We’re just going to cut to the chase on the extension of this series examining Marc Lemire’s connection to extremism and specifically to the Heritage Front. This past August, Lemire appeared on Ezra Levant’s “Sun News” program where, when asked about a connection to the Heritage Front, said this (you
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Maryanne Kampouris, LPC Policy Chair candidate, on Youth Issues
Managerial competence is above all, what I am looking for in the next policy chair of the Liberal Party of Canada. Maryanne Kampouris has been VP Policy for the Liberal Party of Canada in Ontario for the last 5 years and, in my opinion, she is the candidate who has
Continue readingCanadian Dimension Feed: The Global Economic Crisis—Part 1
The 2007-08 financial crisis marked a major turning point in the world economy. From your perspective, why was the recovery so weak and why did economic stagnation continue to characterize the core capitalist countries? Back in July 2009, just ten months after the Lehman Brothers collapse, Bank of Canada Governor
Continue readingWho let the dogs in??
The GOP Primary Reality Clown Show has packed up its balloons and clown shoes and fart whistles and red foam noses and is headed for New Hampshire after a terrifying Tuesday night in Iowa. Terrifying to sane humans, for sure, but even more terrifying to dogs. It’s true: dogs everywhere
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Ringing in the new year with a bang
A couple of days before the new year a letter appeared in the Calgary Herald outlining the writer’s concern about the deaths caused by another formerly law abiding gun owner. The writer likely wondered how a young man who treated his guns like “babies”could legally acquire and keep the weapon
Continue readingthe woodshed: Canada’s little ray of SUNshine
Canada’s ethical snake-oil salesman and Glenn Beck wannabe Ezra Levant continues to keep it classy. As far as I can tell, Ezra’s objection isn’t that Chiquita Banana keep paying right-wing death squads to murder labour activists in South America, but that they are denying that they are boycotting tarsand products
Continue readingthe reeves report: Rob Ford’s ‘Gravy Lane’
Cyclists on the Jarvis St bike lane Back in July of 2011, the Toronto Cyclists Union led the attack against the vote in City Council to remove the bike lanes on Jarvis St. that had been installed only 12 months previously under Mayor David Miller. The Bike Union was ultimately
Continue readingThe Sixth Estate: Conservative Lawyer: Harper’s Parliament is Above the Law
A lawyer, brandishing impeccable credentials as a former chair of the Canadian Bar Association Constitutional and International Law Section, explains in the Globe & Mail that the actions of a wayward group recently slapped down by the courts for violating the law were, in fact, perfectly legal after all. It
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Jurisdictional error in committal for trial
R. v. Gray, 2012 ONCA 7 deals with the often problematic issue of jurisdictional error in committal for trial. The Court holds: [3] After reviewing the evidence and the preliminary inquiry judge’s reasons, the application judge concluded as follows at para. 30: I find that Justice
Continue readingOn “fascism” in the U.S.
Paul Street on why the U.S. is not a “fascist” state: Even if real historical fascism could be translated across times and place to the modern U.S. it would be largely redundant for America’s powers that be. The American elite already gets the basic regressive and authoritarian outcomes of fascism
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Wall Mural: Joy of Creation
Have mercy! I’m not an artist (at least not with paint) but I had so much fun with this. It was a challenge to photograph because the hallway is so narrow, but here goes: Click on any photo to enlarge. H's penguins M's view of Toronto my dragons You have
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Conservative values are Canadian values
Or so we’ve been hearing more and more lately — Canadians are increasingly embracing the values espoused by Conservatives. I guess that means we can look to our Conservative neighbours to serve as guides to show us the way forward. So the next time you have a disagreement with someone
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Gerry Caplan: Solidarity, not charity
Gerry Caplan is a former CUSO field officer, author of The Betrayal of Africa, a weekly, online columnist for The Globe and Mail, a featured television political commentator and a veteran CCF-NDP war horse. He was also my boss at CUSO for a brief period in the late 70s, something
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Nasty Words Don’t Survive Translation: The T-Word Means F%@&-All in English
For those who arn’t plugged in local controversies, the cartoon from this morning’s Montreal Gazette refers to the fact that the new head coach for the Montreal Canadien’s doesn’t speak French. Promoted to the post in a few weeks ago when nothing was working for the Habs, Ron Cunneyworth’s record
Continue readingCanadian Dimension Feed: Should we ‘take down’ the banks or try to save the best of capitalism?
It is November 1968, and a writer for Modern Mechanix peers 40 years into the future: “People have more time for leisure activities in the year 2008. The average work day is about four hours…Homes are practically self-maintaining. Robots are available to do housework and other simple chores…You slide into
Continue readingwmtc: dogsledding and duchesnay
We had our third and final awesome breakfast at Chez Hubert, then said goodbye to the Crying (or possibly Laughing) Dresser and hit the road. Station touristique Duchesnay is about a half-hour from Quebec City, outside of Ste-Catherine-des-Jacques-Cartier, on the Lac St.-Joseph. (Place names here are very big on the
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Working For The Man
Back in October, when 6,800 Air Canada workers rejected a second offer from Air Canada, the Harper government intervened immediately, claiming that the strike endangered the Canadian economy. Air Canada is a private corporation. But the Conservatives claimed that, because transportation fell under federal jurisdiction, they had to intervene.The economy
Continue readinggay persons of color: Catholic Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire backs marriage equality
Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire vowed Wednesday to pass a bill legalizing gay marriage. Gregoire, who is Catholic, had for a long time publicly opposed marriage equality, but has now come around on the issue. From The Seattle Times: “I have been on my own journey. I will admit that.
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Impact of Increased Health Privatization on PSE
An article in yesterday’s Village Voice looks at the rising costs of post-secondary education (PSE) in the United States. It points to research suggesting that the “biggest single factor” contributing to the rising cost of PSE for both private and public institutions is the cost of employee health benefits. I would infer
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