Rick Mercer has made a habit of producing videos with major politicians. Skinny dipping with Liberal Leader Bob Rae, A Slumber party with PM Harper and now zip lining with NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair in picturesque Petty Harbour-Newfoundland.
Continue readingTag: Newfoundland and Labrador
The Progressive Economics Forum: No Vale on the Plains?
I had the following comments in yesterday’s front-page story on Vale’s decision to postpone its proposed $3-billion potash mine at Kronau, Saskatchewan: Regina economist Erin Weir, who is widely expected to run for the leadership of the provincial NDP, said in a statement Friday that the Vale announcement “represents a
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Canada’s Self-Imposed Crisis in Post-Secondary Education
On June 7, I gave a keynote address to the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees Education Sector Conference. My PowerPoint presentation (with full references) can be found at this link. Points I raised in the address include the following: -Canada’s economy has been growing quite steadily over the past three
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Debating Boyd on Resource Royalties
Saskatchewan’s Minister of Energy and Resources replied to my op-ed and letter on Dutch disease and resource royalties. On Friday, he was promoted to Minister of Everything. Columnist Murray Mandryk wrote, “Given the amount of power Bill Boyd now has in his super-economy portfolio, he may be one fluffy Persian
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Discussing Quebec Student Protests on Talk Radio
Last Friday, I blogged here about the Quebec student protests. Subsequently, I was invited to appear on 580 CFRA News Talk Radio, with hosts Rob Snow and Lowell Green. I should note that Mr. Green is the author of several books, including: -How the Granola Crunching, Tree Hugging Thug Huggers
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Rex Murphy’s Naive Take on the Quebec Student Protests
On CBC’s The National last night, Rex Murphy weighed in on Quebec’s student protests; the transcript can be found here, and the three-minute video here. He calls the protests “short sighted,” points out that Quebec already has the lowest tuition fees in Canada, and suggests the students’ actions are “crude attempts
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: The Affordability of Post-Secondary Education
Carleton University’s Ted Jackson teaches a graduate seminar course on post-secondary education in Carleton’s School of Public Policy and Administration. Earlier this month, I was invited to give a guest presentation to Professor Jackson’s class. I focused the presentation on affordability challenges faced by students wanting to pursue post-secondary education.
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Newfoundland and Labrador Takes On the Bullies
I must admit that I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. Maybe it’s because when I was a boy I lived by the sea. On a coastline dotted with small fishing villages that were once so busy and then so still.
Continue readingBetter late than never
I’m grateful that it has finally happened, but it is worth asking why it has taken journalists, university professors and the Leader of the NDP (or any other members of the House of Assembly) so long to come around to a very basic concept that some of us have been
Continue readingProfit, wage, NDP, and tax revenue growth in Newfoundland and Labrador
Although I covered it off in my rebuttal to the Minister of Finance Thomas Marshall in the last post I thought maybe a graphic would be a more compelling way to illustrate what has been going on in Newfoundland and … Continue reading →
Continue readingA without prejudice rejoinder to the Minister of Finance
On Wednesday of last week the Minister of Finance for Newfoundland and Labrador Thomas Marshall was interviewed by CBC Central Morning about a report I did for the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL). In one respect, the fact ……
Continue readingMeanwhile, next door…
Despite Premier Kathy Dunderdale’s best wishes to quash all legislative debate and public discussion of the development of the Lower Churchill, there will be a Standing Committee Meeting tasked specifically with examination of the project.Members of th…
Continue readingMath – a partial antidote to hyperbole
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour is trumpeting a report on wealth sharing, authored by Laval Political Economist Travis William Fast. (Which I would like to read and would happily link to if anyone can provide a .url or .pdf)According…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- No, it’s no huge surprise that the Cons are planning to launch systematic attacks against labour as the next step after making it clear they’ll treat any strike or lockout as both illegitimate and entirely the f…
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: PSE in Newfoundland and Labrador
Last March, Keith Dunne and I wrote an opinion piece on Danny Williams’ post-secondary education (PSE) legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador. Among other things, we pointed out that average undergraduate tuition fees (for domestic students) in Newfoundland and Labrador are $2,624/yr., compared with $5,138 for Canada as a whole and $6,307 in Ontario. With a provincial election slated to take […]
Continue reading"…and the more you can become the face of government…"
James MacLeod’s weekend piece on a day-in-the-life of a typical backbench MHA is a pretty good read.It probably isn’t much of an eye-opener to folks who view their Member’s role in the same manner as Tom Osborne, Kevin Hutchings or Marshall Dean (the t…
Continue readingVeracity from Vermont
You can follow this link to CBC Radio’s Radio Noon interview with Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, talking about the proposed Lower Churchill hydro development at Muskrat Falls, and discussion around the project at a recent meeting of New England Govern…
Continue readingDisconnected from Connecticut
Tuesday’s papers will undoubtedly be picking up on this CP story in which the topic of discussion flowing from the New England Governors and Eastern Premiers was the delay in exporting long promised Canadian hydroelectric power to the Eastern seaboard …
Continue readingNew Dawn II
Is nobody curious about this?From a column in today’s Telegram by Michael Johansen (emphasis added):The details of the New Dawn pact were finally released and, although they confused many voters before the referendum, leading to a situation described a…
Continue readingJune (un)employment numbers
This is quite something. 7400 fewer Newfoundlanders and Labradorians working this month compared to last. More info here.Graphic source: Statistics Canada
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