I’m Canadian. I was born in Canada and I’ve lived here all my life. As such, I probably shouldn’t comment on either American or Mexican politics. But that hasn’t stopped me in the past. It’s not going to stop me now. It do…
Continue readingAuthor: Joel Klebanoff
Maple-Flavoured Politics: Thomas Mulcair: Should he be interim NDP leader?
In the past couple of days I’ve read a few tweets and quotes in articles from people suggesting that it would be inappropriate for Thomas Mulcair to remain as interim leader of the NDP after his failure in the leadership review vote at the NDP co…
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: More Prospective Dividends from a Trump Presidency
A few days ago I published a post suggesting that Donald Trump’s experience as a developer could be put to good use to improve the revenues and balance sheet of the government of the United States if he were to become President. I realize now tha…
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Donald Trump and the State of Fear and Loathing
Many sane, liberal-minded people in American and around the world express great fear and loathing over the possibility that Donald Trump might become president of the United States. I think their fears are totally unfounded. Rather than immediately le…
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Joy of Victory; Disappointment of Defeat
I’m a member, donor and supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada and I’m on the board of the local Liberal riding association. I also volunteered many hours of grunt work to the election campaign of the Toronto Centre (my home riding) Liberal candidate, Bill Morneau. I didn’t put in
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Playing the Security Card
The Conservatives are trying to make security a “ballot box question.” To hear Stephen Harper tell it, there’s a jihadi terrorist lurking in every shadow, ready to pounce on us when we least expect it. (Funny that they are always “jihadi” terrorists, as if the Timothy McVeighs and Ted Kaczynskis
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Stephen Harper Doesn’t Trust Stephen Harper
Today, Stephen Harper announced that Stephen Harper doesn’t trust Stephen Harper. OK, he didn’t quite put it that way, but that was a logical conclusion that one could draw from his announcement. At an event in Rivière-du-Loup, Québec, Harper added a “Tax Lock” law plank to the Conservative election platform.
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Fantasy Tax
Funny, Stephen Harper released a video telling us how much he loves Netflix and promising us that he would never tax it. Never mind that the monthly bill for my Netflix subscription shows an H.S.T. of $1.04, 40 cents of which goes to the federal government. Who at the Canada
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Does Hypocrisy Underlie the Long Writ Period?
It’s official. Stephen Harper went to the Governor General and initiated the official election campaign period, which will be about twice as long as the minimum the Canada Elections Act requires. That Act declares that the date of the election must be at least 36 days after the writs have
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: The Silliest Anti-Abortion Argument
Of all the anti-abortion arguments that get thrown about, I think I saw the silliest one today. (Disclosure: I’m pro-choice.) It didn’t come from an anti-abortion activist, but rather from a pro-choice person who was relating an argument that was directed at her some years ago. It came in the
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: A Baffling Attack
I regret to inform you that the multiple, loud bangs you heard were heads exploding. Desperately searching for something to criticize about the Liberals’ recently announced “Plan for Fairness for the Middle Class,” the Conservative are now claiming that, in their costing of the plan, the Liberals failed to take
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Repeated Lies are Still Lies
How do you make people believe blatant lies? It seems that, in the estimation of the Conservative Party of Canada, the answer to that question is you repeat them incessantly. After Justin Trudeau announced the Liberal Party of Canada’s “Plan for Fairness for the Middle Class,” the Conservatives—in particular, but
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: The Alberta Election’s Federal Implications
As I look at my Twitter feed today, May 6, 2015, the day after the Alberta provincial election, I see that some federal Conservatives are saying that the results of the Alberta election don’t worry them. I’m not surprised they are saying that. After all, it is literally the politically
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Oliver’s Gaffe
I read on Twitter that some pundits and journalists are saying that we should ignore or, if not ignore, then now let go of Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s “gaffe” about the gaping tax hole that doubling the TFSA limit will create for future governments being something for Prime Minister Stephen
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Balanced. Unless.
Finance Minister Joe Oliver delivered a balanced budget. (Technically, not balanced, but rather, in fact, in a small surplus.) That much is not in dispute because a budget is what it’s author says it is. Whether the government’s books will indeed be balanced after they are closed at the end
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Super-Secret Slogan
An Access to Information request filed by Canadian Press was recently refused. That request asked to see the rationale behind the advertising slogan, “Strong. Proud. Free.” that the Government of Canada (long since rebranded by the Conservatives as the Harper Government™) is now using at considerable expense was refused. Why
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Steering for a Rocky Reef
During the 2011 election, the Conservatives took to incessantly telling us that their’s was the steady hand on the tiller that we should trust to steer us through the stormy economic waters that were lapping at our shores. Considering recent economic data, one has to wonder if that steady hand
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Time to Have “The Talk”
No, not that talk. At some point, we need to have a conversation about where we want to place the pivot point on the balance between rights and security. By “we,” I mean Canadians collectively, not just me and the infinitesimal number of people who read the marginally informed crap
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: The Real Threat
The Toronto Star reported that CSIS documents it obtained through an access to information request said that, at least when it comes to “lone wolf” attacks (e.g.: the shootings on Parliament Hill last October, the attack on military personnel in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu shortly before that and the shooting rampage in Moncton
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: Canada’s Phantom Menaces
There are enough real threats in this world that there is no need to fabricate new ones. But that hasn’t stopped Jason Kenney, Minister of National Defence, from doing so. According to Kenney’s office, and backed up by Kenney himself, Russian fighter jets buzzed the Canadian frigate HMCS Fredericton at
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