Regina city councillors proposed legislation to ban advertisements from oil and gas industry. The industry responded with an astroturfing campaign. Here we have yet another example of right-wing politicians supporting powerful oil and gas corporations. These corporations are so powerful that they can shape narratives and create false populist movements.
Continue readingTag: Commentary
Northern Currents –: Canada has started rationing PCR tests as Omicron surges
Montreal, parts of British Columbia, and Alberta have started to ration Covid-19 PCR tests as Omicron cases reach record numbers across Canada. Politicians didn’t want to make moves that they perceived as unpopular. Covid fatigue is setting in among the population; our leaders didn’t want to take the political risk
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Edmonton City Council votes to Defund the Police
The Edmonton city council voted to cut the 2022 Edmonton Police Service (EPS) budget by $10.9 million last Wednesday. EPS will still be allocated $385 million next year. I guess more armoured vehicles are out of the question next year? Defunding the police is the correct path for Canada to take, and
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: MP Leah Gazan introduces UBI bill to House of Commons
While not a solution to all of the problems of Canadian political economy, a truly universal UBI program does have potential to increase the quality of life for many of the working class. On December 16, NDP MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) introduced a bill to the house of commons
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Omicron is here, and Canada needs to revamp its rapid testing strategy now
Thus far, it is fair to say that Canada’s strategy around rapid testing has been focused on preserving capitalist interests, while workers’ interests have been cast aside. While Canada is confronted with a looming Omicron wave, rapid tests could play a crucial role in public health, if Canadian governments would
Continue readingNorthern Currents : New Brunswick workers could have a 4-day workweek by 2028
Mackenzie Thomason, leader of the NBNDP, recently announced new policy goals that will improve the lives of working-class people. This is a dual-pronged approach; the goal is to provide a four day work week for workers, with little or no loss in pay.
Continue readingNorthern Currents : While the state arrests land defenders and the press, a new report highlights government apathy toward climate change
An all-to-familiar juxtaposition has arisen with the recent arrests of Indigenous land defenders and journalists by the RCMP. On the one hand, we have politicians like Justin Trudeau and John Horgan insisting on the importance of climate change and that we must act now. On the other, these same politicians
Continue readingNorthern Currents : Reconciliation is a sham to our political leaders
Our political leaders have a deficient understanding of reconciliation. What they want to reconcile are the contradictory interests between Capital and Indigenous self-determination. Ultimately, our political leaders, embodied by the Canadian state, side with Capital. There is a much more radical, transformative understanding of reconciliation available.
Continue readingNorthern Currents : Wake up Sheeple! How covid conspiracists miss the biggest ‘conspiracy’ of all.
What strikes me the most about the claims made by this coalition of covid-conspiracists, including anti-vaccine adherents, is just how close some of them are to understanding what is really going on. Some of them are actually on the brink of grasping broader left-wing ideas of class dynamics in society. Capitalism
Continue readingNorthern Currents : Chrétien comments show that being out of touch is a feature of the Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is out of touch with the needs of working-class and Indigenous people. More and more people are realizing this as time goes on. This is not new, either. Given the recent comments of former Prime Minister and minister the (previously named) Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien, this out-of-touchness
Continue readingmark a rayner: Bad Chemicals & Babel Fish: My Favourite Humorous Science Fiction Books
Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. This may be a controversial choice to top a list of humorous science fiction books, but I have… The post Bad Chemicals & Babel Fish: My Favourite Humorous Science Fiction Books appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: What is dark comedy and why do we like it so much?
There I was, on stage, leading the entire audience and cast in a barn-burning, Christ-crunching rendition of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. It… Continue ReadingWhat is dark comedy and why do we like it so much? The post What is dark comedy and why do we like it
Continue readingmark a rayner: Dystopic stories – why are we obsessed?
And let’s face it, we are obsessed. Our media are laden with the dystopic. Some of our most popular stories are based on horrific cultures,… Continue ReadingDystopic stories – why are we obsessed? The post Dystopic stories – why are we obsessed? appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: An Open Letter to Boris Johnson’s Hair
Dear Boris Johnson’s Hair, It’s really not going very well, is it? But it’s not your fault. It really isn’t. In the history of British… Continue ReadingAn Open Letter to Boris Johnson’s Hair The post An Open Letter to Boris Johnson’s Hair appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue reading52 Ideas: Maxime Bernier should walk in other people’s shoes before he accuses anyone of racism
In the 1970s, Lincoln Alexander fought the caucus of the Progressive Conservative Party. Mr. Alexander fought them because as a Black man, he wanted to support anti-hate speech legislation. His party, the Progressive Conservative Party, didn’t like the legislation because they felt it would curtain both the concept of
Continue reading52 Ideas: I honestly thought Donald Trump would have…
In 1787, the American Constitutional Convention came to be. George Washington was elected to be its chairman and he sat in a very beautiful chair. On the back of the chair, a sun was carved. Very few people took notice of the chair but Benjamin Franklin was one of them.
Continue readingeaves.ca: The End of the American World: Without Vision there can be no Leadership
America is leaving the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This is, by scientific consensus, a terrible outcome for the planet. But it is also a disaster for American foreign policy and its role as a global leader. With this decision I’m left scratching my head. What does America stand for?
Continue readingeaves.ca: Government, Digital Services & IT Procurement Reform
Next semester I’ll be teaching a course on why healthcare.gov initially turned into a disaster. Why? Because sadly, the failure of healthcare.gov was not special. Conservative estimates suggest over half of all IT projects are not completed on time or on budget. Others suggest the numbers are higher still. What
Continue readingmark a rayner: He’s My Man: Leonard Cohen
I’m sure most people are still trying to understand Trump’s win, but seriously, they’re missing the meaning of Cohen’s loss. He made the personal epic, but in the right way. Leonard Cohen will be lauded as a songwriter, and a poet, but for me, he was always a consummate storyteller.
Continue readingeaves.ca: The Empire Strikes Back: How the death of GDS puts all government innovators at risk
The UK Government Digital Service(GDS) is dead. I’m sure it will continue to exist in some form, but from what I’ve read it appears to have been gutted of its culture, power and mandate. As a innovator and force for pulling the UK government into t…
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