The Undemocratic Election Act
“The things in it that are good could have been so much better, but the things that are bad are unforgivable in a democracy.” Recently Green Party Leader Elizabeth May…
democracy
Harper’s Orwellian “Fair Elections” Act Violates Canadian Constitution
by: Obert Madondo Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Photo by Remy Steinegger The Harper Conservatives’ Bill C-23, the so-called “Fair Elections” Act, violates Section 3 of the Charter of Rights and…
Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer: A Disgruntled Democrat?
In reaction to a government bill that would prevent Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer, Marc Mayrand, from speaking publicly about the quality of Canada’s Electoral System, he went on record to…
This Week Will Clobber You, Politically
I apologize in advance, British Columbia. This will be the week from hell, and it started yesterday while we were all Family Day-ing. Hold your breath: Yesterday, the Conservative Soft…
If You Value Democracy, Call Your Nearest Conservative MP, NOW!
Call your nearest Conservative MP right now, until 330pm today, west coast time. Let them know that their Orwellian-named “Fair” Elections Act is clearly designed to further erode democracy and…
Predicting a timeline for Senate reform
Historically, big changes in governance often occur in a period of rapid debate and change, following a long period of relative inaction while structural pressures build. For the Senate, the…
The (UN)Fair Elections Act
As is usual with so many of the Bills proposed by the Harper Regime the ‘Fair’ Elections Act has so many changes buried in the fine print that it is…
Because You’re Not As Dumb As They Think You Are!
Today is Friday. Let’s make it “think for ourselves Friday.” It’ll work: the government/corporations/1% won’t see it coming! Twitter / occupythemob: http://t.co/doHx1xWO4l. December 17, 2013 Fried Squirrels (0) December 20,…
Bill C-23: The Theft Of Democracy Part III
I continue my analysis of Bill C-23 in depth, largely out of the same horror and curiosity that goes with looking at a traffic accident. Except in this case, it…
Bill C-23: The Theft Of Canada’s Democracy Part II
I have not by any means finished my analysis of this bill and what it is setting up. However, a lot of other smart writers have been going over the…
Canada’s Growing Income Gap Between the 99% and the 1%
The rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer, and the gap between them is growing. This is the test of whether we can be content in our complacency.…
ConCalls: Fair Election Fraud Act #elxnfraud #cdnpoli
Conservative media pundits are happy to be able to say “fair” and “election” in the same sentence as “Conservative”, because saying “fraud” was getting old even 2 years ago. @kateheartfield…
The Media Corruption Trifecta!
It’s a trifecta of moral corruption! Rex Murphy shills for Big Oil and Gas. Postmedia consigns its editorial control to the Oil and Gas Lobby. Postmedia, naturally, fires one of…
Capitalism: Swing Your Sledgehammer
It’s all about vision and hope, in an effort to envision how economics and markets can exist after the toxicity of capitalism is gone, gone gone. Are you up for…
Does public participation waste time and money?: A note on the value of participatory democracies
Francis Bula, Vancouver pundit, introduced a debate on wasting public resources to open up a debate that would have resulted in the same decision: Does public participation slow down cities’
PM to call for emergency debate on Ukrainiant democracy
Inspired by @stephenlautens & this headline: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/harper-to-call-for-emergency-debate-on-ukraine-1.2510898
The War on Information Continues.
It has been revealed that in addition to the‘consolidation’ of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans libraries, where reports say that despite assurances that much of the material would be…
Best of Both Worlds
A guest article by Jared Milne. Politically, 2013 wasn’t much different than previous years. In Toronto, Rob Ford accused his opponents of wanting to keep the “gravy train” going, while…
How to Spot a Good Journalist
It’s getting harder and harder, what with constant corporate media concentration, and corporatist convergence of messaging from right wing governments and their informal corporate media PR departments. But everyone once…
Response to Minister of Democratic Reform
Just two days before Christmas the GPC received a letter requesting a response on their ideas for electoral reform to be received before Jan 4th. The timing of the letter…