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Canadian Politics

My Motion Got Stuck on One Word: "Abortion"

Stephen Woodworth | Posted 12.02.2012 | Canada Politics
Stephen Woodworth

The word "abortion" seemed to cast a hypnotic spell over MPs who spoke against Motion 312 in the Parliamentary debate, causing them to suspend thoughtful analysis and abandon time-honoured Canadian values and institutions. Canadians across our land are beginning to realize the damage to our democratic institutions and principles being done by those whose single-minded, intransigent and extreme preoccupation with protecting our abortion practices leads to abandon essential Canadian ideals.

After Three Strikes, Rob Anders Should Be Out

Samuel Getachew | Posted 12.01.2012 | Canada Politics
Samuel Getachew

For Rob Anders, who on Monday told an iPolitics reporter that Thomas Mulcair was in some way responsible for hastening Jack Layton's death, controversy is nothing new. He was once removed from a veteran's affairs committee for frequently falling asleep and showing disrespect for our veterans and was the sole member to speak out against Nelson Mandela's honorary Canadian citizenship.

Third-Party Liberals Need More Than a Messiah

Hassan Arif | Posted 12.01.2012 | Canada Politics
Hassan Arif

Can the Liberals survive as a third party? Liberals can no longer claim to be the natural governing party, nor to have the same ability to garner wealthy donors or those seeking connections. Liberals cannot coast by on "we win elections," "we're not Harper," or be the "everything to everyone" party. The Liberals face a tough political environment, with the NDP trying to crowd them out, and with their own return to power far from certain. A compelling message and clear ideals to attract support is key. Liberals cannot pine for a messiah.

The Infallible Trudeau is a Media-Driven Myth

Zach Paikin | Posted 11.28.2012 | Canada Politics
Zach Paikin

Somehow, the media have already decided that the race for the Liberal Party of Canada's leadership is over before it has even started, with Justin Trudeau the clear frontrunner. The one issue most often cited by the media as being Trudeau's decisive advantage is his army of Twitter followers. How Twitter followers necessarily translate into votes on convention day has yet to be explained. Let there be no mistake: Important elements within the media are attempting to create reality rather than report it. Whether this race is up for grabs or not should be dependent upon the views of Liberals, not the media.

Move Over Trudeau, Mark Carney's Got it All

Daniel D. Veniez | Posted 11.28.2012 | Canada Politics
Daniel D. Veniez

If there is any basis to the speculation that Liberals and other Canadians are calling on Mark Carney to enter the public arena by seeking the leadership of the party, count me among them. I believe in talent and the power of ideas. Carney has both. This guy would be a game-changer in all the right ways, not only for the Liberal Party, but also for Canadian democracy.

Rona Ambrose's Vote Sucker-Punched Women

Colleen Westendorf | Posted 11.28.2012 | Canada Politics
Colleen Westendorf

Wednesday evening was a perilous moment for every person with a uterus in Canada and elsewhere. In a country where we are applauded for not having legal restrictions on abortion, Parliament voted on M312, which was defeated 203-91. Though the motion claimed to be in the interest of equality for everyone, nowhere did the word woman, womb, fetus, uterus, or (heaven forbid) vagina appear in the motion. The person who should have been fighting the hardest Wednesday night was the Minister for the Status of Women, Rona Ambrose. Instead she sucker-punched everyone in this country who hopes and expects to be treated in accordance with their charter rights and as a person, by voting yes.

Ambrose Explains Yes Vote On Abortion-Related Motion.. Kind Of

CP | Steve Rennie, The Canadian Press | Posted 11.27.2012 | Canada Politics

OTTAWA - Facing calls for her job and accused by the NDP of betraying the women she represents at the federal cabinet table, a defiant Rona Ambrose st...

How Fixing Marineland Could Fix Niagara's Economy

Philip Demers | Posted 11.25.2012 | Canada Business
Philip Demers

But as detailed in The Star investigation into Marineland, serious understaffing has been one of several concerns expressed by myself and the other former employees who have exposed Marineland for its lackadaisical operation. What job losses do we fear from better protecting Ontario's animals? The fact is, if zoos and aquariums were held to higher standards, it follows that more jobs would be created!

