An Open Letter to Premier Jim Prentice on Gay-Straight Alliances
Dear Premier Prentice; I graduated from high school in Alberta ten years ago, and I am gay. I like to think there are more interesting things about me, but these…
Matthew Naylor
Provincial Cooperation reveals Federal Leadership Vaccum
It’s been a long time Now I’m Coming back home I’ve been away now… Well, it’s been a while, again. I realized that I have been blogging, in my long…
To Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty, one of Canada’s longest serving Ministers of Finance, passed away today after a massive heart attack. He resigned just a month ago, being replaced by Joe Oliver. He…
The Quebec Election, Realignment, and Polling Skepticism
Quebec goes to the polls today. The question I always have when thinking about the Quebec election is whether or not the province is going to be able to break…
Politician Marriages and Silly Scandals
This is probably not going to be the most popular of positions to take, so I want to make clear that I am stating this position independently of any employment…
Voter Suppression in Quebec
During the first half of the 20th century, any American in the South who wished to register to vote would have to come before the Board of Registrars. They would…
Nate Silver, the Senate, and Hypocrisy
For the last midterm elections, I had the very good fortune of being in Washington DC, for the Rally to Restore Sanity. After looking at the American thoughtscape over the…
Of poems, poppies, and Presidents…
Another Remembrance Day has come and gone, and hundreds of thousands of people gather at cenotaphs and memorials across the country to hear the well-worn words of “In Flanders Fields”…
Marc Garneau: “This isn’t working”
I received a message* from Marc Garneau yesterday about his proposals to reform the party and the democratic processes thereof. It was headed “This isn’t working”, which I thought was…
When I do it, it won’t be my fault
Adrian Dix recently said that if he raises taxes on personal income in the event that he becomes Premier, it’s going to be Christy Clark and the BC Liberals’ fault.…
Martha Hall-Findlay for Leader
The Liberal Party of Canada, that venerable institution, is at a crossroads. It has to not only select a new leader, but also rebuild a shattered organization that leaves it…
Guns, Gun Control, and the Gays
I shot a handgun for the first time in my life earlier this month. I was visiting some friends in America for one of their birthdays, and as one of…
Don’t Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up
There has been a modicum of public outcry over the working of bill 37, the Animal Health Act, over whether people will be restricted from speaking publicly about threats to…
The Black Rod of British Columbia
I alluded to my excitement in a previous post, but today was the big day when the Legislative Assembly officially recieived it’s Black Rod. The new Usher of the Black…
As far as I can Throne ‘em…
I read in the Times Colonist today that the editorial board is rather miffed that the Premier is going to be announcing her agenda for the session via a radio…
An Open Letter on SOPA/PIPA to Minister Baird
Dear Minister Baird; I am writing to express my concerns over two pieces of legislation that are currently under consideration by the United States Congress, SOPA (H.R. 3261) and PIPA…
My Frustration with the NPA
I am, for the first time in my life, in the position of being a swing voter. I had been a politically committed individual before coming of age, so this…