PR—an essential first step
Our brand spanking new Liberal government has promised us electoral reform. Specifically, it is “committed to ensuring that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting…
Bill Longstaff
The NDP—back to social democracy
Rather like the British Labour Party under Tony Blair, the NDP made a play for the political centre. The Liberals, led by the dangerous to underestimate Justin Trudeau, have now…
Sunny ways and other thoughts on the election
The Dark Age is over. The wicked witch of Calgary is gone. And Justin Trudeau has promised he will lead according to Sir Wilfred Laurier’s “sunny way.” Guided by the…
We’re on the international stage—for our bigotry
The latest issue of Press Progress includes an article commenting on the attention the Prime Minister’s divisive anti-Muslim politicking is getting around the globe. For instance, The Economist carries the…
A minority progressive government would be the best result of the election
I wouldn’t dare to be so bold as to play the prophet and predict the shape of the government that will result from Monday’s federal election. Polls and electorates are…
Americans support Keystone, Canadians not so much
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline revealed some intriguing, and perhaps counterintuitive, results. According to the survey a majority of Americans solidly support…
What are Canadian values, of what value are they, and who decides?
Prime Minister Harper, the “old stock” Canadian, recently made the odd remark, “I will never tell my young daughter that a woman should cover her face because she is a…
Albertans support stronger climate change policies
A recent survey by EKOS Research Associates commissioned by the Pembina Institute reveals that Albertans’ attitudes about energy and climate change are more progressive than many think. For example, 50…
Niqab nonsense—much ado about nothing
I am no fan of the niqab. Hell, I’m no fan of religion. But if a Moslem woman wants to wear a niqab at a citizenship ceremony for religious reasons,…
Stephen Harper’s sad little world of fear
I have tended to think of Stephen Harper’s efforts to instill fear in Canadians as largely demagoguery. Governments creating a climate of fear to rally their people around them when…
NDP attacks Trudeau—Harper grins
As I was about to mail another donation to the NDP earlier this week, I encountered the following headline on the CBC website: “NDP sets sights on Trudeau in bid…
Enough of this low tax nonsense
If conservatives believe in low taxes in order to keep government small, so be it, but when they insist that low taxes are necessary for a healthy economy, they are…
Why this Dipper is voting Liberal in Calgary Centre
Liberals have been screwing Calgary for a long time. When one hears this, one’s thoughts immediately turn to Trudeau senior and his National Energy Program. But it started long before…
Saints and slackers on the refugee front
The Canadian government has come under considerable criticism for its sluggish reaction to the Syrian refugee crisis, and deservedly so. As I pointed out in a previous post, this is…
Vote CBC
The CBC, our national broadcaster, is usually justified on the basis of two fundamentally important services it provides: it serves as stage for Canadian culture and it unites a broad,…
How many refugees should we accept?
Joseph Stalin once said that if you kill one person it’s murder, if you kill a million it’s a statistic. The old psychopath, who knew a lot about killing one…
Ms. Harper supports the NDP position on marijuana
Speaking at a Conservative campaign office last week, Laureen Harper, the prime minister’s better half, declared that when it comes to marijuana possession, “You don’t put people in jail.” On…
Ceci forced to slap Harper’s wrist
In the midst of this tiresomely long election campaign, Stephen Harper appears to find attacking his NDP and Liberal opponents isn’t enough to occupy his time. He has decided to…
The NDP stumbles over Palestinian political correctness
Morgan Wheeldon, NDP candidate for Kings-Hants, Nova Scotia, has been pressured into resigning over comments he made on Facebook. The comments, now deleted, included “One could argue that Israel’s intention…