Tuesday, November 29 saw debate at third reading on the Cons’ omnibus crime bill. And with even some Cons starting to recognize the desperate need for amendments, the government’s obstinate refusal to allow for any real consideration of the bill stood out all the more. The Big Issue At the
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Accidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 16, 2011
Wednesday, November 16 saw plenty of direct clash between the Cons and the NDP on an issue that’s been in the news again today. And lest there be any doubt, while the Cons have raised their level of inflammatory rhetoric, they’ve been less than convincing when it comes to anything
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: November 14, 2011
Monday, November 14 saw MPs return to the House of Commons from a week’s break. But if anybody thought the time away would lead to less contentious debate, the day instead saw one of the more fundamental debates we can expect to see out of our elected officials – with
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – If you’re only going to read one analytic take on the NDP leadership campaign, make it Alice’s – featuring this take on Thomas Mulcair’s strategy in cultivating later-ballot support: I’m fairly sure I was privy to the exchange between Paul Wells and “Mulcair
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Gerald Caplan documents the U.S. Republicans’ refusal to live in a reality-based society, while hinting that the same philosophy is no less present in the Harper Cons. – Meanwhile, Bruce Johnstone comments on this week’s Canadian Wheat Board ruling as an indication that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Barrie McKenna thoroughly debunks the claim that “financial literacy” alone is enough to put ordinary citizens on a level playing field with the financial industry: Looking to financial literacy to fill the void is like asking ordinary Canadians to be their own brain
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Compare and contrast
One Western premier has some perspective on what a provincial leader can expect to accomplish on the global stage: She regretted, but didn’t condemn, the Obama administration’s decision to delay approval of the mega-project until after 2013. And she displayed refreshing humility about her own power to change minds in
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your afternoon reading. – Paul Dechene is duly scathing in comparing the City of Regina’s tax giveaways to big business (which are of course added on top of hundreds of millions in provincial tax abatements) to its utter refusal to provide any benefits to non-profit organizations: Been
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.- Purple Library Guy nicely sums up how the financial industry has become completely detached from anything that could be considered useful in generating real economic growth:When you abstract something, i…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Evening Links
Assorted content for your evening reading.- Murray Dobbin nicely summarizes what the Cons are hoping to do in prioritizing big-money “philanthropy” over a functional state and civil society:Ideology is meaning in the service of power, and the Conservat…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament In Review: October 17, 2011
Monday, October 17 saw the Cons cut off debate on second reading of their budget bill. Not surprisingly, the day thus focused in large part on the economy – including some noteworthy pushback against the brand the Cons have spent hundreds of millions o…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Parliament In Review: October 5, 2011
After the previous day’s relatively non-partisan and specific focus, October 5 saw a return to broad debate on the economy – thanks to both a day of debate on the Cons’ budget bill and a number of queries in question period.The Big IssueUnder the econo…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Both the Star-Phoenix and CBC cover an important study from the Human Early Learning Partnership pointing out the difficulties facing today’s Saskatchewan families compared to the standard of living a …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your weekend reading.- Janet Bagnall discusses Canada’s steadily-growing income inequality:In the last 20 years, the income of 80 per cent of Americans has stagnated while that of the richest one per cent has nearly doubled. …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Burning question
Sure, it’s been fairly obvious that the Harper Cons have spent their time in office asking the world to think less of Canada. But did anybody suspect them to have done so quite this literally?
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
– The Halifax Chronicle Herald pushes back against the Cons’ and Libs’ anti-Bloc witch-hunt:
For partisan reasons, involvement with the Bloc has become a game of political football. The Tories and Grits feel …
Accidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.- Armine Yalnizyan follows up on the Conference Board of Canada’s recognition that growing inequality is a serious problem for Canada by noting the similar observations around the globe:There is a growing awarene…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your midweek reading.- The Star skewers the Cons’ insistence on pushing ahead with bad budget choices:As the Star argued during the election, Canada needs progressive economic vision in the form of strategic investments in sc…
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