Happy Fourth of July. It’s Independence Day at the crazy neighbour’s place next door and the crowds are partying without masks. How the world sees Donald Trump, as a fire gremlin (Image: Der Spiegel). We can’t very well send fire trucks to help put the fires out because the borders
Continue readingTag: Confederation
Alberta Politics: Canada Day Mystery: What happened between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to Jason Kenney’s holiday message?
It’s a true Canada Day political mystery! What happened between 9:03 a.m. and 1:02 p.m. that dramatically changed Jason Kenney’s holiday message? Alberta Premier Jason Kenney (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). At 9:03 a.m. yesterday, a minion on the Alberta premier’s staff sent the media the sort of Canada Day Message
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: On the need for politics #nlpoli
Politics [is] the art of pursuing common interests through …active listening, advocacy, public persuasion, compromise and negotiation. Bob Rae William Ford Coaker,the father of the Commission The people from Newfoundland and Labrador quoted in the Globe and Mail on Friday described the problem facing the province today. We are not
Continue readingThe Maple Monarchists - Blog: The Mother of Confederation
Recently a preposterous letter was printed in the editorial section of the local newspaper. The author stated that the reason you don’t hear about Canada’s ‘founding mothers‘ is because there were none. He challenged his readers to name one. Challenge accepted. I will provide a short biography of one of them. But there are in
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Happy Canada Day! In a troubled world, Canada stands out as a genuine triumph of bureaucracy
Happy Canada Day! One way or another, our Canada always seems to end up on every list of the world’s Top Ten economies. Granted, we are almost inevitably No. 10 of 10, which may leave the intensely competitive dissatisfied. But, realistically, this also means we’re No. 10 of 193, if
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Gaslighting a society #nlpoli
Saturday morning and Facebook delivered a video clip of Peter Mansbridge accepting a lifetime achievement award. After the obligatory thanks to everyone, Mansbridge delivers a scripted couple of minutes about journalism in the age of fake news and alternate facts. “Journalism is under threat,” Mansbridge warned, “in a way we
Continue readingAlberta Politics: It’s not equalization! It’s the taxes, stupid! They’re almost too low to keep the lights on and something’s gotta give
It’s not equalization. It’s the taxes, stupid! That is to say, Alberta’s taxes are too low to run the place over the long term and something’s gotta give. The great thing about Alberta’s never-ending tantrum about equalization and how the province of Quebec taxes and spends, at least from the
Continue readingThe Political Road Map: Oh Canada, Our Canada!
Canada has just turned 150 years old and while this is a milestone worthy of great celebration, it is important to remember that our country is actually much older. As we look at the past 150 years, many Canadians have different interpretations on what exactly it has meant. The truth
Continue readingBouquets of Gray: Calgary Confederation, Skyview, and Centre: strategic voters should support the Liberals
Calgary Conferation,Calgary Skyview,Calgary Centre This election has a few more surprises than most, and the fracturing of the Conservatives’ fortress in Calgary might be one of them. A news story from the CBC reports that three Calgary ridings are surprisingly competitive: Calgary Centre, Calgary Confederation, and Calgary Skyview. This is also the
Continue readingBouquets of Gray: Calgary Confederation, Skyview, and Centre: strategic voters should support the Liberals
Update, Oct. 17. A new poll in Calgary Centre has the Liberals and Conservatives neck-and-neck. Strategic voters could make the difference.
Calgary Conferation, Calgary Skyview, Calgary Centre |
This election has a few more surprises than most, and the fracturing of the Conservatives’ fortress in Calgary might be one of them.
A news story from the CBC reports that three Calgary ridings are surprisingly competitive: Calgary Centre, Calgary Confederation, and Calgary Skyview.
This is also the interpretation of Eric Grenier over at threehundredeight.com. His current projections for the Calgary ridings paint three ridings red: Calgary Centre, Calgary Confederation, and Calgary Skyview
Calgary projections from threehundredeight.com |
The striking thing is not merely that Grenier’s a projecting these three seat for the Liberals. It is also seeing weakness in other ridings such as Signal Hill and Forest Lawn.
