Concerned citizens from around Africa and the globe have gathered in Durban South Africa to “Occupy Cop17″, as hopes for a global agreement to address the climate crisis fades. As part of Occupy COP17, participants chanted “down with Canada” outside the official U.N. negotiations. It makes me so ashamed of
Continue readingTag: Canadian Politics
Scott's DiaTribes: Irony abounds in Canadian politics these days
A couple of instances of irony I see today – one slightly amusing, one not so. The first is there is at least one Canadian at the Durban conference on the Environment that truly cares about the environment in Canada and world-wide when it comes to trying to slow/halt Greenhouse
Continue reading350 or bust: It’s Official: Canada Breaks International Law, Withdraws From Kyoto Protocol
From the Globe and Mail: Environment Minister Peter Kent says Canada is finished with the Kyoto Protocol. Speaking in a teleconference from an international climate-change summit in South Africa, Mr. Kent said Monday Canada will not make a second commitment to Kyoto, which would run from 2013 to 2017. The
Continue readingwmtc: peace & prosperity, not war & austerity: help the canadian peace alliance fight the harper military agenda
Amid the deluge of fundraising appeals that arrive via email and paper mail this time of year, the letter from the Canadian Peace Alliance stood out for me. Under the “Canada First Defence Strategy,” Harper plans to spend $480 billion on the military, open up eight new Canadian military bases,
Continue reading350 or bust: COP17: Politicians, Get Your Head Out Of The Sands And Lead!
Our eyes on the ground of the Durban climate conference, Ani, updates us from Day 6 of COP17. To read more, visit Ani’s blog at YouthDelegateManitoba.wordpress.com: I could spend my time writing this blog about a draft text for the Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention, which has been circulated
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Ottawa NDP Leadership Debate Thoughts
The debate was good. Exciting even. After several months of being forced to sate my political appetite on the Republican leadership contest, the NDP leadership debate in Ottawa provided a refreshing Canadian contrast. Overall there was far more homogeneity between positions than there was difference. The tone of the debate
Continue readingRedBedHead: Why Peter MacKay Is So "Highly Regarded"
I didn’t hear Harper’s weasel words defense of our frequent flying Defence Minister, the Honourable Peter MacKay, so I can’t for certain. But I can only assume that Harper took a pause for breath between his description of MacKay’s reason for using all those VIP flights, including on search and
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: These Conservatives must really hate Charlie Angus
Mr. Angus is the NDP MP for the Timmins-James Bay riding, if you’re not aware. This happens to be the riding that the Attawapiskat Native Reserve is in, where the conditions are so poor, members of the Canadian Red Cross volunteered to go up and try to help the Natives,
Continue reading350 or bust: Youth To World’s Politicians: It’s Time To Buy Back Our Future
Here is another post from Ani, a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation representing Manitoba at the Durban climate conference, will be a regular guest blogger during COP17 in Durban. Ani works as a Public Education and Outreach Coordinator for Climate Change Connection, a project of the Manitoba Eco-Network. To
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Can a Trans Human Rights Bill pass with a Harper majority?
“It’ll never pass,” I often heard. “Not with a Harper government. They’d never support human rights inclusion for transsexual and transgender people.” And then it passed. Oh, Bill C-389 — championed by the now-retired NDP MP Bill Siksay — had its challenges. It narrowly passed Second Reading in June of
Continue reading350 or bust: Canada, You Were Once Considered A Leader On Global Issues Like Human Rights & Environmental Protection
From Postmedia News: Archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu is challenging the Canadian government’s support for the oil and gas industry, while urging it to start leading the world in addressing climate change as it did in opposing the “whites-only” rule that plagued South Africa in the 1980s. An ad
Continue readingeaves.ca: Canada’s Foreign Aid Agency signs on to IATI: Aid Data get more transparent
Last night, while speaking at the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan Korea, Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda announced that Canada would be signing on to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI). So what is IATI and why does this matter? IATI has developed a common, open
Continue readingBlevkog: I heard a rumour
A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend told me that the entire Federal Conservative caucus was going to step down before the next election in order to sail the good ship Ragnarok into the face of the Rapture. If this actually happens, it will trigger a
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Liberal Merchandise: Branding the Brand
Back in 2009 I got an e-mail that made me very happy then very sad. The e-mail, from Michael Ignatieff, told me that I could get a Liberal branded scarf. Unfortunately, to get the scarf I would have to donate $100. Now, I can’t afford a $100 donation so to
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Canada rules on polygamy, polyamory and religious freedom.
B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman ruled Wednesday that Canadian laws which limit religious freedom can be upheld if it is felt by the court that the harms in question outweigh that freedom. In fact, the ruling broadens the ways in which the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Continue reading350 or bust: Standing On Guard For The Tar Sands: Canada Wins Two Fossil Awards on Day 1 of Climate Talks
Today’s guest blogger is Ani, a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation representing Manitoba at the Durban climate conference. Ani works as a Public Education and Outreach Coordinator for Climate Change Connection, a project of the Manitoba Eco-Network. To read more about Ani, visit her info page at YouthDelegateManitoba.wordpress.com. While
Continue reading350 or bust: COP 17 in Durban – Day 1
Today is the first day of the U.N. climate talks in Durban South Africa. As I wrote earlier, many people’s expectations (including mine) for a meaningful and binding international climate treaty coming out of these 10 days is low. It seems, sadly, that unbridled capitalism will triumph over humanity’s need
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: It’s tough to be an environmentally conscious Canadian right now.
This is highlighted by a couple of decisions/news items that just cam out over the weekend. First, you have CTV News reporting that the Conservative government will formally pull out Canada out of the Kyoto Accord in the next month – and this story comes out just as environmental talks
Continue readingwmtc: polygamy ruling: why are the courts still trying to protect marriage?
The recent BC Supreme Court decision upholding Canadian laws criminalizing polygamy is disappointing and dangerous. The much-quoted summary paragraph of Chief Justice Robert Bauman’s decision contained a surprising clause: the protection of marriage as an institution. I have concluded that this case is essentially about harm; more specifically, Parliament’s reasoned
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