Miscellaneous material for your weekend reading. – Trish Hennessy points out that Rob Ford’s contemptuous attack on the idea of secure employment may offer an ideal contrast between the right-wing view of the economy and the stability citizens actually want for themselves: Remember when holding down a job for life
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Accidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 15, 2011
Much of Tuesday, November 15 was spent discussing C-13, the Cons’ budget implementation bill. And with a giant and scattered omnibus bill came a Commons debate to match. The Big Issue The main topic of debate on the Cons’ budget was once again their series of tax credits, with the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Frances Russell criticizes the Cons’ latest attempts to stifle parliamentary accountability. And the Citizen can only scoff at Tony Clement’s claim to be an advocate for open government: What matters is whether government makes information available. The statistics from access-to-information requests suggest
Continue readingLarry Hubich's Blog: Inside Job, Narrated by Matt Damon (Full Length HD)
Inside Job, Narrated by Matt Damon (Full Length HD) on Vimeo. “‘Inside Job’ provides a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your afternoon reading. – Dan Leger worries about the consequences of the Cons’ faith-based government: Despite the big majority and many years left in its mandate, the government seems to operate in a constant state of fear and insecurity. How else to explain the attempts to closet
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Mia Rabson comments on the dangers of eliminating any public debate over Canada’s future direction – as the Cons are trying to do: This is one of the most important committees in Parliament. It looks at all government operations and examines spending estimates
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – No, there’s no doubt that the Harper Cons’ position on greenhouse gas emissions has been both amoral in its disregard for climate change, and ill-founded in its pretence that Alberta’s failing “intensity” targets will do anything positive. Which makes it all the more
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – pogge points out the Cons’ suppression of news that a lack of running water on First Nations reserves facilitated the spread of H1N1 – offering a case in point as to both how neglect of social needs can carry widespread ramifications, and how
Continue readingImpolitical: There’s open government & then there’s not so open government
So Tony Clement was on the Twitter this late afternoon, having his picture taken while at the keyboard, tweeting on the #opengovchat stream during a Treasury Board Secretariat sponsored chat on open government. Open government to the datafiles has a specific meaning, where the objective is to enable open access
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On logical choices
One might read Kady’s report on the Cons’ efforts to move all committee business in camera – making many of the key actions of our elected representatives completely inaccessible to the public – and ask whether it wouldn’t be easier to simply duct-tape the mouths of all MPs other than
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Dan Leger comments on the combination of secrecy and control exerted by Stephen Harper over the entire federal government. And the “Harper Government” re-branding exercise – now confirmed by reams of direct evidence yet still somehow denied by the Cons – serves
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Charlie Angus’ concerns about the Cons’ Albany Club schmoozing nicely parallel my take on the entire lobbying apparatus they’ve built up: Mr. Angus said the Albany Club reception is an example of the kind of informal lobbying, through cozy relationships, that has grown
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Frances Russell laments Stephen Harper’s determination to replace democracy with court rule: Pierre Trudeau started it. Stephen Harper is finishing it off. The “it” is the effective demise of parliamentary democracy and the installation of “court government” ruled by an all-powerful prime minister
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament In Review: October 20, 2011
The main topic of debate on Thursday, October 20 was the Canadian Wheat Board – with extensive discussion in Parliament of both the Cons’ steps to shut down debate, and the substance of what should happen with the Wheat Board.The Big IssueThe passage o…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Andrew Coyne asks some disturbing questions as to how the federal government is becoming less and less accountable:In other countries, executive power is subject to various checks and balances. Who or …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament In Review: October 6, 2011
On a personal note, October 6 saw the first question period that I’ll be able to blog about after seeing in person – as well as the first time I’ve heard of question period leading with an event I’ve attended. But the more important development was the…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- David Climenhaga responds to the Cons’ union-bashing in the guise of accountability by pointing out who actually exerts disproportionate influence under a cloak of secrecy:(M)aybe the bright light of a freshly c…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Frances Russell comments on how the Cons’ war mentality is leading them to shut down any inconvenient opposition using unprecedented procedural tricks:Prime Minister Stephen Harper won his coveted majo…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week.- Both Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page and Interim Auditor General John Wiersema are rightly ripping the Cons for their complete unwillingness to be honest about how they’re wasting public money. But then, the …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament In Review: September 28, 2011
Wednesday’s Day in Review comes a day later than usual. But I’ll plan to stick to the new schedule for future editions, as the anchors which nicely point to interventions from the current day seem to have a habit of disappearing later. The Big IssueOnc…
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