Today Ontario Liberals chose their next leader, but if 2006 is any indication, they might have just chosen their next loser. Similarities between Kathleen Wynne’s recent victory in the Ontario leadership race and Stephane Dion’s in the federal Liberal leadership contest in 2006 suggest a just as similar electoral future.
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The Scott Ross: The Model Laborer of 1848
On July 22 1848 beside stories of fighting in Paris and markets in England, the front page of The Globe featured this column. As I was reading I thought this article could be perhaps excused because the opinion it expressed was just popular at the time, after finishing, I’m glad
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Has Moved Backwards On Education: Our Past Demands Free Post-Secondary
Canada 140 years ago was a more intolerant, sexist, and unequal place, but on one important issue it was far more progressive than the Canada of today, and that’s on public education. Nations often like to look back and take pride at the progress they’ve made over the years, and
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Why Banning Guns Is Pointless, Or Soon Will Be
Thanks to 3D printing, a government ban on guns soon will be as enforceable as a government ban on pictures of guns. That is because, not in the too distant future, printing objects will be as easy as printing pictures, and if the government can’t prevent anyone from printing pictures
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada’s Innovation Is Patent-ly Declining
Starting in 1902, Albert Einstein spent seven years as a Swiss patent clerk, not only did it pay well but his “cobbler’s trade” as he referred to it, gave him ample time to do his scientific work. With less and less patents being applied for in Canada, Einstein gives hope,
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Cold Conservatism & Canada Without A Jacket
Most Canadian kids don’t leave home without their mother telling them, “Don’t forget your jacket.” Always offering the reminder so her child doesn’t catch a cold. Canada may not have a mother looking out for us, at least on this continent, but Stephen Harper is a big boy and he
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Opposing Enbridge & Environmental Value
There is one easy way for the opponents of the Northern Gateway pipeline to get their way, put their money where their mouth is. It only makes sense that if the Northern Gateway project is built, Enbridge the company responsible, should cover all social costs from the environmental damage; but
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Republicans Show Government Can Create Jobs
One month after the Sandy Hook shootings, with fears of an assault weapons ban, not only are sales for assault rifles at record highs, but all gun sales are up, ammunition sales are up, and even firearm stocks are up. The irony of all this is that all these people
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Sex and the Senate
Winston Churchill is credited with an exchange that when adapted illustrates, not only the similarities between prostitution and politics, but current inconsistencies in the popular view of our Canadian government. Churchill: “Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?” Socialite: “My goodness, Mr. Churchill… Well, I suppose… we
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Conservatives Bad At Selling Out
What’s worse than oil companies spending millions to buy off politicians? Oil companies getting them for free. The oil sector is vital to Canada’s economy, but so are a lot of industries and you don’t see them drafting government policy. From the CBC: A letter obtained by Greenpeace through access
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Idle No More Might Be Popular No More: Polls
A few online polls suggest Idle No More is not supported by a majority of Canadians. Though there appears to be no major polling done as of yet, three recent online polls give some idea about the popularity of Idle No More. The larger of the polls was on Jan.3,
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Trust In Trudeau
Because Stephen Harper was a self-described “radical right-wing ideologue”, he was the only one who could make the conservatives more Liberal. Because Barack Obama was so anti-war, he was the only one who could make the Democrats more pro-war than Republicans. In both cases it was each man’s close association
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Your Country’s Finances Are Exactly Like Yours
Many scoff at the conservative analogy that the American government should manage its finances like a household, but little do they realize the idea doesn’t strengthen conservativism, it weakens it. After a fiscal cliff deal that only increased taxes, many right-leaning politicians are preparing for a fight in order to
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Is R&D-ing A Decline, With Graphs
In 2006 Canada was spending 2% of its Gross Domestic Product on R&D. In 2012 it will spend just 1.69%. While a large portion of the decline is due to the business sector spending less on R&D, the current Conservative government has responded by cutting its own share of spending
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Idle No More Will Fail Unless Votes Follow
Idle No More will fail, not because aboriginals don’t matter, but because they don’t vote. Elections Canada has tracked federal voter turnout on First Nations Reserves since the 2004 general election, and over that time period aboriginal turnout was on average 28% less than that of all Canadians. Accounting for
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: If A Fiscal Cliff Kills, Canada Should Tax Death
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin The fiscal cliff in the United States did not just endanger its own country’s economy but the world’s, including Canada’s heavily dependent one. But in the American problem lies, at least partially, a
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Merry Christmas
This holiday season, needs no reason to offer a stranger a happy greeting, where both me writing and you reading is like the coincidence of us meeting, walking past each other in heavy snow that has rendered the city streetless, let me smile, and wish you and yours, a very
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: 2013 Predictions
Justin Trudeau will become the next Liberal Leader and the party will actually air an advertisement or two as part of a determined strategy to define him and the party before the Conservatives do. Something the Liberals failed to do with Dion and Ignatieff. Gerard Kennedy will become the next
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: A Conservative Canada Is An Uncompetitive One
It’s odd that Conservatives advocate competition in the economy when under this Conservative government our economy has only become less competitive. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has recently lowered Canada’s ranking in global economic competitiveness from 12th last year to 14th place in 2012. This has been part of a
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: A Tragedy Should Make Us Want To Be Better
The world suffered a tragedy when a gun man went and killed 20 students and 6 adults. The world was made worse when out of this horror people called others whackos and nuts for merely having a different opinion. A tragedy should make us try to be better not worse.
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