This and that for your Sunday reading. – Claire Pomeroy writes that the establishment’s refusal to stop the transmission of COVID-19 has created a desperate need to account for the widespread disability it’s causing. But Brody Langager reports that in Saskatchewan, a non-profit’s website is instead serving as the closest
Continue readingTag: Olivia Chow
Northern Reflections: No More Of The Same
On Monday, Olivia Chow was elected mayor of Toronto. Max Fawcett writes: Chow is taking the reins of a city that’s in much worse shape than it was when she unsuccessfully ran for mayor the first time in 2014. The housing market is actively hostile to anyone who didn’t buy
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Michael Marshall discusses the growing body of knowledge about the persistence of long COVID – with people still suffering symptoms after a year tending to suffer from it as a chronic condition thereafter, and no effective treatment available once long COVID sets in.
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Singh’s campaign trail strength has silenced his critics within the NDP
Not long ago, some New Democrats were talking about replacing him Hannah Thibedeau · CBC News NDP leader Jagmeet Singh hugs Olivia Chow, widow of former NDP leader Jack Layton, as they Read more…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta premier’s quietly capable chief of staff, John Heaney, returns to his family and law practice in B.C.
PHOTOS: John Heaney last spring at the Alberta Legislature. Below: Mr. Heaney’s predecessor as Premier Rachel Notley’s chief of staff, Brian Topp, and his successor, Nathan Rotman (Photo: Twitter). The departure of the low-key and highly capable John Heaney as Premier Rachel Notley’s chief of staff will not necessarily become
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Thomas Mulcair is Only a Symptom of a Much Bigger Problem for the NDP
“The party got off to a bad start with its election promise to balance the budget without raising taxes. That promise, difficult to honour during a period of general economic turmoil, would seriously limit its policy options.” That quote, though fitting, was not about the last federal election, but was
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Thomas Mulcair is Only a Symptom of a Much Bigger Problem for the NDP
“The party got off to a bad start with its election promise to balance the budget without raising taxes. That promise, difficult to honour during a period of general economic turmoil, would seriously limit its policy options.” That quote, though fitting, was not about the last federal election, but was
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Thomas Mulcair is Only a Symptom of a Much Bigger Problem for the NDP
“The party got off to a bad start with its election promise to balance the budget without raising taxes. That promise, difficult to honour during a period of general economic turmoil, would seriously limit its policy options.”
That quote, though fitting, was not about the last federal election, but was written about the Nova Scotia NDP, that got trounced after just one mandate. The author, Howard Epstein, was a long serving NDP MLA who wrote the book: Hope betrayed? The Nova Scotia NDP’s rocky fall from power.
Epstein asks: “If the NDP can’t differentiate itself from other parties, should it exist?”
That is a very good question. Federally, they are now back to third party status, in a Liberal majority, with a progressive platform; what will their role be? How can they possibly hope to rebuild when they have nothing to rebuild on?
Their appointment of the right-wing Thomas Mulcair as leader, and their disastrous election campaign, has left them rudderless.
Social activist Michael Laxer, on his The Left Chapter blog, also puts much of the blame on the NDP themselves, but sees their refusal to take responsibility as a major hindrance. They can’t accept that they did anything wrong, but instead call for blind devotion and solidarity.
Solidarity that will be hard to achieve, when the true believers; the activists who coalesced around the NDP, have, as Laxer points out; already left. Or truthfully, were banished.
Covering the NDP leadership convention, John Ibbitson wrote:
Make no mistake about the importance of what happened in Toronto last weekend: Tens of thousands of New Democrats rebelled against the party establishment – a cabal of union leaders, academics, journalists and party apparatchiks – to elect an outsider.
They did it, in the words of one NDP supporter who was at the convention, because they no longer wanted to be led by “a comfy sweater.” Mr. Mulcair and Brian Topp, who finished second, were both seen as bare-knuckle politicians who could take on the Conservatives and win.
They forgot that it was the “cabal of union leaders, academics, journalists and party apparatchiks” who helped to build the NDP.
Another social activist and NDP team builder, Murray Dobbin, wrote of Mulcair’s leadership victory:
“Facing a ruthless tough guy? Get your own ruthless tough guy. And possibly create a monster you can’t control. It is as if policy, philosophy, and vision for the country have simply been devalued to the point where they are an afterthought or some vaguely interesting historical relic.”
They are no longer facing a “ruthless tough guy” so do they really need Mulcair now? Not that it really matters, because without their activist base, who are they?
