Contempt, Period
Tim Naumetz reported yesterday in The Hill Times, that the Conservatives plan to shut down the parliamentary investigation into the purchase of F35 fighter jets: The government is set to…
Owen Gray
Wither The Peacable Kingdom?
When asked to describe his vision of the new Dominion of Canada, John A. MacDonald famously quoted Isaiah: The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down…
Race In The Race
Frank Bruni writes in this morning’s New York Times, that race is still at the center of the American presidential contest: Although race represents a less central dynamic for Obama…
Calvinist Hypocrisy
Nothing betrays the Calvinist-Social Credit roots of the present government more than this week’s Employment Insurance “reforms.” Tom Walkom writes: Behind this week’s changes to Canada’s Employment Insurance system lie…
Tail Gunner Steve
The Conservatives have now revealed their game plan for fighting seven attempts to overturn results from last May’s election. There is a conspiracy afoot, they say. In a 750 page…
The Sun King And His Chief Courtier
Michael Harris writes that the Sun King is now ensconced on the shores of the Ottawa River. There he sits — amid his munificence, surrounded by sycophants, who are eager…
It’s Time For The Courts To Take A Stand
In the wake of Justice Thomas Lederer’s decision last week to overturn the election results in Etobicoke Centre, the Conservatives have filed documents to declare challenges to seven other elections…
Who Creates Jobs
Yesterday, my son sent me a copy of this TED lecture. It features Nick Hanauer, an American venture capitalist, and is less than six minutes long. Hanauer did not turn…
The Flaw in Conservative Free Trade
Jim Stanford writes this morning that, as soon as the Harper government won a majority, it began dashing around the world signing free trade deals. But free trade alone does…
The Summer Of Discontent
The Charest government’s passage of Bill 78 was supposed to return order to Montreal’s streets. But last night, the Globe and Mail reports, The scenes in Montreal unfolded during a…
The Precedent Has Been Set
Yesterday, Ontario Superior Court judge Thomas Lederer overturned the election results in Etobicoke Centre because the number of votes he set aside exceeded the margin of victory for Conservative candidate,…
The Triumph Of The Sociopaths
Jeffrey Simpson writes that the Harper government should rename the Correctional Service of Canada. He suggests that it now be called Punishment Canada: Just when you think this government’s criminal…
The People They Don’t See
When Stephen Harper appears on an international stage these days, he likes to toot his own horn. Canada, he says, is the best of the best. But, yesterday, Olivier de…
Repeating History
Tom Walkom writes this morning that the world economy is on the brink. As in 1931, international austerity has brought us to the tipping point: Then, as now, the watchword…
It’s The Oil, Stupid
The Harper government’s budget is all about oil. The changes in environmental assessment and employment insurance are all about goosing Canada’s petroleum exports. As an economist, Stephen Harper supposedly learned…
The Defining Battle
At some point in the future, historians will note that Bill C-38 — the Harper government’s four hundred and twenty page page Budget Implementation Bill — marked the beginning of…
Lessons From Europe
Tony Burman offers some important insights into the current situation in Europe. He suggests that there are similarities between 1912 and 2012: No inkling yet of the Great Wars to…
Peter Mackay’s Math
We’re again dealing with the problem of Peter Mackay’s math. Yesterday, the Department of National Defence revealed that the “instrumental costs” of the mission to Libya were $106 million. Postmedia…
Auditors? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Auditors!
In the wake of the F35 boondoggle, The Globe and Mail reports this morning that the office of the Auditor General is cutting staff: The Auditor-General’s office is cutting 10…
About That Foreign Money
Peter Kent has accused environmental organizations of “laundering” foreign money, implying that they are enemies of the state. But, according to the Canada Revenue Agency, the organizations which receive the…