Canada's Debate

I’m doing something today that I haven’t done in a very long time… I’m writing something out by hand. Granted, I will eventually type this up (and that is presumably how you’re reading it) but for now I’m enjoying a more tangible writing process.
Harper, Stephen Harper,
Head of the Conservative Party;
From the ‘burb of Leaside,
Pretends to [...]

Take a bow Stephen Harper, you’ve earned it. What did you do to earn such a dramatic flourish you ask? You proved once and for all that your ideology is all that matters. Not only did you cut the GST despite the fact that it made no economic sense to do so, not only did [...]

So there was a cabinet shuffle this week… A few high profile members moved around, and a few quieter ones came and went. The big news of Harpers minority two-step was the banishment of O’Connor to the Ministry of Keeping Your Mouth Shut and wounded-Pete being installed as Minister of Defense. Most writers and [...]

How transparent is the Conservative’s budget? Well not only is the National Post calling it for what it is, a blatant vote-grab, but even the Canadian Free Press is rejecting it. If you can’t win that crowd over, then you’re not doing a good job of being Conservative.
The federal government’s budget introduced by Finance Minister [...]

So Stephen Harper is in the GTA today, and much to my surprise he is actually making a meaningful commitment.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has unveiled a Greater Toronto Area anti-gridlock green strategy worth up to $1.53 billion.
In an election campaign style event, Harper announced this morning in Downsview that his government will spend up to [...]

Well I think it’s about time to wrap up the poll and start a new one (look for that around lunch time,) so I guess I’m going to talk about the Tories. Now, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to write about, until I remembered reading an article from the Globe and Mail [...]

The Liberals are accusing the Conservative government of plumbing new partisan depths by politicizing Government of Canada departmental websites…
The website of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada carried the minister’s statement, which concluded with a jab at the Liberal opposition.
“At a time when the Opposition parties are being soft on security and soft on terrorism, [...]

Not to beat a dead horse, but the Accountability Act story just won’t die. I’ve mentioned the Conservatives’ vacillation several times recently, and I have no intention to stop. This legislation is the sort of “feels good, does nothing” crap which allows bad governments to govern, and is as such the anathema to democracy.
The federal [...]

I wrote earlier about Harper’s attempt to stack the judiciary. This is only one part of a double-sized fist sandwhich which Harper is delivering straight to our democracy.
The other fist is his desperate and arrogant attempt to defy the will of the House of Commons.
Conservatives are simply dismissing a bill that gives the administration 60 [...]

I know I’m a bit late to jump on this “Tories shitting all over the judiciary” story, but I’ve been busy these past couple of days.
Now, as a student I used to make repeated arguments that an independent-appointed judiciary is the ideal system for Canada. Independence is much more critical than “democracy” in the judiciary [...]

I was watching Question Period this afternoon, as I often do when an overwhelming fit of inertia takes me, and I noticed something; or rather I continued to be aware of something I noticed during previous viewings of Legislature.
What I noticed is that, with the exception of answers to self-congratulatory questions offered in-party, the overwhelming [...]

A couple of stories I’ve posted on recently need to be updated.
First up: Coming to the Defence of RBC. I wrote here about the RBC refusing U.S. dollar accounts to dual-citizenship clients from certain unfriendly nations, and defended the RBC. They were playing it safe, and have now decided to relax this policy. I [...]

Perhaps someone can explain to me why John Baird being named Environment Minister is being hailed as significant for any reason? The conservative blogs are excited and think that Baird is “the man,” to bolster Harper’s environmental profile while the left-wing bloggers are predictably indignant. What I can’t figure out is why? Time and time [...]

The Harper cabinet has basically laid an egg for the year 2006, but how can we evaluate the Prime Minister’s performance? Unlike the rest of his crew, Harper faces no muzzle, no acting orders from above. He (along with advisors working for him as opposed to over him) sets the policy and decides how to [...]

Ok, so I’ve been working almost feverishly on my new webproject this last week, and as you may have guessed by the links menu on the left, it will involve, well, me. That being said, it’s time to wrap up this little stroll down forgettable-memory lane.
Name: Bev Oda
Portfolio: Heritage
Grade: F
If you had asked me at [...]