Picture 2.png In January, during the week before Canada’s federal hearing on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline, the Harper government and Ethical Oil Institute launched an unprecedented attack on environmental organizations opposed to the pipeline and accelerated expansion of the tar sands. Resurrecting Cold War-style ‘terrorist’ rhetoric, conservative politicians like
Continue readingTag: Harper government
350 or bust: For Sale: All Of Canada
* The federal government has suggested it could replace a team of smokestack pollution specialists by turning to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, appearing to contradict its own description of the scientists and their work on Environment Canada’s website. The apparent contradiction comes as hundreds of charities and organizations across
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What is Truth?
An age-old question without a firm answer, it is one I find myself regularly pondering as I continue striving toward an ideal I know will never attain, that of being a consummate critical thinker. Bombarded by information as we are, it is often difficult to separate the proverbial wheat from
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Heritage Minister James Moore Wrong on Sexhibit
Heritage Minister James Moore is clearly wrong in his criticism of “Sex: A Tell-All Exhibition” at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. It is not so much his criticism of the content that is wrong, although suggesting that human reproduction is an inappropriate subject for a science museum is somewhat
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Using police to suppress political opponents
RCMP conducted five-month national security probe into leaked F-35 story, Murray Brewster and Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press, May 16, 2012 “The Harper government called in the RCMP to investigate a politically embarrassing story …claiming it was a breach of national security, “…The first RCMP member to review the allegation
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Hypocrisy revealed
Federal Conservatives complain that environmental charities use money from outside Canada to campaign for effective regulation of energy industries. Contradicting the rhetoric, CRA records show that environmental groups are not the leading recipients of foreign sourced funding. Tories have been silent about the biggest recipients of alien contributions. However, egregious
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Growing discomfort
This week, we learned that Stephen Harper, in Nixonian tradition, is using federal tax authorities to harass political opponents. From The Globe and Mail: “Tides Canada is having its charitable status audited by the Canada Revenue Agency in the midst of an attack by Conservative politicians who have branded it
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: Are Foreign Funded Canadian Charities Soft on Child Terrorists
Analysis by the Canadian Press shows that the three of the top four Canadian charities that received the most foreign funding were Care Canada, World Vision Canada and the Canadian UNICEF Committee, all known for helping starving children, many in war torn areas. Many of these children were victims of
Continue readingLeDaro: Harper Government wants to watch you naked
First it was Vic Toews who wanted to watch over you especially what you do on the internet. Now Harper government wants to strip you naked if you decide to travel by air. There is a headline in The Huffington Post which reads,‘Naked’ Scanners Being Pushed On Travellers Even Though
Continue readingLeDaro: Harper government and environment
It is nothing new that the Harper government has put environmental issues on the backburner. Instead of making progress it is going for regression. It is a very depressing situation. Evan Solomon of CBC interviews Environment Commissioner Scott Vaughn who illustrates Harper government’s failure on environment.
Continue readingNorthern Insight: 5 years in jail for masked instigators of unrest
Stephen Harper’s government supports Bill C-309, a private members bill before the House of Commons. It will enable individuals to be jailed five years for wearing a mask or other disguise to conceal identity during a riot — which can be defined as an unlawful assembly that results in a
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Coverup defines Conservative Party character
If you surmise the sum of two plus two is four, you’ll be quite certain of the result, even if no independent authority confirms it. So too with Canada’s election robocall and voter suppression scandal. Listen to a fake robocall. First, Canada’s Conservatives claimed ignorance and innocence. “I have absolutely
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Using taxis would save millions
Thirty-seven minister and junior ministers, each with a driver and a car in Ottawa. A quick calculation allowing for salaries, benefits, overtime and vehicle costs indicates at least $3.2 million a year to transport Harper’s politicians around Ottawa. I suppose that is cheap because Bev Oda ran up $3,000 in
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Canada’s message: "We’re all right Jack!"
Expectation of economic recovery in Europe is replaced now by talk of double dip recession — even depression. Nevertheless, Canada is lecturing nations there to institute the policies of economic neoliberalism favoured by Stephen Harper. Chris Williamson of financial information services company Markit commented: “Austerity in deficit-fighting countries is having an
Continue readingA Different Point of View....: Charities should not fear Harper bluster; have a right to use 10% for political work
The Harper government seems to have scared the bejeezes out of many charitable organizations about how they can spend their money. But much of it was bluster, and when you check the actual changes, very little is different and registered charities can still campaign and lobby on behalf of the
Continue readingLeDaro: “The Jet That Ate the Pentagon”
Interesting headline on the front page of The Huffington Post about F-35. “Claimed to be near invisible to radar and able to dominate any future battlefield, the F-35 will replace most of the air-combat aircraft in the inventories of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and at least nine
Continue readingbastard.logic: In Praise of NDP PR Jiu-Jitsu
Paul Wells on how it’s best sometimes to simply shut up and let your opponent’s own negative momentum take them down: Harper is certain to keep portraying the NDP as the only bunch of witless ideologues in sight. In quiet moments Conservative strategists say that, if they ever tire of
Continue readingNorthern Insight: New shoes make everything seem right
Two stories that will leave you wondering about the direction Canada is taking under Stephen Harper. This is not the Canada we once knew… nor the one we voted for. Unraveling File # 8-10-(2012-06), Michael Harris, iPolitics, April 26 “At the federal level, it’s getting to be the kind of
Continue readingLeDaro: Federal Subsidy For Sexy Summum Magazine
Federal grants worth $190,000 for two Quebec magazines, Summum and Summum Girls, featuring scantily-clad models are under fire in the wake of broad arts cuts announced in the last Conservative budget. “Radio-Canada is reporting that Canadian Heritage approved the financing for Summum and Summum Girls, as part of the federal
Continue reading350 or bust: Grassroots Democracy Initiative Organized in Face of Federal Government’s Love Affair With Dirty Energy
The following is a re-post from Anthony Marr’s HomosapiensSaveYourEarth blog. Mr. Marr has a degree in physics and is a long-time advocate for living more sustainably and gently on our earth. In 1996, he led “the highest-profile anti-trophy-hunting campaign in Canada” (Globe and Mail), and went on to found Heal
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