Wanted: a good row #nlpoli
One of the unreserved joys that comes from writing these scribbles is the moment when a post sparks something. Like on Monday, when a simple post looking at change in…
public policy
Canada Post and the War on Open Data, Innovation & Common Sense (continued, sadly)
Almost exactly a year ago I wrote a blog post on Canada Post’s War on the 21st Century, Innovation & Productivity. In it I highlighted how Canada Post launched a…
How not to sell the Oil Sands
If you haven’t read Tzeporah Berman’s Daily Kos piece – My Government Doesn’t Believe in Climate Change – go check it out. It’s amazing to see how out of sync,…
How not to sell the Oil Sands
If you haven’t read Tzeporah Berman’s Daily Kos piece – My Government Doesn’t Believe in Climate Change – go check it out. It’s amazing to see how out of sync,…
Akaash Maharaj: Margaret Thatcher’s Verdict on the Liberal Party of Canada
My article in the Globe and Mail: My one conversation with Margaret Thatcher about the Liberal Party of Canada began with a chill in the air, and ended with our…
NDP Policy Issues Run Deeper than their Constitution
This editorial effectively communicates the opinion within the New Democratic Party that the Constitution should not be changed to eliminate hardcore socialism Now, I am quite indifferent to this question,…
Akaash Maharaj – Advisory: New Leadership for the GOPAC Global Secretariat
I am enormously grateful to the Board of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption for their confidence in naming me their Executive Director, and I will work tirelessly to…
Akaash Maharaj – Advisory: New Leadership for the GOPAC Global Secretariat
I am enormously grateful to the Board of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption for their confidence in naming me their Executive Director, and I will work tirelessly to…
Toronto Star Op-Ed: Muzzled Scientists, Open Government and the Limits of Rules
I’ve a piece in today’s Toronto Star ”Rules are no substitute for cultivating a culture of open government“ about the Information Commissioners decision to investigate the muzzling of Canadian scientists.…
Open Data Day: Lessons for Hacktivists
This piece is cross-posted on TechPresident where I post articles on the intersection of politics, technology and transparency and serve as an editor. Three years ago, after a chance encounter…
How Hackers Will Blow Up The World: China, Cyber-Warfare and the Cuban Missile Crisis
I have a piece on TechPresident I really enjoyed writing about how certain technologies – as they become weaponized – can in turn become highly destabilizing to global stability. The…
Minuscule Canadian Taxpayers Federation in running for ‘Turfy Award’
Former Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta Director Scott Hennig, now the group’s Communications VP, in a nice AstroTurf-coloured sweater at last weekend’s Ottawa conference of the Manning Centre for Undermining Democracy.…
Is the right-wing Manning Centre plotting ‘Manchurian Municipal Candidates’?
Former Texas Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul, the crazy uncle of American politics, with some of his young acolytes at this weekend’s Manning Centre “Big Ideas” conference. Below: anti-medicare…
Three Ways Anyone Can Contribute to Open Data Day
With well over 90 cities now scheduled to partake in Open Data Day and with several events expecting 50+ and even 100+ participants I wanted to outline some thoughts to…
CivicOpen: New Name, Old Idea
The other day Zac Townsend published a piece, “Introducing the idea of an open-source suite for municipal governments,” laying out the case for why cities should collaboratively create open source…
#Idlenomore as an existential threat
Almost three years ago (although I only worked up the nerve to post it two years ago, so sensitive is the topic) I wrote a blog post about First Nations…
The 10% Delusion: Fraser Institute gins up fake facts about Alberta public sector pay
Women clerical workers, as the Fraser Institute would like to see them. The Fraser Institute didn’t write the book “How to Lie With Statistics,” a guy named Darrell Huff did,…
High Speed Rail is NOT a Luxury Good
Last year I attended the Liberal Policy convention in Ottawa as a delegate. One of the policies up for debate was a resolution supporting the implementation of High Speed rail…
A Minimum Income Could Boost Free Trade
I will not go on about the possible benefits of implementing a negative income tax, or a guaranteed minimum income program (GMI) in Canada. If you want to read an…
The Value of Open Data – Don’t Measure Growth, Measure Destruction
Alexander Howard – who, in my mind, is the best guy covering the Gov 2.0 space – pinged me the other night to ask “What’s the best evidence of open…