I wonder if Dr. Chris Keefer’s sterling example helped inspire this. Interesting that because they disagree with his cutting of refugee-claimants’ health care, protesters are identified by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney as ‘extremists.’ As opposed to what, enablers? Recommend this Post
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Politics and its Discontents: A Followup To Dr. Chris Keefer’s Brave Stance
The other day I posted a link to a remarkable video showing Dr. Chris Keefer interrupting Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s announcement at Toronto General hospital to protest Bill C-31, the legislation that will deny to those claiming refugee-status life saving drugs. Bernie Farber has written a piece in The
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Toronto District School Board’s Political Response
While hardly surprising, the decision of TDSB chair, Chris Bolton, to have a facilities committee look into The Star’s embarrassing revelations about its inappropriate and very costly relationship with Jimmy Hazel’s Maintenance and Construction Skilled Trades Council is wholly inadequate. As today’s Star editorial tartly observes, It was exactly what
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Ongoing Failure Of Toronto’s Chief Magistrate
Admittedly, the ideological girth of Toronto’s chief magistrate makes him an easy target. Always outspoken, heedless of who he offends, with the political instincts of a brawler, Rob Ford has made it abundantly clear to most that he is incapable of growing in the job. But in my view, his
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Tory Attack Ads Against Mulcair Begin
And like the good Pavlovian creatures the Conservatives assume the electorate to be, they eagerly await our unbridled panic. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Vatican Makes Deal With The Devil
I can’t think that this arrangement passes the sulfur smell test. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Speaking Truth To Power
I hope this video renews your faith in people as it has mine: Dr. Chris Keefer interrupts Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Monty Python Would Be Proud
Oh, what a tangled web does the Treasury Board Secretariat weave. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: And Speaking Of Community…
May I recommend an excellent article by Murray Dobbin on how Harper’s policies have been attacking our sense of community and the challenges we face in rebuilding it? Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What The Extreme Right Doesn’t Want Us To Think About
Although it hardly qualifies as a startling or original insight, something occurred to me this morning as I was reading my Sunday Star. Two front page items, one about the bullied bus monitor, Karen Klein, the other about five-year-old Lovely Avelus a Haitian girl rescued from the ruble of the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Incomparably Incompetent Peter Kent
I have to start this brief entry by invoking an old cliche: the best defense is a strong offense. That certainly seems to be the strategy ‘Environment’ Minister Peter Kent is pulling out of his very limited playbook at the UN conference on the environment in Rio as he intones
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Prepare For The Revolution, A.K.A. Spin, Spin, And More Spin
What is the priority of organizations that are mired in embarrassing public revelations about fraudulent spending of taxpayers money? The development of a good PR plan. At least that is what I gleaned from Part Three of The Star’s investigation of the Toronto District School Board and its relationship with
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Harper Government: Abuses Of A Nixonian Character
That is the description that Lawrence Martin applies to the Harper government in his latest column for iPolitics as he reflects on the vital and valiant role journalism played in uncovering the Watergate Scandal 40 years ago. However, while acknowledging some bright spots, Martin laments the unevenness of the contemporary
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Star Continues Its Investigation
Unless the Toronto District School Board is staffed by a raft of incompetents, it has to have known what is going on. As I wrote in my blog post yesterday, an investigation by The Toronto Star has revealed theft on a massive scale in the form of grossly inflated charges
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What Is Harper Hiding In The Pacific Trade Deal Negotiations?
Given the Harper government’s flagrant contempt for democracy and the Canadian people, I think we should all be worried by the implications in this story and this one regarding ongoing secret Pacific Trade Deal negotiations. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Star Continues Its Stellar Work
One of the Atkinson Principles guiding The Toronto Star is to champion the rights of working people; to my ongoing delight and gratification, however, this tenet does not mean the paper gives a free ride to labour and unions. Today’s edition is ample testament to that fact. Another of its
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Michael Harris Laments Democracy’s Yoke Under Harper
With the specter of the Parliamentary Budget Officer taking the Clerk of the Privy Council to court, a momentous question looms over our public affairs: will the Harper government answer a single legitimate question about its conduct of Canada’s public business? Or is the government’s message that we can all
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper Mentors McGuinty
It is very interesting to note that despite their often uneasy relationship, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has learned some lessons about how to use budget omnibus bills to gut environmental protection from that master of duplicity, Stephen Harper. Thomas Walkom provides the details in today’s Star. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Politics and its Discontents 2012-06-20 08:01:00
Well, I see that our national poster boy for privileged stupidity, the putative Defense Minister Peter MacKay, is at it again, showing how he really feels about our brave men and women in uniform. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Tory Revenge on Page
Well, that didn’t take long. Recommend this Post
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