The Dizzying Death Spiral of All Things Bitumen
There’ll be no new mega-mine in the Athabasca Tar Sands. Teck Resources will not be proceeding with the Frontier mine project that was supposed to produce 260,000 barrels of bitumen…
2020
Things are shitty. But for Trudeau, they’re shittier.
Don't be snotty. And: no I don't. He did do well post-election. His dithering now, however – on barricades, coronavirus, 57 Canadians killed by Iran – has changed all that.…
What ever happened to dental therapy in Canada?
It might surprise many that one in three Canadians lacks dental insurance while nearly one-fifth of Canadians avoid the dentist each year due to financial constraints. Mainstream though is, if…
The Frontier Dilemma
There are some people in certain professions I’ve always had some empathy for, and one of those is sports reporters. The reason for that empathy is pretty simple and straightforward;…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Anand Giridharadas writes that with Bernie Sanders in position to win the Democratic nomination for president, the U.S.’ election will answer the question…
Who Is Mistreating Whom?
Now that Teck has withdrawn its application for an oilsands mine in northern Alberta, Jason Kenney will be spitting fire and brimestone, blaming Ottawa for what he sees as a…
Teck Halts Work on Tarsands Proposal
Canada is waking up to the reality of the climate crisis, those ringing the alarms includes a diverse group from the Wet’suwet’en Nation to Greenpeace. Now a large fossil fuel…
It’s Barnum and Bailey Time.
It’s pandemic, it’s frightening, it’s Barnum and Bailey Time. The circus has come to rescue politics from crushing boredom. In America, in Canada and around the world, the clowns, the…
On the need for politics #nlpoli
Politics the art of pursuing common interests through …active listening, advocacy, public persuasion, compromise and negotiation. Bob Rae William Ford Coaker,the father of the Commission The people from Newfoundland and…
WePivot Is Back!
It’s been a healthy hiatus. Over 3 years ago, after over 1,000 blog pieces since just after 9/11, I evolved Politics, Re-Spun into WePivot.net. I wrote about why. A couple…
Is the Conservative Opposition a national government in waiting or a separatist bloc? Andrew Scheer must decide
Who said, “At time of global economic instability, Canada’s government must stand unequivocally for keeping the country together”? I won’t tease you. It was Stephen Harper, on Dec. 3, 2008.…
Teck Resources Walks on Frontier Mine
Even the oil patch is crying “uncle” on the Athabasca Tar Sands. Teck Resources has pulled its application to develop a mammoth open pit bitumen mine, the Frontier mine project.…
Episode 49: Radical Sabbatical. Climate justice and Alberta politics with Chris Gusen
Is Alberta ready to face the challenges of climate change? Climate activist and communicator Chris Gusen joins Dave Cournoyer to discuss Alberta politics, climate justice, and a Green New Deal…
In Praise of Protest
One thing the Wet’suet’en protests have done is to make people take a side. That can be quite instructive as people, perhaps uncomfortable with their choice, go to some lengths…
Papa Troll
This guy was almost PM. Stockwell Day wasn't enough of a scare to dissuade Con voters from wasting a decade with Harper. What fresh hell awaits following Scheer?#cdnpoli https://t.co/JMembtaJG6 —…
Neither Cure nor Prevention, but Sheer Punishment
A protester against Eurovision 2019 being held in Israel. Photo by Corinna Kern/Reuters. Anti-Semitism is a grave matter; its mere utterance conjures unspeakable horrors – atrocities typically tied to the…
Just Sayin, Justin
Conservatives and their Liberal alter-egos like to point out that more than half of the Canadian public don’t approve of the Wet’suwet’en resistance. A recent poll, however, suggests about 39…
Juan Guaidó left out in the cold at Gatineau Lima Group meeting
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne speaks during the closing news conference at the Lima Group Ministerial meetings in Gatineau, February 20. Photo by Adrian Wyld. For the first time…
Neoliberalism’s Sharp Elbows
In 2004, American intellectual, Henry Giroux, wrote “The Terror of Neoliberalism: Authoritarianism and the Eclipse of Democracy.” The following review from Amazon seems to capture the gist of Giroux’ warning:…