extends to an innovation or productivity gap. So while Canada has definitely [...]

So is dual citizenship really dangerous?

Kate Chappell

January 19, 2012 | 5 Comments

The more I think about it, the more the issue of citizenship seems to beg greater discussion than the rhetoric thrown around when political parties want to attack their competitors. (Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful comments on the previous post.) And the debate is unavoidable, since globalization continues to advance it. So Andrew Coyne [...]

More than one nationality is dangerous

Kate Chappell

January 17, 2012 | 5 Comments

The question of citizenship in political office has re-emerged. NDP MP Thomas Mulcair also holds French citizenship, which he secured through his wife, who was born in France. Perhaps this is just the Sun newspaper chain agitating the issue in a slow news period, as protest is minimal. Nevertheless, the question of dual citizenship pops [...]

How to make housing affordable

Jonathan McLeod

January 10, 2012 | 4 Comments

Give people money. The provincial and federal governments are giving the City of Ottawa (among other municipalities, I would imagine) millions of dollars to fund housing for the poor. City staff are suggesting, typically, that the best way to help the poor is by funneling such funds to corporations – either by aquiring or building [...]

Attawapiskat: Hardly A Day of Reckoning

Michael Hammond

December 6, 2011 | No Comments

Shawn Atleo, Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said the Attawapiskat crisis marks a “moment of reckoning” in Canada’s policies regarding First Nations. I would like to believe him. But, recent history suggests otherwise. After all, the E. coli crisis in the northern Kashechewan reserve in 2005 was large enough to warrant a [...]

Canada’s morale deficit

Kate Chappell

November 30, 2011 | 2 Comments

The other day, a run with a friend took me by the Lester B. Pearson building, a bunker-like structure that houses hundreds of Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade staff. The building overlooks the Ottawa River, the Parliament Buildings, the National Gallery. It was late afternoon, so the sunset had coloured the entire sky pink [...]

Won’t someone please think of that woman’s child?

Jonathan McLeod

November 25, 2011 | No Comments

Thanks to The Volunteer‘s Hugh MacIntyre, I read an unsurprisingly weak column* by The Citizen‘s Kelly Egan. It appears that one son of one mother became addicted to marijuana, and, thus “ordinary” Canadians don’t want it to be legalized. Usually, a writer might have more shame than to end a story about the experience of [...]

They’re Dirty Filthy Liars

Jonathan McLeod

November 24, 2011 | 10 Comments

News agencies have been picking up on a new report on child, err toddler, education. The Early Years Study 3 has made some waves as the researchers propagandists behind it make the claim that children as young as 18 months need to be dumped into schools where they can start learning. The report is garbage. This [...]

Snow Falling on Civil Disobedience

Jonathan McLeod

November 23, 2011 | 4 Comments

Early this morning, just after 2:00, Police removed the participants of Occupy Ottawa, enforcing the eviction notice served on Monday. Eight Occupiers were arrested, and one was transported to hospital (for, apparently, a pre-existing injury aggravated by the forcible removal). The morning brought us Ottawa’s first snowfall, and I’m a little disappointed to awake to [...]

Public Servants vs. Policy Makers

Jonathan McLeod

November 5, 2011 | No Comments

I read an interesting story in the Ottawa Citizen the other day. The president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, Gary Corbett, argues that public service unions need to brace for a fight with the federal government considering the Tories’ recent anti-union activity. The idea that public service unions will battle the [...]

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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.