MMSampling.jpg This is a guest post by Mark Mattson, President of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Republished with permission from Waterkeeper, original post here. I remember the first time I sat around a kitchen table in a rural community giving environmental law advice. I was speaking with a farmer who was
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The Equivocator: 5 Questions: Adam Exton
Adam Exton does communications for the Barrie Young Liberals. If you don’t like Adam Exton I’d like you to leave this blog, turn off your computer, and find a quite place to reevaluate your life. The Barrie Young Liberals should serve as a model to young liberals across the country.
Continue readingWomen in politics: the “squeeze” factor
As any student of Canadian politics knows, Ellen Fairclough was Canada’s first female cabinet minister, appointed by Diefenbaker in 1957 and serving until her defeat as MP for Hamilton West in 1963. I have mixed feelings about Fairclough’s politics: she did good work on the immigration file, but she was
Continue readingThe Equivocator: 5 Questions: Paulina O’Neill
I met Paulina O’Neill while canvassing for Grant Gordon in Toronto-Danforth (though I have been receiving e-mails from her for the past year on the UofT Young Liberals listserv.) She was a delight to canvass with and I am proud to support her for the position of Communications Director for
Continue readingThe Equivocator: “Pennies 4 Katimavik” Launches Today!
Pennies 4 Katimavik (a campaign spearheaded by Bismah Haq) is officially launching today in Ottawa at 2:30pm (click here for the facebook event.) When I heard about this campaign I was very excited. Axing the program was one of the Harper government’s most maliciously-arbitrary decisions in the 2012 budget. I
Continue readingcmkl: Myself, I’m downgrading Moody’s
That’s right internets. I’m rating them ‘negative’. I am earnestly and sincerely advising my friends family and blog readers to not buy their shares, not apply for jobs there and not buy anything from their bond rating stuff store. (I wonder what it would sell – little currency stuffy toys?).
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 readingDriving The Porcelain Bus: Federal NDP On The Rise In Vote-Rich Ontario
ThreeHundredEight.com: Massive NDP leads in Quebec, Ontario competitive: Two federal polls conducted recently in Quebec by Forum Research and CROP indicate that the New Democrats have not only taken the lead, th… The Federal NDP are doing well in Quebec and improving in Ontario. The big story here is not
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: Ontario Budget Consensus : Ontario Wins, Ontario’s Conservatives Lose
If you’re from Ontario, you have to agree that all the political discussions taking place to prevent an election are a welcome relief. The deal of course reached between the Ontario Liberals and New Democrats is to include a surtax on those in Ontario earning more than $500,000 per year.
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: McGuinty Budget Would Cut Over 100,000 Jobs
Last week, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union released an interesting report by the Centre for Spatial Economics on the economic impact of proposed provincial budget cuts. It provides a timely reminder that the public sector is a crucial component of the economy, with public spending also supporting many private-sector jobs.
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Neil Reynolds’ Fuzzy Tax Math
If you need help with your tax return, don’t ask Neil Reynolds. His latest attack on the New Democrat proposal to collect modestly more tax from Ontario’s super-rich stated that “the province’s highest marginal rate on personal income would rise, federal and provincial rates combined, from 46.4 per cent to 49.4
Continue readingcmkl: Oh now there you go, Dalton. That wasn’t so hard was it?
You’re almost there, premier McGuinty. Just a few more items and we’ll have something to be proud of. Something that runs counter to the current of nastiness emanating from the PMO.
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Deflating the Monetary Hawks
Canada’s business press has recently been filled with speculation that the Bank of Canada may soon hike interest rates based on its somewhat more optimistic economic outlook. But today’s Consumer Price Index report indicates that there is no need to raise interest rates. Statistics Canada reported that both headline and
Continue readingThe Equivocator: 5 Questions: Parker Mackay
I first met Parker shortly after the 2011 federal election (specifically on May 17th when we attended the “Liberal Renewal Dinner” in Toronto hosted by the Edward Blake Society.) Parker and I had a great conversation about our Liberalism and we made plans to start-up a Whitby-Oshawa Young Liberals (which
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Taxing Ontario’s Richest
Ontario’s NDP was out today with a Robin Hood proposal to collect more provincial tax from personal incomes in excess of half a million dollars. The approximately $570 million of additional revenue would increase the Ontario Disability Support Plan, protect childcare spaces and remove provincial HST from home heating. UBC
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Ontario to Mine for More Revenue
Last week’s provincial budget promised a mining sector review “to ensure Ontario receives fair compensation for its non-renewable resources,” a proposal advanced by this blog and the United Steelworkers before appearing as a Drummond recommendation. The relevant budget section begins with the following observation: “Ontario has the highest value of
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Anti-Gay Protest In Ontario
A crowd of about 200 appeared in Queen’s Park, Ontario yesterday, protesting provincial legislation that will help eliminate anti-gay bullying in schools. This rally also marked the unveiling of some brand new terminology to be used by the anti-gay lobby, as a spokesperson began referring to Gay-Straight Alliances as “homosexual
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Lockouts Almost Derail GDP Growth
Statistics Canada reported today that economic growth dropped to a bare 0.1% in January. The New Year began with Rio Tinto locking out former Alcan employees at Alma, Quebec, and Caterpillar locking out former Electro Motive employees at London, Ontario. Closing these major facilities contributed to cutting growth in durable-goods
Continue readingThe cost of Conservative Government Getting Out of Healthcare: An Election
The Quebec Minister of Finance today warned that the Conservative government would lose an election if they didn’t recommit to their fair share of healthcare costs, citing Prime Minister Pearson’s commitment to 50/50 sharing of a National Healthcare program. There is going to be another federal election…We have time to
Continue readingcmkl: Gee wilikers but if you call that a balanced approach to defict reduction
I suspect you have a hard time standing upright. The McGuinty government released its budget and just so that they could put “everyone will feel some pain” in their talking points they put some of their planned cuts to the corporate tax rate on hold for a bit.
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