If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
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.
Non-violent resistance, or civil disobedience, has been with us for centuries and has shaped the world in which we live today. Those who chose to risk arrest on Parliament Hill are not the extremists. They are the front line of a growing group of people prepared to engage in "the politics of ordinary people."
Right now, the biggest threat on Mr. Harper's horizon is the state of the economy. The global economy could get a lot worse between now and the next election and there's no assurance that Canada will be spared, even relatively.
Credit is due to the Ottawa government for having picked Ms. Tarbox as their new poster child. But for every Barb Tarbox, there is a James Dean. For every death statistic, there is a hero, real or fictitious who has beaten the odds and has come out on top.
Maybe British Prime Minister David Cameron will light a policy fire under the Harper government while he's in Ottawa. His Big Society idea challenges citizens to get Big Government out of the way. But putting cost-cutting and community empowerment side-by-side can produce the perfect storm of political opportunism.
Once upon a time, policy-making was about finding the best ideas to solve a problem. Today, policy process is no longer about finding the best ideas. It is mainly about managing different interest groups, many of whom are in a position to derail a process they don't like.
Now the debate has inevitably begun as to what Canadians have to show for such a massive public investment in something as abstract as 'security.'
As we know, Mr. Duceppe pulled out of his radio gig before beginning, leading to allegations of a double standard regarding other ex-politicians. Still, the Duceppe kerfuffle did shine a spotlight on the increasing number of partisans who participate in the media as political commentators.
Ontario's provincial leaders are promising a lot this election, but no one is talking about repairing the relationship between municipalities and the province. Sure, everyone talks about "partnerships' with municipalities, but it's not a partnership when the other side has all the cards.
The company: Andrew Cash is my MP. He is the Member of Parliament for Davenport in Toronto. A few years ago...
The Peace Tower rises above the government buildings of Parliament Hill. Sue Frause photo. It's no surprise that Ottawa is the first stop on the 201...
How about stretching our 4th of July fireworks fuse a bit by adding a belated congrats to our "true north" Canadian colleagues on the commemoration of their own Canadian birthday, which comes 3 days before ours.
Saying that Canadians need an Arab Spring to counter Harper undermines the travesty of living in a undemocratic country. I don't think Ms. DePape realizes just how lucky she is to live in a nation where she has the right to voice political dissent.
Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for demonstrating that, when it comes to the Middle East, "Moral Courage and a Hankering to Learn the Truth" aren't "on vacation" in Ottawa.
Some people in Vancouver have raised questions as to whether or not the rest of Canada would support the Canucks the way they united to root on the Sens, Flames and Oilers.
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