Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposed plan to dismantle net neutrality threatens democracy and the free exchange of ideas and information via the Internet. Even if the FCC…
Remember when North America was called the New World? Well, in some ways, it’s rather old, very old. The United States boasts of being the world’s oldest constitutional democracy and,…
Even though elected politicians, especially those who end up holding cabinet positions, often prioritize corporate interests over those of their electors, David Suzuki still encourages us to overcome political cynicism…
The first two words give it away, “Pity Canada.”Chris Hedges looks at Canada and sees us succumbing to the U.S. contagion only behind the mask of moderation. On reading this…
A recent post by Owen over at Northern Reflections brought my attention to this highlighting an “investigation” by a long time former MP. Both major parties have made a mockery…
Most of us know that neoliberalism, ushered in 40 years ago by Thatcher, Reagan and Mulroney, has run its course. If you bump into him, please let Justin in on…
I think it is indisputable that thanks to the online world of social media, civil discourse has been hobbled. If, for example, one reads comments in newspapers or in public…
George Monbiot The Guardian It’s the missing chapter: a key to understanding the politics of the past half century. To read Nancy MacLean’s new book, Democracy in Chains: The Deep…
I’ve just reviewed a new book about spatial media (and have written it from the vantage point of somebody working in Canada’s homelessness sector). Points raised in the blog post…
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Colin Gordon discusses how contempt for democracy is one of the uniting principles of the right around the globe while reviewing Nancy MacLean’s…
Has anyone watched Mandryk eat crow about this doozy of a column defending Wall’s last campaign yet? “NDP must get off privatization merry-go-round“ “On Tuesday, Wall emphatically said “no” to…
Title in honour of a Beaverton joke. Andrew Weaver brings up the issue of Kinder Morgan as something he couldn't overlook when negotiating. — Chandler Grieve (@CTVNewsChandler) May 29, 2017…
@gtlem @pau1234la @Erin_Weir @nathancullen Here's the good one he took, and got @Carla4Lakeview in the background. pic.twitter.com/o9q29JLDA4 — Saskboy (@saskboy) May 26, 2017 Room filling up at Knox-Met for @nathancullen…
The Senate has just voted for a major shake-up of how members of the Red Chamber align themselves by allowing nine or more members to form a caucus, a substantial…
When Europeans lose their taste for democracy, bad things have been known to happen. Whether it’s Hungary or Poland, both of which have authoritarian, illiberal governments, or the rise of…
Could Donald Trump stage a constitutional coup and derail what remains of America’s democracy? That’s an idea that’s been floated from time to time by many in informal discussions –…
I’ve just written a blog post on advocacy in Canada’s affordable housing and homelessness sectors. In the post, I define advocacy as “a collective effort to bring about changes to…
This year’s Alternative Federal Budget (AFB) was released on March 9. I was proud to be the primary author of its housing chapter (that chapter is available in English here…
An independent commission on electoral reform in New Brunswick isrecommending the province adopt a preferential ballot for choosing members of the legislature. The commission’s report, released Friday morning, says that…
Tending 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 In these days…