When we sat down in early summer to discuss how we’d cover what was expected to be a five-week fall campaign, CJN editor Yoni Goldstein asked me to write a weekly column about election topics of Jewish interest. The idea – a departure from past practice of mostly limiting ourselves
Continue readingTag: Mark Adler
wRanter.com: Gaffes and ‘anti-Semitism’ on the campaign trail
In the Sept. 17 Globe and Mail leaders’ debate, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made reference to “old-stock Canadians” in defending his government’s policy on health care for refugees and immigrants, saying it had only denied care to bogus claimants. “We do not offer them a better health-care plan than the
Continue readingwRanter.com: Can we talk politics without lashon hara?
Over the course of the election campaign to this point, the Jewish community has seen repeated and sometimes flagrant violations of halachic and ethical prohibitions against lashon hara – wicked speech – and some of the 31 transgressions related to it, such as unnecessarily engendering controversy and division. But although
Continue readingwRanter.com: Jewish issues at centre of partisan sniping
Jewish issues and candidates made headlines last week and became the subject of some distasteful political rhetoric on the campaign trail. In Alberta, a 21-year-old hijab-wearing university student resigned Aug. 18 as the Liberal candidate in the Tory stronghold of Calgary Nose Hill a day after conservative activists publicized noxious
Continue readingwRanter.com: Who will be the next big-name Jewish MP?
Last week, we examined four “Jewish” battleground ridings, including two – York Centre in Toronto and Mount Royal in Montreal – where, one way or another, a Jewish candidate is likely to win. This week, we look at Jews running for all four major parties across the country. Jews have
Continue readingwRanter.com: Four ‘Jewish’ battleground ridings to watch
It’s no secret that Jewish voters have apparently shifted from being largely supportive of the Liberal party to heartily supporting the Conservatives in what seems like majority numbers, due largely to the party’s full-throated support for Israel under Prime Minister Stephen Harper (and to a much lesser degree its commitment
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Prime Minister Said he Created a Million Jobs … Oh! You Thought I Meant Our Prime Minister
I try to keep up with politics everywhere so follow political junkies from several different countries. What I’ve discovered, in this mostly conservative sphere, is that the top news stories, no matter where they originate, are eerily similar. In fact, I often have to rely on the media source to
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Will Mike Duffy’s Chickens Come Home to Roost in Harper’s Backyard?
“Because my family has no money, I’ve decided to become a prostitute. That’s right, I’m going into politics. ” ― Jarod Kintz, The Merits of Marthaism, and How Being Named Susan Can Benefit You During the final days of the 2008 Canadian federal election campaign, the Liberals were starting to climb
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Blog Interview with Michael Levitt – LPC candidate for York-Centre
Today, I’m publishing an interview I’ve done with Michael Levitt, who is the LPC candidate for York-Centre. This was the riding held by such Liberal stalwarts as Art Eggleton and Ken Dryden. Mr. Dryden was one of those who got swept away in the Liberal collapse in the 905 region
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Mark Adler: From Belle of the Ball to Do Not Call
As Conservatives prepared for the 2011 election, they began targeting ridings with large Jewish populations, that they felt they could steal away from the Liberals. Stephen Harper was already portrayed, and not always in a positive light, as the most staunch supporter of Israel; so to build on that, they
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Good Start To The Week
It is always gratifying to begin the week reading the thoughts of engaged Canadians who see through the thinly-veiled lies of the Harper cabal. In this morning’s Star, three letter-writers address the topic of Bill C-520, a ‘private member’s bill’ proposed by Conservative MP Mark Adler, about which I have
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: His Hands Are All Over It
Like an ugly stain that resists the most determined efforts at removal, Bill C-520, a ‘private member’s bill’ proposed by Conservative MP Mark Adler, has Stephen Harper’s signature and paranoid paw prints all over it. The bill, about which I have written previously, would require all employees in parliamentary watchdog
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the Day the Junket Died
Well it was supposed to be a relaxing day in the Promised Land. A chance for Stephen Harper to travel from one holy site to another. And another.And soak up the love of the Israeli faithful.Just after sunset, the prime minister was greeted by hundreds of onlookers who cheered and reached out
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Can Loyalty Oaths Be Far Behind?
In yet another development in the dangerous drift toward autocratic rule, the Harper cabal, under the guise of a private member’s bill introduced by Mark Adler, the Conservative MP for York Centre, wants parliamentary watchdogs and their employees to disclose previous political activities. Bill C-520, which has the full backing
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