Canada continues to be an outlier amongst Western nations as the sole exporter of death, aka asbestos, a topic that I have written about many times on this blog. The federal government continues to perpetuate the lie that the highly carcinogenic substance is safe if handled properly, despite the fact
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Accidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Derrick O’Keefe calls for a mass movement to stop the Harper Cons in their tracks now, rather than waiting for 2015: Thoughts of ousting Harper in 2015 are well and good, but not nearly sufficient at this perilous moment for democracy and social
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Dr. Dawg highlights Peter Russell’s take on the Cons’ 2008 efforts to prevent a Parliamentary majority from actually exercising its right to vote down a government which had lost the confidence of the House of Commons. And Steven Chase follows up by
Continue readingPeace, order and good government, eh?: Conservative values are Canadian values
Toronto Sun, June 1, 2011: Conservative values are Canadians values, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told his new team of MPs Wednesday, but urged them to stay “humble” as they kicked off their majority mandate. Vancouver Sun, June 25, 2012: The federal government acknowledged years ago that the dangers of chrysotile
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: May 1, 2012
Tuesday, May 1 saw more debate on a couple of relatively non-contentious bills – along with a prime example of the Cons’ blinkered focus on mandatory minimum sentences. The Big Issue In continued debate on the Lucky Moose self-defence bill, the NDP pointed out some of the ways the legislation
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Progress Is Measured In Small Increments
A decades-old pro-asbestos lobby group, currently funded by the Quebec government, will be shutting its doors after notifying the federal government of its plan to dissolve. …but it can be measured. A couple of years back the Feds were also funding these guys.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Update On Canada’s Export Of Death (Asbestos)
While I have written many posts on Canada’s indefensible export of asbestos to third-world nations, I am pleased to report that the latest news seems to suggest that this hideous and immoral practice could soon be coming to an end. Despite the ardent and ongoing efforts of the Harper regime
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Michelle Lalonde notes that despite continued giveaways from both the federal and provincial governments, Quebec’s asbestos industry may soon fade away due to a lack of any economic case for private funding. – Jessica Bruno reports on major cuts to the federal public
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 6, 2011
Tuesday, December 6 saw a day devoted primarily to debating the Cons’ seat redistribution bill. And the result was some interesting interplay between the three official parties in the House of Commons – if no lack of contradictions as well. The Big Issue In effect, the debate on C-20 saw
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 5, 2011
Monday, December 5 saw the House of Commons debate the NDP’s motion on climate change. And while the Cons tried to put up a relatively brave facade on an issue where they’ve been fighting progress at any turn, they inevitably ended up showing their true colours. The Big Issue At
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 28, 2011
Monday, November 28 saw the final day of debate in the House of Commons on the Cons’ legislation to trash the single-desk Canadian Wheat Board. And not surprisingly, the result was a particularly focused set of concerns about the bill – though those were waved aside yet again. The Big
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 22, 2011
Tuesday, November 22 saw the Cons’ refusal to debate their own government bills reach absurd levels, as Con MPs spent more time arguing against a single opposition private member’s bill than they did defending some of their supposed key priorities. The Big Issue But then, one can hardly blame the
Continue readingThey Just Don’t Get It
Last week it was revealed that Roshi Chadha, an asbestos exporter , sat on the board of the Canadian Red Cross,certainly someone an organistion like the Red Cross would be loathe to be associated with.Yet far from distancing themselves from Chadha and demanding her immediate resignation they instead supported her.
Continue readingAsbestos Trader sits on Board of Governors of the Canadian Red Cross
That’s right folks as difficult as that is to believe. Roshi Chadha a member of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Red Cross is also an asbestos exporter. Since 1981, she has been an executive of Seja Trade Ltd., a Montreal company that has for years been exporting asbestos
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 4, 2011
Friday, November 4 saw another day of spirited question period debate on the economy. But for once, the main theme was total cooperation – even if much of the day was spent lamenting its absence. The Big Issue The main bill up for debate was the Cons’ legislation dealing with
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 1, 2011
Yes, a couple of the Cons’ more odious bills have already made their way into law. But let’s at least resume a look back at the arguments they so flippantly ignored in pushing through their first set of legislation – with the November 1 debate on the gun registry offering
Continue readingImpolitical: Merry Christmas Stephen Harper and Christian Paradis
News today of a possible Conservative rebellion on asbestos: Les députés conservateurs, en particulier ceux de l’extérieur du Québec, sont de plus en plus mal à l’aise de voir leur gouvernement défendre bec et ongles l’industrie de l’amiante. Le malaise est tel que, si l’occasion se présente de nouveau à
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament In Review: October 31, 2011
Monday, October 31 saw a study in contrasts as two matters were debated in the House of Commons: a private member’s bill which understandably saw broad agreement, and an opposition motion which should have but was instead met with a painful level of denial from the Cons. The Big IssueThat
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Globe and Mail Reports on Asbestos
I have written many times on one of Canada’s biggest shames, the export of asbestos, something of grave concern to all right-thinking Canadians. It is therefore gratifying to see that, despite what I regard as the failed leadership of editor-in-chief John Stackhouse, The Globe and Mail recently devoted some resources
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On rare independence
Yes, there’s some good news in the revelation that some Con MPs are asking questions about their party’s insistence on supporting and subsidizing asbestos exports. But let’s not minimize the issue as a story of “internal Con rift!!!” which will only push Harper and his message control machine to clamp
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