Yesterday was Martinstag in Germany. I suppose if you think about it, it’s St. Martin’s Day here in Canada, too. Armistice Day 1918, how the end of World War I was told to Canadians. The occasion is said to be quite popular with children, with lots of colourful lanterns, costumes
Continue readingTag: Democratic Reform
Trudeau Dumps Democracy Portfolio
Looking over the Prime Minister’s new cabinet, one portfolio that stood out because of its absence was Minister of Democratic Institutions. This is, or was, a portfolio with something of a chequered history. It was first created by Paul Martin in 2003 during his truncated term as prime minister and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Lifeblood For A Moribund Democracy?
By any measure, I think it is safe to say that ours is not a healthy and vital democracy. One only has to look at election turnout statistics to see ready proof. In the last two elections, barely half of Ontarians bothered to cast a ballot — an embarrassing 48
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Lana Payne discusses the divergence between an upper class with soaring incomes, and the bulk of the population facing stagnation and precarity: (W)hile the nation’s wealth or GDP looks good, less of it is getting shared around and more and more of it
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: School Board Elections #nlpoli
Some folks were a bit agitated over the weekend about how hard it is going to be – supposedly – to vote in the school board election.Voter turn-out may be down, according to Amanda Bittner, a political science professor at Memorial University. According to the Telegram, Bittner “said a lack
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Headpiece of the Staff of Ra-Ra #nlpoli
The provincial New Democrats claim the Liberals broke their own independent appointments commission law when they appointed a bunch of folks to senior executive positions in the provincial public service last week.Right off the bat, let’s be clear: &nb…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The Headpiece of the Staff of Ra-Ra #nlpoli
The provincial New Democrats claim the Liberals broke their own independent appointments commission law when they appointed a bunch of folks to senior executive positions in the provincial public service last week.Right off the bat, let’s be clear: &nb…
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: NDP forces Liberals to surrender electoral reform committee majority
The Liberals will no longer exercise majority control over the special parliamentary committee tasked with liberating Canada from its 149-year old anti-democratic first-past-the-post electoral system.
The post NDP forces Liberals to surrender electoral…
The Sir Robert Bond Papers: Picking stuff out of the appointments hockey bag #nlpoli
One of the provincial Conservatives’ signature new initiatives in the first session of the legislature after the 2003 election was a bill that supposedly set fixed election dates. Changes to the House of Assembly Act also triggered a general el…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Robert Reich suggests that government should respond to corporations who engage in anti-social activity such as moving their earnings offshore by making sure they can’t simultaneously take advantage of…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.- Roderick Benns interviews Scott Santens about the effect of a basic income:Benns: Why is the concept of a basic income guarantee so important at this point in our societal development? Santens: We’re living in a pa…
Continue readingPR—an essential first step
Our brand spanking new Liberal government has promised us electoral reform. Specifically, it is “committed to ensuring that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system.” Assuming the new system will provide proportional representation, this would be an essential first step in ensuring that all
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Luke Savage warns that the Libs’ election win may ring hollow for Canadian progressives: Throughout its democratic history, Canadian politics have basically oscillated between two parties that do not seriously threaten the status quo or the injustices it perpetuates. Occasionally goaded by organized
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Don Pittis examines the Cons’ record on jobs and the economy, and reaches the inevitable conclusion that free trade bluster and corporate giveaways have done nothing to help Canadians – which makes it no wonder the Cons are hiding the terms of the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On veto points
I’ll follow up on this post by once again discussing another area where individuals’ past comments are being treated as a basis for general exclusion. And the subject is particularly sensitive the midst of an election campaign – particularly in light of the issue where it’s surfacing. As in the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Robin Sears discusses the hubris behind the Cons’ early election call, while Tim Naumetz notes that the extended campaign is just one more issue where the Cons are offside of the vast majority of the public. And the Guardian comments on the reasons
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The NDP in Power: Week One
The best thing about booting the PCs out of office is the refreshing change the NDP have brought to the Legislature. And if the first week of the 29th Legislative session is any indication, we can expect the next four years to be thought provoking, entertaining and bizarre. Democratic reform
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On representative units
Does anybody remember which particularly prominent political pundit went far out his way to trumpet the idea that basic unit of political legitimacy is the caucus – to the point of repeatedly advocating a legislated requirement that a caucus vote override the decisions made by the whole of a party’s
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: It’s Not That We Disagree, It’s That I Despise Your Ideas
When ever I read another article and view another series of photographs of the carnage Israel has inflicted on the civilian population of Gaza and then think of the Netanyahu apologists, Trudeau and Mulcair, I despise them and any party that would tolerate much less follow their views. That these two greasy
Continue readingPop The Stack: The Freedom of MPs
Andrew Coyne isn’t always great, but when he’s great, he’s great. Spot on here. Andrew Coyne: Trudeau helps the cause of democratic reform (by not pursuing it) MPs should be free to vote as they wish at least in theory. In practice they will often vote with their party, that’s
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