by Chanda Chevannes | Troy Media Last week I attended the Toronto theatrical premiere of Herman’s House, a thought-provoking documentary written and directed by Angad Singh Bhalla. This Canadian film tells the story of an artistic collaboration between Jackie Sumell and Herman Wallace. Sumell is a multidisciplinary artist from New York.
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Canadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: Christian priest rebukes Harper Gvt for nuking non-Christian prison chaplains
A Canadian Christian priest has condemned the Harper Conservative government for its “bigoted decision” to cancel the contracts of non-Christian chaplains at federal prisons. Father Malcolm French, a priest with the Anglican Church of Canada, says the decision is an “assault on religious freedom.” On Thursday, the CBC News reported
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Michelle Ervin discusses Ed Broadbent’s ideas to start closing Canada’s yawning income gap: Broadbent outlined four broad prescriptions for bridging this gap, and ultimately, for creating a fairer society: investing in good jobs, strengthening income supports, increasing access to public services and reforming
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: Statistics Canada: Crime rate reached its lowest level in 40 years in 2011
The evidence on the crime rate in Canada is out! Statistics Canada reported yesterday that rate of crimes reported to Canadian police forces across the country reached its lowest level last year. The incidents of serious crimes also dropped. By six per cent. That’s for most offences, including attempted murders,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Barbara Yaffe discusses Thomas Mulcair’s strong start in winning over B.C. voters. And Martin Regg Cohn notes that Stephen Harper is starting to face some real (and needed) pressure from Darrell Dexter and other premiers to start actually talking to the provinces,
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: What Republican Texas Said About Harper’s Crime Bill C-10
In this video, the CBC News reported from Texas where even tough-on-crime Republicans told Canada not to follow America’s failed path of mandatory sentences and massive prison expansion, which cost them billions and drove crime rates up. The report warned about the consequences of this un-Canadian and vindictive criminal justice
Continue readingCANADIAN PROGRESSIVE WORLD: Harper’s Crime Bill C-10: Breaking Down The Cost
The Harper government’s flagship tough on crime omnibus legislation will cost Canadian taxpayers at least $15-billion to implement. Bill C-10 is a suite of crime legislation that will radically stir the Canadian justice system away from the preventive and restorative measures which have proven to be more humane, effective and
Continue readingCalgaryLiberal: Conrad Black: Our Warren Buffet?
Freed from the US prison system Conrad Black is challenging Harper, Canada, and Americans on their failed policies. Particularly around prison reform. A businessman with good arguing skills, the chops to take on a government or two, and with the skills to spread his knowledge, Conrad Black may very well
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review – April 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 24 saw a day of debate focused on a relatively non-contentious piece of legislation: a citizen’s arrest bill which largely reflected Olivia Chow’s work after charges were laid against David Chen of the Lucky Moose. The Big Issue When it came to the substance of the bill, there
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading. – Joan Bryden reports on the Cons’ latest abuses of majority government power, this time in allocating and shuffling around the few opposition days already available in Parliament for their own purposes. But it’s worth noting the difference between the responses of the affected
Continue readingWould 42 months in prison make Harper a better Prime Minister?
I assure you that the title of this post is purely tongue-in-cheek. Heaven forbid I would want to see Stephen Harper behind bars. Nonetheless, another prominent conservative just spent 42 months in the slammer and he emerged a better man with a better sense of what prison can and cannot
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – In an excerpt from the Occupy Handbook, Paul Krugman and Robin Wells discuss how a right-wing obsession with exacerbating inequality led to the U.S.’ disastrous response to the 2008 crash: How did America become a nation that could not rise to the biggest
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Zimbabwean Senator Suggests “Sex Gadgets” To Curb Homosexuality
A Zimbabwean senator has recommended cutting back on prisoners’ food budget and providing “sex gadgets” instead as a strategy to reduce homosexuality from spreading throughout the country. Speaking before a parliamentary committee this month, Ms. Sithembile Mlotshwa explained her, uh, logic: “Considering that some of the same-sex orientation—homosexuality—come from prisons
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 8, 2011
Thursday, December 8 saw debate on four separate bills – though once again, the Harper Cons were most conspicuous by their silence on a bill they were in the process of ramming through Parliament. The Big Issue That would be the Senate patch job which was being debated at second
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: December 1, 2011
In the midst of a week of acrimonious debate over both the substance of the Cons’ dumb-on-crime legislation and the government’s procedural maneuvers to prevent even improvements which it recognized as necessary, December 1 served as a comparative beacon of cooperation (as noted specifically by Don Davies). The Big Issue
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 3, 2011
Thursday, November 3 saw another day devoted largely to the Cons’ seat reallocation bill and associated motion to shut down debate. But perhaps more important was a stark set of contrasts on the economy which the Cons now seem to be trying to undo. The Big Issue Peter Julian and
Continue readingLeDaro: Stephen Harper’s concept of education
Build more prisons. He must have heard that prisons are universities for criminals. If young people with minor insurrection are imprisoned for fair length of time they learn from the hardened criminals how to commit more crimes. Punishment and vindicti…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Martin Patriquin offers up the definitive response to the pearl-clutching over Nycole Turmel’s Bloc membership (italics in original, bold added):(H)ere’s the wee nuance that seems lost on the rest of…
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: Crime rate falls to lowest level since 1973
Inspired by this story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/07/21/crime-rates.html
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