Early political engagement is a hot button topic for a number of us here at Politics ReSpun. As parents and/or political animals, we spend a lot of time contemplating methods of public engagement that would draw youth into political culture, and foster both interest and comprehension of sociopolitical events. Apathy
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Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Civic Election
The civic elections for Regina and municipalities in Saskatchewan are coming up on Wednesday Oct. 24th, 2012. It’s more significant to me than most elections, because this is the first where I’m on a ballot. Well, you won’t see “Saskboy” on the ballot, but you will see my “in-real-life” mainstream-alter-ego’s
Continue readingCanadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: Maude Barlow: Conservatives rejected again… next stop Federal Court!
by Maude Barlow | Council of Canadians The Federal Court rejected the Conservative Party MPs’ motions on security for costs against the ongoing legal challenges in the robocall scandal. You’ll remember the Conservative Party MPs called for the nine individual applicants to put up a total of $260,409 as a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On telling signs
Time reports on how voter turnout was affected by news that Russian elections are purely stage-managed affairs in which the governing party chooses which opponents it sees fit to allow to run: There was, however, a downside to choosing the uncompetitive scenario. The voter turnout was low in Novgorod —
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: We Need Uninformed Voters As Much As We Need Informed Ones
Just as you need a brain and a heart, a country needs voters who know the issues and voters that don’t. As the election for the American President looms, after months, if not years of campaigning, countless ads, two debates so far (not counting the twenty or so for Mitt
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Israeli Ambassador Told Canadian MP to Stay Home
A little strange news linked to the election fraud of last year: The Liberal MP Borys W., who led the case to have Etobicoke Centre’s results overturned successfully, was once told by Israel to not go to Lebanon. It’s presumably not usual for a country’s ambassador to demand an elected
Continue readingAlex's Blog: Bargain Basement Citizenship and the Decline of Democracy
We ought to be outraged. Just about every day our media provides a new account of the decline of our democracy: the inadequacies of our electoral system and allegations of electoral fraud; the high-handed treatment of our Parliament through inappropriate prorogations and overuse of omnibus legislation; a government ever more authoritarian and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: ‘Where Is The Outrage?’ Asks Alex Himelfarb
I have written two previous posts about Alex Himelfarb, Director of the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs at York University, former Clerk of the Privy Council, and fellow blogger. He is a man whose passion for democracy and societal fairness I deeply admire. I was therefore pleased to
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Stephen Harper’s Glowing Congratulations for Chavez’s Re-Election
Can you smell the indignation? Note the lack of commentary from the prime minister or foreign affairs minister. October 8, 2012 – The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), today issued the following statement: “Canada notes the orderly conduct of Venezuela’s presidential election.
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: WTF, UBC? – University says it’s easier to cross picket lines with friends
Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Teaching Support Staff Union, COPE 378, and other unions are escalating job action at universities across British Columbia because of bargaining impasses and refusals on the parts of universities to budge on any items. Today, six unions engaged in job action
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: BC Court of Appeal strikes down the “Gordo/Christy Clark Wants you to Shut Up” Law, Again
Way back in Gordon Campbell’s reign, the BC government tried to ban third-party election advertising or communications with a law so broad that it would effectively prohibit anyone from publicly expressing a political opinion in the sixty days before an election. The BCTF and other public sector unions contested this
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Last days of free market capitalism and the true believer
Being an unapologetic capitalist is not all that it’s cracked up to be. John Hancock, senior counsellor at the World Trade Organization, was sweating profusely as he told his audience how capitalism was entering a more radical phase that would … Continue reading →
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: How the Media Can Help Improve Political Decorum
It’s nice to see a willingness to open up political discourse in BC to the possibility of maturity, respect and dignity in the legislature. It would be nice, however for the media to be able to really embrace what that would look like. At the UBCM last Thursday, the NDP
Continue readingLeft Over: Rona, are You Paying Attention?
Democracy 101..When a person of either gender is elected to office, and then appointed to a Ministry, (s)he is obligated to vote based, not on personal belief, but on the verifiable will of the people…further, as a Federal Minister, that person should take into consideration the will of the majority
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Maintaining Integrity?
What trust is there to maintain? There were (hundreds of) thousands of illegal phonecalls made in the May 2011 election, and there’s not been a single charge laid by Elections Canada or the RCMP. They are sitting on evidence that links Prescott’s browser session to Pierre Poutine’s browser session. The
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: Slower than molasses in January!
Elections Canada is [finally] investigating the fraudulent and deceptive calls, aka robocalls, made during the last election… beyond Guelph, Ontario. Slower than molasses in January! Other posts on the Robocon Scandal: A Midsummer Night’s Robocon Scandal Update… 5 Robocon Facts Robocon Scandal continues… Robocon Scandal — UPDATE Robocon Scandal —
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Chris Hedges Promotes Book at UofR
I attended Hedges lecture at the UofR on Thursday night, and I think most of the crowd was impressed as was I. He did get a standing ovation when done. Then he took questions. Here is some of what went on in Tweet form (reverse chronology): A south Sudanese woman
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: CoC Federal Court
-(Federal Court, ASS. PRESS) The Council of Canadians (CoC) court challenge is fiiiinalllly underway in Federal Court this morning. Well, sort of. It’s defending itself against the Conservatives who are complaining that the CoC is partisan (In other news, irony detectors just exploded today across the country). Unlike my It’s
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: An Open Letter to Stephen Harper Regarding Senate Reform
Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper: I am writing today in response to reports that you will seek a Supreme Court reference on the constitutionality of your proposals for Senate reform. In a way, I can understand this. You would like clarity on a politically tricky issue, one that would otherwise
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