- Strategic voting in Nipissing—Timiskaming: vote Liberal
- Strategic voting in Perth-Wellington: vote Liberal
- Strategic Voting in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas: vote Liberal
- Strategic voting in Cariboo-Prince George: vote NDP
- Strategic voting in Central Nova: vote Liberal
- Strategic voting in Haldimand-Norfolk: vote Liberal
- Strategic voting in Courtney-Alberni: vote NDP
- Strategic voting in Oshawa: vote NDP
- Strategic voting in Peterborough—Kawartha: vote Liberal
- Strategic voting in South Okanagan-West Kootenay: vote NDP
- Strategic voting Kootenay-Columbia: vote NDP
- Strategic voting in Winnipeg South: vote Liberal
- Strategic voting in Kanata-Carleton: vote Liberal
- Strategic voting in South Okanagan-West Kootenay: vote NDP
- Strategic voting in Misissauga East-Cooksville: vote Liberal
Bouquets of Gray: Calgary Confederation, Skyview, and Centre: strategic voters should support the Liberals
Update, Oct. 17. A new poll in Calgary Centre has the Liberals and Conservatives neck-and-neck. Strategic voters could make the difference. Calgary Conferation,Calgary Skyview,Calgary Centre This election has a few more surprises than most, and the fracturing of the Conservatives’ fortress in Calgary might be one of them. A news
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The N-word #nlpoli
New Democratic Party leader Tom Mulcair likely never imagined that an insult he threw at a couple of Parti Quebecois politicians in the Quebec National Assembly 20 years ago would come back to haunt him 2015. Liberal candidate Nick Whalen likely never imagined that reminding Mulcair of the word he
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Russia must be stopped! And Peter Goldring’s just the man to do it! We’ll fight to the last Frenchman and German!
After we’ve won the war with Russia, a beachhead in the Caribbean! Edmonton MP Peter Goldring as illustrated by Press Progress. Below: Rob Ford, Louis Riel, Ann of Green Gables and last year’s military licence plate, which is presumably the same as this year’s military licence plate. Whenever you think
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: The Day John A. Macdonald Died
If there was no John A. Macdonald, there would be no Canada.Our most important Father of Confederation and first Prime Minister died 122 years ago today. Canadians of all political persuasions should take a moment and remember John A. Macdonald, not on…
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: The Day John A. Macdonald Died
If there was no John A. Macdonald, there would be no Canada. Our most important Father of Confederation and first Prime Minister died 122 years ago today. Canadians of all political persuasions should take a moment and remember John A. Macdonald, not only because he was responsible for our nation,
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: The Day John A. Macdonald Died
If there was no John A. Macdonald, there would be no Canada. Our most important founding father and first Prime Minister died 122 years ago today. Canadians of all political persuasions should take a moment and remember John A. Macdonald because they share so much in common with the man
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Originally Intended All Education To Be Free
Out of Canada’s 33 Fathers of Confederation, only one went to university.1
It’s not that Nova Scotia’s Charles Tupper was the only intelligent one among them, other founders were businessmen, doctors, and lawyers, it’s that none of those jobs, and many others, did not require any post-secondary education.
And the eduction jobs in the late 19th century did require was entirely made free shortly after confederation because provincial governments, though extremely small and limited, believed that their public schools should provide all the instruction necessary for citizens to obtain jobs in any sector, be it agriculture, engineering, manufacturing, commerce, medicine or law.
Today however provinces have lost sight of the importance they once placed on education. Where once provincial governments provided all the training necessary for a skilled workforce, they are increasingly providing less while at the same time businesses are only requiring more.
By 2020 the BC government predicts that 77.3% of all jobs will require a post-secondary education. That means in seven years provincial governments will not provide the education needed for three-quarters of all jobs whereas for decades those same governments believed it was important enough to provide the education for every job.
When Canada was founded, education was seen as the extremely important public good that it is. Even in that most conservative era of small government, where health care wasn’t paid for, roads were tolled, and government sanitation services were non-existent, education was such a priority that our provincial governments sought to make it entirely free to every citizen, to provide the training and skills for any and every job.
That is how education in Canada was originally viewed by government, and that is how all education necessary for all employment was publicly provided for decades. Of course over time that changed, and now Canada has a skilled labour shortage, productivity is declining, and our economy is stagnating.
And though today education remains perhaps the most beneficial public good, it is now a costly private expense, while health care, an almost entirely private good, along with roads and sanitation are completely paid for with public funds.
The great past of Canada was built on the importance of education and the complete public provision of it in order to train its citizens for every job. Over the last few decades that has changed, and with it so has Canada’s opportunity for a great future.
1. [Richard Gwyn. John A, The Man Who Made Us, p.321 ]↩
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Originally Intended All Education To Be Free
Out of Canada’s 33 Fathers of Confederation, only one went to university.1 It’s not that Nova Scotia’s Charles Tupper was the only intelligent one among them, other founders were businessmen, doctors, and lawyers, it’s that none of those jobs, and many others, did not require any post-secondary education. And the
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Originally Intended All Education To Be Free
Out of Canada’s 33 Fathers of Confederation, only one went to university.1 It’s not that Nova Scotia’s Charles Tupper was the only intelligent one among them, other founders were businessmen, doctors, and lawyers, it’s that none of those jobs, and many others, did not require any post-secondary education. The eduction
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Federalism and the Newfoundlanders: 64th birthday edition #nlpoli
April 1, 2013 marks the 64th anniversary of Newfoundland’s confederation with Canada. Here are a few older posts on the subject that stand the test of time: Federalism and the Newfoundlanders (2009) Happy Confederation Day! (2010) Thunder (2009) The Confederation Referendum and Humour (2007) -srbp-
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