Harper ← Progressive Bloggers // Blogues progressistes

Babel-on-the-Bay: Diminishing Democracy.

Aug

9

2017

Around the world, from Venezuela to Poland, from Turkey to America, we are watching the destruction of democracy. Those who believe in democracy are routinely arrested, beaten, detained or killed on the streets of once-safe cities. It is a challenge everywhere. There is no safe haven. And Canada is no bastion of democracy. Former Prime ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: How would Harper have handled Trump?

Jun

11

2017

When listening to Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland give her very important speech on the new world order, there was one disturbing thought. It was a silly question as to how would our previous prime minister have handled the situation? The one thing for sure was that Stephen Harper would never have allowed his ...

The Progressive Economics Forum: Income Inequality Surged Under Harper

May

27

2017

Just as Conservatives gathered to elect a new leader, Statistics Canada released income data for 2015. These allow us to look at trends under the full term of the Harper Government from 2006 to 2015. Average after tax income of economic families rose over this period – from $68,200 to $76,900 in inflation-adjusted dollars. But ...

Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Nathan Cullen’s Electoral Reform tour stop in Regina

May

26

2017

@gtlem @pau1234la @Erin_Weir @nathancullen Here's the good one he took, and got @Carla4Lakeview in the background. pic.twitter.com/o9q29JLDA4 — Saskboy (@saskboy) May 26, 2017 Room filling up at Knox-Met for @nathancullen #ERRE #KeepYourPromise tour#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/tM3a5IWgBa — Saskboy (@saskboy) May 26, 2017

The Progressive Economics Forum: The introduction and evolution of child benefits in Canada

Apr

30

2017

Allan Moscovitch and I have co-authored a blog post that looks at the history of child benefits in Canada. Points made in the blog post include the following: -Child benefits can reduce both poverty and homelessness. -When child benefits began in Canada after World War II, one major motivating factor for the federal government was ...

My journey with AIDS…and more!: Connecting with ‘The War To End All Wars’ – Pte. Thomas Butler

Mar

9

2017

Originally posted on My journey with AIDS…and more!: There is tragic irony with the news that Canada has suffered our greatest single-day loss of troops in Afghanistan with the deaths of six soldiers in a roadside bombing. A seventh Canadian suffered serious injuries. Regardless of our views on Canada’s role in this conflict our…

Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Up Is Down, Left Is Right, Idiots in Government

Mar

9

2017

These are examples of why the US and Canada cannot have nice things. We’ve idiots in government. Who put them there? Was it voters, or people with even more direct influence like Donald Trump and Stephen Harper? Like having a Surgeon-General who says smoking is not a primary cause of lung cancer. Shocking! https://t.co/eJTQMZl0aM — ...

Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: For a Decade It was Harper Horror

Jan

9

2017

Now, it may be Trump’s turn to make everything worse. I’m not planning on blogging about Trump very much, however. The man gets far too much attention, and that’s one of the things that brought him to power in the United States. While Harper was wrecking Canada, I couldn’t help but write about his lying, ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: In the steps of the Hair or of Trump?

Dec

6

2016

There could be as many as 14 contenders for the upcoming Conservative leadership contest on-stage in Moncton tonight. Which candidates will take their cue from the Hair (Stephen Harper) and who will want to try the President-Elect Donald Trump style is the question? The Moncton event is our first chance to hear from some of ...

The Disaffected Lib: How Nigel Wright Got a Pass

Nov

12

2016

It’s an interesting story but hardly convincing. When the RCMP went after senator Mike Duffy for supposed bribery it left people shaking their heads. How could Duffy have committed the crime of bribery for receiving Nigel Wright’s $90-thousand without Wright being criminally responsible for giving the bribe? It became known as the “immaculate bribe.” Newly ...

Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: A Tax on Everything Is Coming

Oct

5

2016

Run for the hills! .@CNN #PriceOnCarbon article: "because we've been so slow to act on this crisis, bold action is now required" https://t.co/PvV1Y1oFdM — Pembina Institute (@Pembina) October 5, 2016 I realize several people who I’m friends with, think Premier Wall is great for Saskatchewan. I’ve never held a high opinion of the man, I ...

Left Over: Green Party ReGrowth?

Aug

13

2016

Elizabeth May could quit as Green Party leader this month ‘Broken-hearted’ May says boycott Israel policy has her on verge of stepping down as leader By David Cochrane, CBC News Posted: Aug 12, 2016 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 12, 2016 5:00 AM ET Is the Green Party ready for life after Elizabeth May? Popular ...

