Here, on how the Wall government is extending purely individual rights such as the right to privacy to corporations – and how that could lead to yet more corporate abuse in the future. For further reading…– The Hansard record from March 18 featuring Gord Wyant’s approval of corporate secrecy in
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Accidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the CFIA’s inability to do anything about tainted horse meat exemplifies the problems with weak and under-resourced regulators. For further reading…– Again, Mary Ormsby’s original story is here. – Andrew Nikiforuk’s take on the appointment of oil lobbyist Gerald Protti to set up Alberta’s new regulatory system
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Here, applying the recently-approved Somerset development as an example of why we should expect elected representatives to do more than just remind us that we’re on our own in dealing with health and environmental issues. For further reading, see:– reports from CBC and Vanessa Brown; and– commentary from Edward Dodd
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Slightly Aged Column Day
Here, on how Brad Wall’s willingness to see the long form census scrapped suggests that his government’s push toward mandatory annual standardized tests for all students can’t be explained by any real interest in evidence-based policy – and how the move looks to damage students’ education in substance rather than
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Here, on how Brad Wall’s first set of utterly implausible attacks on Cam Broten seems to reflect a failure to learn from the mistakes of the Saskatchewan Party’s Republican cousins. For further reading (and a quick response to the spin), Broten’s policy development proposal is here.
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Here, on how the Saskatchewan NDP’s leadership campaign winding up this weekend looks to be well ahead of the party’s 2009 campaign in voter turnout and fund-raising. For further reading…– The current financial reports from this year’s campaign are here. 2009 numbers are from James Wood’s post-campaign report, showing full-campaign
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Here, on how the current controversy over residency requirements only helps to show how Canada’s Senate is beyond fixing. For further reading…– Again, Andrew Coyne similarly points out how abolition is a more viable option than trying to rewrite rules to preserve the existing Senate.– Kelly McParland’s take on Mike
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Here, on Brad Wall’s off-key lobbying against action on climate change – and why we should see the bright side of having the Obama administration push us toward more sound environmental policy when far too many Canadian leaders have failed in their responsibilities. For further reading…– Wall’s simultaneous lobbying for
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Here, on how a narrow focus on balancing budgets misses the more important story as to how our elected officials manage public money. For further reading…– Paul Krugman makes a similar point with reference to happiness economics, while highlighting the particular value of stimulus within a depressed U.S. economy. –
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Here, on the difference between genuine accountability and the rather more barbaric version on offer from the Cons and the Sask Party. While there are too many examples of the latter to list, I’ll point out a few of the most recent ones – including the federal Cons’ false denials
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Here, updating the respective effects of smart investment and needless austerity in the economic laboratory provided by the 2008 financial meltdown – and noting we have all the more reason to be suspicious of our own austerity buffs at home. For further background, see…– Jason Kirby’s 2011 proposal to compare
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Here, on how a close Saskatchewan NDP leadership campaign makes it all the more likely that a small number of new members can make a massive difference in the race. The most important followup link is naturally to the party’s membership page – which should be the best way to
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Here, on the general irrationality of the right-wing obsession with chaining public services and tax rates to population growth – and the particularly egregious application of that theory by the Regina Chamber of Commerce when it’s put added pressure on city services by insisting on generous tax abatements for some
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Here, on the Cons’ choice to start charging emergency-stricken communities for disaster relief work by the Canadian Forces. For further reading, see the initial report from Lee Berthiaume, as well as Michael Den Tandt’s criticism of the move.
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Here, on the danger that Stephen Harper’s long-term plan for Canada includes unelected Senators taking a page out of the Republicans’ obstructionist playbook to keep elected officials from doing their jobs. For further reading, see Charles Pierce and Michael Cohen on the Republicans’ destructive template. And I’ve previously pointed out
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Here, on how Canadians have a far more positive view of protest movements than of the politicians whose actions bring about the need for activism – and how joining movements like Idle No More can ensure we have less to complain about. For further reading.– Environics’ polling on public support
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Here, expanding on this post as to Simon Enoch’s study of corporate power in Saskatchewan – and suggesting that we use the networks mapped out by Enoch in analyzing the Saskatchewan Party’s corporatist policy choices. Again, Enoch’s study is available here. And you’ll find some of my previous writing about
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Here, on the need for the labour movement to reach beyond currently-unionized workplaces to address the needs of unrepresented workers – and the positive signs on that front. For further reading…– Thomas Walkom recognizes the same common interests between workers in different types of workplaces, but worries that the labour
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Here, on how Saskatchewan’s existing list of unremediated and orphaned oil and gas wells should remind nus of the need to make sure resource developers account for the social cost of their operations. For further reading…– The most recent Provincial Auditor’s report highlighting the orphaned well issue is here (PDF
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Here, giving credit to the Saskatchewan Party for eventually doing the right thing in funding refugee health expenses – but questioning their selective and PR-motivated claim to compassion.For further reading…The timeline on the issue of refugee heal…
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