Policy ← Progressive Bloggers // Blogues progressistes

The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Tying A Few Things Together

Apr

15

2018

I have written a few posts recently which criticize quite strongly the recent spate of conservative “we must cut everything” hysteria over Alberta’s budget: On Alberta’s Budget 2018 On Government Finances and Debt About Hospitals and Ian Brodie All of these posts revolve around the basic theme of how ridiculous a narrow focus on money ...

Writings of J. Todd Ring: Free Trade, CETA, TPP, and the US and Canadian Federal Elections: Some Critical Perspective

Sep

29

2015

The following is critical to understand – for the people of Canada, the US, Europe and the world: “free trade” deals such those already signed (NAFTA), and those being pushed through with great secrecy now (CETA, TTIP and TPP), are agreements which grant supra-national powers to transnational corporations, powers over and above democratically elected governments, ...

The Tory Pirate - Politics & Policy: Pirate Party Platform Spotlight (Part 4):Supporting Local Representation

Aug

24

2015

A common complaint that the electorate has year-after-year is that MPs do not represent them. As party discipline hastightened into a stranglehold it has, in effect, made it impossible for MPs to represent their constituents’ views inParliament. The Pirate Party rejects this model of how a party should be run. Fundamentally we see a political ...

The Tory Pirate - Politics & Policy: Pirate Party Platform Spotlight (Part 3): Fairness For Independents

Aug

21

2015

Every election people across Canada seek to be elected as independents. Independents face a number of hurdles notshared by their party-nominated cousins. Obviously, they do not benefit from party brand management and national advertising. Perhaps more unfair is the requirement that all money raised by independent candidates be forfeited toElections Canada after the election, forcing ...

The Tory Pirate - Politics & Policy: Pirate Party Platform Spotlight (Part 2): Mincome

Aug

20

2015

Poverty is an ongoing and tragic failure of Canadian governance. It has been an issue for so long that it is suspected themajor parties no longer believe they can truly solve the issue. The Pirate Party of Canada does not embrace such uglydefeatism. But what is the solution? It obviously isn’t the current host of ...

The Tory Pirate - Politics & Policy: Pirate Party Platform Spotlight (Part 1): Intellectual Property Reform

Aug

19

2015

Welcome to the Pirate Party Platform Spotlight where I explain a selected planksfrom the party’s 2015 election platform (since I highly doubt the media will). Ok, letsget this over with. What’s with the attitude? Well, the Pirate Party of Canada is hopelessly typecast. Ifpeople are aware of the Pirate Party they already know it opposes intellectual propertylaw ...

Things Are Good: Urban Living Cheaper, More Sustainable Than Suburban

Apr

7

2015

Years of car-focused suburban designs have unleashed problems in the 21st century that we will have to deal with and accommodate. The years of the suburbs are coming to an end and it can’t be soon enough. With every passing years more and more municipalities discover that urban design is the better choice. The above ...

The Right-Wing Observer: Tory Misuse of Holocaust is Offensive

Mar

10

2015

The carefully orchestrated Conservative Campaign of Confusion continued today as the Harper Tories repeatedly exploited and misused one of the world’s most baggage-laden words. The Tory Word of the Day on March 3, 2015 was “HOLOCAUST”. No fewer than two Tory ministers today grievously used this word in an attempt to increase public acceptance of Bill C-51, the ...

OpenMedia.ca: Shaw is trying to force indie Internet providers to artificially raise prices for Canadians

Jan

8

2015

10418983_10152770578749759_4936705458735744107_n.png New move blocks Canadians from affordable Internet alternatives, in attempt to force independent providers to raise prices in line with Shaw’s recent steep price hike January 8, 2015 – Reports indicate that Shaw is attempting to abuse their control of key Internet infrastructure to artificially increase Internet prices for Canadians. Teksavvy CEO Marc Gaudrault ...

OpenMedia.ca: OpenMedia delivers letter from 48 leading organizations calling for full text of TPP to be released to enable public debate

Dec

12

2014

This week, our own Free Expression Campaigner Meghan Sali travelled to Washington, D.C., to hand-deliver an exciting new letter organized by our friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and 47 other civil society organizations calling on TPP negotiators to release the text of the Trans Pacific Partnership. The letter represents a large and diverse group ...

The Sir Robert Bond Papers: Let’s talk about pol-i-cy. #nlpoli

Dec

8

2014

Some people are making issue lately out of the fact that – supposedly – the Liberals have not released any policies. The Liberals will be government soon and no one knows what they plan to do. There are two types of people talking like that. One are partisans, mostly Conservative, but with a few New ...

