The Canadian Progressive: Prominent Canadians want Victoria Day renamed to honour Aboriginals

From Victoria Day to ‘Victoria and First People’s Day’. How does that sound? Prolific author Margaret Atwood, Green Party leader Elizabeth May, actor Gordon Pinsent and other prominent Canadians are demanding that “Victoria Day” be renamed “Victoria and First Peoples Day”. To honour Aboriginal peoples’ contributions to Canada. The group, which also includes politicians, is supporting [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Dr. James Hansen: Keystone XL, tar sands expansion “can be stopped”

By: Dr. James Hansen Today (May 9, 2013) 36 Norwegian organizations sent an open letter to Prime Minister Stoltenberg expressing opposition to development of Canadian tar sands by Statoil (the Norwegian state is majority shareholder of Statoil). Signatories include not only environmental organizations, but a broad public spectrum, including, appropriately, many youth organizations. It is encouraging that Norwegian [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Sen. Mike Duffy’s Scandal Torpedoes Nigel Wright: Canadians React

PM Stephen Harper’s chief of staff Nigel Wright resigned early Sunday following last week’s revelation that he cut a $90,000 personal cheque to cover Sen. Mike Duffy’s fraudulent Senate expense claims. The announcement has set the Twitterverse on fire. “Mr Wright’s resignation doesn’t end the matter – how and why was this deal done,” tweeted former Liberal leader [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Conservative Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in ‘crack cocaine’ video scandal

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: New York news blog Gawker yesterday revealed the existence of a video showing Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. The video was taken within the last six months, allegedly by the city’s Somali drug dealers. Gawker editor John Cook reported that he received a tip from [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Beleaguered Harper-appointed Sen. Mike Duffy Quits Conservative Caucus

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Scandal-plagued Sen. Mike Duffy quit the Conservative caucus Thursday after his fraudulent Senate expense claims threatened to engulf the Harper government. Duffy, appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2009, now sits as an independent. “It is clear the public controversy surrounding me and the repayment of my [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Sen. Patrick Brazeau defies Senate order to return housing allowance

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Our Senatorial soap opera entered a new chapter on Tuesday. Independent Sen. Patrick Brazeau informed the media that he’ll defy the Senate’s order to repay the $48,744 in living and travel expenses he fraudulently claimed from Canadian taxpayers. “Senator Brazeau has fulfilled his obligations in forwarding all relevant [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Temporary Foreign Worker Program: Jason Kenney’s 15% Rule Selective Amnesia

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: In the House of Commons Monday, Jason Kenney denied that the Harper Conservatives implemented the 15% wage rule, the cornerstone of the scandal-ridden federal Temporary Foreign Work…

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The Canadian Progressive: EPA Trashes State Department’s Positive Evaluation Of Keystone XL

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: The powerful U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seems to be taking its mandate seriously. At least as far as the State Department’s recent evaluation of TransCanada’s…

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The Canadian Progressive: Five reasons Canada should NOT ratify a Canada-EU free trade agreement

By: Stuart Trew | Originally published by Troy Media, on April 26, 2013: Jock Finlayson of the Business Council of British Columbia recently wrote a column for Troy Media on the virtues of the Canada-European Union free trade deal. He listed five reasons why he thinks the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, should [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Harper Says New Anti-Trudeau Flier Is Part Of “Democratic Debate”

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Stephen Harper wants us all to believe that the Conservatives’ new anti-Trudeau household flier is part of “democratic debate.” The Harper Conservatives greeted Justin Trudeau‘s election as Liberal leader with a below-the-belt TV ad rejected by Canadians. This week, the Conservatives launched a tax-payer-funded flyer campaign attacking [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Thatcherism: A grand, failed economic experiment

By: Andrew Jackson | Broadbent Institute Admirers and detractors of Margaret Thatcher can agree that she will be remembered as one of the key political architects of our times. Along with her soulmate, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, she broke decisively with the post-war Keynesian welfare state and ushered in the still-enduring age [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: A great betrayal: Trudeau and the Liberals voted for Harper’s sell-out FIPA

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Justin Trudeau and the Liberals abandoned us during our greatest hour of need. And if there’s a greater act of betrayal, please let me know. On Monday, Trudeau and the Liberals voted with the Harper Conservatives to kill an NDP motion to stop the Canada-China Foreign Investment [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Stephen Harper takes partisan politics abroad

Harper’s government reacts with overwrought rage when other Canadian politicians express opinions outside Canada. So which way is it? By: Tim Harper | Toronto Star, Published on Fri Apr 19 2013: OTTAWA — Stephen Harper was representing Canada at the funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in London this week. Was [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Justin Trudeau to defend muzzled Conservative backbenchers?

