According to The Canadian Press: “Statistics Canada says the country’s trade deficit with the world ballooned to $2 billion in November from $552 million in October as merchandise imports rose 2.7 per cent and exports fell 0.9 per cent.” But, but … the Harper Conservatives keep telling us (despite all
Continue readingTag: Joe Oliver
Impolitical: Natural Resources asks media outlet to destroy records
Postmedia had a report last night on Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver writing to his officials, in email, on his needing briefings on major energy projects in Canada so he could speak to them knowledgeably. He made the request in the aftermath of a Jim Prentice speech which mentioned a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On preordained outcomes
Joe Oliver is trying to pretend that the National Energy Board actually gets to determine whether the Northern Gateway pipeline gets approved: Oliver avoided directly answering a question as to whether Ottawa would ram through approval should the project get the thumbs down, but acknowledged the outcome is rarely negative.
Continue readingImpolitical: Joe Oliver’s natural resources new economics
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver was in Toronto on Tuesday to give a speech and kick off the fall with some new economic data produced by his department. This is the press release version on the government website: “Minister Oliver Highlights Economic Impact of Canada’s Natural Resources.” There is also
Continue readingImpolitical: Today in Joe Oliver
While there is deserved attention on Harper’s chief of staff over Barrick Gold links today, let’s also ask some questions about what Minister Joe “Responsible Resource Development™” Oliver is up to in his late summer travels. Today he was on site in Cambridge at the Aecon Group Inc. facility. There
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Moira Herbst is the latest to comment on the connection between the lack of good jobs and an excess of corporate cash hoarding: (I)t would be refreshing if the pundit-political class considered a radical but obvious idea: tapping the multitrillion-dollar stockpiles of corporate
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: The sales pitch
Following up on yesterday’s Photoshop post, let’s salute one of the most eminently parody-worthy moments of the Cons’ spring: namely, Joe Oliver’s pitch to get Canadians drinking water from oil sands tailings ponds. Joe Oliver pitches Conservative Sludge
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: On Growth and Its Limits
George Monbiot offers a fascinating insight in the wake of last week’s United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro. While rightly deriding the declaration adopted by world leaders for containing little more than meaningless fluff, he notes an evolution in diplomatic language regarding the environment over
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Followup To Dr. Chris Keefer’s Brave Stance
The other day I posted a link to a remarkable video showing Dr. Chris Keefer interrupting Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s announcement at Toronto General hospital to protest Bill C-31, the legislation that will deny to those claiming refugee-status life saving drugs. Bernie Farber has written a piece in The
Continue readingNunc Scio: Joe Oliver, Conservative policies get pwned
It’s amazing how a cabinet minister can go to pieces when confronted with a little informed dissent. Ladies and gentlemen, the Honorable Joe Oliver: Minister, Conservative MP, sulky child. Thanks to NH for the tip!
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Press conference aborted after doc asks question about cuts to refugee health plan
University Health Network CEO Bob Bells tried to apologize after a doctor and a medical student interrupted a press conference by Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver at the Toronto General Hospital yesterday. Is this really Dr. Bell’s role? The … Continue reading →
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On importance
There’s been plenty of debate about the protest which caused Joe Oliver to move a funding announcement. But I’d think there’s a more fundamental question we should ask about the event, particularly when the indignant response of the event host was to the effect that “this is an important announcement!”.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Speaking Truth To Power
I hope this video renews your faith in people as it has mine: Dr. Chris Keefer interrupts Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver: Recommend this Post
Continue readingA BCer in Toronto: Will Joe Volpe follow in Borys Wrzesnewskyj’s footsteps in Eglington-Lawrence?
Former Etobocoke-Centre Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj has won headlines for his legal challenge to force a by-election due to election irregularities, and it appears another former Liberal MP, Joe Volpe, may be considering following suit. Wrzesnewskyj won an Ontario Superior Court ruling ordering a new election in the riding after
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Harper’s Canada “Making Up Terror Identities”
In Stephen Harper’s Canada, we’re all potential terror threats. Until proven otherwise. So suggests a recent study by Queens University’s Jeffrey Monaghan and Kevin Walby, published in the journal Policing and Society. Welcome to Multi Issue Extremism (MIE), Canada’s new classification of so-called domestic terror threats. We saw it coming.
Continue reading350 or bust: Hey Mister Prime Minister, Why Are You So Afraid Of Canadians?
Courageous and talented Canadian artist Franke James, whose 2011 European art tour was cancelled after interference from the Harper government, has recently published an illustrated essay on the current overlap of oil and state (with a large dose of anti-science, anti-democratic polemic) in Canadian politics. You can find Franke’s essay,
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: What is Harper Afraid Of? [Animated Video]
By Franke James Here is the animated video version of What Is Harper Afraid Of? See the cartoon from last week.
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: Animated Version Of Franke James’ Visual Essay "What’s Harper Afraid Of?"
Enjoy the video and watch Franke James artfully connect the dots. What is Harper Afraid Of? from Franke James on Vimeo. After you’ve watched this remember that there are real “radicals” involving themselves in Canada’s politics and they are not any of the environmental charities that the Harper government is
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: Animated Version Of Franke James’ Visual Essay “What’s Harper Afraid Of?”
Enjoy the video and watch Franke James artfully connect the dots. What is Harper Afraid Of? from Franke James on Vimeo. After you’ve watched this remember that there are real “radicals” involving themselves in Canada’s politics and they are not any of the environmental charities that the Harper government is
Continue readingNEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: Animated Version Of Franke James’ Visual Essay “What’s Harper Afraid Of?”
Enjoy the video and watch Franke James artfully connect the dots. What is Harper Afraid Of? from Franke James on Vimeo.After you’ve watched this remember that there are real “radicals” involving themselves in Canada’s politics and they are not any of…
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