Pro-Choice or Pro-Life, Canada Needs a Clear Ruling on Abortion

Brent Rathgeber | Posted 11.26.2012 | Canada Politics
Brent Rathgeber

One of the most contentious issues facing the 41st Parliament is Motion 312. My feelings on the abortion issue are complex and have evolved over time. I have come to the conclusion after years of deliberation and inner debate that I am both Pro-Choice and Pro-Life.

When MPs Launch Sneak Attacks

Keith Beardsley | Posted 11.25.2012 | Canada Politics
Keith Beardsley

In Parliament, the one-minute Standing Order 31 was designed to give MPs an opportunity to highlight something of importance in their riding. By 2008 there was increasing pressure to use more of the SO 31s as attack pieces (sometimes all of them) to get the government talk points out. Today, this has become pretty much standard practice. In my opinion this has been one of the contributing factors to the caustic atmosphere you now see on a daily basis in the House of Commons.

Dr. Norman Bethune: China's Hero, Canada's Traitor

Peter Worthington | Posted 11.24.2012 | Canada
Peter Worthington

Virtually unknown in Canada, and certainly unheralded, Dr. Norman Bethune was magnified and glorified by Mao and Chinese communists who declared him a national hero. Bethune was not in China to help humanity. It was not sick people he tended, but wounded communist soldiers. So Canadians became conditioned to the idea that by publicly revering Bethune, it gave them an advantage with the Chinese. The irony is that were Bethune alive, he'd be outraged and horrified at how he is manipulated.

Meet the RCMP Officer Who's Guilty of Crimes She Didn't Commit

Daniel D. Veniez | Posted 11.23.2012 | Canada Politics
Daniel D. Veniez

Barbara George was a decorated law enforcement officer with an unblemished 30-year track record. Then in 2007, the House of Commons found her in contempt of Parliament for allegedly "misleading" the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.None of what George was accused of was true. She vowed not to rest until her name was cleared. Last week, she came a little closer. Now is the time for the House of Commons to apologize, and return some piece of mind to Barbara George and her family.

Watch Out, Christy Clark There's an Orange Wave Coming

Daniel D. Veniez | Posted 11.21.2012 | Canada Politics
Daniel D. Veniez

It's difficult to find someone in Vancouver's business community who relishes the prospect of an NDP government. Yet that's precisely what they are bracing for when B.C. goes to the polls next May. Confidence in Christy Clark has all but evaporated. Members of the business establishment are increasingly resigned to the NDP forming the next government. So it was against this backdrop that Adrian Dix, Leader of British Columbia's NDP, had his coming out party.

Media Bites: Tom Mulcair and Duchess Kate Let it All Hang Out

J.J. McCullough | Posted 11.20.2012 | Canada
J.J. McCullough

2012-04-27-mediabitesreal.jpg Thomas Muclair... wants to raise your taxes! Specifically, he wants to raise a carbon tax, which is a tax on everything you have, want, or could even conceive of! Time-traveling unicorn zombie cyborgs? Oh, you better believe Tom's gonna tax the hell outta those. You know what else was taxing? All the coverage of Kate's topless foray. To summarize, the consensus is that duchesses should not be naked in public.

Does Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Have a White Saviour Complex?

Anthony Morgan | Posted 11.18.2012 | Canada Politics
Anthony Morgan

On a recent radio segment, Doug Ford boldly proclaimed, "There's no one that helps black youth more than Rob Ford," followed by, "These are kids who have nothing." If Mayor Ford really does hold the view that the black youths he helps have "nothing" without his football program, he is only furthering the sentiment that no matter how hard black people and communities work, they still have "nothing" if their hard work and perseverance is not supported by a white saviour.

Limiting the Competition in Politics is a Loser's Game

Keith Beardsley | Posted 11.17.2012 | Canada Politics
Keith Beardsley

According to a media report, it would appear that New Brunswick MP, Dominic Leblanc, would like to limit the number of contenders for the Liberal Party leadership. Leadership races are supposed to rejuvenate a party, improve its fortunes and give it a bounce in the polls. You won't do that unless you debate new ideas, hopefully with a few new people at the table.

Even Harper Knows Motion 312 Won't Pass

Jennifer Prosser | Posted 11.17.2012 | Canada Politics
Jennifer Prosser

The Prime Minister himself has said he will not open the abortion debate. This goes as far as the PMO working to strongly encourage members of parliament to vote against MP Steven Woodworth's bill -- that asks our government to review the definition of when a child become a human being -- though that doesn't look to be stopping some members. If Prime Minister Harper is not interested in opening the abortion debate, and if this was only a private member's motion to create a committee -- the least threatening and most common of all government workings, then what makes Motion 312 important?

