On the Quebec question: (5) The Constitution
Final point I want to consider on this issue. Some objections to Quebec separatism or nationalism seem to turn on a fear of "opening up" -- that is, amending --…
Government
Lost Open Data Opportunities
Even sometimes my home town of Vancouver gets it wrong. Reading Chad Skelton's blog (which I frequently regularly and recommend to my fellow Vancouverites) I was reminded of the great…
On the Quebec question: (4) Devolution
So far, I've argued that there are good reasons to favour Quebec's right to determine, on its own, whether to separate from Canada. One option that has come up under…
On the Quebec question: (2) Self-determination
Yesterday, I suggested that objections to the definition of a "clear majority" in favour of separation as 50%+1 were insincere, and really masked forms of other objections. The first I…
On the Quebec question: (1) Clarity
(After this, I may just go ahead and write that Israel thing I've had kicking around in my head for a few years. While I'm stepping on landmines, I might…
On election 41.
It really is amazing how difficult it is to drag oneself back into longer writing after a significant time away.Anyway, I just want to run with an idea regarding the…
Liberate Tate urges dialogue over public/private arts funding
Last Wednesday, April 20, the activist group known as Liberate Tate staged another protest performance at Tate Britain. Set on the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11…
Nope! The Harper Government’s failure to support the arts has got our goat
Victoria, BC, artist Bob Preston is taking this election seriously. Like many people, he sees this as an opportunity to get rid of Stephen Harper before he does “more damage…
This Election Comes Down to a Choice (Cartoon of the Day)
Inspired by this story: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/second-reading/brian-topp/this-election-comes-down-to-a-choice/article1997456/
$25 million in arts funding still missing – Canada Prizes for the Arts and Creativity remain on hold
The Conservative government’s 2009 pledge to deliver $25 million in prize money for the arts remains an empty promise. Responding to widespread backlash after making $45 million in cuts to…
Rant For Canada
Are You Voting For Canada
Democracy Election
While thousands worldwide sacrifice their lives for the right to free elections Canadians complain about having one.That is not to say there are no reasons for some Canadians not to…
Gun safety and registry!
What with all the hoo-ha over the gun registry recently, I wanted to put my two cents in. I got in a Facebook argument with someone I don't even know,…
On things that aren’t like the long gun registry.
The Press ReleaseThere was a press release making the rounds yesterday, allegedly released by th...
On Rob Ford.
IntroductionI'm not worried about Rob Ford becoming mayor of Toronto. And you shouldn't be either. Given what he's presented right now as part of his platform, over at his website,…
On cooperatives and housing.
I'll get back to my electoral series eventually, I swear. But I had this weird idea today and I wanted to spell it out. It's not an argument; more just…
On the new feudalism.
I was going to blog something about the CMA’s recent report on Canadian healthcare. But there’s really not much there that anyone could reasonably disagree with. More access to prescription…
On secrecy and Wikileaks.
IntroductionSo, as everyone and their brother's roommate knows, Wikileaks managed to get their hands on another chunk of material that the powers-that-be would rather the rest of us never saw.…
On proportional representation (2): the case against
IntroductionLast week, I argued for the claim that proportional representation (PR) is preferable to single-member plurality (SMP) as a system of electing representatives to a democratic assembly. The central reason…