Both Richard Nixon and Stephen Harper certainly seem to have been raised with the same bedtime story, and to have taken it at face value. Recommend this Post
Continue readingWarren Kinsella: In Tuesday’s Sun: the pipsqueak and the cabinet
Sometimes, in political life, you get credit for what you do. More commonplace are those occasions where you get none. Consider, then, Stephen Harper’s newly minted cabinet. Unveiled Monday, the big shuffle brought eight new faces to the cabinet table, many of them women. Considering Harper’s cabinet previously had all
Continue readingcmkl: My sweetie has a blog
One of the labour movement’s great minds and most driven, brilliant researchers has a blog. Oh and did I mention she’s got great taste in partners? She’ll be mostly following equality issues as they pertain to unions and their role representing individual workers and advocating for social justice generally. But
Continue readingCanadian Political Viewpoints: All Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing…
Many people were waiting for the on the horizon cabinet shuffle in Ottawa that finally took place today. Pundits saw it as an opportunity for a scandal plagued government to turn the page and change the channel by getting Canadians to talk about something other than Duffy-Wright. And while people
Continue readingBuckdog: PMO Asks Ministerial Staff To Prepare Briefing Binders For New Ministers With ‘Blacklist’ Of Problem Civil Servants And ‘Enemy Reporters’ …
OTTAWA – In the lead-up to Monday’s cabinet shuffle, ministerial staffers were asked to develop lists of troublesome bureaucrats and “enemy” stakeholders, Global News has learned.The information was to be included in a transition binder traditionally prepared for incoming ministers. Global News has obtained a July 4 email written by
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: MobileSyrup: Telus to increase prices of its monthly plans
Canada, you gave Big Telecom a chance to listen and provide better service – but they’re still up to their old tricks. Don’t you think it’s time to open up our networks for affordable indie options like other countries have? It’s time to Demand Choice at http://DemandChoice.ca Article by Daniel
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Arviat children eat fewer than 3 fruit per month: Researcher says children also eat little local caribou and fish
“We found some terrible things. You know, most of our students are eating caribou meat only once a week. They’re eating fish only once a month. They’re eating fruit on average 2.8 times a month. They’re getting a vegetable only once a week,” she said. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2013/07/15/north-children-arviat-diets.html
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Custody arrangements of children cannot be used to punish contempt
Chan v. Town, 2013 ONCA 478 holds: [6] We therefore set aside the finding of contempt. It is nevertheless necessary to state that the remedy imposed by the motion judge was not an available remedy under rule 31(5) of the Family Law Rules. Custodial arrangements of children cannot be used as a punishment for contempt.
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Now he tells us
A tip of the hat to impolitical for alerting me to this from a couple of days ago: Bob Rae has joined the National Advisory Board of Fair Vote Canada. “Canadians need to know that their votes will really count. This means moving beyond our first past the post system”,
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the Grotesque Con Cabaret
Gawd. What a difference a day makes eh?Yesterday they were just youraverage barn yard grunters.Today they're pretty in pork.But you really can't put lipstick on them, because they're still the same old Con hogs. Read more »
Continue readingAnti-Racist Canada: The ARC Collective: July 2012 Bits and Bites: Paul Fromm Edition
Not surprisingly, Paulie and his cohorts are quite pleased about the demise of Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act: Seig heil, eh? But as happy as Paulie and company are, even he realizes that there are still a couple of sticking points. As Paulie notes: Read more »
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: What The Dirty Energy Industry Earns From Millions In Lobbying
When you combine the lobbies of electric utilities (representing the coal industry) and the lobbies of oil and gas interests, there is no industry that puts more money into buying politicians and influence from year to year than the fossil fuel industry. So far this year, the utilities and the
Continue readingImpolitical: Random thoughts on the cabinet shuffle
If we must. Alternative blog post title could very well be: Everything old is new again. I agree with the Canadian Press header: “New faces in Harper’s cabinet overhaul, but old guard stands economic watch.” I also agree, unsurprisingly (!), with Bob Rae’s fun take on all the hullabaloo: “With
Continue readingImpolitical: Random thoughts on the cabinet shuffle
If we must. Alternative blog post title could very well be: Everything old is new again. I agree with the Canadian Press header: “New faces in Harper’s cabinet overhaul, but old guard stands economic watch.” I also agree, unsurprisingly (!), with Bob Rae’s fun take on all the hullabaloo: “With shuffle, the Harper Revolution continues its slow, steady crawl.”
