If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
I see the premiers are upset that Prime Minister Harper will not be attending their next session on the economy in Halifax next November. We can almost certainly guarantee that if the Prime Minister went to the November meeting each and every premier would find plenty of opportunities to go in front of the media to castigate the Prime Minister on a long list of issues. In turn the Prime Minister would then be forced to respond to their attacks during his media availability. Certainly that is not the best way to have reasonable well-thought out discussions on the economy or on any other issue for that matter. Why should Harper risk it?
Federal court ruled Wednesday morning the that the Conservative government's response to the crisis in Attawapiskat was unreasonable and failed to look at any remedy other than the appointment of a Third Party Manager. Rather that own up to their mistake the Conservative government says it is "disappointed" with the decision. What will it take for this government to take responsibility for its own incompetence? The Conservative government must work with First Nations to find solutions rather than simply trying to deflect blame for their own failures.
I am not exactly an environmental crusader. I turn off the lights whenever I leave a room. I use public transportation. I recycle. For a long time, I thought this was enough. It's not, and over the past few years, I have begun to question whether or not I should ever have children. Here's why.
The federal Conservatives responded to the influence-peddling charges that former Prime Minister Harper adviser Bruce Carson is facing by issuing a statement saying those who don't follow the rules face the consequences. This is a deeply hypocritical statement from the Conservatives whose leader has done nothing to penalize dozens of Conservative Cabinet ministers and MPs who violated federal good government rules.
From my vantage point in Toronto, the contrast between the current state of local politics and federal politics is an interesting study. King Harpernicus and Burgher Meister Ford are basically cut from the same cloth, but the results of the tailoring are very different.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is demanding that his cabinet ministers essentially get in line like everyone else when it comes to upcoming Olympic traffic in London. In this case Cameron is being proactive and he is setting a good example in a time of restraint. Not only that, but it won't hurt his ministers to mix with the voting public; at the very least they will get to travel like the rest of us.
Stripped to its core, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak's vision is not about "modernizing" the labour market in the interests of prosperity for all. He seeks to usher in an era of permanent uncertainty for all working people to the overwhelming benefit of corporations. To accomplish this task, Hudak must neutralize his opponents in every possible arena, from the workplace to elections.
In Tim Hudak's dreams for Ontarians, workers will shuffle from one low-wage, precarious job to another, competing with each other in a race to the bottom. This is what he means by "flexibility" and it is the path to poverty, not prosperity.
In a statement Wednesday, Vic Toews said the Omnibus crime bill had not led to the predicted rise in prisoners and prison costs. Either the Public Safety Minister is being intentionally deceptive, or he lacks a basic understanding of how the court system works. I'm not sure which one is more disturbing.
I suppose I can understand why Stephen Harper would call Calgary the "greatest city" in Canada, as he did this week. After all, a whopping 70 per cent of the city voted for him and his Conservative party in the 2011 federal election. But he's quite obviously wrong. Toronto is Canada's greatest city. And if you don't believe that, well you're just as delusional as the prime minister.
In mid-June, the federal government committed every Canadian man, woman and child to pay $15.79 to create jobs and build infrastructure in Michigan whose per capita income is nearly the same as Canada's. Weeks later, nobody here seems to have noticed. The foreign aid will cover that state's costs for a multi-billion dollar bridge project linking Michigan and Ontario. But this deal is a little too sweet for Michigan...
Wednesday, Stephen Harper conducted what can best be described as a micro shuffle as it really wasn't big enough to be called a mini-shuffle. With no warning to the media who cover such items, everyone was taken by surprise. And that's not even mentioning the inevitable disappointment of certain backbenchers.
One can tell it is summer in Ottawa because there is a never ending speculation about a cabinet shuffle. With Bev Oda resigning, what will happen next? Will Peter MacKay become justice minister? Will Vic Toews take a judicial posting in Manitoba? And what will happen to the Defence Department?
As MP Bev Oda has chosen to abort not only her ministership, but her political career, the bombshell has informed a troubling narrative on Harper's Conservatives' treatment of womankind. As the Harper government's war on women rages on, anti-woman proposals which have been blighting in the right-wing fringe for years have come to fruition.
Why does Stephen Harper have such a sudden attachment to the Queen that he neglected to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms? Does he despise so much our Constitution and the law generally? Was it to please Ontarians and gain seats in Ontario? Or is it just pure opportunism and hypocrisy?
The talk about Justin Trudeau taking the Liberal leadership always comes down to the same points: It's not his time, he's too young, his last name is poison in parts of the country, he hasn't run a successful business, he hasn't accomplished anything noteworthy. If any of these arguments sound familiar, it's because they were the same things said about senator Obama back in 2008. Can Trudeau, like Obama, incite some excitement into Canadian politics?