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Apparently, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s forthcoming Liberal Opposition Day motion seeks to defend Conservatives MPs who are being muzzled by Stephen Harper. At least that’s how most of the media has interpreted the motion, to be debated and voted in the House of Commons Monday. “Justin Trudeau riding [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: DISGUSTING: Rehtaeh Parsons case: Posters ask community to “support the boys”

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Canada, we’ve a big problem! “Friends, family and supporters of the four boys allegedly involved in the Rehtaeh Parsons case have taken their voice to the streets of Halifax,” the CBC reports. They’re distributing bright, multi-coloured posters urging the community to “speak the truth” and “stay [...]

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The Canadian Progressive: Jeremy Hammond: Aaron Swartz & the Criminalization of Digital Dissent

It is not the “crimes” Aaron (Swartz) may have committed that made him a target of federal prosecution, but his ideas – elaborated in his “Guerrilla Open Access Manifesto” – that the government has found so dangerous. By Jeremy Hammond – #18729-424 | Metropolitan Correctional Center, Feb. 20, 2013: The tragic death of internet freedom fighter READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: Harper Government must heed environment commissioner’s warnings: David Suzuki

By Dr. David Suzuki | Published by Troy Media on Feb. 13, 2013: When the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded in 2010, killing 11 people and spewing massive amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, it cost more than $40 billion to mop up the mess. In Canada, an oil company would be liable for only $30 million, READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: Stephen Harper’s Canada is reminiscent of Orwell’s Nightmarish “1984″ World

By Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 18, 2013: Allan Gregg, a prominent media commentator, chairperson of polling firm Harris/Decima, and strategist for the Progressive Conservatives under Brian Mulroney, says Stephen Harper‘s Canada is reminiscent of Orwell’s nightmarish “1984” world. So he said in an impassioned delivered at Carleton University on September 5, 2012. Gregg tells us: “A quick READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: Aagh, Harper Conservatives Nuked Democratic NDP Motion On Role Of PBO

By Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 14, 2013: Showing their burgeoning disdain for accountability, transparency, financial oversight and the independence of federal watchdogs, the Harper Conservatives earlier this week nuked a progressive NDP motion on the role of the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). The motion, tabled by the Official Opposition’s Finance critic, Peggy Nash, sought to extend the mandate READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: VICTORY: Canadians Killed Harper’s Internet Surveillance Bill C-30

by Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 12, 2013: Prime Minister Stephen Harper‘s Internet surveillance Bill C-30 is dead. The demise of the deceptively christened Protecting Children From Internet Predators Act is a victory for the Internet. For Canadian democracy. For Canadians. Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson confirmed it yesterday when he announced that the Conservatives won’t be pursuing the READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: Black hockey players, aboriginals, gays nixed from Canada’s new bills

“The Bank of Canada considered celebrating gay marriages, black hockey players, and turban-wearing RCMP officers on its new plastic bank notes” By Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 11, 2013: And so the Harper Conservative-inspired whitewashing of Canada continues. Last summer, we learned that the Bank of Canada had nixed the image of an Asian-looking female scientist from READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: Senator Patrick Brazeau Must Go!

If Brazeau stays on as an independent Senator, he’ll cost Canadian taxpayers at lease $7-million by the time he retires approximately 37 years from today. By Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 8, 2013: Conservative Sen. Patrick Brazeau’s charges of assault and sexual assault offer Prime Minister Stephen Harper the opportunity to do the right thing concerning his much-touted READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: A case for civil disobedience in Canada

It may be the only response left to combat the ideologues ruling Canada. by John Bennett | Troy Media, Feb. 5, 2013: All the benefits Roslyn Kunin attributes to life in Canada in her recent column, including peace and order and good government came about through civil disobedience. The suffragettes who won women the right vote did READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s All-Male Security Detail: PHOTO

by Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 4, 2013: Legendary is Prime Minister Stephen Harper‘s contempt for women and the issues important to them. This photo of the prime minister and his security detail confirms the truth: Harper is still to wake up to the reality that women can be as lethal personal bodyguards as men. Mr. Harper, women are READ MORE

The Canadian Progressive: Of Toronto G20 protests and “abuse orchestrated by fascist states”

by Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Jan 15, 2013: Ontario Superior Court Justice Harriet Sachs says police behaviour during the Toronto G20 protests had “the eerie overtones of the worst sort of abuse orchestrated by fascist states.” She passed the harsh verdict while ruling on the case of Eva Marie Botten, an activist whose Charter READ MORE