With a federal election taking place in Canada on September 20, the NDP has released its platform, which includes important housing-related measures. I’ve written a ‘top 10’ overview of the housing components of the platform. My overview is available here: https://nickfalvo.ca/ten-things-to-know-about-the-federal-ndps-housing-platform/.
Continue readingTag: party politics
Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Brooks Fallis highlights why a strategy limited to vaccines won’t stop a fourth wave of COVID-19. The CP reports on the call by doctors (and others) to have the UCP reverse its declaration of surrender to the pandemic, while David Cournoyer points
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Nora Loreto points out the thousands of deaths known to have been caused by the spread of COVID-19 in Canadian hospitals – and the virtual certainty that the numbers available to date represent a significant undercount. Allan Massie discusses the spread of COVID-19
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Canada: Ten things to know about the federal role in housing policy
I’ve written a 750-word overview of the federal role in housing policy. The English-language version is here: https://nickfalvo.ca/canada-ten-things-to-know-about-the-federal-role-in-housing-policy/ The French-language version is here: https://nickfalvo.ca/canada-dix-faits-saillants-sur-le-role-du-federal-en-matiere-de-politique-du-logement/
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On unconventional circumstances
Like 2,000+ other members across the country, I’ve been participating in the NDP’s convention over the course of the weekend. And with one day in the books, I’ll take note of a few of the differences between this and traditional in-person conventions – as well as the effects they’ve had
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On plausible alternatives
One of the perennial frustrations in following federal politics is the tendency of media coverage to default toward a Lib-Con duopoly. That pattern typically manifests itself when polling data and other circumstances create an obvious opening for an alternative, and is particularly striking when one of those parties is still
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Nazeem Muhajarine discusses the importance of a response to the coronavirus which recognizes how a virus can change course and pose new threats. But Scott Schmidt notes that Alberta – like Saskatchewan and Ontario – is insistent on staying the course even
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Kate Aronoff writes about the need for a functional and representative democracy to ensure that public demand for climate action is actually represented in policy decisions. And Seth Klein rightly proposes that the NDP (or Bloc) should take the opportunity in a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Luke Savage weighs in on the false promise of tax giveaways to the rich as an economic strategy for anybody else. – Nichole Dusyk argues that it’s past time to bridge the gap between Canada’s climate change promises and our actual policies.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On asymmetrical warfare
In the wake of this week’s U.S. elections – featuring a closer-than-expected contest for the presidency, and down-ballot results which look to disappointingly leave substantial power in Republican hands – there’s been an outpouring of commentary criticizing the money that was put into campaigns which ultimately lost. If there’s a
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Jack Goldstone and Peter Turchin offer an introduction to what they anticipate will be the Turbulent Twenties, while noting the need for the U.S. to develop a new social contract to shift from its current path. – Meanwhile, Hadley Freeman rightly challenges the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On obstructionism
I’ll give Yaroslav Baran credit for explaining in this thread how Parliament’s standard procedures have been modified over the summer. But it’s hard to see how that offers any justification for the Cons’ contrived outrage over Parliament being “shut down”. In essence, the process boils down to two elements. First,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the attempt at a hostile takeover of the U.S.’ political system – and the need for Saskatchewan to update its campaign finance rules to avoid the same fate. For further reading…– Libby Watson wrote about the decline of the U.S.’ public financing system once candidates decided they could
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Carson Hammond and Rob Rousseau each make the case that Canada needs a left movement for change comparable to the wave of U.S. activism propelling Bernie Sanders toward a presidential nomination. – Brigid Delaney argues that we need to stop settling for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Simon Holmes a Court challenges the argument that any country or industry can opt out of being part of the response to our climate crisis. And Emily Holden comments on the oil industry’s control over public discussions about climate change, while Christopher Knaus
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Scott Gilmore writes about the glaring need for Canada’s politicians to show more capacity for shame – through it’s worth noting both a global pattern to the same effect, and the dangers of trying to draw “both-sides” equivalency (as Gilmore does) in
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Trudeau’s proposed speculation tax
I’ve written a blog post about the Trudeau Liberals’ recently-proposed speculation tax on residential real estate owned by non-resident, non-Canadians. The full blog post can be accessed here.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Bottom lines and shifting goalposts
I noted last night that there’s no validity to complaints about the NDP ruling out support for a Con government. But if anybody wants to point out which party’s stance on supporting anybody else as a possible government does seem problematic, there’s yet more odd spin coming from the Greens:
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On clear positions
What should have been considered an entirely uncontroversial bit of news – that, like his predecessors, Jagmeet Singh has publicly stated that he’s not interested in putting a Con government in power – has instead given rise to a truly impressive display of projection and selective amnesia. So let’s set
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how right-wing provincial governments across Canada are deliberately denying benefits to their constituents solely to try to avoid any credit going to the federal level in advance of this fall’s election. For further reading…– Murray Mandryk, Sarath Peiris and plenty of letter writers have already pointed out the
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