If you have something to say...
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If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Are we helping to fund a future danger on our northern border, and will the revenues generated by the Keystone Pipeline help to create a condition deeply adversarial to our national security?
It was good of Minister Fantino to respond to my article, but it would have proved far more productive if he had just listened to the professionals in his own department. They possess the training, on-the-ground experience, and clear-headed compassion to help Canada make a greater difference.
This week marks seven years since Stephen Harper was first elected Prime Minister of Canada. The Harper Administration has been described as a dark cloud, but it does boast a silver lining. A thin one. Perhaps the Prime Minister should reassess his criteria and/or consider these seven success stories as feathers in his conservative cap.
January 23 marks seven years since Stephen Harper was first elected Prime Minister of Canada. As the PM took the opportunity to pat himself on the back in tweeting his self-assessed greatest accomplishments, perhaps the seven-year itch is the right time to recognize PM Harper's biggest blunders.
We've got to come clean about the unethical use of our retirement funds. There isn't enough money to expand the Canadian Pension Plan because the surplus was earmarked to boost the military-industrial complex. When our hard-earned money isn't being used to cause bloodshed, it's going to companies affiliated with the CPP's own CEOs and the Alberta oil sands.
What was Don Cherry doing while the NHL owners and players were feuding? Turns out he spent one memorable evening leading a tour of his hometown and the historical sites related to Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister. Macdonald and Cherry were both raised in Kingston, Ontario.
How would you feel if someone told you that every one of your paycheques was being used to support war crimes and keep the companies accused of these atrocities rolling in lucrative business? And how would you feel if you lived off the avails of torture and bloodshed through the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), upon your long-awaited retirement after paying into it? This appears to be our dirty little secret, that Canadians enjoy prosperity at the unethical demise of others.
To suggest Harper has consulted with First Nations leaders because of the meeting on Friday is simply ridiculous. First Nations know the realities of what they are facing and the Conservatives' dishonest talking points, aimed at convincing average Canadians they are making progress, are further undermining what little credibility they have with Canada's indigenous population.
We must offer support by sharing First Nations perspectives, and remembering that some truths are simple: we have to share this land together in a fair way that reflects a real understanding of its history. This Friday, a global day of action provides an opportunity for us all to stand together.
My racism at the age of 10, although not acceptable, was somewhat understandable. But my daughter's? Why aren't today's youth more knowledgeable than I was? The expectation would be that after a thorough history lesson, our children should be horrified by the treatment of the aboriginal community, not rationalizing it.
He graced our television sets with live reports from the most recent conflict between Palestine and Israel. Now that a ceasefire has been reached, British filmmaker and human rights advocate, Harry Fear, has embarked on a world talking tour. He arrived in Toronto Monday.
Of course, the U.S. is not a paragon of virtue and has gotten itself into a big fiscal mess, due to panic over 9/11, the 2008 debacle and unjustifiable tax cuts and wars paid for with a national credit card. But this week, after two years of haggling, illustrated that a system of checks and balances eventually imposes discipline by forcing the public and politicians to engage fully in financial decisions.
When I was a child growing up in Ottawa in the 1950s and 60s, ours was one of only a small number of Jewish families in the city. We inescapably got enveloped by the Christmas spirit. I still recall my parents' sardonic smiles the year I came home to announce that I would be playing Joseph in the school pageant. That same year, I decided I would sit on Santa's lap at Frieman's department store. Turns out Santa was none other than Moishe Gorinsky, a Jewish friend of my father's moonlighting that season as a department store Claus. It was a sobering experience for a 9-year-old, to be sure.
What last week illustrated is that even Vancouver — not really a winter city in the common use of that title — needs to think more about our ability to handle tougher winter conditions. With the weather being less predictable, and frequency and intensity of storm events getting worse with the consequences of climate change, anticipating and designing for unusual weather conditions is going to be the new normal for all of us.
The management of public finances may not have received due attention from the premiers in Halifax. But as our federal and provincial political leaders gear up for next year's budget season, they would be wise to acknowledge the seriousness of growing government debt and put forth bold plans to balance their budgets. Kicking the debt down the road simply isn't an option.
Midway through her dinner, Jennifer Swartz looked up to her dining partner and exclaimed, "Hands-down the best meal of my life." Swartz had been meaning to make reservations at Atelier for a number of months and wasn't disappointed in her August visit despite entering Marc Lepine's restaurant with lofty expectations.
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