http://pixgood.com/ Stephen Harper will tout his record in the next federal election. But Tim Harper writes in the Toronto Star that the record is pretty
Continue readingAuthor: Owen Gray
Northern Reflections: Neutering Parliament
http://lincolncathedral.com/ If you want to know how irrelevant Parliament has become, Scott Clark and Peter Devries write, consider what has happened to the budget consultation process:
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Losing Its Soul
It’s truly demoralizing to discover that a significant number of Canadians continue to believe in Stephen Harper. Michael Harris writes: And now we have an even bigger problem, according to an astonishing story in the Ottawa Citizen by Kathryn May. Nearly one-in-five Canadians believes that the prime minister could be
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: In Whose Pocket?
https://www.colourbox.com/ We on the Left like to think that the Harper government is in the pocket of Big Business. But, Jim Stanford writes, recent decisions have caused business to re-evaluate its support for Harper and Co: More recently, however, the relationship between Ottawa and the corporate
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Thought For The New Year
http://www.canada.com/ Andrew Coyne ends the year with a surprising — for him — admission. When it comes to a contest of ideas, he writes, the Left
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Conventional Wisdom Is Failing
http://raptorsrapture.com/ Our prime minister believes that “no taxes are good taxes.” He simply parrots what has been the conventional wisdom for the last forty-five years.
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Advice From Sears
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/ Robin Sears is a past master of political strategy. In this morning’s Toronto Star, he offers strategic advice about how each of our three main leaders should approach the next election. Stephen Harper, he writes, will not be able to get by on his economic credentials:
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Changing The Firmament
http://www.globalresearch.ca/ On the second anniversary of the founding of the Idle No More Movement, Irvin Studin writes: There can be little doubt that the aboriginal question
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: How Cynical Have We Become?
Stephen Harper passed his best before date long ago. If he paid attention to history, he would have misgivings about running in the next election. Jeffrey Simpson writes: Think of the prime ministers with majorities since 1968. Pierre Trudeau served 11 years (1968 to 1979) before being defeated. Brian Mulroney
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Our Lost Prestige
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ As we enter 2015, the world faces a Pandora’s Box of problems. Daryl Copeland writes: Thanks to the emergence of the Islamic State in Syria
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Economic Argument For Peace On Earth
http://www.victorystore.com/ “Peace On Earth.” We repeat the phrase often at this time of year. It’s standard boilerplate — a postive suggestion, but not very likely. However, Paul Krugman wrote this week that there are realistic reasons to support the suggestion. Those reasons have been around for awhile: More than
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Dictators Love To Pose As Democrats
The Harperites like to present themselves as advocates for law and order. But, Errol Mendes writes in the Globe and Mail, they do their best to undermine the rule of law. Consider their taxpayer funded propaganda machine: Governments are allowed to advertise about services and programs that they are implementing,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Trudeau — Mythic Hero?
http://merlin.wikia.com/ Michael den Tandt writes that the political narrative in Canada over the next year will be all about what Justin Trudeau does. That’s because
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Whose Terrorist?
http://www.terrorism.com/ The word “terrorist” is everywhere these days. But, Tom Walkom writes, the definition of the word depends as much on domestic considerations as it does
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: What’s The Conventional Wisdom?
http://www.slideshare.net/ Parliamentary government is rooted in a series of conventions. The problem, Andrew Coyne writes, is that our political parties are no longer paying attention
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Curse of Petro-Politics
http://thetyee.ca/ Stephen Harper has made no secret that it is his intention to transform Canada into a petro-state. Stanford professor Terry
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Should We Be Surprised?
http://www.cbc.ca/ Canadians were appalled when the U.S. Senate report on torture saw the light of day. We like to think, as John Baird
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: That Would Make No Sense At All
http://www.sodahead.com/ Scott Clark and Peter DeVries ask the question the majority of Canadians are asking: Why do the Conservatives govern the way they do? Why
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Coalition Time?
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca After the latest EKOS poll, there has been a lot of talk about a Liberal-NDP coalition. Frank Graves claims that’s what the majority of Canadian
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Stephen Harper’s Word
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca Newfoundland Premier Paul Davis was not happy after his meeting last week with Stephen Harper. “It really solidifies that you can’t trust the federal government,
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