Unprecedented voter suppression tactics, now identified in over seventy ridings, are being investigated by Elections Canada in two of them, Guelph and Thunder Bay. I have already expressed scepticism that anything but a full-blown public inquiry will get to the bottom of things. Alice Funke, of Pundits’ Guide, disagrees—and she
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS...and more!: So three lawyers walk into the Ontario Legislature…
…but this is no joke! There’s a friendly exercise each morning that the Ontario Legislature sits when Members have the opportunity to introduce guests seated in the gallery – family members of one of the high school student pages, perhaps a visiting township reeve, or dignitaries representing other governments, be
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: …fairness and balance for all the people of our province… #nlpoli
Excerpts from remarks by Clyde Wells, Leader of the Opposition, in the House of Assembly, in reply to the Speech from the Throne, March 10, 1988: …We will vigorously oppose that which should be opposed. We will criticize that which should be criticized. We will examine and question everything. It
Continue readingeaves.ca: Let’s Hack data.gc.ca
In just under two weeks data.gc.ca will celebrate its one year anniversary. This will also mark the period that the pilot project is officially supposed to end. Looking at data.gc.ca three things stand out. First, the license has improved a great deal since its launch. Second, a LOT of data
Continue readingThings Are Good: Kids Should Fail
A prevailing attitude in North American schools is that students shouldn’t be able to fail, but really what better place than a school to learn from mistakes? Thankfully people are noticing that letting kids not excel at something is actually a good thing. Interestingly, it’s in the world of games
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Robocon: Bob Rae has 15 days to protect Canada’s democracy by stopping the clock
The clock is ticking and there are less than three weeks to go (around 15 days as of today) before voters lose their right to appeal to the courts under the Canada Elections Act to upset the results of the May 2 election in at least 27 ridings. And Bob
Continue readingHarper doubles down on environmentalists as ‘radicals’
Go over to Richard Hughes’ fine ‘Cowichan Conservations’ blog to read a shocking letter from the PMO in response to a citizen’s inquiry regarding the Northern Gateway project from a former Assistant Deputy Minister of Environment and former Fish and Wildlife Branch Director. The rhetoric of ‘radicalism’ is still alive
Continue readinggay persons of character: Video: Ruling Canadian Conservatives must take responsibility
Jamie Biggar, from Leadnow.ca, said it all on March 3, 2012, explaining how Canada’s ruling Conservatives since 2008 have continued to “downplay, distract, and delay” on key issues and have created serious breaches in the Canadian democratic process. Canadians are getting mad, finally.
Continue readinggay persons of character: Video: Ruling Canadian Conservatives must take responsibility
Jamie Biggar, from Leadnow.ca, said it all on March 3, 2012, explaining how Canada’s ruling Conservatives since 2008 have continued to “downplay, distract, and delay” on key issues and have created serious breaches in the Canadian democratic process. Canadians are getting mad, finally.
Continue readinggay persons of character: Video: Ruling Canadian Conservatives must take responsibility
Jamie Biggar, from Leadnow.ca, said it all on March 3, 2012, explaining how Canada’s ruling Conservatives since 2008 have continued to “downplay, distract, and delay” on key issues and have created serious breaches in the Canadian democratic process. …
Continue readingLetters to the Queen
Dear fellow Canadians, While I’m stoked that you recognise that the Queen is the head of state, I can’t tell you how utterly disappointed I am in the fact that you’re doing ridiculous things like asserting that the Queen – or the Governor General, take your pick – should fire Harper over
Continue readingShakedown!
I guess Karen Handel has never heard about the First Rule of Holes — when you’re in one, stop digging: Karen Handel, the former senior vice president of public policy at Susan G. Komen for the Cure, accused Planned Parenthood of extortion during an appearance on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Continue readingRecreating Eden: C’est la neige qui fonde: The Waters of March in the Northern Hemisphere
This is one of my favourites songs, one I always turn to this time of year. It was written for the Brazilian March, which is the season of rain that comes after the summer, but here of course, the “saison des pluies” is that of spring and melting snow.
Continue readingWhat Rush hath wrought: 16-year-old harassed for being a “slut, a prostitute, a horny piece of trash that is out to sleep with every guy in school”
The fallout from Rush Limbaugh’s attack on Sandra Fluke has more far-reaching consequences than the public humiliation Fluke received at the hands of the radio star and the subsequent withdrawal of advertisers from the blowhard’s show. Caught in the headlines suddenly are the young women of America who have become the new Easy
Continue readingConservative tries to sabotage Elections Canada complaint process
Is this legal? Inquiring minds want to know. Fake complainant Neil J. Edmonson has now deleted his Twitter feed. Small wonder. [H/t jimbobby]
Continue readingEvangelical group kicked out of Delta public schools
Two volunteers from the Pais Project, a group of fundamentalists, have been told not to come back to Delta schools. Superindent Dianne Turner reminded the group that “the Delta school district is strictly secular, operating on non-sectarian principles, and therefore promotion of religious views is prohibited in our schools,” While
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More On Voter Suppression
The Globe has some interesting letters today on the voter suppression crimes of the last election. Of particular note is the first one, by an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, who attended a campaign school presentation in which instructors “made it clear that robo-calling and voter suppression were
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Rise Of The Uninterested
Susan Delacourt puts the robocall scandal into wider perspective. It has everything to do with “undecided” voters. The trouble is, Delacourt writes, “undecided” has become a synonym –an inaccurate synonym — for “uninterested:” In a 1971 interview with the Canadian Press, pollster Martin Goldfarb said that his art — still
Continue readingArt Threat: Blackitude by Vox Sambou evokes the power of resistance
Today we bring you Blackitude, a new music video from Montreal hip-hop artist Vox Sambou, filmed in Batey San Luis in the Dominican Republic by Ariel Mota. This latest video builds on a trajectory of socially conscious, contemporary hip-hop that has established Sambou as a key figure on the progressive
Continue readingFrom Orangutan: Dear Vladimir Putin,
The independent elections watchdog agency, Golos, found that “carousel voting” occurred during the Russian presidential election that you think you won. If you believe in democracy, maybe you should address these election fraud concerns before declaring victory. Wouldn’t that be the honorable thing to do, Mr. Putin?
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