Following up on these earlier posts, here’s a quick look at the last of the messages Bob Hepburn thinks the NDP may face from the Cons in particular as the election campaign progresses. 2) Tax-and-spend image: NDP loyalists consider this issue as “trite,” but already Harper is hammering away at
Continue readingTag: oil industry
Accidental Deliberations: On incomplete assessments
Yes, there’s plenty of reason to be outraged by the fact that the National Energy Board is delaying its review of the Trans-Mountain pipeline expansion – and perhaps setting the review back significantly – so a lobbyist for the project can take over as a board member. But it’s worth
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On campaign divisions
If it wasn’t obvious already, the last decade of resource politics in Canada should offer us a reminder that the immediate development of resources without meaningful consideration of externalities and risks is all too often a default position. But if there’s anything that can shatter the consensus of developing resources
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on this post as to how we should be criticizing the politicians who are wilfully misleading the public about the future of Canada’s oil industry – and not the ones who are willing to keep living in reality once a campaign is on. And if Stephen Harper comes
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – David Cay Johnston observes that the U.S.’ extreme inequality goes far beyond money alone. And Jesse Myerson notes that a basic income can be supported based on principles held across the political spectrum, while making the case as to how it should
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Juxtaposition
ZOMG A CANDIDATE SAID UNFETTERED TARSANDS EXTRACTION WON’T GO ON FOREVER!!!! HERESY AGAINST OUR PETROLEUM OVERLORDS!!! THAT PARTY IS DOOMED!!! DOOMED I SEZ!!! Also, pay no attention to this guy: Justin Trudeau: The reason environmental groups in Canada and across the United States are so concerned about Canadian oil is
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading. – Frank Pasquale and Siva Vainhyanathan write that we shouldn’t mistake schemes intended to get around employee standards and other laws for innovations worth celebrating or embracing: Uber has confronted admittedly stifling restrictions on taxi driver licenses in France by launching a service called
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Jerry Dias discusses how the Cons have pushed Canada into an avoidable recession by slashing useful funding in order to send out pre-election baubles: How far has Canada’s economic star fallen? Only recently Prime Minister Stephen Harper boasted that Canada’s economy was “the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Christopher Majka reviews Henry Mintzberg’s Rebalancing Society as a noteworthy discussion of the need for balance between the public, private and “plural” sectors. And David Madland is pleased to see the U.S.’ Democrats finally fighting back against the view that the corporate
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Matthew Brown and Matt Volz report on the latest oil train derailment in North Dakota. Justin Giovannetti discusses how fracking is leading to regular earthquakes in previously-stable parts of Alberta – which looks doubly dangerous given the presence of pipelines in the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Before the fall
Shorter Brad Wall: The whole concept of “From many peoples, strength” doesn’t do much for me. But “From many dinosaur remains, climate devastation”, now that gets me – and any right-thinking Westerner – all tingly with pride.
Continue readingI know you have to say that stuff, Rachel, but still ….
At a recent speech to international investors in Calgary, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley described the tar sands as “a tremendous asset” and an “international showpiece.” Hearing my premier and the leader of my party describe the tar sands as a tremendous asset makes me cringe. They are indeed an international
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Thomas Lemieux and W. Craig Riddell examine Canada’s income distribution and find that one’s place in the 1% is based primarily on rent-seeking rather than merit: (I)n Canada, as in the United States, executives and others working in the financial and business
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – David Dayen explains how fiscal policy intended to ensure growth for everybody is instead sending all of its benefits to the top end of the income scale – and thus failing to ensure any growth at all: (L)et’s examine how central banks try
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On end dates
There’s no doubt that Stephen Harper characteristically did everything in his power to put off any meaningful international action on climate change. But it’s worth noting that his procrastination only resulted in a more definitive statement from the G7 as to where the global economy is ultimately headed: Mindful of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Heather Stewart writes about the OECD’s study showing the connection between increasingly precarious work and worsening inequality. – Tara Deschamps reports on a few of the challenges facing poor Torontonians, while Sara Mojtehedzadeh and Laurie Monsebraaten cover the United Way’s report card
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Time for some adult supervision
The latest Con dodge on greenhouse gas emission regulations for the oil and gas industry is to say that they’ll promise to deal with a few collateral activities, just as long as actual production continues to receive a free pass: Aglukkaq also announced new rules to reduce methane emissions from
Continue readingPolitical Eh-conomy: Podcast: What’s next for Alberta?
https://politicalehconomy.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/podcast150515-alberta-election.mp3 This episode focuses on what else but the recent Alberta provincial election that saw the social democratic NDP sweep into power after 44 consecutive years of Conservative rule. To gain some perspective on this rather remarkable result in Canada’s oil and gas heartland and see what lies ahead for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Branko Milanovic discusses how rent theory fits into the glaring gap between productivity and wages: Bob Solow explored a couple of days ago another possibility. Going back to his own initial work on the theory of growth, some 60 years ago, Solow
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Lynne Fernandez properly labels the Cons’ federal budget as the “inequality budget”. Andrew Jackson discusses how we’ve ended up in a new Gilded Age in Canada, and what we can do to extricate ourselves from it. And BC BookLook reviews Andrew MacLeod’s new
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