Stephen Harper denies the Conservative Party of Canada had anything to do with robo-calls and other misleading phone calls made during the 2011 federal election. The calls sent some Canadian voters on a wild goose chase, hunting for “relocated” polling stations that didn’t exist. A disposable cellphone registered to a
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Politics, Re-Spun and The Rational Celebrate IWD Early, with Audience Participation
Politics, Re-Spun and The Rational will celebrate International Women’s Day early on Coop Radio on Monday, March 5, 2012 from 6pm to 7pm with an all-women show! Loren Spagnuolo will have a piece celebrating Sesemiya Tracy Williams. The rest of the show will be devoted to a panel of Politics,
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Journamalism: Broken Record Edition
The other day I asked whether the Globe and Mail has a published policy about the use of anonymous sources. Now I would ask the same question regarding both the Toronto Star and the National Post. And I don’t even particularly like Thomas Mulcair. John Ivison’s column in the National
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Is That All There Is?
Comedian Rush Limbaugh – who is, it seems these days, the virtual leader of the increasingly deranged Republican Party – did the Democrats a huge favour the other day with his offensive remarks directed at “college co-ed” (i.e., third-year law student) Susan Fluke. Whether deliberate or not, Limbaugh’s deeply misogynistic
Continue reading31,000 Robo-call complaints. 31,000!
“No, this is not a Robo-call. I’m a real human being. Don’t hang up! Fudge, that keeps happening.” That number will surely grow larger. Elections Canada assures it can handle the growing number of complaints. I’m wondering if EC can also be independent enough to withstand pressure from the Conservatives.
Continue readingDid Elections Canada Just Tell 31,000 Canadians To Hold Their Horses?
Don’tWorryYourPrettyLittleHeads We’reOnItVille From an (apparent) press release from E-Canada: Statement sent to media this morning from Elections Canada: o The Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections confirms that it is investigating complaints received regarding robocalls placed at the 41st general election in 2011. o Elections Canada has received a
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Santa Claus Delivers a Positive Quarter Despite Corporate Scrooges
The Month: Christmas Gift Canada’s economy was buoyed by Christmas cheer as a December bounce more than offset slight declines in October and November to turn the fourth quarter positive. Unfortunately, one month does not make a trend. The key question is whether December’s strength continued into the New Year
Continue readingThings Are Good: WeTopia: A Facebook Game that Funds Good Projects
We’ve looked at Facebook games that promote goodness before, and now we can WeTopia to that list. Instead of taking all those in-game purchases as profit WeTopia gives to charities that do real-world good. Thanks Kathryn!
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Anonymous Update on Toews
Did Vic Toews reward one of his mistresses with an appointment to the Manitoba Court of Queens Bench? That’s the allegation and, it’s claimed, the reason Harper removed Toews as justice minister to protect his government from scandal. It’s an interesting, even plausible claim but if Toews was instrumental in
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: A Point Worth Noting
Keith Beardsley writes: Canadians are tuned into this story because they get these types of calls all the time. They understand the issue. Who hasn’t been called at the dinner hour by some type of telemarketer? Even if they weren’t called in the last election the general public can relate
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: RoboCalls Resolution? General Election Will Happen
It’s time for a wild prediction, based on information I have, interpretation of law and political power, a touch of math, and a hint of guts (plus a reversal of my earlier skepticism in the power of RoboCon). Here’s a potential scenario for how the election fraud scandal the Conservative
Continue readingTerahertz: Martin Singh sponsors Ontario #ndpldr polls
Party leadership contests are not exactly like general elections. In a typical election there is one or two days when you have to make your way to the local community centre, school, or (begrudgingly) church where officials check your identity, give you a ballot and a little cardboard cubicle to
Continue readingROAR!: Liberal MP exposes hole in Resolution #58
In January, at the Liberal Party Biennial Convention, the National Women’s Liberal Commission proposed a Resolution that would seek to have the federal government penalize provinces that do not guarantee women access to timely and effective reproductive health services, including abortion. Resolution #58 was passed. But since the Liberals are
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Ignatieff’s Liberals & Romney’s Republicans
The comparison between Canadian politics and American politics has been made more than once, the similarity of Liberal and Republican dominance in their respective countries during the last century is the most obvious. But in recent years Liberals and Republicans seem to be sharing more and more in common, Michael
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: Damage Control
It remains to be seen just how involved the Conservative Party was in Robocon, but it certainly doesn’t help that they can’t keep their story straight. It was all Michael Sona, it was rogue third parties, it was the Liberals, the Tories had “absolutely, definitely” nothing to do with it…yet
Continue readingLeDaro: Stephen Harper’s Priorities
Guns are safe therefore he abolished the Gun Registry legislation. Computers are very dangerous therefore there is a need for Bill C30. Government must keep an eye on what people are doing on their computers. Police must have access to personal computers all the time.
Continue readingZorg Report: The Ever-Incredibly Depressing Jian Ghomeshi of CBC’s Q — redux
The Ever-Incredibly Depressing Jian Ghomeshi redux Well, I already wrote another post. This one I jotted and set aside. But anyway. Jian is interviewing Eugene Levy, and throughout the whole “chat,” Jian is sucking and blowing and wheedling and whinging and desperately trying to out-Oprah Oprah, and he’s doing it
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Monsters
A bit less than a month ago we learned that Public Safety Minister Vic Toews had loosened the rules governing the ability of CSIS to trade in information derived from torture. That was bad enough but it gets worse. The federal government has given Canada’s spy service the go-ahead to
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Man Behind The Curtain
It didn’t have to come to this. Riding out what is becoming known as the “Robocon Scandal” was not the only option open to Stephen Harper. He could have vowed to get to the bottom of it. He could have decided that discretion was the better part of valor. But,
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