President Barack Obama has finally let the shoe drop on the Keystone XL pipeline. His rejection of the partially built pipeline was expected. It is now the answer to many other pipeline proposals emanating from the tar sands of Alberta. Keystone XL was just the stalking horse. What the American
Continue readingAuthor: Peter Lowry
Babel-on-the-Bay: Can this be Canada’s Camelot?
They came out into the sunlight from Rideau Hall. They are the 15 women and 16 men who now serve Canada. They sit at the Round Table of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. And who will ever forget that when asked why the equal number of men and women in his
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Are Canada’s Conservatives worth saving?
Is the Conservative Party of Canada figuratively dusting itself off and saying, “We’ll do better next time?” If they are, they should ask themselves some key questions first. The simple question would be if you were studying history fifty years from now what would be said about the political experience
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The New Democrats will not lead us.
If the New Democratic Party (NDP) is expecting democratic renewal to be its saviour, it might have a very long wait. The party’s first problem is that democratic renewal is a cafeteria style lunch and you need to take some leafy green salad along with the starchy entrée. Balance is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A slippery slope for the Barrie Examiner.
Why do you get the feeling that the Barrie Examiner newspaper is like an over-age Junior-A hockey player due for his last trade? The newspaper currently sports identification of being part of both Sun Media (the previous Quebecor owner) and PostMedia (the new Toronto-based owner). Despite the various owners, the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A simple argument for first-past-the-post.
If there is no other reason for first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting it is that your Member of Parliament (MP or other elected person) represents your community, your neighbours and you. This is the single most prized advantage of FPTP voting. It uniquely individualizes government for the citizen. Our MP is our
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Shrug this off Mother Goose!
It seems that Ontario’s ruling Whigs are going to sell off a portion of Hydro One come hell or high water. Ontario voters are hearing of this continued determination after the newly appointed financial accountability officer for the province has warned that the province will be in even worse financial
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Democratic renewal has to start at the top.
If you think the Trudeau Liberals will push democratic renewal very far, you need to learn what politicians mean when they say they will study something. Admittedly the Liberals never dreamed they would go from third-party status to a majority government in a single election. It is why Leader Justin
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The small thinking of the railroader.
It was a long time ago. When heading to Montreal for an important luncheon, we heard the Toronto airport had problems and instead of going west to the airport, the route chosen was south to Toronto’s Union Station. With one more passenger comfortably seated in the club car, the train
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Social Democratic opportunity.
New Democratic Party members have a rare opportunity over the next four years to create a political party for Canada’s future. They are uniquely based to change the NDP into Canada’s first social democratic party. It would be the kind of political party that the founders of the Cooperative Commonwealth
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Bobbsey Baird is out; Is Bobbsey Kinney in?
This might be a last chance to write about the Bobbsey Twins of Canadian Conservatism. They are sure breaking up that old gang. Without the Hair to crack the whip over those sled dogs of his, they are scattering to the sounds of different drummers. The first Bobbsey Twin John
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A return to the boredom.
Tom Clark’s West Block show on Global went back to its half-hour format last Sunday. Tom was away and it was a return to boredom. If we really wanted to be bored that much, we could have gone to church. Just look at the line up for the show on
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Where have all the pipelines gone?
Dan Gagnier of Justin Trudeau’s election team was the only person in the federal election campaign without the political smarts to stay away from pipeline questions. And the TransCanada people who asked Gagnier how to lobby a new government must have been impatiently stupid. There is plenty of time during
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A simple solution for Canada’s Senate.
During the honeymoon that our new Prime Minister Trudeau deserves, we should all try to be helpful. It is in this spirit of cooperation that Babel-on-the-Bay would like to extend a helping hand in resolving what to do about the Senate of Canada. And in as much as Justin has
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Go big or go home.
It hardly matters what level of politics you are contesting. “Go big or go home” are the watch words. The entire country witnessed the scenario through the recent federal campaign as the losers struggled with their old Bill Clinton-style “It’s the economy stupid” campaigns. They actually forced the Liberals to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Welcome to FPTP-Central.
It was never of our choosing. First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) voting was just something we were used to. We never thought we would be an advocate for it. It was more of a coincidence that travelling in Europe over the years, we were interested in how people voted and why they used
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Canada comes over from the dark side.
It is a night and day comparison. Stephen Harper embodied the Darth Vader of Canadian politics. Liberal Justin Trudeau is bringing us into the light. He promised Canadians the change that was so badly needed and they followed him. And we can assure you that he is not Pierre Trudeau
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: What Wynne machine?
Giving Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne any credit for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s win in Ontario the other day is like suggesting that a windmill helped create the wind. There is little question but that politically Ontario’s premier needs Justin Trudeau far more than he needs her. In the appearances the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Win some; lose some.
It is the morning after the federal election and there are a series of thoughts to share. They are somewhat disconnected. They range from Peter Mansbridge’s tennis shoes to John Tory’s toupee. Maybe the excitement last night was too much for us. John Tory’s toupee was new last year for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Cheer tonight: the real work starts tomorrow.
Everything seems to say we were right in our morning line. The odds in early September on which party will win were 3 to one in favour of the Trudeau Liberals and we have never had reason to doubt that prediction. The unbroken streak of predicted wins for Babel-on-the-Bay appears
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