As you know, I believe that the decision by Andrew Scheer's Cons to take their campaign against the Khadr settlement to the U.S. on the eve of the NAFTA talks, can only be described as treason.So I'm glad to see that even some in the Con media agree.Conservatives are entitled
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Politics and its Discontents: Open And Transparent, Eh, Justin?
While no one would argue that the government should conduct an open-house on their impending NAFTA renegotiation, the cone of silence that has characterized Mr. Trudeau’s approach to the talks is disquieting, especially given his pre-election promises to conduct an open and transparent administration. The Liberal-dominated House of Commons trade
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Mike Konczal responds to a pathetic attempt to drain the word “neoliberal” of all meaning (which seems to have won favour with Canadian Libs desperately trying to disassociate themselves from their own governing ideology) by discussing its application in both the political and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Tom Parkin writes that the economic boost provided by an expanded child benefit offers another indication of how action to fight poverty ultimately helps everybody. And Dylan Matthews discusses how much more could be done through a well-designed basic income – while
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Unwarranted Gloom and Doom: The IMF on Canada and NAFTA
To read the media today, one would think that NAFTA is a keystone of Canadian prosperity and that renegotiation could lead to a national economic disaster. That view has already been rebutted in a report by Scott Sinclair for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He finds that a reversion
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Kate Aronoff writes that in addition to being a political loser, corporate-friendly centrism is extremely dangerous in allowing for far less than the effort we should be putting into fighting climate change. And Tess Riley reports on new research that only a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Darlene O’Leary sets out the results from public consultations for a national anti-poverty strategy. And Dennis Howlett writes that our tax system could (and should) be set up to build a far more fair and supportive society. – Meanwhile, Ryan Cooper makes
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Alan Freeman discusses the real costs of ideologically-driven deregulation: The idea that “the market” will root out bad actors in any industry and that regulations are just a hindrance to economic vitality is a dangerous concept. Companies, like individuals, will do what they
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Josh Bivens notes that U.S. corporations are already paying a lower share of taxes than has historically been the case – meaning that there’s no air of reality to the claim that handing them more money will produce any positive economic results.
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: NAFTA and Labour Rights
I recently spoke at the Standing Committee on International Trade on their study “Priorities of Canadian Stakeholders having an interest in Bilateral and Trilateral trade in North America, between Canada, United States and Mexico”. I share my notes with you here, although I did ad-lib a bit in the actual
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Scott Sinclair writes that there’s no reason for any party to NAFTA to see itself as being stuck with the existing agreement (or worse), while also mentioning a few ways to substantially improve the rules governing North American trade: Canada should call Trump’s
Continue readingThings Are Good: Respecting Human Rights When Negotiating Trade Deals
money Donald Trump ran a campaign that championed the need to renegotiate the North American Free trade Agreement (NAFTA) to better help Americans. Trump’s erratic behaviour means we won’t know if NAFTA will ever be renegotiated, however the need to talk about trade in a new lens is needed (of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Clive Hamilton discusses the accelerating calamity of climate change which we’re allowing to happen: Our best scientists tell us insistently that a calamity is unfolding, that the life-support systems of the Earth are being damaged in ways that threaten our survival. Yet in
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Plan B: Tell Trump to Get Stuffed.
Watching a Canadian cabinet minister being interviewed on the weekend was almost painful. Despite the goading of the interviewer, he refused to say exactly what he thought of the stance by American President Trump on North American trade. Like most Canadians, he would probably like to have the opportunity to
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 15: O’Leary out; the return of softwood lumber
Just as Conservatives across the country were about to begin voting for their next leader, one of the front runners threw a wrench into the works. Kevin O’Leary, the bombastic TV star (sort of a hairless, much smarter Donald Trump), pulled out of the race, causing a collective jaw drop
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Donald Trump has a plan?
Heard any good conspiracy theories today? It is amazing how many pundits are writing about Trump’s real plans for world-wide dictatorship. They see Trump’s actions in the White House as part of a scheme. They think it is designed to keep outsiders confused. But it should be obvious to everybody
Continue readingThe Political Road Map: Trump’s Hardwood on Trade
Yesterday, it was announced that a 24% tariff would be applied to Canadian softwood lumber entering the United States. You may recognize the term softwood lumber, as it has been mentioned various times in the media throughout the years, in fact, this topic goes back to the 1980’s, where tariffs
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Is Justin the adult in the school yard?
Has Prime Minister Trudeau been getting advice from psychologists on how to handle a bully? It is certainly to his credit that he is keeping his cool. Donald Trump continues to lob his ignorant taunts over the longest undefended border in the world and Canada’s prime minister just says, “We
Continue readingThe Political Road Map: Angry Trump and NAFTA-GATE
We knew this was coming for a while now. Selfies, smiles and handshakes aside, we all knew that the time would arrive that saw Donald Trump targeting Canada, for something outrageous and emotionally inspired. Yesterday was that day, as Donald Trump held a new conference to directly name Canada, as
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Stephen Harper says “big multilateral trade deals are dead”
If you can believe it, former prime minister Stephen Harper wants you to know that the future of mega multilateral trade deals such as the doomed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is uncertain. The post Stephen Harper says “big multilateral trade deals are dead” appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
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