Vancouver Humane Society gives CBC Stampede coverage a thumbs down
Only 26 days to the Calgary Stampede. Yee-haw! This is our premier event of the year—the greatest outdoor show on Earth. Mostly it’s great fun for Calgarians and visitors alike:…
June 2015
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – The World Bank’s latest World Development Report discusses how readily-avoidable scarcity in severely limit individual development. Melissa Kearney and Philip Levine write…
Kudos to John Tory (twice)
He has reversed his previous position, and thereby done the right thing: John Tory to call for full stop to carding, citing ‘eroded public trust’ Toronto’s mayor tells the Star…
truth and reconciliation, past and present: why this matters to all of us
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has just completed its week-long closing event in Ottawa. The Commission was part of the historic settlement between the Canadian Government and the…
Inappropriate Trial Judge Interventions
R v Crawford, 2015 ABCA 175: The Trial Judge’s Interventions The appellant alleges that the trial judge’s numerous interruptions rendered the trial unfair. He has provided a catalogue of illustrations…
On Measuring Well
In Plato’s Protagoras, Socrates and Protagoras argue over the language Protagoras uses to explain what happens when, as he describes it, pleasure overtakes reason and people make horrible choices. Socrates…
Upset Them at Your Peril
Professor Edward Schlosser wrote an interesting piece in Vox about, in part, the power his students have to call the shots these days. I can attest that it’s at best,…
Uncomfortable thought (or 2) on Harper’s stand-offish attitude to Truth and Reconciliation Report
Some of you may have read this at Rabble the other day, about a theory Karl Nerenberg has as to why Harper seems to not support the report of the…
Addressing the United Nations – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
Addressing the United Nations was one of the more intimidating experiences of my life. I spoke on behalf of GOPAC’s global alliance of parliamentarians, on our work to bring kleptocrats…
Addressing the United Nations – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
Addressing the United Nations was one of the more intimidating experiences of my life. I spoke on behalf of GOPAC’s global alliance of parliamentarians, on our work to bring kleptocrats…
Q2 2015 Poll Speculation #nlpoli
Corporate Research Associates boss Don Mills has done a good job of teasing the results of his latest poll, due Monday. “Significant” change in voter intentions, Mills tweeted on Friday…
Connecting The Dots?
Here in Ontario, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s decision to sell off 60% of Hydro One, the very profitable public utility that generated a pre-tax income of $803 million in 2013, is…
Hedges On Bill C-51
http://peakmoment.tv/ Back in March, Chris Hedges planned to address a demonstration on Bill C-51. However, his plane was delayed getting into Toronto, so the crowd never heard what he had…
Atheist Spirituality?
Andre Comte-Sponville’s elegantly-written book, The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality, has occupied much of my thoughts and reading time these past few weeks as I try to grapple with his…
Election changes need all-party support.
Announcing proposed changes in Ontario election statutes last week, Premier Kathleen Wynne gave the credit for instigating change to Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer. If she now moves the changes through…
The Latest Senate Scandal and Stephen Harper’s Horrible Image Problem
As you know Stephen Harper has a terrible image problem. His numbers are tanking, his personal popularity is about as low as it has ever been.He can't call himself a…
Harper History, Part 6A – Con Majority – Election Fraud
Spring 2011 & Subsequent Fallout This article in my series that attempt to detail the contempt that Harper and his cohorts have for Canadian Democracy will not only cover the…
Stephen Harper’s Great Desperate and Shameless European Tour
He may not be looking his best, and it was a grim scene on Air Harper last night, as Great Leader and the First Lady left Ukraine and headed for…
Bill C-51—a chance for the Senate to redeem itself
In the words of Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, the Senate was created as a place of “sober second thought.” In the eyes of most Canadians today,…
Video: Manitoba government urged to recognize the genocide and help heal the trauma
Winnipeg, June, 5, 2015: At the Manitoba Legislative Building, Maeengan Linklater answers journalists’ questions about his proposed Manitoba Indian Residential Schools Genocide and Reconciliation Memorial Day Act. Photo: Paul S.…