Why Omar Khadr still matters
A decade after a wounded Omar Khadr, a then fifteen year old Canadian citizen, decided to lob a fatal grenade in the middle of a firefight in Afghanistan, Ottawa is…
Canadian Politics
Does Bizarre Bethune brouhaha signal ideological rift within Harper Conservatives?
Communist physician Norman Bethune, left, and a comrade from the Red Chinese Army speak with Canadian Treasury Board President Tony Clement, right, in a vignette as imagined by Sun News…
The Liberal Party: A Substantial Heritage, a Future of Substance (Co-written with Theresa Lubowitz)
Theresa Lubowitz on the Death of Substantive Policy Canada is teetering dangerously close to the death of substantive policy as we know it, with the rise of a populist Conservative…
Toronto Pride with the Queer Liberals
“There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” – Pierre Trudeau While at university I made appoint of watching the Toronto Pride Parade a a…
In Defense of “Second Tier” Candidates
On July 4th Bob Hepburn wrote this silly article: “Warning to Liberals: Beware delusional no-hope leadership candidates.” I would like to defend these so-called “no-hope” candidates. The next Liberal leader…
and the jason kenney award goes to… jason kenney
Have you all seen this petition? The Honourable Jason Kenney asks us to sign a petition thanking none other than Jason Kenney. Macleans found it amusing, and the National Post…
Baird Announces Intention to Open Canadian Embassy in Burma
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today announced Canada’s plans to open an embassy in Burma. The announcement was made during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum and…
‘It won’t happen here’ is the likely Conservative defence for Northern Gateway pipeline
The Conservative government can’t be liking this US preliminary report too much on the Enbridge oil spill in Michigan: Enbridge “employees performed like Keystone Kops” in addressing the spill, demonstrating…
What kind of Canadian signs Jason Kenney’s petition for Jason Kenney? (Answer below)
“Gotta do something about those infernal refugees!” Some of Hon. Jason Kenney, PC, MP’s supporters get together for an evening of poker and political talk. Below: Riley Climenhaga. I recently…
Unsuccessful at the polls, Alberta market fundamentalists want the courts to impose two-tier health care
What heath care for the rest of us will look like if the market fundamentalist right’s battle for insurance companies’ “rights” ever succeeds. Below: Private health-care advocate John Carpay; Alberta…
The perfect time for Canada to invest in itself is now
Despite stubbornly high unemployment, tepid economic growth, and a large current account deficit, Canada enjoys one macroeconomic indicator that many crisis hit European governments would dearly love: insanely low borrowing…
Fighting fire with fire
You may have heard that the NDP has released it’s own “pre-election ad” going after Stephen Harper, though I understand this is so far again an internet-only ad, as was…
Politics ain’t beanbag: Stephen Harper is attacking the most vulnerable Canadians
Politics ain’t beanbag, people, and it’s not NERF ball either. But Liberal leaders Michael Ignatieff and Stephane Dion both played it that way, so it was easy for Prime Minister…
NDP leadership election campaign debt
The NDP leadership campaign sparked considerable interest among Canadians and saw NDP membership soar, rising over 50% in six months to 128,351 on election day. Many of these first time…
"dissenting doctors do canada proud" as harper and kenney follow a familiar pattern
The fightback over the Interim Federal Health Program (health coverage for refugees) is being noticed. So is the typical pattern of propaganda staged by the Harper GovernmentTM when it wants…
Even a half-hearted race for LPC leader is preferable to a coronation
Chantal Hebert’s column in the Toronto Star on Justin Trudeau says that he is the frontrunner for Liberal Party leader, even as he is still not officially a candidate. It…
She’s no Charles Tupper: Alison Redford has been Alberta premier too long to be prime minister
A youngish Charles Tupper at his desk. “I knew Charles Tupper and Alison Redford is no Charles Tupper” – and a good thing for her, too! Below: Sir Charles as…
Reviewing Access to Information Legislation
Just got informed – via the CivicAccess mailing list – that Canada’s Access to Information Commissioner is planning to review Canada’s Access to Information legislation (full story here at the…
canadian health care professionals continue to speak out for refugee health care
The chorus of health care professionals publicly opposing the Harper Government’s cuts to refugee health care services is growing stronger and louder. Every major health care professional association is speaking…
Zach Armstrong: Step Up, Step Aside
I recently attended the Ontario Liberal Party’s Provincial Council in Sudbury. It was great to see so many dedicated Liberals working together in Northern Ontario, but one moment was particularly…