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…
Bill Longstaff
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…
Too long to live in fear
Seventy years ago, on August 6, 1945, the United States unleashed the most massive terror attack in history when it dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. At least 75,000…
Linda McCuaig does us all a big favour
Last week the NDP candidate for Toronto Centre, Linda McQuaig, stirred the tar sands pot, telling a CBC panel discussion that for Canada to meet its climate change targets, “a…
Are we reaching a critical mass on climate change?
Convincing people that anthropogenic climate change is real is a tough slog. Quite aside from the difficulty of selling inconvenient truths, powerful interests have been arrayed against the science. Nonetheless,…
Health Canada—another Conservative mouthpiece?
The Conservatives have started early on their advertising campaign for the upcoming election. We are, for example, being told ad nauseam that Justin Trudeau isn’t ready. With their large war…
Going to jail for words
One morning in early June, Aaron Driver was walking to his bus stop in Winnipeg’s Charleswood neighbourhood when a white, unmarked van pulled up, armed men got out, forced him…
I know you have to say that stuff, Rachel, but still ….
At a recent speech to international investors in Calgary, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley described the tar sands as “a tremendous asset” and an “international showpiece.” Hearing my premier and the…
Calgary’s CTrain—embracing green
Fortunately, while our federal government remains a persistent laggard on global warming, the provinces and cities are stepping up. Calgary is no exception. In 2012, the city committed to meeting…
Why Britain is culpable for the slaughter of its citizens
British Prime Minister David Cameron is enraged at the massacre on a beach at the Sousse resort in Tunisia last week. And well he should be: thirty of his countrymen…
"Canada has an American president …"
For the occasion of Canada Day, CBC News, aided by the International Council for Canadian Studies, surveyed 7,000 or so academics outside Canada who teach courses about our country. They…
The Pope, the Prime Minister and Naomi Klein
Pope Francis has made it very clear that he is profoundly concerned about what we are doing to life on our planet. He has particularly made it clear to Canadians.…
Oaths, niqabs, and respecting the rules
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander made a curious statement recently when being asked about the government’s proposed Bill C-75 which states that a person taking the oath of citizenship must “swear…
For black Americans, 239 years of terrorism
The United States is obsessed with terrorism these days. In a Pew Research survey, Americans ranked defending the U.S. against terrorism as the top policy priority for their federal government,…
Mr. Trudeau brings more good news on the democracy front
This is shaping up to be a good week for democracy. The new Alberta government’s banning of political donations by corporations and unions has been followed with a surprising and…