Those activists can now work with Justin Trudeau, to build the kind of Canada that we want to live in, since the NDP are no longer in a position to do much of anything.
And as CTV points out, there is still the matter of the 2.7 million dollars owed by current and defeated MPs, and with no money to fight the decision in court, this could very well spell the end of the NDP.
Even a petition to demand the resignation of Mulcair, is getting very little traction. It’s like they no longer care. Why should they?
The emphasis will be on the Liberals and Justin Trudeau as they work to repair the damage done by the Harper government.
And with Trudeau, all comfy sweaters are welcome.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Olivia Chow’s Video About Bill C-51
Given yesterday’s post on the growing worldwide governmental repression of civil society groups and NGOs, as well as the disturbing information included in my update, a video by Olivia Chow attacking the Liberal position on Bill C-51 seems especially pertinent. The NDP is launching a national attack on Justin Trudeau’s
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: NDP Plan Rally to Dishonour Two Fallen Canadian Soldiers
Stagnating in public support, the NDP are trying desperately to get back to the days when the passion over Bill C-51; the omnibus bill that is now law, and changes many laws; gave them a bump in the polls. To do that they are planning rallies against the Liberals over
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: NDP Plan Rally to Dishonour Two Fallen Canadian Soldiers
Stagnating in public support, the NDP are trying desperately to get back to the days when the passion over Bill C-51; the omnibus bill that is now law, and changes many laws; gave them a bump in the polls. To do that they are planning rallies against the Liberals over
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: NDP Plan Rally to Dishonour Two Fallen Canadian Soldiers
Stagnating in public support, the NDP are trying desperately to get back to the days when the passion over Bill C-51; the omnibus bill that is now law, and changes many laws; gave them a bump in the polls. To do that they are planning rallies aga…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta Politics: Tuesday candidate nomination update in Alberta
Alberta’s New Democrats demonstrated some organizational strength last weekend as close to 400 supporters packed the TransAlta Arts Barns to watch party leader Rachel Notley accept the nomination to be a candidate in Edmonton-Strathcona. On hand for the unofficial NDP… Continue Reading →
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta Politics: Monday morning candidate nomination updates in Alberta
The Progressive Conservatives held their first “Super Saturday” on Feb. 21, 2015, during which contested nominations were held in seven constituencies. The handful of contested PC nominations have been overshadowed by the nearly forty acclamations by incumbent PC MLAs across the province…. Continue Reading →
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Our Long Municipal Nightmare Is Over
Of course one’s first response must be an overwhelming sense of relief. The Ford’s are gone from power in this town, even though Rob reclaimed his council seat out in Etobicoke. That’s a sideshow. Peak Ford has passed. Ford Nation is dead. Even though they turned out in full force
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: The Election-Eve Racist, Sexist Attack on Olivia Chow
If this cartoon were published, say, 2 weeks before the election, it would have been debated as a tool of racist, sexist propaganda and yet another blemish on corporate media. Her support would likely have grown after such a brutally immature attack. But because politics is a dirty, disgusting, sociopathic
Continue readingEh Types: When Being Right Feels Wrong
In March of this year I had a job interview with a well known political consulting group. I must say despite not being hired I immensely enjoyed the interview. One of the questions I was asked, other than my response to a zombie apocalypse, was what I thought the main
Continue reading2014 Municipal Election Endorsements
Toronto Mayor – Olivia Chow Brant Mayor – Roy Haggart Toronto City Council Ward 1 – Idil Burale Ward 2 – Andray Domise Ward 9 – Maria Augimeri Ward 13 – Sarah Doucette Ward 14 – Gord Perks Ward 16 – JP Boutros Ward 17 – Alejandra Bravo Ward 18 –
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: John Tory, the leading Conservative Party candidate for Toronto…
John Tory, the leading Conservative Party candidate for Toronto mayor, has gotten endorsements from the Conservative Toronto Sun (after they previously promoted the Ford brothers), the Conservative Globe and Mail, Conservative Toronto city councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a bunch of other lesser-known Conservative city councillors, federal Conservative Transport Minister Lisa Raitt,
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Doug Ford should drop out of the Toronto mayoral race – he is…
Doug Ford should drop out of the Toronto mayoral race – he is splitting the anti-John Tory vote. John Tory should drop out of the mayoral race because he is splitting the anti-Doug Ford vote. They should both drop out because they are both splitting the pro-Chow vote. If that
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