Political and Rhetorical Privilege
“It’s perfectly possible for a man to lead a comfortable, indeed enviable life by any objective standard, yet be consumed with bitterness driven by status anxiety.” Dr. Paul Krugman in…
Rural
Our Unsung Hero.
Now that much of the initial commentary on the US – Canada – Mexico trade deal has run its course and the usual right wing suspects continue to nit pick…
Municipal Government Vulnerability
Lost among the back-and-forth political battles between Ford and Toronto city council is that municipalities are not constitutionally protected as sovereign levels of government in Canada. As a federal state,…
Majority not enough for Ford.
The PCs are moving to change the legislature’s rules of procedure, formally called the standing orders. These rules control such things as when bills can be introduced, when opposition parties…
An Abuse of Power
Last Sunday an open letter signed by about 400 Ontario legal professionals was sent to Attorney General Caroline Mulroney asking that she not support the use of the Constitution’s notwithstanding…
Fordocracy in Action
“Democracy is going every four years to elect a government…without worrying about your mandate being overturned,” said Mr. Ford. No Mr Premier that’s Fordocracy or if you prefer Dougocracy our…
About That Gravy Train…
Bob Reynolds was named as a new chair of the negotiating team, as the Ford government looks to smooth relations between the government and Ontario doctors. Reynolds takes over for…
Another Ford Short Circuit.
Ontario’s government has launched an online portal for parents to report teachers who they believe aren’t following the current curriculum. Teachers who use the previous Liberal government’s sex education curriculum…
Democracy Versus Populism
“One of the oldest rubs against democracy is that ordinary people aren’t up to the job. And the friends of populism aren’t helping the cause. They’re lining up to throw…
Democracy Under Ford (#2)
I struggled with finding a suitable title for this article which it seems may well be the start of a series of observations regarding the high-handedness of the new Ontario…
Democracy Under Ford?
This blog was started back in 2009 to highlight what I and my then blogging partner viewed as the declining respect for democracy by the then recently elected federal leader…
I’m Tired……
I’m tired of the impossible promises that Doug Fraud keeps spouting, many issued before his newly elected MPs (blindly Con supporters?) had a chance to have any say in the…
Google Blooger Comment Problem
Folks using or replying to posts on Google Blogger should be aware that at least some users are not getting notification of replies to their posts if they have moderation…
New Report on the State of our Democracy.
The Samara Centre for Democracy interviewed 54 former MPs from the last Parliament about their experience in Ottawa and found many of them questioning the very purpose of being an…
Tough Choices……
In my final post before Rob Fraud becomes his self appointed gods gift to all of Ontario ……. or will those of us who see through his blather actually gather…
Voting A B C
I’m voting ABC ….. Any But Conservative ! Whilst I have nothing against our local conservative MPP and actually liked our previous MPP of the same persuasion, one Bill Murdoch…
Promises, promises, promises…
With the Ontario election period rapidly approaching the major political partys are busy trying to buy your votes with your own money (or actually promises to spend it by putting…
Weeding the Garden
“You have to tend to this garden of democracy, otherwise things can fall apart fairly quickly. And we’ve seen societies where that happens,” Former president Barack Obama And we have…
An Exelent Compromise…..
British Columbia premier, John Horgan, has an eminently reasonable solution to Justin Trudeau’s and Rachel Notley’s pipeline fetish – refine that cruddy bitumen here and sell it on the Canadian…
Sen. John McCain Eulogized
“He was a great man,” “We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness.” “The real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice…