As reported in today’s Star, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after meeting with Stephen Harper, has promised to push for early completion of the gruelling negotiations for a Canada-European Union free trade pact. While that may hearten those who believe the pact would be an unalloyed blessing for Canada’s economy, there
Continue readingTag: Council of Canadians
Politics and its Discontents: CETA – Trust No One – Part One
As I get older, I sometimes feel like a character from the X-Files, one of the recurring motifs of which was “Trust No One.’ I think I have lived long enough and read widely enough to know that things purported to be the truth are often the exact opposite. Such
Continue readingImpolitical: The #CPC fights back in the #robocalls litigation
News that the Conservatives have filed some evidence in the robocalls litigation: “Affidavit rebuts voter suppression allegations against Conservatives.” As the headline suggests, the affidavit submits the Conservative side’s evidence on the robocalls allegations. Specifically, it counters the evidence of an RMG call centre worker which is relied upon by
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: In Alberta, A Public Oil Pipeline Spill Tip Line Is Launched
“Hundreds of spills happen every year and still this government does nothing. We had three major spills last month alone. How many more have to happen before the government finally acts?” 9 July, 2012 (Edmonton ) – The Alberta Surface Rights Group, Greenpeace Canada, The Council of Canadians and the Sierra
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Elections Canada Out To Sabotage Etobicoke Centre By-election
There’s no better way to characterize the agency’s role in the high-stakes Etobicoke Centre by-election appeal heard by the Supreme Court of Canada earlier this week. The “independent” and “non-partisan” agency responsible for conducting federal elections and referendums in Canada is unequivocally siding with Ted Opitz, the Conservative MP who
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Canadians Mourn The Untimely “Death of Evidence”
“The Harper government is the most environmentally hostile one we have ever had in Canada.” – Maude Barlow, Chair of the Council of Canadians About 1,500 scientists, lawyers, students and activists from across Canada gathered on Parliament Hill yesterday and held a mock funeral to mourn the death of Canadian
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: In Ottawa, scientists to mourn the death of Canadian evidence
Canadian scientists gather in Ottawa today to stage a funeral procession to protest the Harper government’s draconian cuts to federal scientific programs and systematic muzzling of Canadian scientists. The protest is sponsored by the Council of Canadians. It begins at the Ottawa Convention Centre at 12 p.m. ET and ends with a rally
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Council of Canadians: Today We Celebrate Canada
Below is a brief message to Canadians and other progressives around the world from Canada’s biggest progressive citizen’s organization. Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians has members and chapters across Canada. It works “to protect Canadian independence by promoting progressive policies on fair trade, clean water, energy security, public
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Robocalls Fraud Federal Court Challenge: Council of Canadians Needs Our Support
Editor’s Note: I’m pleased to publish and share with you the letter below, from Maude Barlow (pictured), the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, regarding the ongoing robocalls election fraud case currently before the Federal Court. During the May 2011 federal election, thousands of Canadians were robbed of their
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Stories we couldn’t let pass by this week
CCACs hire 144 direct care nurses This month the government announced 900 new nursing positions to come from their 2007 commitment to 9,000 new nurses for the health system. Among them are 144 nurses who will go into the schools … Continue reading →
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Robocon: Was the Conservative Party behind the voter suppression in the May 2011 election?
Harper’s Tories have rejected any suggestion that the voter suppression crimes committed before and on the May 2 2011 election were lead by that party. As the seven lawsuits supported by the Council of Canadians wend their way through the
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Social activist groups can form powerful ‘One Big Campaign’ to take on Harper
Picture this . . . . The directors of 25 or 30 of Canada’s leading social activist organizations, unions and grassroots groups are hived away in a secluded location for a long weekend. At the conclusion of three exhausting days of discussion and argument, they announce they have created the
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Robocon: Keep your eyes on these seven ridings
With thethree opposition parties sitting on their hands in the face of convincingevidence of voter suppression in dozens of ridings during the May 2011election, Canadians can thank their lucky stars that the Council of Canadianshas sprung to the defence of our democractic rights and freedoms. The Councilhas taken the logical
Continue readingCuriosityCat: The Council of Canadians’ Magnificent Seven
Canada’s Woodward & Bernstein, Stephen Maher and Glen McGregor, of Postmedia News, today bring us news about The Council of Canadians’ Magnificent Seven. In the 1960 western The Magnificent Seven, based on the 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai, seven gunmen are hired to protect a small village in Mexico from
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Stephen Maher and Glen McGregor report that the Council of Canadians is leading the charge in challenging election results which may have been influenced by Robocon. And perhaps the most noteworthy point as to how the move may shine a spotlight on
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Part Two of Three Part Series: What progressive groups must do to defeat, or stymie the Harper regime
Canada’s progressive community needs to make some significant changes if it hopes to slow down the assault being carried out on the country by Stephen Harper’s Conservatives and their right-wing allies. The observations and suggestions I make in this three-part series are based on what I was able to learn during
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Three Part Series: What progressive groups must do to defeat, or stymie, the Harper regime
Canada’s progressive community needs to make some significant changes if it hopes to slow down the assault being carried out on the country by Stephen Harper’s Conservatives and their right-wing allies. The observations and suggestions I will make in this three-part series are based on what I was able
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: The big robo-calling question: will anyone go to jail?
Two important questions arise concerning the robo-calling scandal: Good investigative journalism could break this affair wide open, but will the owners of the Harper-friendly corporate media allow their journalists to go beyond normal reporting and do the hard work necessary to get to the very bottom of this dark story?
Continue readingWillful Ignorance
As the HarperCon delegation of Ministers and big biz boyz prepared to take off for China, the wise Yinka Dene Nation through whose lands the Northern Gateway pipeline is proposed to go, were busy writing letters. They sent one to the Government of China loaded with examples describing how Aboriginal
Continue readingThings Are Good: Change the System
System Change wants to protect the environment by systems thinking. Change the system, save the planet.
I’ll keep following this project and update everyone once they launch in September, in the meantime you can help the project.
The popular slogan: “system change not climate change” has become central to a growing and vibrant global movement for climate […]