Openness And Transparency: An Update
Recently I wrote a post about the very stringent and restrictive conditions imposed upon those who would attend gatherings featuring Stephen Harper. Not only are all potential attendees vetted and…
harper contempt for transparency
Openness And Transparency: Not In Harperland
The gulf between the open and reasonable persona Stephen Harper tried to convey during last week’s debate and the Nixonian truth about the man is a yawning one indeed. Until…
Is Secrecy The New Canadian Norm?
The Harper regime is notorious for its virtual embargo on information. Muzzling of scientists, heavily-redacted Freedom of Information documents, regular obstruction of Parliamentary officers have become the norm. In light…
Herr Harper Is At It Again, But The Media Revolt
H/t Kat McNamara The Harper-led assault on our rights as Canadians continues, this time under the guise of Bill C-51, the new Anti-Terrorism Act. And finally, the media showed some…
Fighting The Darkness
Knowledge is power, and withholding knowledge is crippling. So states scientist Sarah Otto, in an op-ed piece in today’s Star. Sadly, when we apply that truth to the Canadian reality,…
About That Fifth Columnist In Ottawa….
Star readers have much to say: Harper downplays concerns about trade deal, Sept. 27 It’s a dangerous world but Big Oil, multinationals, banks, the wealthy and his party’s masters can…
Star Readers Respond To Health Canada’s Fecklessness
While “Let them swallow tainted pharmaceuticals” seems to be the motto of both Health Minister Rona Ambrose and Health Canada, always-vigilant Star readers take issue with such deference to the…
Tainted Pharmaceuticals: Health Canada’s ‘Feeble Response’
The Toronto Star has recently been conducting some fine investigative work on tainted pharmaceuticals and the fact that Health Canada has been shielding the guilty companies from public scrutiny. The…
The Real Face Of Stephen Harper
As we embark upon a year-long election campaign, we will increasingly be exposed to propaganda from all parties vying for our vote. But the propaganda emanating from the Harper government…
More Indifference From Health Canada’s Towards Canadians’ Health
Health Minister Rona Ambrose really has no reason to smile. Last week, based on a Star Investigation, I outlined the shocking incompetence, indifference and completely unacceptable secrecy within Health Canada…
Our Anti-Democratic Democracy
This morning, in my print edition of The Toronto Star, I saw the following headline: Canadian scientists to be placed in isolation. While it turned out to be a story…
And This Is A Good Deal Because?
Despite the best efforts of the ever-secretive Harper cabal, details about the CETA deal are finally emerging thanks to leaked portions of the text. And has been long-predicted, those details…
King Stephen And The Law Of Diminishing Returns
Last evening I wrote a brief post on how the Harper regime is exploiting the tragedy in Gaza for political gain. Anon responded with the following: It is worse than…
Not So Hard To Understand
This morning’s Star reports the fact that Canada’s sesquicentennial in 2017 is eliciting something less than enthusiasm from the majority of Canadians living outside of Alberta: Albertans are far more…
Thomas Walkom Misses The Mark
One of the reasons I subscribe to The Toronto Star is the quality of its columnists. Tim Harper, Martin Regg Cohn, Thomas Walkom, Heather Mallick, etc. rarely disappoint. However, no…
Mansbridge Revisited
The other day I posted a report on Peter Mansbridge speaking out against cuts to the CBC and the unprecedented secrecy that pervades public institutions under the current federal government.…
Is It Irony, Or Is It Hypocrisy?
It may be both. The Harper regime’s penchant for withholding information from the public that should be accessible is well-known and well-documented. As pointed out in this Star article, we…
Slamming Harper Secrecy
The Toronto Star recently revealed the following: Health Canada is keeping secret the vast majority of the drug reviews it conducts despite a clear promise from the federal minister to…
Harper’s Palpable, Consistent Contempt
Yesterday, fellow-blogger LeDaro posted a video from last May when Harper invited reporters to a caucus meeting to hear his speech, then refused to answer questions about the Senate scandal…
Herr Harper: Master Of The Twitterverse
Given the Prime Minister’s penchant for control, I suppose this story should come as no surprise, but does rather conspicuously give lie to his claim of running an open and…