I am sure that like me, many despair over the state of democracy in Canada. Not only is it under continuous assault by a federal government that has repeatedly and consistently shown its contempt for the concept, but it also suffers from widespread citizen disengagement. Probably the two are inextricably
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Alex's Blog: Taking Back Our Democracy: Bridging the Generational Divide
These are tough days for Canada’s parliamentary democracy. Having endured years of steady erosion, it is now under frontal attack. Journalists and public leaders, across the political spectrum, have begun to document the injuries. We are seeing stirrings of outrage. But this assault on our democracy could not be happening
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: TVO’s The Agenda: The New McCarthyism
There is no worse cancer in a free society than the thuggish impulse to equate dissent as disloyalty… The greatest patriot is the person with the courage to be the lone voice in the crowd crying out that the Emperor has no clothes. The test of our society’s democratic nature
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: TVO’s The Agenda: The New McCarthyism
There is no worse cancer in a free society than the thuggish impulse to equate dissent as disloyalty… The greatest patriot is the person with the courage to be the lone voice in the crowd crying out that the Emperor has no clothes. The test of our society’s democratic nature
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Accountability in Conservative Government
Do you know what I love about Stephen Harper? He wants [wanted?] Canadians to hold politicians accountable. Let’s get right on that please, and stand up for Canada. “Bullying” and “frequent sexual harassment” created “toxic” work environment under Brazeau: court documents allege aptn.ca/pages/news/201…— Emilie Novaczek (@envczk) June 27, 2012 Brazeau
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Syria Isn’t About Syria
Bahrain and Syria both have repressive governments and both had uprisings in 2011, the United States and Saudi Arabia stopped one but are continuing the other, showing democracy and humanitarian concerns don’t shape foreign policy, national self-interest does. In February 2011 protesters took to the streets in Bahrain calling for
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Russia & Quebec, Don’t Protest The Similarities
Vladimir Putin recently issued new fines for unsanctioned protests, $9,000 for protesters and $30,000 for protest organizers. Meanwhile a few months ago in Canada, Quebec Premier Jean Charest issued new fines for unsanctioned student protests, $5,000 for student protesters and $35,000 for student protest organizers. For anyone who thinks these
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Harper v. Canada: News Headlines On June 25 2012
Make no mistake about it. Canada’s progressive and democratic forces are converging around Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his burgeoning elected dictatorship. And Harper and his merry bunch of Conservative praise-fingers are feeling the heat. At least according to the headlines in the last couple of days: Election result challenge
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Timeline and Timeliness
CBC offers a timeline of Del Mastro’s apparent overspending on his campaign. I think the Prime Minister may regret defending Del Mastro. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in the House of Commons on June 20, 2012, defended Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro against opposition questions June 13 over his election spending.
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Government and Human Wretchedness
What is government if not a living reminder of our human wretchedness, of the fall made secular, of the post-lapsarian world and the prison house of procedure and law that outlines and structures our existence? Our political institutions are decorated with the heritage of Christianity and Western civilization, and no
Continue readingLeft Over: Bob Paulson, Emperor Steve’s New Minion
Top cop concerned with Mounties airing problems in public RCMP Commissioner says bill will help end ‘outrageous’ behaviour “1984, knocking at your door…” What is it about the CRAPs that their supporters like? Must be the fact that they are impressive sweepers…of bad news, directly under the rug, never to
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: On Egypt’s Presidential Election
It’s official. More than one year after the overthrow of hated dictator Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi has won Egypt’s run-off presidential election with 51.7 percent support. This outcome was widely known ever since last weekend’s vote wrapped up. What was unknown was whether Egypt’s military rulers, the
Continue readingCanadian Trends: There is no Canada, only Zuul
Perspective is everything. When a Canadian citizen looks up at their government, they see a democratic institution being stolen from them through deceptive practices. When an international corporation looks down at a government, they see a tool for the implementation of policy. To understand the multi-facted implementation of policy and
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: 3% Reduction in Voting
I think it’s rather clever how these researchers, Tom Cornwall & Anke Kessler, realized that the individual polling stations within a riding could be used to determine the effect of robocalls and fraudulent live-calls targeted at non-Conservative voters! The various neighbourhoods tend to vote in a particular manner, possibly related
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Belief of Action
An idea is not important because you think it; an idea is only important because you make the world think it. There is an egotism in the world today that is responsible for the decline of political activism, and that egotism is from the misconception that all our ideas and
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: Robocon Redux
It’s been almost a month since I’ve blogged anything about the Robocalls Scandal, aka Robogate, aka Robocon (#robocon to the #cdnpoli Twitterati)… Unfortunately, the only thing new on #robocon is the recent departure… err, retirement of William Corbett and the surprise announcement by Elections Canada that Yves Côté would be
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Democracy Retired
“Ex-justice department bureaucrat named federal elections commissioner as major investigations continue” It’s one of those announcements where the appropriate response is probably to weep for lost opportunities. Nothing gets done spending time in the fetal position though, so we’ll have to make the most of the less than ideal situation.
Continue readingCanadian Trends: Debt fuelled economy unsustainable? Gee, what a surprise
So, can we finally drop the act? Debt-fuelled economy unsustainable, Carney says. Canada’s relatively healthy economy has been largely based on borrowed money but the situation cannot go on indefinitely, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney warned Thursday. Relative to the circus currently going on in the EU, or the
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Torn
Dean Del Mastro is facing some pretty serious accusations sworn against him by Elections Canada. The question is, where are the charges? Traditionally, EC has taken a corrective approach to candidates filing erroneous returns or making questionable phonecalls (see Liberals in Guelph and their unidentified abortion issue robocall in 2011),
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: Fixed Election Date #FAIL
WTF does not even begin to convey my complete and utter shock and disgust… Today, in the House of Commons, during Question Period, the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada asked the Prime Minister about Canada’s fixed election date (known as #elxn42 to the #cdnpoli Twitterati), the legislation
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