Left Over: Just another E-Mail from the Real World…

Jul

25

2016

A friend sent me this article, and I am adding my answer…I don’t have permission to print out the article in its entirety, but you can look for it at FP..it’s short and succinct… WORTHY OF THEIR ANGER Our leaders’ unpunished failures have led to furious voters Stephen Walt For Foreign Policy magazine Dear K…. ...

Left Over: Gordon Campbell..back in the Soup…

Jul

19

2016

Ottawa announces diplomatic shakeup with 26 new appointments Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion removes high-profile Harper-era appointees By John Paul Tasker, CBC News Posted: Jul 19, 2016 11:27 AM ET Last Updated: Jul 19, 2016 3:02 PM ET It’s about time, by any standards of political heel-dragging, that the Harper appointees go gently into that good ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: What’s Jason Kenney doing? And who cares?

Jun

26

2016

Yes, the Conservative Party of Canada is having a convention in a year or so to pick a new leader. After all, the party could hardly allow temporary leader Rona Ambrose time to get comfortable at Stornoway. So far, it is a very thin field of applicants. Though what would you expect when the leader ...

Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: #RoboCon: Revisiting the 2008 Election Fraud

Jun

3

2016

In light of this news from Elizabeth May, it may be worth re-reading these blog entries from 2012 and 2009. Duffy’s trial raised some damning information about the first infamous robocalls used to steal an election for the Conservatives in B.C. And read Alison’s more recent recap. I certainly think that Duffy’s testimony should be ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: Harper goes “quietly into the night.”

May

27

2016

That line from Shakespeare’s Henry V is a haunting phrase that can give deep meaning to a legacy. The only problem for Canada’s failed and former Prime Minister Stephen Harper is his lack of a legacy. He united the right and rode that tiger into power. Yet he could never dismount. He ruled firmly from ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: The Tory’s terribly trying times.

May

10

2016

It is hardly the best of times for Canada’s Conservatives. Their former leader has gone on to his reward: oblivion. Oh sure, the Hair is still around but he is now a nonentity. His temporary replacement, Rona Ambrose rode her horse out of the west to try to humanize her party but it seems like ...

Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: #Duffy Not Faulted For Listening To Harper

Apr

21

2016

3 years ago, I explained what was happening with the Duffy trial. Today it came to a close. It's about the credibility of Duffy vs. the credibility of the Harper PMO. One of them will take a big hit today. — Lawrence Martin (@LMartinOttawa) April 21, 2016 whatever else to think about #duffy verdict, good ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: Party conventions are always about money.

Mar

27

2016

The first thing learned about political conventions is that it always has to be at a profit. The second is that if there is nothing contentious, create something. You always have to fill the hall. And filling the hall does not seem to be a problem for any of the three political party conventions planned ...

Trashy's World: Quote of the week…

Feb

19

2016

… from the Guardian: Stephen Harper, Canada’s former prime minister, was a vacuous, anodyne nothing, as magnetic on the public stage as the podium he spoke from. His occasional efforts to ingratiate himself to younger voters – or rather the efforts of his staff to make their boss seem plausibly nonrobotic – ranged from dismal ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: Honourable Members All!

Feb

16

2016

A reader brought up what he considers a serious weakness in first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting yesterday. It is the assumption that we elect “honourable members’ to our legislatures and the House of Commons and select the same for our Senate. The member we elect with at least a plurality is assumed capable of representing all voters ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: But what if FPTP isn’t broke?

Feb

15

2016

You almost hate to ask the question. What is wrong with the way Canadians vote? There seems to be an assumption by some people that first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting is a failure. Does that mean you have to dump FPTP and take a flier on some other theoretically improved voting system? And why is it better? ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Trudeau On Pipelines: Maybe

Feb

7

2016

Last week Justin Trudeau walked into the lion’s den—a boardroom filled with the country’s top oilpatch executives—and got it half right. Luckily he had the good sense to take Premier Notley with him. Mr Trudeau, Ms Notley and Big Oil discussed low oil prices, the lack of pipelines to move product to tidewater and the ...

Left Over: A First Step For Government, a Semi-Giant Leap for Labor

Jan

28

2016

Liberal government moves to repeal controversial union laws Employment Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk meets reporters on Parliament Hill at 10:15 a.m. ET CBC News Posted: Jan 28, 2016 10:08 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 28, 2016 10:13 AM ET What Pierre Trudeau did to labor in the past,with his so-called wage and price controls, ...