In yesterday’s Star, Christopher Hume had occasion to call Prime Minister Trudeau the princeling practitioner of the politics of appearance. In light of an alarming shortfall in revenues that is crippling our services thanks to the government’s anemic corporate tax policies, that struck me as a particularly apt description. Indeed,
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Politics and its Discontents: Trudeau Town Halls: Baubles Of Distraction, Not Questions Of Substance
Prime-Minister-For-A-Day Kim Campbell is probably best remembered for saying, “An election is no time to discuss serious issues.” She might just as well have been talking about town halls, particularly the kind our Prime Minister is currently in the midst of. Justin Trudeau’s meet-and-greet will undoubtedly constitute a public-relations success.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Not At All Like His Father
That is the opinion of Star letter-writer Colin Languedoc who, along with Mubashir Rizvi, shares my disappointment in Justin Trudeau’s craven capitulation to bullying by Donald Trump and his minions. Canada sits on its hands for UN vote, Harper, Dec. 22 Tim Harper’s excellent column about the UN vote denouncing
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Is There No Bottom To Canada’s Shame?
Apparently not, if you are talking about the craven, rudderless and unprincipled Trudeau government that is making us all look bad. As reported by CBC, a toadying and craven Canada is accepting the above Haley invitation, a thank you for not opposing the Trump resolution to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On Public Asset Sales
Selling off public assets that yield steady and lucrative revenue streams is rarely a good idea. In Ontario, Kathleen Wynne did just that with 60% of Hydro One so she could claim a balanced budget. It is a betrayal I will never forgive her for. As I have written previously,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Increasingly Tattered Cloak
That would be the one Justin Trudeau wraps himself in with such rectitude whenever he attempts to convince the public of his climate-change bona fides. Increasingly, both his cloak and his rhetoric are wearing thin. The latest example of the hollowness of his public persona comes with news that his
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: C’mon Bill. Just Answer The Question
The beleaguered Bill Morneau continues in his refusal to answer questions about whether he sold a whack of shares in his company, Morneau Shappell, before the government introduced changes to tax rates dropping the income tax rate for middle-class Canadians while boosting it on high-income earners. Those rates were to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Sad Day In The House
It is indeed a sad day in public life when a worm like Pierre Poilievre can stand up in the House of Commons and seem to occupy the high moral ground as he renders ethical judgement on a minister of the Crown. Yet the government of Justin Trudeau has brought
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Bill C-27: A Followup
In yesterday’s post, I discussed Linda McQauig’s article about the purpose of Bill C-27, the Trudeau- Morneau pension bill that would eviscerate Defined Benefit Plans for those working for the federal government and those industries that are federally regulated, including the obscenely profitable banking sector. In today’s Star, readers express
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Secret Handshake
In her column in today’s Star (which does not yet appear to be available online), Linda McQuaig points out the remarkable similarities between the government of Justin Trudeau and that of Stephen Harper when it comes to facilitating the erosion of defined benefit pension plans. She observes that as a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On Tax Fairness
Ed Broadbent recently wrote on the need for real tax reform, calling for an end to the various favours our government bestows on the ultra rich. His thesis was compelling: Tax avoidance and evasion by the rich ultimately undermines democracy: it starves social programs and public services, increases after tax
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Pro Forma Response
While Justin Trudeau will undoubtedly be praised by some for his polite reaction to these activists, his perfunctory response tells all you need to know about the disparity between his usual soaring rhetoric and his increasingly disappointing environmental inaction. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked a pair of environmental protesters for
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Canadians React To The Paradise Papers
If you aren’t yet outraged over recent revelations, check your pulse to make sure you are still amongst the living. Happily, signs of life are plentiful among Toronto Star readers: Liberal Party fundraisers held family millions in offshore trust, Nov. 6 Coverage of the Paradise Papers’ celebrity tax evaders has
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Point Is
In her latest iPolitics article, Kady O’Maley offers the view that the revelations of The Paradise Papers do not constitute a scandal for Justin Trudeau and his government. And while the Scheer-led Opposition is making every predictable effort to connect non-existent dots, few are suggesting that Trudeau had any personal
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Politics and its Discontents 2017-11-08 20:20:00
PM Justin Trudeau says he’s satisfied with Liberal fundraiser Stephen Bronfman’s explanation of his ties to offshore accounts, but Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer calls those remarks inappropriate. The Prime Minister is either tone deaf, intellectually challenged, or truly and inextricably linked to the values represented by the world of the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Paradise Papers
The prospect of real tax reform in Canada just got a lot dimmer. Today’s release of the Paradise Papers suggests why. CBC News is reporting this about Justin Trudeau’s chief fundraiser, Stephen Bronfman: In the early summer of 2015, Justin Trudeau was the star attraction at a private fundraiser in
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Dear Justin
Stand.earth, formerly Forest Ethics, has this message for Justin Trudeau. You can help spread the message by clicking here. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Guest Post: A Response To Flying Blind
Yesterday’s post dealt with the announcement that a degree of self-regulation is to be conferred on the airline industry by the Trudeau government. Given the fraught history of self-regulation in this country, it is alarming news. BM, a frequent commentator, offered an analysis of the situation as well as an
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Flying Blind
Many will recall that during the Harper era, our country moved toward greater self-regulation in various industries, often with disastrous results. From tainted meat to railway disasters, the lesson is clear: leaving safety up to the corporate sector, whose prime directive is to maximize profit for their shareholders, is a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Seeing With Clear Vision
H/t Toronto Star Those who believe analysis must trump hyper-partisanship will enjoy this backgrounder provided in today’s Star as part of its transparency series. The piece makes the point that The Star is guided by the progressive Atkinson principles and has endorsed in the 12 federal elections between 1968 and
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