The bill for Stephen Harper’s Wonderful World of Austerity is coming due. Nick Fillmore writes in The Tyee: The austerity program and other government cuts have had disastrous consequences for millions of Canadians. According to a July report by the Canadian Medical Association, there are staggering disparities in life expectancy
Continue readingAuthor: Owen Gray
Northern Reflections: From Dream To Obsession To Delusion
Having nixed the Northern Gateway Pipeline with their over the top rhetoric — and with the future of the Keystone Pipeline in doubt — you would think that the Harper Conservatives would re-examine their sales pitch. Instead, Tim Harper writes in today’s Toronto Star, they are using the same strategy
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It’s Who They Are
It’s not just the $140,000 in illegitimate expenses — which Stephen Harper is on record as saying are “comparable to any parliamentarian travelling from that particular area of the country.” It’s not just that Wallin’s tab is considerably larger than Mike Duffy’s tab. It’s that she doctored her records ahead
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Trudeau The Elder
For the Canadian Right, Pierre Elliott Trudeau is the bogeyman. Stephen Harper, who used to admire Trudeau, came to believe the standard Conservative line, best expressed by Bob Plamondon in his book, The Truth About Trudeau: “Far from being one of the best of our prime ministers, he was one
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: On The Margins No More
John Ralston Saul writes that scientific experiments to starve our aboriginal peoples should come as no surprise: When Canadians learn that malnourished aboriginal children were used for nutritional experiments, they cannot really be surprised. Shock is a more plausible reaction. We should never be beyond shock. But not surprised. That
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Brain Injured Immigration
The Harper government is presently “consulting” Canadians on what kind of immigration policy Canada should promote. Debbie Douglas and Avvy Yao-Yao Go write that the government looks at immigration — as it looks at all things — through an economic lens. However, there is more to immigration than economics: For
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Uneasy Lies the Head
The knives are out.Tim Hudak’s days as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party are numbered. Bob Hepburn writes in The Toronto Star: In the wake of disappointing losses in four of the five byelections last week, now comes news that Hudak is facing a new open revolt within his
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Let The Ladies Have At It
The by-election in Toronto Centre promises to be very interesting. Chrystia Freeland and Linda McQuaig — women with strong media profiles — will go head to head for Bob Rae’s old seat. The riding will eventually be bifurcated by seat redistribution. John Ibbiston writes: Toronto will get two of those
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Enemies Within
Michael Harris suggests that, despite Stephen Harper’s recent attempt to list his enemies, his real foes are inside his own tent. That may be the real story behind the the sound and fury over Mike Duffy: Could the answer be that the deal was the brainchild of the PMO, and
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Republican Delusions
Paul Krugman wrote in yesterday’s New York Times that the Republican Party is fleeing from reality: Last week House Republicans voted for the 40th time to repeal Obamacare. Like the previous 39 votes, this action will have no effect whatsoever. But it was a stand-in for what Republicans really want
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Human Rights Issue
Nothing illustrates the essential malevolence of the Harper government more than its transformation of Canadian prions. Even though crime is at its lowest level in forty years, Mr. Harper’s army is dedicated to getting its pound of flesh from the people who live on the margins. Phil Gibson writes: The
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: He Doesn’t Get It
Tom Walkom writes that Stephen Harper doesn’t get the new world economy. Like Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, the creature he helped create has run amok and is trashing his home. If we have had some good fortune, Harper has had nothing to do with it: The secret truth of this recession
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Pipelines And Pipe Dreams
Barack Obama has been signalling that the Keystone Pipeline is not all it’s cracked up to be. In a recent interview in the New York Times, he said that the argument that Keystone will be a big job creator is a myth. In reality, it may only produce 2,000 immediate
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The King Of Austerity
The damage Stephen Harper has done to his country is everywhere. Three years ago, at the G20 Summit, he touted Canada’s economic growth. But now that he has implemented his austerity agenda, things aren’t looking so good. The Canadian Press reports that Canada is no longer the fastest growing economy
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It’s About Quality, Not Just Numbers
As each month comes to an end, we wait with baited breath to discover how many new jobs were created in the last thirty days. But Yogendra Shakya and Axelle Janczur write that the kind of jobs we create is just as — if not more — important than the
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It’s In The Hands Of The Young
Frank Graves has been tracking public opinion for a long time. In his most recent survey, he asked Canadians four broad questions: 1) Do you favour more or less immigration? 2) Should Canada focus on domestic production or international trade? 3) Should we build our economy on carbon based energy
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Speech You’ll Never Hear
The evidence keeps piling up. When Hurricane Sandy tore up the Jersey Shore and flooded New York City, Americans started talking about climate change. But when Calgary was inundated last month, Jason Kenny called it a “once in a century event,” claiming that everybody cleaned up and went about their
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Wisdom Of Direct Investment
One of the Right’s favourite shibboleths is that, when government invests directly in people, it encourages sloth. Far better to offer citizens tax credits. Government shouldn’t invest, they say. It should cut taxes. But Carol Goar writes in The Toronto Star: Now an unlikely ally has weighed in on their
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Milton Friedman And Edward Snowden
Murray Dobbin writes that both men are connected, despite the years. Friedman was famous for coining the phrase “Free To Choose.” He sold right wing ideologues on the notion that the free market ensured absolute freedom. His acolytes believed, therefore, that free market capitalism was the cornerstone of democracy. Except
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Canadian Custer
After the cabinet shuffles last week, commentators began to speculate about whether Stephen Harper was opening the door to his successor. The truth is, no one knows what Harper is planning. He doesn’t trust anyone enough to give a hint about what he’s really thinking. But we have suffered the
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