Sometimes the perversity of people seems to know no bounds. A fine example of this is illustrated in a recent article in Foreign Policy which discusses the rehabilitation of Stalin in Russia. Yes, it boggles the mind, but one of the greatest monsters …
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
A green NAFTA? Is it possible?
It isn’t much but it’s promising. Last Friday, Canada, the United States and Mexico signed a memorandum of understanding that could lead to a North American accord on climate change and clean energy. According to the CBC story, "This essentially kickstarts the detailed, behind the scenes work needed for a continent-wide agreement that will enable all three countries to work together on clean
Continue readingReturning to Libya
My position on ISIS is that it was a product of the American-led coalition’s invasion of Iraq, therefore it is up to the coalition members to deal with it. As my dear mother taught me, if you make a mess, you clean it up. Fortunately, we wisely chose n…
Continue reading"Liberal" is back in the U.S.
Liberal is one of the most honourable words in politics or, indeed, in life generally. According to my ITP Nelson Canadian Dictionary, it means "open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behaviour of others," and what better basis for a good society than that. Indeed, we proudly call our political system a "liberal democracy."
Unfortunately, U.S. conservatives managed to
Continue readingKnock it off, Tom, it wasn’t the niqab
I am a long-time member of the NDP but not, I’m afraid, a member of the Tom Mulcair fan club. I didn’t support his election to leader primarily because I’ve never believed he is a committed social democrat. He seems more of an opportunistic liberal, ab…
Continue readingChristy Clark’s disingenuous comments on the TPP
B.C. Premier Christy Clark is a very big fan of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement—in her words, a "100 per cent" supporter. In a comment on CBC Radio’s The House, the premier stated, "We do 60 per cent of our trade with TPP countries in British Columbia, if we are not signed on to that deal we are going to be shut out," sounding as if without the agreement her province
Continue readingTPP—trading down?
According to its proponents, the "trade" agreement the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will generate economic benefits to all parties by eliminating obstacles to trade and investment.
A study out of Tufts University—Trading Down: Unemployment, Inequality and Other Risks of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement—offers another opinion. The Tufts’ economists made their projections using the
Continue readingNotley quite correctly accepted the Royalty Review Panel’s conclusions
The Alberta Royalty Review Advisory Panel has concluded its study and issued its report. One of its conclusions, and certainly its most controversial, was, "Alberta’s total fiscal take (including royalties) from crude oil and natural gas wells is reasonably positioned against its most direct competitors." In other words, there is no justification for raising royalties.
Was I surprised?
Continue readingModest proposals for our defence policy
The federal government has promised to develop a new defence strategy for the country and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has confirmed the public will be asked to participate. I thought, therefore, I would get my two cents in early.
The minister’s mandate letter states, "As Minister of National Defence, your overarching goal will be to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces are equipped and
Continue readingTechnology bargain betrayed—where have all the rewards gone?
Early in the Industrial Revolution, many workers were concerned about being replaced by machines. The most well known group were the Luddites, British weavers who smashed mechanical looms that threatened to replace them with low-wage labourers, leav…
Continue readingOceans of plastic
What comes to mind when you think of oceans? Fish, of course. But what about plastic? Most people know we are dumping a lot of plastic into the world’s oceans, but many would be surprised at just how much. According to a report published by the World…
Continue readingOn Putin the poisoner
According to a report by former British High Court judge Robert Owen, the 2006 murder of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London was carried out by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and probably approved by President Vladimir Putin. Putin h…
Continue readingBishop Henry pontificates on LGBTQ rights
The Alberta government has established LGBTQ guidelines for the province’s schools. This story would not be complete without comments from Calgary’s Bishop Fred Henry. The good bishop has excoriated the guidelines as "anti-Catholic" and "totalitarian."
He claims that Catholic schools, which will be subject to the guidelines, already require that all students be equally respected. Considering
Continue readingTime to reverse Canada’s peacekeeping decline
At one time, back in the early 90’s, Canada contributed more troops to UN peacekeeping missions than anyone else. We were number one. Today, with only 26 military personnel involved, we rank 66th.
Peacekeeping itself has continued to grow. The UN is…
Continue reading2015—a very good year
2015 is nearly done, a year of significant change for me: a new home after 25 years of living by Calgary’s Elbow River, by far the longest I’ve ever lived in one place, and even a new car, also after driving my little Honda Civic for 25 years.
But blo…
Continue readingWhy a referendum on electoral reform would be a very bad idea
The need for electoral reform in Canada has never been more stark. We have just endured nine years of government by a political party that over sixty per cent of us opposed. That is simply not democratic. We have an electoral system, but we don’t have …
Continue readingIs Christ Christian? Reflections on the niqab debate.
Pondering the late unlamented election debate about the niqab, I took to wondering just what a religion is. Not the dictionary definition or what theologians say it is, but how it is practiced by its followers.
Take Christianity, for example, the re…
Continue readingDandelions may save your life
I love dandelions. In early spring, when the landscape is still grey-brown, and the streets are filthy from the accumulated sand and salt laid down over the winter, that sunny yellow face emerging hopefully from a crack in the sidewalk warms my bones.
…
Americans—a dangerously fearful people
For nine years we were led by a fearful prime minister, and during the last election he gave us broad hints about who we should fear the most. Not that I am suggesting Mr. Harper was simply being a demagogue and trying to scare us into voting for him. …
Continue readingPutin’s Christian crusader
After 9/11, the Americans declared war on terrorism. Now Russia has gone them one better. According to the Very Reverend Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, prominent spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, “The fight with terrorism is a holy battle, a…
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