If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Que ce soit l'engagement communautaire ou l'engagement politique, il importe que les citoyens s'impliquent davantage. Signer une pétition ne prend que quelques minutes. Aider quelqu'un dans le besoin ou militer pour l'instauration d'une nouvelle politique prend quelques minutes de plus. Il importe que les citoyens prennent conscience de l'impact qu'ils peuvent avoir sur la société.
We are facing a climate crisis, and we have a moral responsibility to take action by finding ways to move away from coal, oil, and gas, and towards a clean, safe, and renewable energy future. The European Union is trying to do just that, and the Canadian government should redirect its efforts towards cleaning up its own act, rather than trying to prevent Europe from doing the right thing.
Canadians often grumble about their politicians. We are quick to blame Ottawa, and sometimes rightly so. But in the commitment of people like Sheila Copps, we should also remember that we are also very lucky. Political life is hard; the dedication of people like Copps is important.
It comes as welcome news that Prime Minister Harper will visit Beijing next month. Harper should use the opportunity to signal his version of a "pivot" to Asia -- without the overtones of geopolitical positioning that invariably accompany U.S. foreign policy. An excellent way to do so would be to propose a Free Trade Agreement with China.
Enough already. We need to spend the next four years building up the civic literacy of Canadians so that they too will understand that Stephen Harper is actively dismantling our democratic processes.
Is Stephen Harper's government really a leadership cult? When giant portraits of Harper appear in city squares and when Ottawa is renamed "Harperville," that's when I will worry about a leadership cult. (I would say, however, that there is a Harper leadership cult within the Conservative Party. But that's a different story.)
Canadians are disengaged from political processes because Canada's political institutions and leadership are no longer accountable and responsive to their needs. This arises from the dysfunctional and opaque terms of relations between various levels of government.
With Iran possibly on the brink of acquiring nuclear capability the time for incremental measures against the custodians of those nuclear weapons is over. Canada should list the IRGC as a terrorist entity without further delay.
The Conservatives are using the same rationale to support their draconian contribution limits as the Liberals used to justify their undemocratic election gag law.
Some of the kids who say things like "that is so gay" probably don't mean it and don't really understand what they are saying. But words are weapons. They have power and meaning. They wound.
For this country's urban intelligentsia (the kind of people who think subsidizing Margaret Atwood books should take priority over buying military helicopters), a reduced CBC budget is more terrifying than a Don Cherry rant.
Before we have another case like Jamie Hubley's on our hands, it's time for Canada to stand up loud and proud and say, "It gets better." Where is Prime Minister Harper's message that it gets better? I don't believe that Harper, his cabinet, the Conservative Party or other Members of Parliament are anti-gay. But I think their silence is deafening.
There are some among the privileged few who believe that they are entitled to use what has been created by and belongs to us all in order to profit themselves alone. The growing gap between the rich and the rest of us is the result of this belief and it is in the process of sinking economies around the world.
We all want more social safety, but these initiatives won't get us there. Instead, the Conservatives are prepared to spend billions on policies that have long been discredited, and have no hope of any tangible return on investment.
Mr. McGuinty, you have won the privilege to continue to lead a province with a large deficit during one of the worst times of global economic turbulence in recent history... er, wait... Congratulations, Mr. McGuinty! This victory means attempting to balance health-care spending and education costs ... No, that's not it.
As David Cameron once said, it is "better to mend broken states and act to stop problems before they come to our door." His words resonate because we have come to understand that peace is not just the absence of war, but also the presence of social and economic justice.
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