Others have rightly taken umbrage at the use of this weekend’s Saskatchewan Roughriders game to try to push a new stadium on Regina voters. But while I’ll agree the ‘Riders’ move was unseemly, it’s at least arguably within the mandate of a privately-controlled organization which stands to get what amounts
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Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Jim Coyle wonders whether or democracy is in decline, and cites as evidence the utter disconnect between the primary functions of elected representatives and the way politics are covered in the media: (R)eal influence and authority has left the precincts — drifting
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Erika Shaker describes the effect of the “right-to-work” laws so popular among our more regressive politicians: “Right-to-Work” still remains a dubious—even Orwellian—term, probably because we have a sweatshop-sized vat of research documenting examples of what this scheme has meant for those American jurisdictions
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: When is an Agriculture minister ^NOT an Agriculture minister?
Silence is golden. A proverbial saying… With respect to the Harper government, specifically the Agriculture minister and the XL Foods recall, saying nothing is preferable to speaking. For those of you keeping track… It has been 1 week and 1 day since Gerry Ritz, the Minister of Agriculture, updated Canadians
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: Conservative Party Continues to Fail Fiscal Conservatives
I’m sure there are Conservative Party apologists out there ready to jump all over these stories, but the fact remains the Conservative Party continues to fail fiscal conservatives in Canada, and they’ll vote Liberal in 2015. Treasury Board boss spars with budget watchdog over mandate, Globe & Mail. Though the Conservatives
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Evening Links
Assorted content to end your day. – Common Dreams discusses the prevalence of inherited wealth among the U.S.’ richest individuals (as pointed out by a report by United for a Fair Economy): Forbes claims that their list of the 400 richest people is ‘the definitive scorecard of wealth’ in the
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: The Trials and Tribulations of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford
There are times where I just feel sorry for him.
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: Ms. Redford’s Fudget-Budget: Not Open, Not Transparent, and Definitely Not What She Promised
Ms. Redford’s expectation that the price of oil would stay high (we’re currently hitting a nine-month low for oil), her spending promises be fulfilled, and that a PC government would be a stable choice for Albertans, has fallen flat. She ran on the regular non-Conservative spending sprees — even where
Continue readingFalse positive: private profit in Canada's health care: Methadone Clinic Limits Doctor’s Employment
One of Ontario’s little known private secrets is that most methadone, a staple of opiate addiction treatment, is primarily provided by for-profit clinics. Last week a doctor who works in one of these private clinics casually told me that her contract with the clinic forbade her from working for another
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: Hundreds of Canadian women join RCMP harassment lawsuit
In March, Janet Merlo, a 19-year with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), filed a lawsuit against Canada’s national police force. In May, Corporal Catherine Galliford filed a claim of being sexually harassed by her male superiors during her 16 year career with the RCMP. Now hundreds of current and former female Mounties
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The tone at the top – federal version #nlpoli
Marni Soupcoff has got it right about the campaign finance scandal currently swirling around federal intergovernmental affairs minister Peter Penashue (pronounced Pen-ah-shoe-ay). People should be concerned about the money Peter Penashue used to get elected: The part that stands out is the involvement of a federal member of parliament who
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: RCMP’s Misogynistic Response to Gillford Sexual Harassment Claim
In May, Corporal Catherine Galliford filed a claim of being sexually harassed by her male superiors during her 16 year career with our national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Predictably, the responses from the four accused Mounties is denial. But, in this country famous for compassion, how
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: In Alberta, A Public Oil Pipeline Spill Tip Line Is Launched
“Hundreds of spills happen every year and still this government does nothing. We had three major spills last month alone. How many more have to happen before the government finally acts?” 9 July, 2012 (Edmonton ) – The Alberta Surface Rights Group, Greenpeace Canada, The Council of Canadians and the Sierra
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: MPs in the dark about the billions in Conservative government spending
Now we know why Treasury Board President Tony Clement did not think twice before spending $50-million of G8 funds in his Muskoka riding. Why Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page threatened to sue the Harper government for refusing to comply with his repeated requests for financial and related information. Now we
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Right-leaning British magazine rips Stephen Harper
Since coming to power in 2006, the Canadian prime minister “has acquired a reputation for playing fast and loose with the rules.” Harper plays to his social conservative base. He and his Conservative majority government tolerate neither criticism nor dissent. But these “bullying” ways are set to boost the opposition’s
Continue readingImpolitical: Tone at the top
The Globe editorializes on Bev Oda’s resignation: “Bev Oda’s departure: an overdue nod to accountability.” The departure of Bev Oda from the federal cabinet should have happened months ago. Nevertheless, her resignation – effective July 31, apparently prompted by the knowledge or belief that she would be shuffled out later
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Canada’s Worst Senator Patrick Brazeau Disappears From Twitter
No comment yet from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who appointed Brazeau to the Senate in 2008. On Wednesday, I blogged about the Conservative Senator, who called Canadian Press reporter Jennifer Ditchburn a “bitch” on Twitter. Senator Brazeau was mad that the reporter had highlighted his poor performance record in Canada’s appointed
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Thumb in the eye of BC taxpayers
The BC Liberal policy is firmly established. Reward your important friends and give the rest – teachers, paramedics, etc. – a firm kick in the ass. Of course, agency directors and senior bureaucrats, especially ones who know where skeletons are buried, are prime beneficiaries. Remember when David Hahn “resigned” in
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Harper Government Must Set Canadian Scientists Free
Nature, one of the biggest and most-read scientific journals in the world, made this call in a February 29th editorial. The journal lamented the Harper Government’s undisguised hostility to openness, expert opinion and publicly-funded scientific expertise. Rightly so. At some point, the government’s stated communication policy, posted on a federal website and
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