Following Canadian Tire’s conviction for gasoline price-fixing in Kingston and Brockville, a spokesperson for the company, Liz Hamilton, had this to say: “… the company’s participation in the price-fixing ring was the work of a single regional business manager, who is no longer with the company after an internal investigation.”
Continue readingAuthor: Lorne
Politics and its Discontents: Toronto Library Strike
As a lifelong user of public libraries (I can still remember the very first book I took out as a child) and one who aspires to practise critical thinking on a regular basis, I feel for the people of Toronto who are now without this invaluable resource. Despite the inability
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Rob Ford’s Absolutism
In a report carried on CBC, Toronto’s monomaniacal mayor issued the following pronouncement regarding support for subways: You are either with us or against us. There is no middle ground. Hmm, now why does that absolutist assertion sound so eerily familiar? Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Are You Afraid of Clowns?
The only ones who frighten me are the ones holding political office. But, just to show you that I have a sense of humour and don’t spend my entire life anguishing over the erosion of our values and our democracy, allow me to provide you with this link which, if
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Michael Ignatieff on Syria
The former Liberal leader and professor has a thoughtful article analyzing the situation in Syria with an interesting solution to the problem of Bashar al-Assad’s demonic destruction of his people. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Today’s Star Editorial Cartoon
I trust this needs no further comment from me: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: We Need To Free Ourselves From Our U.S.-Dominated Perspective
I have always thought that one of the biggest tragedies for Canadians is the fact of our proximity to the United States. Not only is our cultural perspective heavily influenced by that closeness, but so too is the way we view economics, which helps to explain the inroads in the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Tale of Two Cities
Yesterday, while my wife was in the store, I, the ever-dutiful chauffeur, waited patiently in the car, first listening to my favorite station, Jazz FM, and then tuning into the CBC news. A story about the impending closure of bookseller Nicholas Hoare’s Ottawa store caught my attention. According to the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Thomas Mulcair’s Stance On Israel
Thomas Mulcair, who has just been endorsed by The Star as the best candidate to lead the NDP to power, is an MP I became familiar with during the lead-up to the last federal election. A frequent guest on Evan Solomon’s Power and Politics, the member from Outremount impressed me
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Who Watches Sun News Network?
Still in the mood to gloat, I am happy to report that the answer seems to be almost no one, although it is hard to pin down numbers with precision, owing to the fact that the Bureau of Broadcast Measurements only measures the top 30 shows in Canada, a criterion
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Another Victory for the Star: The Harper Government Blinks
The Globe and Mail arrogantly proclaims itself to be ‘Canada’s national newspaper’ and ‘Canada’s paper of record.’ It is a self-proclaimed designation that I have longed disagreed with, so much so that I eventually cancelled my long-standing subscription to it some time ago, substituting the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest-circulation newspaper.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Funeral of Shelagh Gordon
For anyone who believes that it is the size of your wallet, the house you live in, or the title of your job that gives your life worth and meaning, I strongly suggest a viewing of this video from The Star. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Patrick Brazeau – Now Why Does that Name Ring A Bell?
I don’t know whether the 37-year-old is the youngest to be rewarded by the Harper regime with a Senate seat, but a Google search led me to this 2009 posting about his, ahem, ‘creative’ fiscal practices. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: F-35 Lies From The Department of National Defence
Much to my surprise, the National Post has been doing a good job lately in covering Conservative misdeeds. While the Canadian taxpayer has been subjected to so many falsehoods and a great deal of subterfuge about the true cost of the F-35 jets over the past year-and-a half, The Post’s
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Smoke From That Gun Is Turning Into An Overpowering Stench
Despite the Harper regime’s steadfast denials over involvement in the voter suppression crimes and their attempts to divert suspicion onto the Liberals and NDP, evidence is mounting suggesting their complicity in the felonies: An investigation by CBC News has turned up voters all over Canada who say the reason they
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Is Liuna Local 183 Trying To Stifle Dissent?
As I have indicated in past posts, Liuna local 183 seems to be the poster boy for bad union behaviour. Not only has it made some very questionable decisions that work to the detriment of the union movement as a whole, but now, it seems it may using the strongest
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Crass Manipulation About Iran’s Nuclear Intentions
Those who believe that the public is being as crassly manipulated about Iran as it was by the lies that served as prologue to the Iraqi invasion will find two recent articles of interest. The first, entitled No defensible reasons to attack Iran, by Gwynne Dyer, pierces many of the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Now Here’s A Budget That Makes Sense
Although largely shut out of the public discussion on government budgets, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released its alternative to the upcoming federal budget. While the Harper government is fixated on massive cuts that will only produce more unemployment, this budget contains some eminently practical ways to help
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Courage of the Few, The Cowardice of the Many
This story of how a Syrian refugee risked his life to post and smuggle video of atrocities to the West should make us all feel just a bit ashamed as so many of us seem to treat our democracy so lightly. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More G20 Police Brutality Justice Pending
One of the Toronto police officers identified in the G20 beating of Adam Nobody has now been identified in another incident occurring the same weekend. Const. Oliver Simpson’s employer, the Toronto Police Services Board, is being sued by Nikos Kapetaneas and Caitlin Morgan for the injuries they sustained at the
Continue reading