It’s a sad day in Canada when First Nations elders and leaders are put in the position that fasting and self-sacrifice are the only avenues left for them to communicate with the Canadian government. As Amnesty International points out: The Canadian constitution affirms the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples and
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Accidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Michael Harris takes aim at Stephen Harper’s thugocracy: There is little that Stephen Harper has done that other prime ministers before him have not. But no one has used closure, time allocation, committee secrecy or omnibus legislation to a degree that renders Parliament
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: New undemocratic rules barrier to public participation in Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline hearings
Rules “a consequence of weakened federal environmental laws under Bill C-38″ By: Greenpeace Canada & Environmental Defence | Press Release: TORONTO, ON, Apr 5, 2013 – New undemocratic rules are creating a barrier to public participation in upcoming National Energy Board (NEB) hearings into the proposal for Enbridge’s Line 9 oil pipeline.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading. – Stephen Maher points out why we shouldn’t believe the Cons for a second when they claim to care about cracking down on offshore tax evasion: The top level of Canadian society is a small club, and it includes politicians. The people who run
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Climate justice and the political moment in BC
The following is based on a talk at the Bring Your Boomers election forum on April 3 at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver, the fourth in a series of intergenerational dialogues from Gen Why Media, and was co-sponsored by the CCPA, Get Your Vote On, LeadNow and Vancity credit union. I was asked to set the stage for a
Continue reading350 or bust: Internalizing the Externalities of Fossil Fuels
It’s time to internalize the externalities of the fossil fuel industry. For far too long, the extremely high price we all pay in the pollution of our “commons” – air, water, and climate, which also affects the health of far too many of us, has been ignored by governments and
Continue readingChristy's Houseful of Chaos politics » Christy's Houseful of Chaos: Social Justice Activism and the pursuit of low-hanging fruit
An older picture of one of my sons at a political protest. One of the questions that keeps popping up in my life is whether or not we should take the time for the low-hanging fruit or not. This comes up in activist issues. Do we spend time campaigning for
Continue readingAnother Step to Take: Social Justice Activism and the pursuit of low-hanging fruit
An older picture of one of my sons at a political protest. One of the questions that keeps popping up in my life is whether or not we should take the time for the low-hanging fruit or not. This comes up in activist issues. Do we spend time campaigning for
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: Climate change is simple
Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves of the basic science of climate change and why scientists are so certain that the planet is warming and humans are to blame. David Roberts is a climate change and environment columnist at Grist. I’m not so sure about the somewhat distracting musical soundtrack
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive | News & Analysis: Award-winning McGill Prof to bring climate-change lessons out of the lab
Researcher to share environmental insights through video series By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: McGill University Biology Professor Catherine Potvin, a renowned expert on climate change and tropical-forest ecology, will begin sharing insights from her laboratory’s research, according to a press release issued Tuesday. The information will be shared through a novel series
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Bring Your Boomers: How BC Candidates Fare on Climate Change
Although the writ for the upcoming BC election won’t be dropped for another two weeks (yes, this campaign has been going on forever), I had the pleasure yesterday of attending an all-candidates meeting on climate change organized by Gen Why Media. The forum seemed geared primarily towards the young ’uns,
Continue reading350 or bust: Tune In To Spring of Sustainability, For Operating Instructions From Planet Earth
It’s April, and in some places in North America it is spring. Not outside my window this morning, though, where the snow is lightly falling for the second day in a row. However, snow or not, it’s time for the “Spring of Sustainability” series. S of S offers free daily
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – John Greenwood and CBC News both report on the offshore tax avoidance being revealed through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. And Susan Lunn observes that Canada’s federal parties are all at least paying lip service to the issue – though of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On contradictions
Aaron Wherry nicely points out some of the jaw-dropping contradictions in the Cons’ climate change messaging. But let’s not forget a few more worth adding into the mix. Having refused to implement any meaningful regulations or carbon pricing at the federal level, the Cons have tried to take credit for
Continue reading350 or bust: Not The Old Canada: A New Tourist Souvenir Reflects Nation’s New Reality
Here’s Dan Murphy ‘s suggestion for a new “tar-sational” souvenir for tourists visiting our beautiful , along with Big Oil corporate donation opportunities:
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Absolving our Carbon Sins: the Case of the Pacific Carbon Trust
Last week’s report from BC’s Auditor General dealt a huge blow to the credibility of carbon offsets and claims that BC had achieved a state of “carbon neutral government.” Coverage of the AG’s report was coloured by accusations from the Pacific Carbon Trust, the Crown corporation created to buy and sell BC offsets,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – George Monbiot proposes a basic income as one of the great ideas needed to challenge corporatist orthodoxy: A basic income (also known as a citizen’s income) gives everyone, rich and poor, without means-testing or conditions, a guaranteed sum every week. It replaces
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Oil Spills Create Jobs
I’m severely disappointed in the lack of vision that conservatives have regarding our economy. Faced with information that burning a lot of fossil fuel is not able to be sustained without Catastrophic, Repulsive, Atmospheric Pollution (CRAP), their response tends toward ignoring evidence of damage to their environment in favour of
Continue reading350 or bust: Building A School In The Cloud
It’s TED Talk Tuesday on 350orbust, and here’s another paradigm-shifting presentation. As an educator Sugata Mitra’s presentation is thrilling, because I know firsthand that the current education system is outdated and failing many children needlessly. Enjoy!
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