Debunking Poilievre’s Freedom Myth
If you listen to Pierre Poilievre, the leading — and rightmost — candidate for the Conservative Party’s leadership, Canada is a dictatorship suffering under the thumb of the tyrant, Prime…
Canadian Politics
On the 40th anniversary of proclamation of the Constitution Act, Conservative distrust of the Charter still runs deep
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982 – including, importantly, our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The English-language version of…
What you didn’t know about the Liberal-NDP pharmacare plan
Despite the fanfare, the clause on pharmacare contained in the new Liberal-NDP agreement lacked in both detail and ambition. Photo by James Yarema/Unsplash. There is one true measure of the…
Blog Move is official as of April 7th.
As of tomorrow, this site will be no more. I thank all of those who helped me with this over the years. The new site will be at https://scottdiatribes.wordpress.com. You’ll…
A Potential Blog Move
Well.. its renewal time for the server that hosts my blog due on April 7, and at this point, with lack of blog activity (except what you see on my…
Liberal-NDP cooperation deal leaves many questions, and opportunities for progress
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. Photos courtesy Canadian Press. On Tuesday morning, it was announced the Liberal Party and the NDP had reached a supply and…
Hysterical Conservatives outdo themselves with ‘coalition’ histrionics, but Parliament is operating exactly as it should
Let it be conceded that the Conservative histrionics over yesterday’s confidence and supply agreement between the Liberals and the New Democrats in Parliament has far outdone the “spectacular national Conservative…
A Liberal-NDP confidence and supply deal takes shape? If so, brace yourself for a spectacular national Conservative tantrum!
If the deal the federal Liberals and New Democrats seem to have cooked up to keep the Trudeau Government in power until 2025 in return for national pharmacare and dental…
Capable former cabinet minister Danielle Larivee will again be NDP candidate in Lesser Slave Lake
The Alberta NDP made it official yesterday, announcing that Danielle Larivee will once again be the party’s candidate in the Lesser Slave Lake riding. As I said when I reported…
Jason Kenney offers a grab-bag of defences, some unusual, against five environmental groups’ defamation lawsuit
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has filed his statement of defence in response to a defamation lawsuit by five environmental organizations, offering a grab-bag of defences for the comments that sparked…
What’s with all this chatter about the Canadian Bill of Rights? The latest far-right talking point explained
There’s been a lot of chatter lately about the Diefenbaker-era Canadian Bill of Rights, especially on social media. While it doesn’t seem to have hit mainstream commentary in a big…
Russian vodka disappears from Alberta shelves – but what about Russian pipeline steel and AIMCo’s Russian investment fund?
On Sunday, Premier Jason Kenney announced the provincial government has directed the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis Commission to stop accepting Russian-made liquor products and to quit selling current stock…
PM Trudeau revokes national emergency declaration – Conservative hive mind’s message discipline immediately crumbles
Most of the day yesterday, the voices of Canada’s Conservative hive mind were screaming in unison for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to lift the emergency and lift it now. Some…
On the dangers of nationalism and national symbols
A Canadian flag is strapped to the grill of a semi-trailer truck during protests against COVID-19 measures in Ottawa, February 2022. Photo by GoToVan/Flickr. With the recent dispersal of the…
The Throne Speech: Short-term objectives, privatization, boondoggles, grudges, and attacks on public health care and education
In the Westminster Parliamentary system, the Throne Speech is supposed to set out the government’s direction, goals and policy for a new session of the legislature. The one read by…
Looks like Albertans will get their wish and become the focus of Canada’s attention – it may be an unpleasant experience for some
As the folk wisdom goes, be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. Albertans, who have a habit of complaining bitterly when they are not at the…
Hot takes: Putin outmanoeuvres the West; Trudeau outmanoeuvres the Opposition, and Alberta outmanoeuvres … shoes!
Well, this has been an interesting Alberta Family Day – and it’s not even over yet. In international politics, Russia recognized the independence of two breakaway Russian-speaking provinces of eastern…
With a murky legal strategy but a clear political one, Jason Kenney vows to challenge use of Emergencies Act in court
Using his favourite medium, Facebook, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced yesterday his government plans to go to court to challenge “the unjustified use of the Emergencies Act” by Ottawa. The…
What the Emergencies Act reveals about civilian policing in Ottawa
Police officers in Ottawa during the Freedom Convoy occupation. Photo by Franklin McKay/Shutterstock. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act to deal with the fascist “trucker” convoy…
Jason Nixon’s UCP nomination challenger Tim Hoven got his campaign off to a pretty good start last night
It looks like Tim Hoven’s campaign to challenge Jason Nixon for the United Conservative Party nomination in Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre got off to a pretty good start last night at…