Canada has operated internment camps for Japanese, Ukrainian, German, and Italian Canadians. These Canadian citizens and immigrants were accused of being saboteurs and spies and were forcibly removed from their homes and were detained in government-run work camps throughout the country. They were not permitted any defense, and in fact,
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Alberta Diary: A tale from the political crypt: a tip o’ Broadway Bob’s Top Hat to Hizzoner Rob Ford
Bob McClelland spotted walking down a staircase in Victoria, circa November 1985. (Ancient Vancouver Sun photo.) Mr. McClelland didn’t know it yet, but forgiveness for his sins was at hand. Below: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. He’ll be forgiven soon too. Once upon a time, long, long ago, in a province
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: What’s needed to get rid of Mayor Ford; provincial or federal type voter turnout
Well, I don’t think I need to re-hash everything that’s gone on in Toronto; other then Mayor Rob Ford has had 2 press conferences in a single day where he’s come out and managed to combine a tearful ‘I smoked crack while in a drunken stupor’ admission into a tearful
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Apparently, the courts are the new enemy of Senate reform
So says the Prime Minister to his party faithful at their Calgary convention: “We were blocked by the other parties in the minority parliaments, and now we are being blocked in the courts,” said Harper in a lengthy keynote speech to the Conservative party faithful Friday night….Harper’s designating “the courts”
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Stephen Harper to Canada: ‘It’s not my fault! Now shut up and vote for me’
Trying to change the channel: Unfortunately for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the remote seems to have disappeared under a pillow and the movie stuck on the TV screen stars Mike Duffy, shown above moving toward the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary Friday night. Actual Canadian Senators may not appear exactly
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Halloween 2013: a meditation on power
Prime Minister Stephen Harper just one year ago. Actual Canadian prime ministers may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Senator Mike Duffy and former Harper cabinet member Jim Prentice. Last Halloween, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper went trick ’n’ treating, he was monarch of all he surveyed. This year, he’s
Continue readingBlevkog: The Press Releases Begin to Fly…
The following just arrived in my inbox. The battle lines are being drawn… Friends, This is a sad day for the City of Toronto. As a Torontonian, and as a City Councillor for more than 20 years, it pains me to see the City of Toronto in the situation we
Continue readingBlevkog: The Ford Follies
As most people in the free world are by now aware, the Mayor of our beloved T’ranna, Rob (Are You Gonna Finish That?) Ford has been bullying his way through scandal after potential scandal on pure bluster and the careful construction of a facade of fiscal responsibility. While I will
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Senate reform still desired over Senate abolition or status quo
Despite the Senate scandal deepening, it appears that for now, Canadians still prefer reforming the Senate over abolishing it, as indicated by this Ipsos-Reid poll from a couple of days ago. 49% of respondents indicated reform (and the Ipsos question on reform is worded as “..reformed to make it for
Continue readingAlberta Diary: How will we get back to the 19th Century without Stephen Harper? Why he should go, and won’t
A forlorn Richard Nixon waves goodbye to Washington for the last time from the steps of the presidential helicopter on Aug. 9, 1974. Don’t count on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to do the same thing any time soon, even if it destroys his party. Below: Stephen Harper looking appropriately gloomy
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: My brief comments on the ongoing Conservative Senate Saga Scandal
You might have noticed I’ve not said much on the continuing allegations/bombshells being dropped in the Senate these days – with more bombs on additional cheques and PMO and PM involvement being dropped/alleged by ex-Con Senator Mike Duffy today. At this point, I don’t really have much to add that
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Some NDP hypocrisy on oil pipelines
I want to remark on an online/social media phenomenon I’ve seen, (mostly on Twitter) the past couple of days, where NDP activists, particularly ones who are active in the Toronto Centre by-election, are going after Justin Trudeau on his spoken support at a US conference (attended by ex-Australian PM Julia
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: I’m sick of reading and hearing people say things like…
I’m sick of reading and hearing people say things like “It’s not fair to suspend those senators without pay, without conducting a full investigation and giving them their day it court.” The dishonourable Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau have already been proven guilty of embezzling from the Canadian
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: I noticed this event on Facebook. November 2, 2013 in…
I noticed this event on Facebook. November 2, 2013 in Toronto: Hill 667 presents “The Good Fight: Remembering Canadian Volunteers of the Spanish Civil War” Film screenings plus speakers and food. at Cinecycle (in the old coach house down the lane behind 129 Spadina Ave., on the east side between
Continue readingBlevkog: On condoms and omnibus bills
Just like when using a condom, it’s good policy to check any omnibus bill for holes before using them. That is, unless you are our current government who expect Parliament to not fully examine the details of its vast omnibus budget bill until after it becomes law. That important undisclosed
Continue readingBlevkog: A (re-)Introduction
We live in interesting, but not unprecedented political times. Darth Harper, the Controller-in-Chief, has done an admiral job of keeping things quiet, but the fruits of his autocratic nature are ripening quickly. The Senate expenditure scandal exposed that he vetted his appointments about as vigorously as John McCain’s campaign committee
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: More encouraging polls for the Liberals
Two polls come to us today – from two separate pollsters. The first I highlight comes from Forum Research, where voter preference and voter switching is looked at, and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals lead in the net-gain of votes: The poll, conducted by Forum Research, says that one third of people
Continue readingBlevkog: It’s Just a Small Change
We’re trying to start this blog up again. To that end here’s a quick proposal. I propose that in light of recent Senate scandal allegations, and frankly, everything else we know about Stephen Harper’s behaviour, that the title of Prime Minister be changed to Darth for the duration of the
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Another Liberal blogging colleague takes the political plunge
It appears to be the week Liberal political bloggers have decided to make the jump from blogging into running for office. This time, it’s Nancy Leblanc, who has been a longtime Liberal blogger at Impolitical. She has announced her attempt to win the provincial nomination for the Ontario Liberals in
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Notes from the Throne Speech – The Conservative Government Fails at History.
Wow. Just wow. Because marginalizing our First Peoples isn’t enough. Because imprisioning our First Peoples isn’t enough. Is erasing First People’s historical narrative enough Mr. Harper? Filed under: Politics Tagged: Canada, Canadian Politics, Conservative Government Fail, SHD, Shit Harper Did, Speech from the Throne
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