Northern Reflections: Posing As A World Leader

                                                      http://www.ndtv.com/ Ostensibly, Indian Prime Minister Modi is in Canada to sign a uranium deal and ease visa restrictions between the two countries. Don’t believe it. Tim Harper writes: Take a look at the receiving line at the airport in Toronto and Vancouver for Modi. There you

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Northern Reflections: Insane And Stupid

                                                      http://julian.com.au/ The Harper government’s tough on crime agenda suffered yet another defeat this week. Expect to hear more heated rhetoric about Canada’s biased judicial system from Mr. Harper. But, Michael Spratt writes, judicial activism isn’t killing the government’s crime legislation. Stephen Harper is: The federal Conservatives have reduced criminal

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Northern Reflections: Living In An Alternate Universe

                                                       http://www.wired.com/ Yesterday, the provincial premiers met in Quebec City to map out a strategy to combat climate change. The federal government was invited to the conference but declined the invitation: Tuesday’s meeting ended with renewed calls for the federal government to show greater initiative in

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Northern Reflections: Incompetence Writ Large

                                              http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ There was an oil spill in English Bay last week. And we finally got a chance to see what Harperian austerity has accomplished. Michael Harris writes: It should be noted that the oil spill, from a brand new ship on its maiden voyage, happened in calm waters. If

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Northern Reflections: Rotten At Its Core

                                                           http://world.edu/ Whether or not Mike Duffy is convicted of any of the thirty-one offences for which he has been charged, his trial will go down in Canadian history as the event which pulled back the veil on Ottawa’s political culture at the beginning of the

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Northern Reflections: He Should Be Next

                                                https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ Stephen Harper claims that he didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes in the Duffy Affair. That claim has always been hard to stomach. Michael Harris writes that, as evidence emerges, it’s clear that Harper has been fabricating a narrative: Duffy’s lawyer, Donald

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Northern Reflections: The Keys To His Kingdom

                                                       https://boblarson.org/ The Easter Season, Michael Harris writes, is a good time to consider whether or not Stephen Harper actually practises the religion he professes. There is, for instance, the Christian prescription about the treatment of one’s neighbours: Jesus could spend a profitable moment or two with

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Northern Reflections: Who’s Afraid Of Elizabeth May?

                                               http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ In a recent poll, Canadians made clear that they want to see Elizabeth May in the election debates. However, that doesn’t mean that they’ll get to see her. In the debate to extend Canada’s mission into Syria, May was not allowed to speak. Michael Harris writes: The Tories

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Northern Reflections: The Amazing Transparent Man

                                                       http://en.wikipedia.org/ Stephen Poloz, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, says that the economic numbers in the first quarter of this year will be “atrocious” — something that Stephen Harper knows full well. Therefore, Crawford Killian writes: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a guy who reportedly cowered in a closet

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