Not since the ‘King-Byng-Thing’ in the 1920s has Canada needed a governor general. The conflict between the prime minister and the governor general of the time, resulted in the Statute of Westminster of 1931 that emancipated Canada and other former colonies of the United Kingdom. It also made the post
Continue readingTag: Federal Politics
Babel-on-the-Bay: Damaged Democracy.
It is catching on. This writer is delighted that more and more Canadians are starting to question our commitment to democracy. Many point to the United States and say, ‘Boy, isn’t that democracy a mess. The bad news is that our mess is no better than theirs. It is just
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The answer to Justin’s prayer.
Just started reading Linda McQuaig’s 2019 book; The Sport & Prey of Capitalists. I have always been a fan of Linda’s. We might lean towards different parties but we seem to think alike. Somewhere in my bookshelves there is a copy of Linda’s earlier book about the quick and the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: They’re pissing on Ted’s legacy.
Did you know that a company that started business with giving cheap FM radios to all the advertising agencies in Toronto is today worth billions? The company was the brain child of the late Ted Rogers. He started with a FM radio station that nobody else wanted in the 1960s.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Beware Benevolent Business.
Business is not often built on benevolence. And no matter how badly business leaders think the government has screwed things up, Canada is not ready for fascism. Yet, Perrin Beatty, chief executive officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says that big business in Canada is ready to step in
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Our fearless leaders fix the gun problem.
Did you not see the sign as you drove into town that handguns are forbidden? That is part of the announcement that the government is banning assault rifles and municipalities are at liberty to ban hand guns. And does that make sense to you? Frankly, it is stupid. Yes, assault
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Waiting for vaccination.
It is a stay-at-home vacation. Using depression medication. And booze for self-realization. Gotta get back to civilization. Need in-person conversation. The wife came and looked over my shoulder to see what was holding up my commentary for today. She shook her head and said, “I don’t think your readers are
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Basic income is not dead.
As much as the Toronto Star and others might want to bury the concept of basic income, it is very much alive. When someone puts what they think basic income will cost ahead of other objections, you know they are more interested in their supposed opinion than people. It is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Does Singh know why O’Toole’s nice to him?
It might have been the annual event celebrating Saint Valentine, but Jagmeet Singh of the new democrats should be suspicious of all the cards he received from conservative MPs. The rationale for all this lovey-dovey, kuchi-koo business from the conservatives could only be that they need Jagmeet and his NDP
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Never upstage your leader.
Pierre Poilievre MP appears to have been demoted in the conservative ranks in parliament as it heads toward a possible spring election. Little boy blue might have made the political mistake of upstaging his leader. The member for Carleton, in the Ottawa area, has been having much too much fun
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The polarization of the provinces.
There is some further thinking about the TVOntario program I watched last week on the polarization of Canada. A Quebec participant had others laughing when he made the comment that Canadians really do not like each other. In the same vein, another countered that Canadians are nice, except for Albertans.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: In the cause of Canada.
It was an interesting program on Steve Paikin’s Agenda last week that was co-sponsored by TVOntario and the Toronto Star. It was on Canada’s prospects in sustaining its democracy. The thought was that the same pressures that affect American democracy eventually get to Canada. Well, that thought is likely to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Big Tech versus Big Media.
It is not as exciting as the meeting at the OK Corral. There is no shooting. And the only people shouting are the news media. They want Big Tech to stop stealing their work product. If our copyright laws where easier to enforce, it would not have even been a
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Going where no politico dares to go.
It always amazes me when some politicians will wade into subjects about which, they know nothing at all. It is what can get them in trouble, most of the time. Take Justin Trudeau’s supposed expertise in vaccines. It is like the other day when he was assuring parliamentarians that he
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Did you know the campaign was on?
Jagmeet Singh has been heard from. He did not exactly come down from the mountain with tablets of stone. The new democratic party leader has decided that the low-hanging fruit of for-profit, long-term care homes was as good an issue as his party needs in the looming federal election. It
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The lingering death of CTV.
There are some flash drives littering my desk behind this computer. Those memory sticks date from my last three computers. I started to search in them earlier and wasted hours in nostalgia. What I was looking for, was not found. It was the presentation I made to the Canadian Radio-television
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Constitution Conundrum.
It takes two things to fix Canada’s constitution. It takes ideas and leadership. Without suggestions as to how we will fix it or people to lead the parade, it is rather silly to take polls as to how people feel about our sorry mess. As it stands to-day, Canada is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The hypocrisy of the provinces.
If there was ever a reason to change Canada’s constitution, it will be the hypocrisy of so many of our provincial leaders. It also explains why I often preferred to drive to Ottawa from Toronto when dealing with some federal departments. It was because I could return to Toronto with
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Understanding Basic Income.
There are three sides to this argument. The idea of a basic income for all Canadians is an idea championed by progressive politicos. And then there are the regressive politicos (usually conservatives) who think it is a terrible idea and that what all those lazybones need is a little encouragement.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: You can’t do one without the other.
It was an amusing op-ed the other morning in the Toronto Star by Bob Hepburn. Not only is Bob late to the lists but his suggestion regarding our governor general would complicate more than it resolved. I certainly agree with him that the role of governor general is something to
Continue reading