(for readers less interested in Open Data – I promise something different tomorrow) In February I wrote how 2011 would be the year of the license for Canada’s open data community. This has indeed been the case. For public servants and politicians overseeing the various open data projects happening in Canada and around the world, […]
Continue readingTag: Canadian Politics
wmtc: canada moving backwards on youth crime plans that are proven failures
Further to my last post, how can we build a world without hate when the people in power are moving in the opposite direction?Last year I stumbled on a CPAC broadcast of hearings being held in the Canadian Senate. A former head of “corrections” (read: p…
Continue readingeaves.ca: Province of BC launches Open Data Catalog: What works
As revealed yesterday, the province of British Columbia became the first provincial government in Canada to launch a open data portal. It’s still early but here are some things that I think they’ve gotten right. 1. License: Getting it Right (part 1) Before anything else happens, this is probably the single biggest good news story […]
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Harper’s Summer Job
Turns out the Prime Minister is a fan of the ‘Murdoch Mysteries’ period detective show and recently made a cameo appearance on it in the role of a police constable named Armstrong (cute touch there). Curious. I wonder why he … Continue reading →
Continue readingwmtc: walkom: we sent our soldiers to die to impress our largest trading partner
This is probably the strongest truth-telling about Canada’s experience in Afghanistan – and the revolting response to it at home – that I have seen in the mainstream media. Thank you, Thomas Walkom! On Tuesday, Canada officially ended its combat missio…
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Money isn’t everything.
Seen on Facebook:
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
…Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
– Cree Indian Prophecy
I’ve no p…
Politics and Entertainment: The Beginning of Something: First we had the little page that would. Now we have the journalist who could
Last time I checked Kai’s Nagata’s blog, Why I Quit My Job, there were well over 100,000 views and 1000 responses to his coming out essay. Most of these were supportive, arguing in effect that Kai is an inspiration offering those of us living outside t…
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Vote for the Best Canadian Political Book
Samara Canada is running a neat little contest. They have a list of 12 Canadian political books from the past twenty-five years, and they’re asking people to come and vote for one of them to see what book Canadians who are interested in politics …
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: A Canadian Republic (with a new anthem to boot)
It is worth remembering, every once in a while, that Canada remains a constitutional monarchy. Precisely because the monarchy has no de facto power, most of us – myself included – rarely give it much thought and when we do it is of a mild form of bemus…
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Counting your chickens before they hatch
Prime Minister Harper is obviously feeling very good about himself right now. He (and Canada) hosted an immensely successful Kate and Will tour (which thankfully came a couple of months into his mandate, not immediately before an election, else he might have rode it to a bigger majority). Now, we see that he has declared the “end of Liberalism” and the claim that Canadians are turning more Conservative and that “Conservative values are Canadian values” etc, and that they needed to woo Quebec, because the honeymoon with the NDP would soon be over and of course, they’re the only party who could do that.
Some of this was probably […]
Continue readingwmtc: stop the mega-quarry: deadline for comments is midnight tonight
The deadline to submit comments to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, voicing your opposition to the Melancthon mega-quarry, is midnight tonight. Please:1. Sign the Avaaz petition: here.2. Submit your comment to the Ministry: here.3. Share thes…
Continue readingeaves.ca: Lots of Open Data Action in Canada
A lot of movement on the open data (and not so open data) front in Canada. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Open Data Portal Launched Some readers may remember that last week I wrote a post about the imminent launch of CIDA’s open data portal. The site is now live and has a healthy amount […]
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Fact Check on Aisle Three Please
Stories about Madeleine Gauron, a 76-year-old Quebec woman pronounced brain dead have been popping up in the (anti-abortion and) anti-euthanasia press. And almost exclusively in the anti-euthanasia press. The source most quoted is that bastion of journalism, LifeSiteNews: Madeleine Gauron is now able to eat, walk and talk, and immediately recognized her family. Her children
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Bringing cheer into the gloom
This was good to see:
The town was not on the official royal itinerary, but the royal couple made a special stop with the hope of bringing much-needed cheer to residents who now face the daunting task of rebuilding their homes and community…Thousands of other Slave Lakers and some out-of-towners gathered outside the college chanting “Will and Kate” and “We love Slave Lake.” Many arrived before dawn to stake out a prime spot in hopes of catching a glimpse of the couple as they arrived.
You may or may not be a monarchist, but even the most hardened republicans should be willing to admit this was a very touching […]
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Toronto City Councilor Records March, Calls For Toronto Pride Defunding (the continuing saga)
Borrowing a page from “Porno” Peter LaBarbera, Toronto city councilor Giorgio “Creepy” Mammoliti made it a point to film Saturday’s Dyke March during Toronto Pride Week festivities, in hopes of catching any sign of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) or anyone sporting similar messaging to them. QuAIA is a group that opposes what it calls
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Monarchy, meh.
I think I am where most Canadians are on the Monarchy. I don’t really care about them. I don’t like it when people are fervently pro-Monarchy. Conversely, I don’t like it when people are zealously anti-Monarchy. There are many advantages … Continue reading →
Continue readingwmtc: help stop u.s. company’s mega-quarry from poisoning ontario’s farms and water
Avaaz, the Council of Canadians, and other concerned groups are alerting Canadians to a threat to Ontario’s farmland and fresh water supply. Please read, sign the petition and circulate it in any way you can.From Avaaz:An American hedge fund is about t…
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Mayor Naheed Nenshi speaking at the Canadian Club of Toronto
This is a really great speech. All Canadians, especially the Liberals, should give it a listen.
H/T Rob Silver
Filed under: Alberta, Canadian Politics, Politics Tagged: Great Speeches, Naheed Nenshi, Neshi, Toronto
Scott's DiaTribes: Somewhere, Stephen Harper is smiling at this.
Statistics Canada released a survey today on the reasons given by those Canadians as to why they did not vote in the May 2 federal election:
..The most common response for not having voted was that they were “not interested in voting” (28%), which also includes feeling their vote would not have made a difference in the election results. An additional 23% indicated they were “too busy”, which includes having family obligations or having a schedule conflict at work or school.
With regards to the 23% who were “too busy” to vote, they either didn’t see the notices from Elections Canada on where one could do advance voting, or […]
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: A prediction..
..after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (otherwise known as Will and Kate) depart from Canada, support for a continued role for the Monarchy in Canada – as long as it’s William and Kate at the helm – is going to go over 65%. That…
Continue reading