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On voting, roads, and prairie privilege
Canadian PoliticsNo one can say what it would take to shift the weight of government expenditure toward a future where, instead of pipelines and extractive industries, we fund education and child welfare for all Canadians and harness the economy to a climate change Marshall Plan, but we can be certain that tax cuts and less government will not get us there.
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Trudeau government’s ‘blackface’ in Haiti
Canadian PoliticsTrudeau is likely ignorant of the social reality his policies in Haiti are entrenching, yet it’s unlikely he understood that blackening his face also flowed from and contributed to centuries of racial subjugation. It was just popular in the elite social circles he operated in. The same can be said of his humiliation of the impoverished black masses in Haiti today.
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Justin Trudeau, Liberal Let-Down
Canadian PoliticsIt all started so promisingly. It’s hard to forget the bright, warm day in early November 2015, when Justin Trudeau, in a perfectly fitted suit and with perfectly tousled hair, strolled with his new cabinet members to the steps of Rideau Hall, opened to the public to witness the swearing-in ceremony of Canada’s new Liberal Party prime minister. Onlookers took in the equal number of male and female ministers, the first gender-balanced federal cabinet in Canadian history.
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Is Justin Trudeau really a climate criminal?
Canadian PoliticsThe Liberals spent $4.5 billion on the Trans Mountain pipeline and related infrastructure. This important government intervention is designed to expand extraction of heavy carbon emitting tar sands oil. Overwhelmingly, scientists argue that these fossil fuels must stay in the ground if we are to avoid catastrophic climate disturbances. While some might consider it hyperbolic, the case for labeling Trudeau a climate criminal is overwhelming.
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Austerity round two in Manitoba
Canadian PoliticsManitoba’s Progressive Conservatives, led by Premier Brian Pallister, won the provincial election on September 10, albeit with a slightly smaller majority than they had going into the campaign. We can expect the government to continue on its path of “fiscal responsibility”. Of specific concern to the Pallister government has been bringing down the government deficit, which was approaching $1 billion when it first assumed office in 2016.
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Fifty-four Canadian Armed Forces personnel under investigation for right-wing extremism
Canadian PoliticsCandyce Kelshall, President of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies says there are 54 active duty troops being investigated by the Canadian Armed Forces for links to right-wing extremism. MKelshall says the specialized training CAF members could have could make them very valuable to an extremist group. In their bulletin, CASIS argues that the Armed Forces has taken a reactive approach in responding to instances of right-wing extremism.
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The Religious Right’s Attack on Manitoba’s Public Schools
Canadian PoliticsReligious attacks on the public school system show contempt for this valuable public institution, and for the freedom of conscience and religion. Conservative cuts to the public school system, as well as promises of tax incentives for parents of children in private schools, are nothing but thinly veiled religious policies.
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Canada’s furore over Trudeau’s racist problems is only skin deep
Canadian PoliticsCanada’s political class looks ridiculous for the superficial condemnations it is leveling against Pseudo-Trudeau.The Canadian state has plenty of racist blood on its hands both from national and international foreign policy conduct. These far bigger crimes and malfeasance is what Canada should be really red-faced about.
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Government inaction on anti-Palestinian charity reflects Canada’s racist power structure
Canadian PoliticsWe are beginning to hear more about the varieties of racism that plague our country. With a federal election around the corner, those among us who strive for a just peace in Israel-Palestine can raise this issue with our local candidates. At your doorstep, in your community, and at local candidates’ debates, ask them if they support the ongoing charitable status of JNF Canada. Ask them if they think Palestinian lives matter.
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Why a wealth tax must be part of any plan to end income inequality in Canada
Canadian PoliticsIf members of the billionaire class support a wealth tax on the grounds that it numbs adversarial attitudes towards wealthy elites—and slows the pace of growing inequality so that the rich can carry on their businesses as usual—is it likely, on its own, to be an effective way of serving the long-term interests of poor and working people?
