https://www.learningpod.com/ For the second year in a row, Andrew Coyne was underwhelmed by the Manning Conference. It used to be, he writes, the home of the
Continue readingAuthor: Owen Gray
Northern Reflections: Not A Very Bright Man
http://montrealgazette.com/ Zunera Ishag hails from Pakistan. Gerald Caplan writes: She came to Canada in 2008, passed her citizenship test five years later with flying colours, and is now ready to take the oath of citizenship. She’s been “imagining [this moment] for so long” because she’s anxious to be a
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: What’s Behind It All?
http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.ca/ I wrote yesterday that Canada’s newest piece of proposed tough on crime legislation is unnecessary. In fact, Stephen Harper’s whole tough on crime agenda is
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: For Harper, Fear Trumps Facts
http://psychcentral.com/ Back in 2008, Stephen Harper decided to cut public funding to the opposition parties. As the head of a newly elected minority government, it
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: History Is His Enemy
Stephen Harper has always made two claims: 1) that he knows how to manage Canada’s economy; and 2) that the Liberals would lead Canada on the road to ruin. But former finance minister Ralph Goodale begs to differ. Lawrence Martin writes: The Liberals, he declared, would turn Canada into another
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Money Counts. People Don’t.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ The Harperites are always hell bent on going to war — as long as someone else is willing to fight it. They are hoping to win the next election on the meme that they protect Canadians. But they don’t do the protecting. Canada’s veterans are
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Caveat Emptor
http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/ We should approach the next election with caution. That’s because the nature of electoral politics in Canada has changed. Michael Harris writes: The old electoral politics of presentation,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: When Will They Get Their Act Together?
http://www.montrealgazette.com/ Ralph Surette has had Stephen Harper’s number for a long time. He’s a veteran journalist and he knows a charlatan when he sees one. Bill C-51 is
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Saving Capitalism From Itself
http://www.qohel.com/ The American economist Richard Wolf maintains that capitalism contains the seeds of its own destruction. Unchecked, it produces greater and greater inequality, until it collapses
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: An Early Election?
http://www.evidentia.net/ Two days ago, rumours were circulating that we were in for an early election. So far, nothing has materialized. But, having mastered the art of fear and smear politics — and having passed Bill C-51 — Michael Harris writes that there are lots of reasons for Stephen Harper
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Cabal Of Fools
You may have missed it. But, recently, the Harper government pulled funding for the Palestinian organization, MIFTAH, which is headed by Hanan Ashrawi. Paul Adams provides some context: For more than twenty years, Hanan Ashrawi, an ethnic Christian and a moderate, has been a prominent Palestinian leader. In 2006 she
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: They Own Him
http://pando.com/ It’s been a relatively silent coup. The wealthy have successfully bought our political system. If you have doubts, consider two key pieces of Harperian
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Look Somewhere Else
http://www.cepec-tortues.fr/ Stephen Harper talks tough. But when things get tough, Harper hides. Andrew Mitrovica writes: The prime minister, simply put, is a nasty piece of work. His every act and statement is a product of a petty, parochial political calculus; the quaint notion of ‘nation-building’ isn’t part of
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Non-Liberal State
http://www.notable-quotes.com/ Last week, Ralph Nader declared that Stephen Harper was unsafe at any speed. Michael Harris writes: According to the former U.S. presidential candidate and long-time consumer advocate,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: There’s Reason To Be Apathetic
http://www.personal.psu.edu/ Robin Sears writes that two recent incidents speak volumes about why Canadian voters are apathetic: What is a first-time potential voter to make of the nonsense
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: So Let It Be Written. So Let It Be Done
http://www.sodahead.com/ Stephen Harper hasn’t shown up to debate Bill C-51. He just announced it at a campaign rally. And he’s letting Joe Oliver do the talking
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Supreme Narcissist
http://breakups.org/ Stephen Harper hates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He says that Bill C-51 is all about fighting terrorism. But Michael Harris writes:
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Feeding His Base
Fear fueled Stephen Harper’s victory in 2011. Back then, he stoked fears about a coalition government. This time around, he hopes to surf back to power by fanning two categories of fear — fear of jihadists outside the gates and fear of criminals within. Frances Russell writes that fear of
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Very Dangerous Man
Stephen Harper has based his political career on the notion of austerity. Deep down, he believes it’s good for the soul. But, Thomas Walkom writes, he also stands fourscore for another a-word — absurdity. The recent arrests of two people in Halifax underscore just how absurd his new anti-terrorism legislation
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It Will Be About Getting Out The Vote
http://bookworship.com/ Canada faces what the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas called a “legitimation crisis.” Duncan Campbell writes: Simply put, many Canadians no longer believe that power being exercised in their name is rightful. The political system as a whole is no longer believed to work. When in 1993 Canadians voted
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