by: United Steelworkers | Press Release: TORONTO, July 11, 2013 – The United Steelworkers (USW) union is asking federal Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault to investigate the Conservative government’s failure, for more than eight months, to release information on a Canadian mining company’s controversial operations in Mexico. “This case reflects a
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Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Frances Russell makes the case for mandatory voting as an antidote to vote suppression: At first glance, entrenched opposition to mandatory voting in all the English-speaking democracies – Australia excepted – is puzzling. Given all the obligations of citizenship in a democracy
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Normalizing secrecy
I haven’t commented yet on the story surrounding Tom Mulcair’s request for basic investigation into back-channel information between the Trudeau government and the Supreme Court of Canada – which seems best classified as a minor but reasonable request which has been blown out of proportion. But I’ll take a moment
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: Canada’s Information Commissioner to probe Harper’s muzzling of scientists
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Canada’s Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault has acceded to a request by the Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria and Democracy Watch to investigate the Harper government’s muzzling of federal scientists, says a report in the Toronto Star. The request had asked her office to investigate “systematic efforts
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: Kevin Page Reflects upon the Past 5 years.
A must read published in the Star. “ I took the job when it was agreed that a few amazing and fearless public servants would join — namely, Mostafa Askari and Sahir Khan. We signed in proverbial blood. We vowed to give Canada a true legislative budget office. Nothing less.
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: The Silence is Deafening
As our hero Kevin Page is replaced as the Parliamentary Budget Officer by the Parliamentary Librarian‘temporarily’ whilst a ‘process’ takes place to perhaps replace him with a less open and honest individual more amenable to the Harper Regimes obsession to control the message we learn that Librarian staff have been
Continue readingDemocracy Under Fire: Government Web Sites to be Reduced or Eliminated
Recent leaked documents have confirmed that Tony ‘Gazebo’ Clements has been asked by King Harper to drastically cut the number of government websites available to Canadians. Initially, the number of sites will be slashed to six, with the ultimate goal of consolidating all online Government of Canada information into one
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Lawrence Martin discusses how the B.C. Libs, Harper Cons and other governments have responded to transparency requirements by deliberately refusing to record what they’re doing and why: News from the government of British Columbia. Sorry citizens, we have no files. There is
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Andrew Nikiforuk discusses how Alberta and other petro-states have ended up destroying their treasuries and their democratic systems alike by relying excessively on volatile resource prices: Thanks to the volatile nature of the world’s most lucrative commodity, various petro states find themselves short
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: An Unwavering Commitment to Inaction, Indecision, and Extra Pork #nlpoli
In 2010, the provincial government appointed Captain Mark Turner to look at the “province’s offshore oil spill prevention and response capabilities.” He produced the 273 page report and the provincial government dutifully released it along with a lovely news release. Then-natural resources minister Shawn Skinner committed that the provincial government
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Deep thought
Much as I generally promote open access to information, I’m starting to come around to the idea that the Cons should feel free to apply a “national security” exemption to pretty much any information about their decision-making. After all, if anybody around the globe knew exactly what they’re dealing with
Continue readingImpolitical: Natural Resources asks media outlet to destroy records
Postmedia had a report last night on Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver writing to his officials, in email, on his needing briefings on major energy projects in Canada so he could speak to them knowledgeably. He made the request in the aftermath of a Jim Prentice speech which mentioned a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Jim Stanford reviews the effect of NAFTA (and associated corporatist policy choices) on Canada’s economy: Quantity of exports: In the mid-1980s, before Brian Mulroney and Ronald Reagan inked their deal, Canada’s exports to the United States accounted for 19 per cent of Canadian
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Business Insider reports on a new study from the U.S.’ Congressional Research Service showing that in addition to exacerbating inequality, top-heavy tax cuts rank somewhere between useless and downright harmful when it comes to overall economic growth: According to a new study by
Continue readingCanadian Progressive: What’s Wrong With TPP?: Prominent Academics Respond
Prominent Academics Respond to the TPP (via EFF) We asked several academics to let us know their thoughts about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). The TPP is a secretive, multi-national trade agreement that threatens to extend restrictive intellectual property (IP) laws across the globe and rewrite international rules on
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Death By Download?
Although a cliche, it is nonetheless true that knowledge is power, which probably explains why Canada is currently under the yoke of the most secretive and undemocratic federal government it has ever known. The latest restriction on access to information is reflected in the Harper termination of the National Roundtable
Continue readingeaves.ca: Access to Information, Open Data and the Problem with Convergence
In response to my post yesterday one reader sent me a very thoughtful commentary that included this line at the end: “Rather than compare [Freedom of Information] FOI legislation and Open Gov Data as if it’s “one or the other”, do you think there’s a way of talking about how
Continue readingDavid Climenhaga's Alberta Diary: Truth, Tories and the Sun Network: ‘Let’s do it. We can fake the Oath!’
New Canadians rounded up by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s office get ready to reaffirm their citizenship oath. Actual new Canadians may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Mr. Kenney; Paraguayan-born Public “Safety” Minister Victor Toews, himself a relatively new Canadian. More than one story emanating from Ottawa yesterday revealed the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Accessing more government information #nlpoli #cdnpoli
The Telegram editorial last Thursday (December 8), complained about the practice some government departments use of releasing access to information requests from one media outlet to all outlets. The trigger for the editorial was a decision by Nalcor Energy to release salary details on it senior executives to all the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Jim Stanford points out that when it comes to manufacturing, any talk of an “invisible hand” doing much for productivity is based purely on faith rather than evidence: When it comes to Canada’s lousy record in productivity and innovation, the standard prescription of
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