I don’t have too much time this morning, but I highly recommend Martin Regg Cohn’s piece, which offers, amongst other things, a contrast between how long-serving Conservative Ontario Premier Bill Davis treated labour, and the current do-nothing philosophies of Dalton McGuinty and Steven Harper: The former Tory premier of Ontario
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Politics and its Discontents: Harper Government Identifies A New ‘Enemy Of The People’ – ForestEthics
Now this is just getting outrageous to the point of surrealism. The latest story in The Star reveals that the PMO has allegedly labelled an environmental group an “enemy” of Canada for opposing a proposed west coast oil pipeline and threatened retribution if its funding was not cut off, according
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Conservative Mantra: Statistics? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Statistics
The title of this post, meant to evoke the misquote of the Mexican bandits as they prepare to eliminate Fred Dobbs, the miscreant protagonist of The Treasure of the Seirra Madre played by Humphrey Bogart, seemed appropriate in light of the Harper government’s contempt for the authoritative substance of statistics.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Voice of Labour Roars
Although those in the embrace of neo-liberalism would have us believe that unions and worker solidarity are but a quaint historical artifact, the size of yesterday’s rally in London, Ontario protesting the predatory practices of Catterpillar Inc. suggests otherwise. In response to the company’s attempt to halve the wages of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper To Strike Another Blow Against Democracy To Ease His Frustration
The other day I wrote a post about the dark lord’s frustration over the democratic expression of opposition to the Northern Gateway oilsands pipeline. It seems ‘dear leader’ felt that environmental groups appearing at hearings were in the sway of ‘foreign money’ out to hijack the hearings. It appears that
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Ottawa Police Chief (Do You Remember Tracy Bonds?) Appointed to Senate
Despite the CBC puff piece interview of Ottawa Police Chief Vern White on his appointment by the Harper government to the Senate, many will remember him as the chief presiding over infamous police prisoner abuse cases in Ottawa, especially the one involving Tracy Bonds. Given Stephen Harper’s diversionary crackdown-on-declining-crime-legislation, his
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Industry Canada Fails Yet Another Group of Canadian Workers
Hot on the heels of the Harper government’s capitulation to U.S. Steel in Hamilton, yet another failure by Industry Canada to protect the interests of Canadians is evident in the latest contract ‘offer‘ from London, Ontario-based Electro-Motive Canada, a subsidiary of U.S. industrial giant Caterpillar Inc. The C.A.W. has taken
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Santa’s Hit List
Well, here it is, Christmas Eve, and Santa has been rechecking his list, and five have been struck from it. This sad distinction goes to the following, who perhaps can be consoled by the fact that they have something in common: they are devoid of any recognizable morality; they have
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper To U.N: Call Us When You Have Another War, But Mind Your Own Business Otherwise
In what is emerging as a clear pattern with the Harper government, or, as I like to call them, Canada’s national embarrassment, master puppeteer Harper has essentially told the United Nations to mind its own business about our domestic matters, especially when it comes to the third-world conditions on our
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More on Harper’s Hypocrisy
In yesterday’s post, I railed against the hypocrisy of the Harperites in their efforts to convince us to boycott Chiquita banana over their refusal to use our dirty tarsands oil for their transportation needs. In her most recent column, Linda McQuaig reminds us of the consequences of Haper’s renegade position
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: At Least They Don’t Discriminate According to Gender
For those who might have been concerned that the animus, hatred and paranoia of the Harper government is directed almost exclusively at men, The Star’s Tim Harper sets the record straight by pointing out how three fairly prominent women have run afoul of our overlords; however, unlike the stereotype of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Merry Christmas, Diane Finley
Actually, the title of this post was just to get your attention. I would indeed be an unfeeling man were I to wish the minister of Human Resources and Skills Development the best of the season when so many Canadians are suffering as a result of her inept attempt to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Rick Salutin on Democracy
We live in time when the Harper government seems to be doing everything in its power to persuade Canadians that democracy is meaningless and that we, the citizens, have no power. In my view, the increasing invocation of closure on debate, sending more and more Parliamentary committees to meet behind
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Star and Its Readers
If the Harper government keeps an ‘enemies list‘, which, quite frankly, I have little doubt that it does, given its infernal embrace of ‘values’ that are repellent to Canadians who believe in fairness, ethics, justice, and the rule of law, high on its list must be The Toronto Star and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Soul of the Nation
Last April, as part of a larger post, I write the following about the pernicious effects of bad political leadership: If we consider, for example, the widespread cynicism and disengagement gripping people today, we are witnessing the effects of bad leadership. When people are manipulated by the politics of fear,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: This Just In From The Ministry of Truth
Citizens of Canada: All is well. Return to your workstations and your reality shows. We repeat, all is well. Return to your work stations and your reality shows. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Sayed Shah Sharifi – The Toronto Star Continues Championing His Cause
Sayed Shah Sharifi, the brave Afghan interpreter, may have been betrayed by the Harper government and our contemptible Minister of Immigration, Jason Kenney, but he has the support of The Toronto Star, countless people worldwide, and the pro bono services of Lorne Waldman, one of the country’s leading immigration lawyers.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Star Readers and Harper Government’s Injustice to Sayed Shah Sharifi’s
While I rarely excerpt long passages from other sources fro my blog, I am making an exception today to print the reactions of Toronto Star readers to the cruel abandonment by the Harper government of Sayed Shah Sharifi, the brave Afghan interpreter who served our troops so valiantly: I was
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