A brief statement by Energy Minister Sonya Savage yesterday says Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government intends to use a legacy provision of the now-kaput North American Free Trade Agreement to recover the government’s “investment” in the cancelled Keystone XL Pipeline project. The minister’s statement – heavy with nearly incomprehensible business-bureaucratic
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Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Bruce Arthur examines what the spread of the Omicron COVID variant figures to mean for Ontario. Rachel Emmanuel reports on the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s recommendation that all Canadian adults receive COVID booster shots. Alex Putterman examines how the need is
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Michael Smart compares Canada’s fiscal response to the COVID crisis to the reaction to previous recessions – finding that benefits for people are being cut back to normal levels in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, while corporate profits continue to soar. And
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Anand Giridharadas writes that with Bernie Sanders in position to win the Democratic nomination for president, the U.S.’ election will answer the question of whether the country belongs to billionaires or to everybody else. – Emily Bazelon discusses how the Trump administration’s choice
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This and that for your Sunday reading. – Heesu Lee reports on Greenpeace’s estimate that air pollution costs the world nearly $3 trillion every year. And Damien Cave writes that this year’s wildfires have permanently changed Australia as people knew it. – Meanwhile, Alice Bell warns against trusting oil barons
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Andrew Jackson highlights how the Libs’ signature tax baubles are accomplishing little while costing significantly more than projected. And Karen Stewart joins the ranks of the wealthy looking to pay more of their fair share in taxes – emphasizing in particular the
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Assorted content to end your week. – Paul Krugman writes that the most frightening aspect of the U.S. Republicans is the party’s commitment to climate destruction for political gain: My sense is that right-wingers believe, probably correctly, that there’s a sort of halo effect surrounding any form of public action.
Continue readingWarren Kinsella: When something becomes A Thing
And the NATO “hot microphone” thing has indeed turned into A Thing. My regular readers didn’t care what I had to say about it, either: Conservative followers and friends were incensed. Still smarting from the election result, they pounced on Justin Trudeau’s unguarded remarks. It was shocking, they claimed, that
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Another week in the Annals of Diplomacy: in stormy times, half a loaf is better than none
From the sublime to the ridiculous, it would appear, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will do anything to keep Donald Trump sweet. Consider the dissimilar cases of Meng Wanzhou and Stephanie Clifford. The first we won’t allow to leave Canada, the second we won’t allow to visit. Both, obviously, because
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Justin Fisher laments the fact that we’re still talking about first steps toward combating a climate crisis after decades of understanding the problem. Jake Woodier points out that Brexit has been the UK’s recent distraction from the most important issue facing humanity. And
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Justin Trudeau has gone from counterweight to lapdog in dealing with the Trump administration. For further reading…– Teresa Wright reported on the crackdown on refugees in the Libs’ omnibus budget bill. And Karl Nerenberg called out Trudeau’s pandering to anti-refugee prejudice. – Kelly Crowe reports on Canada’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – CBC examines the obscene corporate subsidies doled out by Canadian governments – with Alberta ranking as the worst offender even as it also takes in less revenue than other provinces. And Jeff Gray reports on the growing gap between Doug Ford’s budget promises
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – The Star’s editorial board rightly criticizes Doug Ford for his propensity to announce massive cuts first, then begrudgingly acknowledge their unconscionable consequences later. Linda White, Elizabeth Dhuey, Michal Perlman and Petr Varmuza note that Ford’s cuts to child care will be particularly
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Justin Trudeau and the Great Trump Tariff War
Justin Trudeau hasn't had much to celebrate recently. The economy may be booming, the unemployment rate is better than it has been for 40 years.But the Schmearmongering Cons and their stooge media have given him no credit, preferring to concentrate on one fake scandal after the other.And the toxic Trudeau haters are forever
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: SNC Lavalin, Site C Dam And A Continental Water Sharing Scheme Raise More Questions
Originally published by the Georgia Straight COMMENTARY Wendy Holm: Connecting the dots—SNC Lavalin, the Site C Dam, and continental water-sharing by Wendy Holm Back in the day, as school kids, we studied Read more…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Ploy Achakulwisat writes about the health emergencies emanating from an ongoing climate breakdown. And Andy Kroll points out that even in the U.S., a concerted effort of corporate spinmeisters and anti-environment politicians hasn’t been able to override the public’s concern about climate change.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: American capitalism betrays us.
Since 1908, when Sam McLauglin started building auto bodies in Oshawa for William Durant’s Buicks, Canada has been part of what became General Motors. Through good times and bad times, in World Wars and in boom times Canadians have supported GM. Today, we stand betrayed. The relationship was always a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Brexit Redux: Looking back at Jason Kenney’s strange comments when the U.K. shot itself in both feet
Back in June 2016, hours after Britons had narrowly voted to leave the European Union, a lot of Albertans scratched their heads at Jason Kenney’s bizarre Brexit commentary on social media. At the time, Mr. Kenney was still drawing a paycheque as the Conservative MP for Calgary Midnapore. He was
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Andrew Scheer’s Disgusting Return To Parliament
If the failing Andrew Scheer wasn't such a wonky nerd, he would have known that he should have taken a couple of days off to recover from his trip to India.Especially one that had so many people laughing at him.Instead he couldn't wait to rush back to Question Period to attack
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Andrew Scheer’s New and Desperate NAFTA Scam
Well, Andrew Scheer's Great Scam Tour of India is finally over, and I think it's safe to say it was a total bust.The idea was to make Scheer look "prime ministerial" by NOT wearing Indian garb, like Justin Trudeau did when he was in India.And making a virtue out of
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