Why Canadians Want The Worst Politics Of America
Canadians would support our own political institutions if we didn’t idealize worse ones. The last few years have offered an incredible contrast in politics between what interests Canadians and what…
Senate
Leadership 2012 Links and Policy Roundup 3
Assorted policy and punditry from the NDP leadership campaign. – On the policy front, it’s looking like time to give Nathan Cullen full credit for being well ahead of the…
Parliament in Review: November 14, 2011
Monday, November 14 saw MPs return to the House of Commons from a week’s break. But if anybody thought the time away would lead to less contentious debate, the day…
On top priorities
I’ve already linked to Postmedia’s story setting out Brian Topp’s first set of democratic reform priorities. But let’s take a look at a couple of the proposals in a bit…
Quote of the year: “We are the 99 per cent”
Fred Shapiro, associate librarian at Yale Law School has declared “We are the 99 per cent”, the political slogan of the Global Occupy movement, the heavy weight champ of the…
High times in Canadian politics
This quote from a Liberal Senator goes to a key question with this government: Liberal Senator Robert Peterson said he thinks the closure motion was brought in because the Tories…
A Bad Day: What Now?
C10, the omnibus crime bill, passed third reading and is now over to the Senate for what is supposed to be sober second thought. The vote could only have been…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Greg Weston nicely chronicles Peter MacKay’s flat-out lies about how he came to take a $30,000 helicopter ride. And while Weston despairs about…
On political efficiencies
Susan Delacourt rightly points out a trend toward limiting or even reducing the number of elected representatives as a means of cutting costs. But it’s hard to escape pointing out…
Senate Hearing Confirms Natural Gas Export Plans Will Raise Prices For Americans
RonWydenLNGhearing-300×188.jpg Considering the rate at which natural gas resources are being developed, and the sudden push from industry to export the product, it might come as a surprise that the…
New Lake Michigan Coal Ash Spill Raises Old Concerns
coal ash spill.jpg On Monday, a bluff surrounding a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based power plant collapsed, sending a cascade of debris and coal ash waste from the power plant into Lake Michigan.…
Senate Committees: How The Other Place Can Redeem Itself
I'm watching a very interesting Senate committee with two admirals from the Canadian Forces, talking about the capacity and organization, as well as the future mandate of, the Reserve Forces,…
Parliament In Review: October 3, 2011
Monday, October 3 saw another day dedicated largely to debate of the Cons' anti-refugee bill. The Big IssueAs might be expected after several days of debate, the Cons' single set…
Parliament In Review: September 30, 2011
The Harper Conservatives' choice to talk about everything but the economy continued on September 30, with the day's debate taken up by the Cons' anti-refugee bill as well as a…
Aussie Landholders Lock Gates to Keep Out Coal Seam Gas Industry
IN AUSTRALIA, landholders are responding to the country’s rush to exploit massive reserves of unconventional coal seam gas with a simple but defiant gesture. They’re locking their gates. More than…
Coming soon to a country near you…
Yes, it's telling that Stephen Harper's spin on the U.S. debt ceiling crisis is to pretend that the problem has more to do with "the U.S. debt and fiscal situation"…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Christopher Michael points out the real problem underlying the News of the World's scandalous demise:The Sun is either clairvoyant at predicting the results…
Monday Evening Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.- Janyce McGregor's article on the perils of Senate reform is well worth a read in general. But let's particularly highlight an issue I've raised…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading.- Tabatha Southey eviscerates the Cons' determination to force Canadians into a state of constant and unregulated online surveillance at their own expense:Bill C-51 seems…