memo to jason kenney: that’s not how multiculturalism works
Another take on Jason Kenney’s bigotry, by Andrew Potter of the Ottawa Citizen. It would be a lot easier to debate the tough cases of Canadian multiculturalism if people understood…
Citizenship
citizenship ceremonies now include islamophobia
Last week I learned citizenship ceremonies now include militarism. This week I learn they also include Islamophobia. I’m grateful I became a citizen before this hateful bullshit started. Face veils…
the militarization of canadian life continues: citizenship ceremonies now include soldiers
I mentioned this yesterday in my post about the Canadian Peace Alliance’s Peace & Prosperity not War & Austerity campaign, but it deserves special emphasis. In April 2010, I wrote…
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…
The Sun’s effect on our national conversation is obvious, but what about the Globe?
It's a straightforward question: what are people talking about? What's capturing their attention and imaginations? Public conversation. Nothing gives you a better sense of a community or a society than…
New Directions in Political History – Post-Conference Observations
Last week, I attended a great conference on Canadian political history, held at York University (full disclosure, I was one of the organizers). About a hundred participants discussed a truly…
kenney’s canada: paralyzed woman to lose independence if caregivers are deported
Just another story of more undeserving immigrants trying to sneak into the promised land. This one is a particularly sneaky ploy. Here's how you do it.First, emigrate to Canada, a…
Symbols Matter – Canadian Forces Edition
Symbols matter. Traditions can be invented. Nationalism is the product of collective will to create an imagined community. All of these concepts (which are debatable, of course) are vitally important…
@marcusbgee calls Ford on his bullshit, but who helped put him there? | #TOpoli
So a few people – Thor and Nancy for starters – are linking to this piece from the Globe's ideologically reliable urban affairs curmudgeon, who's arguing, not without reason, that…
Another day, another embarrassing eruption from Mt. Ford | #TOpoli
Honestly, where do you begin?First, Mayor Stupid's dismissing all the folks who spoke at last month's city hall all-nighter as left-wing, NDP, special-interest types trying to protect their free money.…
Giorgio Mammoliti: the pride of #TOcouncil | #TOpoli
Someone suggested during yesterday's marathon that the Fords can't help being ignorant and stupid. They are what they are. But this guy, by contrast, does it on purpose.[<a href="http://storify.com/orwellsbastard/giorgio-...
On revocability
Dr. Dawg has a post worth reading on the Cons' purification strategy. But let's take a closer look at part of that plan which I've only dealt with in snark…
@cityslikr on Team Ford’s bullshit, and our complicity therein | #TOpoli
Which Lie Do You Buy? « All Fired Up In The Big SmokeA lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.–…
Kate’s royal ass cheek: #sunmedia triumphs again, @davidakin makes sure we all know about it
Sad, isn't it. When this is what occupies our imaginations and dominates public discourse, is it any wonder that so many people don't bother to take the responsibilities of citizenship…
The capacity for critical thought – how do we build it?
Just as we wind down the first half of 2011 in preparation for Canada Day, three disparate blog posts are jumping out at me:At Sixth Estate, Government of Canada Issues…
pulitzer-prize winning u.s. journalist comes out as undocumented immigrant
There's an excellent and eye-opening story in today's New York Times Magazine. Jose Antonio Vargas was born in the Philippines, and came to the United States at age 12. He…
‘Respect for Taxpayers’ is a load of crap
True, I may be undermining weeks of arguing for engaging the people we disagree with in a spirit of openness and respect. And name-calling isn't going to help us show…
@marcusbgee is right about Bloor Street, but for the wrong reasons
Ah, Marcus. The Globe's ideologically reliable municipal-affairs curmudgeon is kind of like a stopped clock that way.Of course, the analogy only goes so far, because you don't have to ask…
@thekeenanwire, #TOpoli and that whole ‘deserve’ thing, redux
Go and read this piece from Ed Keenan in The Grid. He's right of course, and you don't need a master's degree in public administration to know that public services…