On July 4th, while the Americans were setting off fire works and putting out forest fires, Jeffrey Simpson reports that Conservative cabinet ministers were crisscrossing the country, making spending announcements: Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, was announcing money for John Lewis Industries in La Tuque, Que., at 10 a.m., then
Continue readingAuthor: Owen Gray
Northern Reflections: Too Smart To Stick Around
Pundits of all political stripes were expecting Stephen Harper to shuffle his cabinet this summer. Bev Oda left the cabinet yesterday and Julian Fantino replaced her. The shuffle was a fizzle. Why did Harper not deal the country another hand of cards? The truth is, no matter how he shuffles
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Cold Lay Up
Micheal Harris continues to chronicle the demise of the Experimental Lakes Area. A poll conducted by Forum Research has revealed that “a whopping 50 percent of Canadians disagreed with the decision to close down the world’s only whole-lake eco-system experimental facility that has made so many planet-improving discoveries.” So the
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Economic Royalists
In today’s Toronto Star, Linda McQuaig takes on the debt-mongers — provincial and federal. They argue that we can’t afford Ontario Place: Dalton McGuinty’s government tries to convince us we can’t afford to provide this healthy, active recreation for our children for the next five years. Also on the hit
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Who Speaks For Canadians?
Over the weekend, Conrad Black ventured the opinion that Canada’s “almost slavish veneration” of the UN was coming to an end. Calling the recent Human Rights Council criticism of Quebec’s Bill 78 “outrageous,” Black wrote that: Unfortunately, Canada was, for most of the UN’s history, far too indulgent of it.
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Canada Day 2012
Back when I taught high school students — it seems like such a long time ago — I used to proclaim that, were I king, I would make a cross Canada trip a mandatory part of the high school curriculum. Before they graduated, I wanted every student to see the
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Something To Celebrate
Robert Reich called it right — although he was one vote short. The day before the Supreme Court found the Affordable Care Act constitutional, he predicted that John Roberts would be the justice who would back the act. Conservatives are predictably furious. They accuse Roberts of everything from legal hanky-panky
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Convocation of Dunces
Peter Mackay — or rather his spokesman — crowed yesterday, after the Military Police Complaints Commission released its report: “[It’s] one more investigation demonstrating that no credible evidence was found to support the allegations against our men and women in uniform,” said Josh Zanin, Mr. MacKay’s press secretary. “We are
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Killing The ELA
Forty-four years ago, the federal government established the Experimental Lakes Area. Peter Kent has announced that his ministry is eliminating the agency. Michael Harris reports that the ELA has a stellar reputation. Consider what it has done: When DFO itself was amongst the host of visionaries who couldn’t see acid
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Appealing To Our Better Angels
It is hard to predict the future of the Liberal Party of Canada. Richard Gwyn wrote yesterday that Bob Rae’s decision to not seek the party leadership has made it possible — the first time in a long time — for the Liberal Party to choose a genuinely new leader.
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Problem With Cheerleaders
Yesterday, Tim Harper speculated about who would stay in and who would be tossedout of Stephen Harper’s cabinet. To qualify for Harper’s cabinet, you have to be a cheerleader. But the truth is that every member of the Conservative caucus has to be a Harper cheerleader. Those with any doubts
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Power and Stupidity
Yesterday, Dan Gardiner repeated Lord Acton’s famous maxim: Power corrupts. But power does more than that, he wrote. It encourages stupidity. The Harper government’s omnibus budget bill is a case study in stupidity: Even among Conservatives, the unprecedentedly sweeping nature of C-38 produced some modest rumblings of discontent. The government
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Something Rotten
It goes without saying that a lot hangs on the Supreme Court’s review of Justice Lederer’s decision to rerun the election in Etobicoke-Centre. Some claim that it’s only a matter of 26 votes. But, as Michael Harris points out, a little history — particularly the history of the 2008 election
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The World Is Watching
Philip Jennings has Stephen Harper’s number. Jennings, the General Secretary of the Switzerland based UNI Global Union, recently told the Huffington Post that: Stephen Harper is a male version of Margaret Thatcher. This man has an employer’s agenda, which has nothing to do with the welfare of the Canadian people,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: What PBO?
In 2006, the Harper government created the Parliamentary Budget Office. It was necessary, the Conservatives said, to ensure government accountability. Yesterday, the man who runs that office, Kevin Page, threatened to sue the government because it was purposely withholding information: Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page is warning the federal government
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Daniel Berrigan
A week ago, Chris Hedges wrote that he had encountered Daniel Berrigan, now 92, in New York City’s Zucotti Park — the place where the Occupy Wall Street protesters encamped until they were evicted. There was a time Berrigan was compared to Guy Fawkes, another Jesuit radical. Hedges recalled that
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Smart Economists and Stupid Economists
Last week, Mitt Romney declared that President Obama had it all wrong: “He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers.” Then he declared, “It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.” Romney and Scott Walker appear to agree with each other. But
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Je Me Souviens
I remember. In Quebec, the phrase has always captured a sense of grievance, which goes back to the Plains of Abraham. But, stamped on the bottom of Quebec license plates, it has come to stand for more than that. It speaks to the uniqueness of the province. It is a
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Full Frontal Assault
Bill C-38 is no ordinary piece of legislation. It is a full frontal assault on Canadian institutions and Canadian workers. That point is made this morning by two men from opposite ends of the political spectrum. Andrew Coyne writes that Parliament is defending its vital interests: It should be noted
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It’s Personal
It doesn’t happen very often. But, every once in awhile, someone gets under Stephen Harper’s skin. It’s then we get to see the chip on Harper’s shoulder — a chip which has deformed his approach to people and the world they live in. Yesterday, Bob Rae got under Harper’s skin.
Continue reading