Last week I wrote two posts on the Harper regime’s ideological decision not to impose mandatory reporting of drug shortages on the pharmaceutical industry. The government instead has placed its market-driven faith on a voluntary system, with results nearly as disastrous as those in Canada’s food industry, which also enjoys
Continue readingTag: harper government misdeeds
Politics and its Discontents: The Good News: It’s a New Year – the Bad News: Expect More of the Same
Best wishes to everyone in 2013. I would like to express my hope that all will enjoy a prosperous 12 months ahead, but given both domestic and international realities, I know that will not be the case for many. This, despite the self-congratulatory tone Stephen Harper frequently strikes when talking
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Insatiable Appetite
I couldn’t think of a single hole to punch in this letter-writer’s logic, but then, of course, I am not part of the 1%: Re: Bonuses at Canadian banks hit $10.3B on record profit, Dec. 11 Canada’s Big Five banks combined to report $7.8 billion in profits in the third
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Yet Another Failure of The Corporate Community
We hear everyday about the grim prospects that our young people face – protracted periods of unemployment, underemployment and contract work have become the norm, rather than the exception, even for those with extensive education. Even going back to school to pursue graduate studies or certificate programs offers no guarantee
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The MacKay Mission
I really have nothing new to add to the sad spectacle of ministerial incompetence epitomized by Defense Minister Peter MacKay, whose ongoing mission and primary responsibilibilty seems to be never admitting to error or apologizing. However, the Star’s Tim Harper does have some thoughts on the reasons for his intransigence
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Unions After Bill C-377
In my favorite Shakespearian play, Hamlet, there is a scene wherein his erstwhile friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, explain that an acting company that used to enjoy great popularity has fallen on hard times. Thanks to a new craze in which troupes of child actors have become the rage, and “are
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Workers of the World Unite- You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Union Shackles!
That perhaps might have been the call in Michigan yesterday, as it joined 23 other states in enacting so called ‘right-to-work-legislation’ that ‘liberates’ workers from mandatory union membership and union dues. Passed by a Republican-dominated House of Representatives, the new law was proudly proclaimed by Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Robocalls and Fingerpointing
If crimes were committed in misdirecting voters in the last federal election, who cares who the complainants that have brought this matter before the courts are? Apparently the Harper regime does. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Sins Of The Harper Government: Ministerial Incompetence, Secrecy, and Contempt For Democracy
For anyone who needs a quick primer over the damage being done to Canada and its citizens by the Harper regime, I recommend the following: In the F-35 fiasco, truth is the first casualty, a stinging indictment not only of the government lies surrounding the true projected costs of the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Law and Order Government That Loves Guns
Anyone still harbouring doubts about whose interests the Harper regime is governing on behalf of would be well-advised to read this story in today’s Star. Entitled RCMP concerned as Conservatives consider loosening firearms restrictions, it reveals the latest legislative considerations of a government that claims to be tough on crime,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s Debasement Of Canadian Foreign Policy
That Canada once enjoyed a sterling reputation in the international arena is something beyond dispute. That its standing has fallen precipitately under the misguided direction of the Harper regime is a truth that I suspect only the most rabidly ideological would disagree with. Perhaps the most egregious departure from norms
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper Strategy Succeeding
Here’s the proof. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Odious Servitude
In its ongoing and odious servitude to a reactionary constituency, the Harper regime continues to use the heavy hand of government to target and harass those whose ideology differs from its own. I have already written several times about Bill C-377, …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Unions Under Attack: A Star Reader Writes
In two recent posts, I discussed Bill C-377, a Harper-driven anti-union measure disguised as a private member’s bill. Introduced by Conservative MPP Russ Hiebert, it is designed to require full disclosure of all union expenditures, including monies a…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Another Reason To Despise Harper And His Minions
Or maybe I just don’t understand the nuances of business and a right-wing mentality that will consign millions to early and unnecessary deaths. H/t Andre PicardRecommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Resistance Is NOT Futile
In the various incarnations that the series Star Trek has enjoyed, The Next Generation was my favorite. Starring the well-known Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart, whose regal commands propelled The Enterprise into inter-stellar adventures each week, …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A New Warning About CETA
While much has already been written about the economic threats to Canada inherent in the Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement currently being negotiated in secret by the Harper regime, a new development in those negotiations ha…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Harper Message To The Citizens Of Canada
Citizens, pay no attention to those who would tear down the environmental accomplishments of your government.* *This message paid for by the generous taxpayers of Canada ($9 million and rising) Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Foreign Investment Rights Versus Canadian Provinces
That the corporate world is ruled by only one imperative, to maximize profits, is self-evident. That it almost always gets its way, no matter what the environmental and social costs, is another truth that our current right-wing political ‘leaders’ wo…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Whither Goest Democracy?
This thoughtful Star reader provides his answer: As I attended the Remembrance Day ceremony on Sunday, I thought of all those who died and suffered for our democracy. It made me very sad, sadder than in past years, to think of the current state of d…
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