I’m quite sure that Canadians who read this blog already know about this, and for others, it’s not relevant. But I want to add my small voice to the chorus of progressive Canadians who are angry, hurt, and disgusted at the Ontario New Democratic Party. Thousands of Ontarians who would
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Progressive Proselytizing: The best case view of the NDP platform
NDP candidate Rosario Marchese cuts through a lot of spin to defend a frank and real representation of the NDP’s platform. In my previous post, I was fairly harsh towards the NDP plan – both as a set of policies and the larger strategies. I wanted to share his post
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: The Ontario NDP’s small plan isn’t even good strategy
Shortly after the 2014 Ontario Election was called, I said that progressives – whether nonpartisans like myself or NDP supporters like some of you – should take yes for an answer, and vote to reward Kathleen Wynne’s relatively left leaning and progressive budget. Andrea Horwath’s big chance to change my
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: An interview with Brant MPP Dave Levac (Part 2 – Issues/Campaign)
Here is Part 2 of my conversation with Brant MPP and Speaker of the House Dave Levac I had with on Victoria Day Monday, dealing with the election campaign and issues. Part 1 of that conversation which dealt with him being Speaker and what that entails and his reflections on
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: An interview with Brant MPP @DaveLevac (Part 1 – Speaker stuff)
I was up in Brantford yesterday and had the opportunity to visit the campaign offices of Dave Levac, current Liberal MPP for Brant and Speaker of the House in the past session. I was given the opportunity to have a sit down interview with Mr. Levac to discuss some questions
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Where’s the beef? Ottawa and the fast-food lobby are serving nothing but baloney about the need for Temporary Foreign Workers
Whatever it says on the menu, fast food restaurant owners, other employers of temporary foreign workers and their pals in the Harper Government are serving baloney. Below: Dominique M. Gross of Simon Fraser University; Charles Decatur “C.D.” Howe. Advocates of the Harper Government’s so-called Temporary Foreign Workers Program are using
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: The Harper Cons have announced they are naming the new Finance…
The Harper Cons have announced they are naming the new Finance Canada building after the worst finance minister in Canadian (and Ontario) history, “Deficit Jim” Flaherty. To reflect Flaherty’s disastrous political record and mean-spirited personality, it will: Be small and useless Go billions of dollars over budget and have a
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Whither the Ontario NDP’s social conscience?
I’ve been observing this Ontario campaign with some curiosity as to why the Ontario Liberals decided they were going to target Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP first in the (pre)-camapaign over them failing to support their rather progressive budget, rather then go after Tim Hudak’s far-right stances/policies, which seemed
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Justin Trudeau plays the long game on abortion
The general response to Justin Trudeau’s new edict on abortion – that all new Liberal candidates must vote pro-life – has been overwhelmingly negative. Canada’s major newspapers’ editorial pages have lit up with titles like Margarete Wente’s “Spare me the abortion absolutism” at the Globe and Mail, Andrew Coyne’s “Trudeau ban on pro-lifers
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Explaining the screams for easy-to-exploit Temporary Foreign Workers: Canadians are just too uppity for many low-wage employers
Chinese workers building Canadian railways – another sordid story of “temporary foreign workers.” Below: B.C. Premier Christy Clark and Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan. British Columbia Premier Christy Clark rose in that province’s Legislative Building in Victoria yesterday and apologized for a stream of racist laws and policies
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Ontario voters not liking Hudak’s Voodoo Economics
First off, yes, this is a Forum poll, but like BigcityLib, I’ll take it as a starting point as to what people think of Tim Hudak’s 100 000 public sector job cuts/1 million jobs created dual promises. So far, they don’t like it at all, or they don’t believe Timmy
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Taking the HST off hydro is bad policy, if good politics
One of the signature campaign planks for the NDP in the 2014 Ontario Election is to remove the HST from our hydro bills, saving perhaps $120 a year for average families. The motivation behind this – reducing the cost to average families – is reasonable and will undoubtedly be a
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: The Gaffe-man
I’m almost starting to wonder whether Tim Hudak isn’t doing all of these “gaffes” on purpose; he and his campaign strategists surely can’t be THIS inept (can they?): The latest misstep happened Sunday, when Toronto Transit Commission enforcement officers broke up the Tory leader’s announcement in a busy subway car.
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Underdog Liberal has a shot in Fort McMurray-Athabasca by-election
TweetFour federal by-elections will be held across Canada on June 30, 2014, including in Alberta’s Macleod and Fort McMurray-Athabasca ridings made vacant by the retirements of Conservative Members of Parliament Ted Menzies and Brian Jean months ago. While most general elections in Alberta can be counted on to result in broad Conservative sweeps, Albertans
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: While Wynne goes to the left, Hudak dives hard right
You might have thought that Tim Hudak would have learned his lesson after his disastrous and short lived attempt to push his party towards US style union busting: going hard right in Ontario isn’t a winning strategy. Well, he is at it again with the first two major campaign announcement
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: John Tory’s empty "plan" for Toronto
Toronto mayoral candidate John Tory has penned an op-ed in the National Post claiming to explain what his plan is for Toronto. Usually politicians spend most of their campaigning time spewing platitudes that are cute, but offer little insight into what they actually plan to do. Usually, however, buried somewhere
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: How not to start an election campaign
Tim Hudak hasn’t exactly started off the unofficial Ontario election campaign in a blaze of glory. His opening day campaign stop yesterday to talk about his “million jobs” pledge stumbled when the recording studio owner (formerly of Triumph) noted he voted against The Music Fund in the 2013 Budget. Okay,
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Thoughts on the upcoming provincial election in Ontario
You would know from reading this blog or searching its archives I’ve not exactly been overflowing in my praise for the Ontario Liberal government the past several years. I had issues with Dalton Mcguinty on environmental issues as well as omnibus Budget bills presented in the same fashion that Stephen
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: No wonder Rob Ford is so screwed up. His mother is Dame Edna…
No wonder Rob Ford is so screwed up. His mother is Dame Edna and his father was Nosh from the movie Eat the Rich (see photos above). But seriously folks, you good people of the great city of Toronto, there’s something disturbing about Ford’s mother Diane. Don’t be too quick
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Photo Gallery: May Day 2014 in Toronto The theme of the 2014…
Photo Gallery: May Day 2014 in Toronto The theme of the 2014 Toronto May Day (International Workers Day) event was Honour Communities: Fight Capitalism. The chilly evening rally started at Alan Gardens, transformed into a march west on Carlton/College, and concluded at Queen’s Park with a few more speeches. Toronto’s
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