The United States has resumed its war in Iraq, once again building a “coalition of the willing.” Our government has, unfortunately, decide to join this one. Our participation is unwise and unjustified for a number of reasons. To begin with, this war—to “degrade and destroy” ISIS—is the result of a
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
Pipelines in every direction
Our new premier, Jim Prentice, claims he is committed to making Alberta an environmental leader. That’s on Sundays, just after church. The rest of the week his commitments lie elsewhere. He made that plain in a speech to the Economic Club last week when he declared his goal is to
Continue readingThe Conservatives sabotage NAFTA
The road to the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) began under a Conservative government and has been championed by Conservatives ever since. Surprising then that they should treat it with such contempt. Not all of it, of course, definitely not the part that benefits the corporate sector, just the
Continue readingThe legitimate anger of the jihadis
As the season of wallowing in warrior worship wanes, we might think upon those warriors we love to hate—the young Muslim men from around the globe migrating (or trying to migrate) to the Middle East to fight for ISIS. Their motivation is much discussed. Some, alienated from their society, seem
Continue readingEnergy East—another reason why we need Quebec
Among the arguments that might be made to keep Quebec in Canada is simply that it’s our most progressive province. One can cite ample of evidence for this: it showed the strongest support for the Kyoto Accord and gay marriage, it has the most advanced child care program, it is
Continue readingThe G-20’s failure on growth
There are, in my humble opinion, two overwhelming threats to humanity, either one of which will undermine global civilization if not dealt with adequately and quickly. The recent G-20 conference dealt with one—climate change—but not only ignored the other, it pushed us further down that path to Armageddon. Article 19
Continue readingOh my God! The Japanese make better whisky than the Scots!
A year of firsts for whiskey. For instance, it’s the first time in the 12-year history of the World Whisky Bible’s rankings that a Scottish malt has failed to make the top five. Depressing news for the Scots. And it gets worse. Much, much worse—it is also the first time
Continue readingNaheed Nenshi—world’s best mayor?
Recently, Canada suffered through the pain and embarrassment of having the world’s worst mayor. Is it possible we can now rise above the humiliation with the world’s best mayor? Calgary’s mayor Naheed Nenshi has made the short list for the 2014 World Mayor Prize, awarded every two years to a
Continue readingDemocracy inches along in Tunisia
The Arab spring, one of the most encouraging events from a democratic perspective in recent years, has unfortunately mostly failed. Egypt, the most important Arab country, and the country where democrats’ hopes where highest, has lapsed back into an increasingly oppressive military dictatorship. But one country, the one where it
Continue readingMacKay makes the right noises
With all the feverish reaction from politicians and a good part of the media to the two recent “terrorist” incidents, it is encouraging to hear Justice Minister Peter McKay say some of the right things, specifically that the law already has the tools it needs to deal with these kind
Continue readingAbout those Canadian values
The shooting spree by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau on Parliament Hill that resulted in the death of soldier Nathan Cirillo has resulted in a rush of rhetoric about a threat to Canadian values. As I commented in a previous post, Zehaf-Bibeau’s rampage was no such thing. The idea that an irrational act
Continue readingTerrorist or misfit?
Canada doesn’t often capture the attention of the world’s media, but Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, with his murderous rampage on Parliament Hill Wednesday, has managed to put us on front pages around the globe. And who exactly is Michael Zehaf-Bibeau? Well, so far we know that he’s a 32-year old man with
Continue readingWhen Khomeini said no to nukes
When Iran claims it is not developing nuclear weapons because they are incompatible with Islam, the U.S. and its European allies suggest this is mere propaganda. According to an article in Foreign Policy magazine, they simply don’t understand how profoundly the Iranians hold this view for both historical and religious
Continue readingSaudi Arabia—beheading capital of the world
Of all the atrocities committed by the Islamic State, the ones that got the most attention were the very public beheadings of two American journalists and a British aid worker. Beheading is indeed a sordid act. And yet we remain on excellent terms with the beheading champion of the world.
Continue readingWill we have to bomb the Shias now?
We are all familiar with the depravity of the Islamic State. Tragically, some of their foes are also descending into the moral depths. According to a report by Amnesty International, Shia militias, often armed and supported by the Iraqi government, “have been abducting and killing Sunni civilian men in Baghdad
Continue readingWill Republicans believe their military on climate change?
The American Republican Party is a major obstacle to the United States acting responsibly on climate change. In the manner of our federal government, they do not allow science to interfere with their dogma. But while they have little use for science, they are great admirers of the military, so
Continue readingUK MPs vote overwhelmingly to recognize State of Palestine
It was overwhelming. British MPs voted 274 to 12 this week in support of a motion to recognize Palestine as a state. The vote was only symbolic, as it isn’t binding on the government, nonetheless it sends a clear message on how sentiment is going in the UK and elsewhere
Continue readingMr. Harper, listen to the Commish
She’s your commissioner, Mr. Harper, appointed under your watch. She is a former mining industry executive, the kind of credentials you respect. So when she speaks, pay attention. And she recently spoke loud and clear. As federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Julie Gelfand heads her department’s Fall
Continue readingCalgary inches closer to a charter
In 1867, Canada’s founding fathers created two levels of constitutional government—provincial and federal. The municipal level didn’t make the cut. This was excusable at the time. Over 80 per cent of Canadians lived on farms and in villages, so local government seemed rather unimportant in the grand scheme of things
Continue reading