The premiers’ meeting this week in Victoria had a new look. Normally an assemblage of men in suits, this one had a definite feminine presence with four of the 13 premiers being women. These include host Christy Clark of B.C., Alison Redford of Alberta, Kathy Dunderdale of Newfoundland and Labrador,
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
Harper—the prime minister of oil
In the paranoid corridors of Harperworld, opponents of tar sands development are radicals. And the most dangerous among the radicals are those who receive funding from foreigners. This is a rather curious accusation coming from Stephen Harper. After all, he faithfully serves the oil industry, much of which is foreign-owned.
Continue readingCorporate chiefs beginning to see the dark side
The world’s capitalists are worried. The World Economic Forum, an organization composed of 1,000 of the world’s most powerful corporations, is concerned that the financial crisis gripping the global economy may be leading us to a “dystopian future.” In its report Global Risks 2012, the Forum warns, “a society that
Continue readingPeacekeeping—"Canada can and should do more"
Sometimes a graph is worth a thousand words. A good example is a graph depicting Canada’s contribution to U.N. peacekeeping that appeared in the December 2011 edition of Mondial, the newsletter of The World Federalist Movement. The graph, attached, shows Canada hovering around number one in the early 90s and
Continue readingSlowing Harper’s rush to environmental ruin
The federal government, it appears, is in a hurry. We cannot exploit the tar sands fast enough and bad guys are getting in the way. In an open letter to Canadians, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver declared, “Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block
Continue readingA good day for democracy in Montana
One of the biggest blows against democracy in American history occurred in 2010 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United case that government could not place limits on independent spending for political purposes by corporations and unions. The ruling, by essentially giving corporations the same First Amendment
Continue readingHarper’s paranoia reaches a new level … a dangerous level?
Stephen Harper was in full psychic mode on a Calgary call-in show Thursday. He telepathically declared that Iran is “a regime that wants to acquire nuclear weapons … and has indicated some desire to actually use nuclear weapons.” An impressive feat—reading the minds of the mullahs. The man is starting
Continue readingObama disses due process
Another disappointment from U.S. President Barrack Obama. On New Year’s Eve, perhaps a time when he thought his nation was sufficiently distracted, he signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 which includes a clause granting the executive branch the power to indefinitely detain any person, including American
Continue readingCongrats to Sista P
Not a bad way for the year to end, with the election of another woman as leader of her country. So congratulations to new Jamaican prime minister Portia Simpson Miller, or Sista P as she is affectionately referred to for her folksy, plain-spoken style. Simpson Miller’s People’s National Party won
Continue readingAmericans OK with taxes but not with the system
I admit to some surprise. Listening to the Republican contenders for the presidential nomination, you might think Americans wanted nothing more than to pay less taxes. In fact, according to a recent Pew Research Centre survey, most Americans (52 per cent) believe they pay about the right amount of tax.
Continue readingNo-religion most successful "faith" in UK
“Give me the child and I will give you the man,” the Jesuits boast. Indoctrinate a child in a faith and he, or she, will carry that faith for life. Or at least, most will. According to the latest British Social Attitudes survey, not indoctrinating a child in a faith
Continue readingChiquita si, tar sands no
Chiquita Brands has caused a bit of a flutter on the Canadian scene by announcing it will avoid using fuel from Alberta’s tar sands. The company says it has joined 13 other companies in trying to reduce its carbon footprint. The announcement is timely. According to an industry report, the
Continue readingThe invisible dead Iraqis
U.S. President Barack Obama has declared the Iraq war over. While he proclaimed what he once termed a “dumb war” a success, he lamented the heavy cost. “Over 30,000 Americans have been wounded and those are only the wounds that show. Nearly 4,500 Americans made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
Continue readingThe "one percent" win another one as health care CEOs clean up
As the Occupy Wall Street Movement campaigns against the unfair distribution of wealth in the United States, the “one percent” they hold accountable just keep on raking it in. According to the latest survey, American CEOs enjoyed pay hikes of between 27 and 40 percent last year. Meanwhile, wages for
Continue readingWill global civilization avoid collapse?
I consider myself a lucky man. I was born in the right place at the right time to enjoy what may well be the peak period of civilization. Never has human society offered so much to those in a position to take advantage of it—physical luxury not even kings and
Continue readingAmericans and Western Europeans—different breeds
That Americans see the world differently from Europeans is not a surprise, but what may seem surprising to many is just how differently, and how similar Europeans’ views are to each other. For example, a recent Pew Research Centre survey showed that whereas 58 per cent of Americans thought that
Continue readingOffice of Religious Freedom shows it bias
The federal government’s creation of what it terms an Office of Religious Freedom is not off to a good start. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, mentor of the new office, has created a panel to help lay out parameters for the proposed office. The panel is in itself hardly representative
Continue readingAlberta values are not Western values
Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson recently gave a talk to a standing-room only crowd of Torontonians about how a set of Western values has captured the country. Ibbitson was, I suspect, making a mistake common to Eastern pundits. He was assuming that what might be called Alberta values form
Continue readingTalking to Iran
I am beginning to get the uneasy feeling that we are psyching ourselves up for war with Iran. With the Americans’ two Middle Eastern buddies, Israel and Saudi Arabia, egging their patron on, with the U.K. exchanging unpleasantries with the Iranians, and with Canada’s new militarism offering a “ready, aye,
Continue readingAmericans turn on the Tea Party
A recent Pew Research Center survey indicates that Americans, or at least those who have an opinion on the matter, are turning against the Tea Party. A year ago, as the Republican Party was making sweeping gains in the midterm elections, 24 per cent of Americans said they agreed with
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