* After blogging about climate change from my perspective as a mom for nearly four years, I’m taking a hiatus from 350orbust. For more on this, check out my July 31 blog post, Shift Happens. I would love to meet you in Ottawa in November for Citizens Climate Lobby Canada’s
Continue readingTag: Canadian Politics
Scott's DiaTribes: Toronto’s nice in the Fall – so are its eating establishments
Well, the Ontario legislature resumes sitting today. You’ll note in the story about it this morning in the Toronto Star that there is not a single mention of PC Leader Tim Hudak resigning (or even mentioning him for that matter). Unless things change in the hours before the Legislature formally
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: 2 sides of the polling analysis coin
Latest Nanos Poll numbers for the federal parties: LPC 36, CPC 30, NDP 25. Nik Nanos commentary on this 2 pt gain for the Liberals over the CPC was that it was to do with the Senate scandal, not Justin’s admission he smoke marijuana: Trudeau hasn’t seen a rise in
Continue reading350 or bust: The Time Is Now
* After blogging about climate change from my perspective as a mom for nearly four years, I’m taking a hiatus from 350orbust. For more on this, check out my July 31 blog post, Shift Happens. I would love to meet you in Ottawa in November for Citizens Climate Lobby Canada’s
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: The un-Canadian Harper Conservatives recently announced they are…
The un-Canadian Harper Conservatives recently announced they are giving away $1.5 million of our tax dollars to fund a politically motivated monument with the misleading name Memorial to Victims of Communism—Canada, a Land of Refuge. It’s not “victims of Stalinism”, “victims of totalitarianism”, “victims of dictatorships”, “victims of the Soviet
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Tim Hudak’s dissenters get a chance to air their beefs: I get a free meal (no beef tho)
I’ve spoken before about an ongoing bet I’ve had with fellow Liberal blogger Jim Calder over whether or not Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak would either voluntarily resign or voluntarily call for a leadership review before Sept 9 (the day the Ontario legislature is recalled), in the wake of
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: This poll and that poll – more summer bad news for the Conservatives
More polls to talk about today. First, two-thirds of Canadians who were polled disapprove of Prime Minister proroguing Parliament in Sept and waiting until late October to reconvene Parliament. As I said in my blogpost just the other day, this is probably the most “conventional” use of proroguing Parliament (or
Continue reading350 or bust: Our Children Shouldn’t Have To Sacrifice For Us
* After blogging about climate change from my perspective as a mom for nearly four years, I’m taking a hiatus from 350orbust. For more on this, check out my July 31 blog post, Shift Happens. I would love to meet you in Ottawa in November for Citizens Climate Lobby Canada’s
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Grass crime no! Grain crime yes! The inconsistencies of Prime Minister Harper
Prime Minister Stephen Harper stands with Rick Strankman and some of the other law-breaking farmers the PM pardoned in 2011. (Photo grabbed from the Drumheller Mail.) Below: Mr. Strankman, now Wildrose MLA for Drumheller-Stettler, and Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is open
Continue readingIn This Corner: The further confessions of Justin Trudeau.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau admitted this week to taking a puff of marijuana once since being elected as an MP. He said he did not enjoy it, has not taken a puff since. In response, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the Trudeau statement “speaks for itself”, and said he has
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: The makings of Trudeau policy and what he stands for
In my own humble (and admittedly partisan) opinion, I think Justin Trudeau has had a good week. First, he strongly criticized the PQ intention of banning religious headgear from Quebec government institutions etc, calling that going against Canadian values and rights (right in step with how his father would have
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Stephen Harper, Benign Dictator Gallery 3: Man of the…
Stephen Harper, Benign Dictator Gallery 3: Man of the people This week, somebody posted an old quote by Stephen Harper (Canada’s worst prime minister) calling our country a “benign dictatorship”. That – combined with seeing Harper’s ridiculous staged photos from his northern propaganda tour – inspired me to put together
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Stephen Harper, Benign Dictator Gallery 2: Pretending to be in…
Stephen Harper, Benign Dictator Gallery 2: Pretending to be in the military + being saluted This week, somebody posted an old quote by Stephen Harper (Canada’s worst prime minister) calling our country a “benign dictatorship”. That – combined with seeing Harper’s ridiculous staged photos from his northern propaganda tour –
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Stephen Harper, Benign Dictator Gallery 1: Waving, pointing and…
Stephen Harper, Benign Dictator Gallery 1: Waving, pointing and staring This week, somebody posted an old quote by Stephen Harper (Canada’s worst prime minister) calling our country a “benign dictatorship”. That – combined with seeing Harper’s ridiculous staged photos from his northern propaganda tour – inspired me to put together
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Stephen Harper, Canada’s scandal-ridden prime minister,…
Stephen Harper, Canada’s scandal-ridden prime minister, went on a pre-election campaign tour in mid-August, raising funds for the Conservative Party and participating in highly choreographed, obviously staged photo ops (with nobody around but paid staff and a few hand-picked, highly screened locals). As you know, Harper billed this whole propaganda
Continue readingwmtc: help fund "let them stay", the book
Some of you may remember when wmtc was obsessed with the War Resisters Support Campaign, a fact that was noticed in some very interesting places. (Hi CIC! Are you still reading?) I joined the Campaign in 2007, then in 2009, I began school for my Master of Information degree. I managed
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Prorogation Stuff
You’ve heard the Prime Minister intends to prorogue Parliament in September, and then come back in October with a Speech From the Throne. You’ve heard some say this is another example of Harper abusing Parliament – others saying this type of prorogation is not that big of a deal and
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: The NDP: Moderates not Socialists
Many Canadians simply will not consider voting for the NDP and one of the most common reasons for this provided, either explicitly or implicitly, is that the NDP are socialists, or at least far left nutters. While there is undoubtedly any number of more legitimate reasons to not support the
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Referendum on Senate? Only if it includes all options – including a “reform” one
Michael Bliss, Professor at U of T, argues in the Globe today that the Senate must be abolished, and lays out why it can’t be reformed. I’ll put aside that part of the argument for now; what I’m interested in is how he feels abolishing the Senate would be any
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Here is a blast from the past. A drunken, bloated Conservative…
Here is a blast from the past. A drunken, bloated Conservative senator Mike Duffy acts like a pompous, over-stuffed bag of Conservative shit, trying to defend Conservative overspending of our tax dollars by himself and 26 other recently appointed Conservative senators. NDP MP Peter Stoffer rightfully tears a strip off
Continue reading