The Liberal Scarf: CBC article on Ontario budget mentions my youth voter registration policy

Jul

14

2014

Yes, this is shameless self-promotion on my part, but hey, my Mom thought it was cool: “The Liberals also plan to revamp the Grade 10 Civics curriculum to get students more involved in their communities and introduce voter registration in high schools.”

The Liberal Scarf: CBC article on Ontario budget mentions my youth voter registration policy

Jul

14

2014

Yes, this is shameless self-promotion on my part, but hey, my Mom thought it was cool: “The Liberals also plan to revamp the Grade 10 Civics curriculum to get students more involved in their communities and introduce voter registration in high schools.”

The Liberal Scarf: CBC article on Ontario budget mentions my youth voter registration policy

Jul

14

2014

Yes, this is shameless self-promotion on my part, but hey, my Mom thought it was cool: “The Liberals also plan to revamp the Grade 10 Civics curriculum to get students more involved in their communities and introduce voter registration in high schools.”

The Canadian Progressive: Inside Vancouver’s Sanctuary City Movement (VIDEO)

Jul

14

2014

In Vancouver, human rights groups and immigration advocates are fighting to make the city a “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants. The post Inside Vancouver’s Sanctuary City Movement (VIDEO) appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.

OpenMedia.ca: It’s Big Telecom vs. YOU

Jul

14

2014

The thing we love the most about the Internet is that it’s a level playing field for free expression, economic opportunity, and innovation. But Big Telecom can’t stand this – and now they’re trying to squeeze more money from Internet users by destroying the free and open Internet that people everywhere built together. These telecom ...

OpenMedia.ca: Here’s what I told key MPs about their Online Spying Bill C-13

Jun

3

2014

Our Steve Anderson was on Parliament Hill in Ottawa this morning. He testified to key MPs on the Justice and Human Rights Committee about the privacy implications of Bill C-13, the government’s online spying bill. Steve crowdsourced his testimony from Canadians across the country – and thanks to all of you who helped shape what ...

The Right-Wing Observer: Harper’s Conservatives already have enough evidence

May

26

2014

Harper’s Conservatives don’t need you telling them how incompetent or wasteful they are. They don’t need to know those things and they certainly don’t need anyone telling their faithful – dare I say, blind – voters either. They already know. They have enough evidence. Due in part to laws that Harper’s Conservatives passed as part ...

The Liberal Scarf: My policy on improving civic education makes the Ontario Liberal Party platform!

May

25

2014

Readers of this space will remember my policy on youth voter registration that was passed as a priority policy at the Ontario Young Liberals Summer Fling last year. The policy was also debated on Common Ground platform building discussion site where it became one of the top ranked policies in the education section. Today, I am ...

The Liberal Scarf: My policy on improving civic education makes the Ontario Liberal Party platform!

May

25

2014

Readers of this space will remember my policy on youth voter registration that was passed as a priority policy at the Ontario Young Liberals Summer Fling last year. The policy was also debated on Common Ground platform building discussion site where it became one of the top ranked policies in the education section. Today, I am ...

The Liberal Scarf: My policy on improving civic education makes the Ontario Liberal Party platform!

May

25

2014

Readers of this space will remember my policy on youth voter registration that was passed as a priority policy at the Ontario Young Liberals Summer Fling last year. The policy was also debated on Common Ground platform building discussion site where it became one of the top ranked policies in the education section. Today, I am ...

Melissa Fong: @VisionVancouver #AffordableHousing Forum Event Summary #vanRE #vanpoli #vanhousing

May

13

2014

LiveTweet Summary of Vision Vancouver’s Affordable Housing event. Check @internationalmf’s hashtags: #vanRE #vanpoli for more. I will do more analysis on the Vision Vancouver event, but just some general highlights and […]

Art Threat: Should artists be able to pay taxes with artwork?

Apr

11

2014

As income tax filing deadlines approach across North America, many Mexican artists will be counting canvases instead of pay stubs. In Mexico, a country that has lost over $870 billion to tax evasion and money laundering, hundreds of artists aren’t required to pay a dime in tax. Instead, they pay the government with artwork. For ...

Alberta Diary: Alison Redford and the misogyny defence: does it really hold any water?

Mar

27

2014

Former Alberta Premier Alison Redford in happier times, as we remember her on the eve of her selection as PC Party leader in the fall of 2011. The suggestion former Alberta Premier Alison Redford was treated differently, and was presumably fired by her party more peremptorily, because she is a woman is generating considerable heat ...

The Right-Wing Observer: Can we protect our Democracy from unscrupulous Democratic Reform?

Mar

22

2014

When a person or an organization observes an opportunity for profit or gain and are then confronted with laws that make it illegal to proceed, they usually have to make a choice between two or three vastly different courses of action: Break the law and attempt to escape detection, capture and punishment; Decide that the ...