Irony abounds in Canadian politics these days
A couple of instances of irony I see today – one slightly amusing, one not so. The first is there is at least one Canadian at the Durban conference on…
Canadian Politics
It’s Official: Canada Breaks International Law, Withdraws From Kyoto Protocol
From the Globe and Mail: Environment Minister Peter Kent says Canada is finished with the Kyoto Protocol. Speaking in a teleconference from an international climate-change summit in South Africa, Mr.…
peace & prosperity, not war & austerity: help the canadian peace alliance fight the harper military agenda
Amid the deluge of fundraising appeals that arrive via email and paper mail this time of year, the letter from the Canadian Peace Alliance stood out for me. Under the…
COP17: Politicians, Get Your Head Out Of The Sands And Lead!
Our eyes on the ground of the Durban climate conference, Ani, updates us from Day 6 of COP17. To read more, visit Ani’s blog at YouthDelegateManitoba.wordpress.com: I could spend my…
Ottawa NDP Leadership Debate Thoughts
The debate was good. Exciting even. After several months of being forced to sate my political appetite on the Republican leadership contest, the NDP leadership debate in Ottawa provided a…
Why Peter MacKay Is So "Highly Regarded"
I didn’t hear Harper’s weasel words defense of our frequent flying Defence Minister, the Honourable Peter MacKay, so I can’t for certain. But I can only assume that Harper took…
These Conservatives must really hate Charlie Angus
Mr. Angus is the NDP MP for the Timmins-James Bay riding, if you’re not aware. This happens to be the riding that the Attawapiskat Native Reserve is in, where the…
Youth To World’s Politicians: It’s Time To Buy Back Our Future
Here is another post from Ani, a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation representing Manitoba at the Durban climate conference, will be a regular guest blogger during COP17 in Durban.…
Can a Trans Human Rights Bill pass with a Harper majority?
“It’ll never pass,” I often heard. “Not with a Harper government. They’d never support human rights inclusion for transsexual and transgender people.” And then it passed. Oh, Bill C-389 —…
Canada, You Were Once Considered A Leader On Global Issues Like Human Rights & Environmental Protection
From Postmedia News: Archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu is challenging the Canadian government’s support for the oil and gas industry, while urging it to start leading the world in…
Canada’s Foreign Aid Agency signs on to IATI: Aid Data get more transparent
Last night, while speaking at the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan Korea, Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda announced that Canada would be signing on to the…
I heard a rumour
A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend told me that the entire Federal Conservative caucus was going to step down before the next election in order…
Liberal Merchandise: Branding the Brand
Back in 2009 I got an e-mail that made me very happy then very sad. The e-mail, from Michael Ignatieff, told me that I could get a Liberal branded scarf.…
Canada rules on polygamy, polyamory and religious freedom.
B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman ruled Wednesday that Canadian laws which limit religious freedom can be upheld if it is felt by the court that the harms in…
Standing On Guard For The Tar Sands: Canada Wins Two Fossil Awards on Day 1 of Climate Talks
Today’s guest blogger is Ani, a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation representing Manitoba at the Durban climate conference. Ani works as a Public Education and Outreach Coordinator for Climate…
COP 17 in Durban – Day 1
Today is the first day of the U.N. climate talks in Durban South Africa. As I wrote earlier, many people’s expectations (including mine) for a meaningful and binding international climate…
It’s tough to be an environmentally conscious Canadian right now.
This is highlighted by a couple of decisions/news items that just cam out over the weekend. First, you have CTV News reporting that the Conservative government will formally pull out…
polygamy ruling: why are the courts still trying to protect marriage?
The recent BC Supreme Court decision upholding Canadian laws criminalizing polygamy is disappointing and dangerous. The much-quoted summary paragraph of Chief Justice Robert Bauman’s decision contained a surprising clause: the…
Statistics Canada Data to become OpenData – Background, Winners and Next Steps
As some of you learned last night, Embassy Magazine broke the story that all of Statistics Canada’s online data will not only be made free, but released under the Government…