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Elections Do Not Equal Governments
My brother made a great point in a recent letter to the Georgia Straight. Though we may vote on the basis of party leader, we don’t actually vote for a premier or a prime minister. On election night, we vote for a local representative who will ostensibly represent our riding’s interests in parliament or the […]
The Mining Industry Gets Its Comeuppance
One of the most ideologically strident industries in Canada, and certainly its whiniest, is the mining industry. It recently suffered a well-deserved loss in Canada’s Federal Court, which ordered the industry, and its pals in the federal government, to fully disclose the industry’s pollution output. Canada’s mining industry did not have to report “the pollutants […]
The Red Cross Torture Report
Mark Danner is well known journalist and professor of journalism at Berkeley. He has written dozens of articles for the New York Review of Books, and has, in my mind, provided the definitive reportage on the Serbian massacre of Muslims at Srebrenica. His latest article is a thorough yet blistering summary of the “ICRC Report […]
If you think government is bad, think of the alternative!
One of the first points I make to my political science classes is the necessity of government. I remind my students that the alternative – a society without rules, a legitimate government or the rule of law – would be much worse. I often point to Somalia, a country in name only. In reality, it’s […]
My Musings on STV
As we approach the upcoming referendum on the multi-member STV (Single Transferable Vote) system, I face a dilemma. Frankly, I favour neither the current First-Past-The-Post system nor the proposed STV method. FPTP is surely past its time. In an age where deference to authority is on the wane, and everyone rightly expects his or her […]
A battle-hardened James charges on, leaving her minders behind he
By Justine Hunter From Friday’s Globe and Mail April 24, 2009 at 5:40 AM EDT … Ms. James acknowledged she is facing more pressure this time around. And she sounded frustrated that she still is confronted at every turn with the baggage of former NDP governments. “We are a long way from getting past that […]
Debts and deficits lead to higher taxes as night follows day
Jeffrey Simpson is one of those typical right-wing columnists who ensures The Globe and Mail’s firm commitment to the I’m-all-right-Jack philosophy that pervades Canada’s corporate media. Nevertheless, he is sometimes capable of refreshingly honest and atypical commentary. Here he talks about the inevitability of higher taxes that must follow a period of high debt. What […]
Michael Ignatieff’s Latest Book
Though I remain undecided about Michael Ignatieff’s leadership abilities, his family history and intellectual credentials are undeniably fascinating. The following is a recent article in The Globe and Mail, in which Michael Valpy reviews Ignatieff’s latest book, Four Generations in Search of Canada. The book focuses on Ignatieff’s maternal family, the Grants, and it appears […]
Donald Brittain’s The Champions
My favourite documentary on Canadian politics is Donald Brittain’s The Champions. The three-part series explores the epic struggle between Rene Levesque and Pierre Trudeau, and their efforts to bring forth a sovereign Quebec and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, respectively. The series does a wonderful job of capturing the atmosphere of the 60’s, 70’s […]
Wheat from the Chaff : World Economic Forum
In a world where economic discussion is still overwhelmed by neo-liberal cant, it’s refreshing to see a generally pro-business organization capable of seeing competitiveness and productivity in (somewhat) broader terms than Milton Friedman’s disciples. The World Economic Forum is a Swiss-based think tank that promotes international dialogue on a variety of key global issues. Perhaps […]