First, an under-noted development perhaps. Chris Alexander goes to Citizenship & Immigration. Jason Kenney’s old stomping ground. Literally. Just ask the Doctors for Refugee Health Care who have taken the lead on protesting the cuts by this government to health care coverage for refugees. Whether Alexander will remedy this situation is a key question. Will he continue on with the “gold plated benefits” propaganda nonsense or as a GTA denizen amend this government’s ways on what is an uncompassionate policy?
Another aspect of this move is the political angle. This ministry is clearly viewed by Conservatives as a key part of their political equation. Putting Alexander, an ambitious pol from the GTA into this ministry as a successor to Kenney is an intriguing political dynamic. Kenney nevertheless tweeted:
Congratulations to Chris Alexander on his appointment as Minister of Citizenship & Immigration. He’s brilliant, hard-working, & very capable
— Jason Kenney (@kenneyjason) July 15, 2013
Speaking of himself, Kenney goes to HRSDC. It was termed Employment & Social Development today but it is HRSDC, as Kenney’s tweets also indicate. Succeeding Diane Finley. No one is calling this a demotion but it does have that tinge to it. I suppose something transformational could be in the works, given Kenney’s being Kenney and we shall see.
Working with Kenney, kind of, will be Kellie Leitch who is put in Labour & Status of Women. I find putting a surgeon in the Labour portfolio to be odd and not necessarily congruent with her experience. Raitt is a lawyer so at least she was steeped more in the framework, Leitch not so much. Although when your government’s labour relations policy is just to legislate industries back to work under the guise of “the economy,” it may not be an issue for Leitch at the end of the day. And also with Leitch, Status of Women continues to be an add on hobby for a Harper minister.
Pierre Poilievre to Democratic Reform? What more could one possibly say here? This is the MP who has been sicced on Elections Canada for years. If this day was meant to be about Harper turning a new page, this move surely undermined that thinking. But really, who would have expected a day free from some patented Harper partisanship.
The big news elsewhere in democratic reform today, by the way, is that Bob Rae has joined Fair Vote Canada’s advisory board.
“Canadians need to know that their votes will really count. This means moving beyond our first past the post system”, says Rae, a long-time supporter of adding proportionality to Canada’s electoral system.
The key democratic reform challenge for Canada’s future is not the Senate, the priority should be reforming the House of Commons. Liberals also joined that message on democratic reform today.
Lisa Raitt to Transport is interesting given the debate going on in the GTA – or should I say GTHA – over transit funding and dealing with Toronto’s overdue needs and the Metrolinx proposals. Subway fever is everywhere and the funds to underwrite Toronto’s transit needs are pressing. Raitt has her sexy portfolio now and it could provide opportunity for the Harper gang in Toronto. Emphasis on could. Whether they will be willing to work with Premier Wynne or keep showing up and wearing t-shirts for Team Hudak is a question.
Aglukkaq to Environment on its surface might seem like a less dug in approach in the offing. Here is one take that seems fair:
Aglukaaq’s appt at environment signals importance of First Nations’ support for resource development.
— Shawn McCarthy (@smccarthy55) July 15, 2013
But it’s the oil and gas regulations that will be the big test for this government, as everyone knows.
Elsewhere, countries have ministers designated for climate change. It’s time for this in Canada too.
Probably much more that could be said but that’s it from this corner of the internet peanut gallery.
P.S. Oh, almost forgot the obligatory note for long time readers…Gerry Ritz should have been fired.
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