Media Bites: The Lougheed Legacy's Light on History

J.J. McCullough | Posted 11.16.2012 | Canada Politics
J.J. McCullough

2012-04-27-mediabitesreal.jpg I should start by admitting I was only 15 months old when Peter Lougheed concluded his highly transformative tenure as ruler of Alberta, so my memories are a little hazy. But I seem to recall there was a time when this nation's editorial pages weren't quite as overflowing with praise of the late Conservative premier as they are today.

Canada Needs More Leaders Like Peter Lougheed

Daniel D. Veniez | Posted 11.14.2012 | Canada Alberta
Daniel D. Veniez

Peter Lougheed's grace, class, and dignity should be an example to current and future political leaders in Canada. His life and service to his country showed that great things could be accomplished for the common good with a mixture of intelligence, daring, principle, integrity, humility, and an understanding of the power of compromise. Canada owes much to the statesmanship of giants like Lougheed. He was a nation-builder. His passing is a reminder to me of how much we so desperately need people like Peter Lougheed in our public life today.

How Bill 115 Robs Us Teachers Of Our Dignity

Danielle S. McLaughlin | Posted 11.12.2012 | Canada Politics
Danielle S. McLaughlin

Bill 115 is unfair. Pre-emptive law making denies the rights of employees "just in case." How can we inculcate the habits of democracy into our students when they observe and experience unreasonable restrictions on the rights of the very people who are charged with teaching them about fairness? What if teachers behaved like this government? Imagine children being told that they will not be allowed to seek permission to create a club because the school doesn't trust them to make the proper arrangements -- nor to go out for recess because they might misbehave. It would not take long for someone to shout, "That's not fair."

Before You Compare Something to Hitler and Nazis...Don't

Bernie Farber | Posted 11.12.2012 | Canada
Bernie Farber

Godwin's Law states, if an online conversation goes on long enough, invariably the argument will include a Nazi or Adolf Hitler comparison. Just this week Ontario PC MPP Jim McDonell was forced to apologize when he compared legislation involving the ORNGE controversy and its alleged secrecy to the manner in which the Nazis operated. Falling back on Hitler and the Nazis only tells us that the person lacks both imagination and sensitivity -- but it happens all too often.

How Much Does it Cost to be a Liberal These Days?

Rachel Décoste | Posted 11.10.2012 | Canada Politics
Rachel Décoste

The first impediment to ascension the Ol' Boys' Club -- or the Liberal Party -- has imposed is a hefty $75,000 entry fee to run for Party Leader. That's 65 per cent more than the national income average or what most of us call "a small fortune." Is this a way for a third place party to renew interest with the Canadian people? A party that's lost its compass is doomed to lose the legions voters who have strayed outside the once broad LPC umbrella.

Media Bites: Harper Ended His Relationship With Iran, and Yes, It's Complicated

J.J. McCullough | Posted 11.09.2012 | Canada Politics
J.J. McCullough

2012-04-27-mediabitesreal.jpg Friday morning brought news that the Harper administration had officially unrecognized the Islamic Republic of Iran. So rest easy. Or panic. Harper has either made one of the worst diplomatic blunders of our time or given us a head start in fleeing the terrors of World War III. It all depends on what source you consider more credible on issues of national security -- Al Jazeera or Sun TV.

No Foreign Investments Can Tarnish Our Ethical Oil

Jamie Ellerton | Posted 11.10.2012 | Canada Business
Jamie Ellerton

In the same week that China's National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) applied for federal approval for its takeover of Canadian oil company, Nexen, Kuwait's state-owned company was reported to have signed a deal with Canada's Athabasca Oil Corp. That's two countries, known for poor ethics, buying a piece of the Canadian oil patch. And yet, our oil remains as ethical as ever.

The Latest Proof of Global Warming? Adios Summer Sea Ice

Andrew Weaver | Posted 11.08.2012 | Canada Politics
Andrew Weaver

During this past week Arctic sea ice retreated to all-time lows, shattering the previous record set in 2007 by an area roughly the size of (ironically) Alberta. This past week, the much-anticipated new and improved federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity plants leaked out. To no one's surprise, they are significantly weakened from what we had been told to expect.