I was going to write a long blog post on this but since so much has been written about it I think this captures the spirit and intent of the proposal succinctly. The bottom line on Quebec’s proposed values charter is that you can visit a hospital named after a
Continue readingTag: Parti québécois
THE FIFTH COLUMN: The Bottom Line on the Parti Québécois Proposed Values Charter
I was going to write a long blog post on this but since so much has been written about it I think this captures the spirit and intent of the proposal succinctly.
The bottom line on Quebec’s proposed values charter is that you can visit a hospital name…
Continue readingTHE FIFTH COLUMN: The Bottom Line on the Parti Québécois Proposed Values Charter
I was going to write a long blog post on this but since so much has been written about it I think this captures the spirit and intent of the proposal succinctly. The bottom line on Quebec’s proposed values charter is that you can visit a hospital named after a
Continue readingQuebec Charter of Values not all bad
Every cloud has a silver lining, according to John Milton. That may be a bit too optimistic for most of us but it is, believe it or not, true of the Quebec Charter of Values proposed by the governing Parti Québécois. Most of the proposed charter is offensive or just
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: The PQ’s "Charter of Quebec Values"
Lately, there has been much of an uproar made over the PQ’s “Charter of Quebec Values” in the news. Frankly, the entire thing strikes me as a ridiculous bit of pot-stirring on the part of the Marois-led PQ government. The proposed Charter imposes a set of arbitrary limitations on religious
Continue readingFrom Orangutan: Mainstream headlines demonize Quebec student protesters (again!)
(video – 5 mars 2013, Montréal. Ostie d’grosse manif de soir contre la hausse éternelle from Mario Jean on Vimeo.) Tuesday, March 5, 2013, marked the rebirth of Montreal nocturnal protests against the commodification of university education. Below are a few of the sensationalist headlines (linked) that appeared in some of
Continue readingFrom Orangutan: Mainstream headlines demonize Quebec student protesters (again!)
(video – 5 mars 2013, Montréal. Ostie d’grosse manif de soir contre la hausse éternelle from Mario Jean on Vimeo.) Tuesday, March 5, 2013, marked the rebirth of Montreal nocturnal protests against the commodification of university education. Below are a few of the sensationalist headlines (linked) that appeared in some of
Continue readingFrom Orangutan: Mainstream headlines demonize Quebec student protesters (again!)
(video – 5 mars 2013, Montréal. Ostie d’grosse manif de soir contre la hausse éternelle from Mario Jean on Vimeo.)
Tuesday, March 5, 2013, marked the rebirth of Montreal nocturnal protests against the commodification of university education. Below are a few of the sensationalist headlines (linked) that appeared in some of the city’s mainstream news outlets the next day. These headlines demonize the protesters as violent criminals and sadly continue a shabby tradition of “news” coverage from last year’s Maple Spring.
English-language Media
Free tuition protest ends with smashed windows, arrests (CTV Montreal)
62 detained as protests resume (The Gazette)
Quebec student protest turns violent (Global Montreal)
French-language Media
Manifs: des commerçants veulent une police plus réactive (La Presse)
Droits de scolarité : comparution de six manifestants (Radio Canada)
Violences et arrestations (TVA)
Sure, a MINORITY of protesters got out of control, but they do not represent the inspiring collective spirit of the MAJORITY of people walking peacefully through the streets of downtown Montreal, side by side, English- and French-speaking (among others), and with the common goal of universal accessibility to higher education.
On the encouraging side, the prize for most objective headline goes to CBC Montreal for
Students rekindle nighttime protest against tuition hikes (CBC Montreal). Et voilà. It can be done.
The Canadian Progressive: Spence hunger strike: FN Chiefs contemplate Canada-wide “economic disruptions”
by Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive | January 01, 2013 “Economic impacts are imminent if there is no response.” APTN National News is reporting that First Nations leaders are contemplating Canada-wide “economic disruptions by the middle of January if Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t agree to hunger-striking Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence’s
Continue readingWalking Turcot Yards: The Strange Case of an Environmentalist Environment Minister
It’s been interesting to see the media making so much of Daniel Breton’s long and illustrious “criminal” life. You would swear being poor automatically made you a breaker of rules, a natural born cheat who only knows deception and wild behavior. Anyone who has ever attended a public consultation with
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: POSITION ANALYSIS: A Scathing Indictment of Neoliberalism And The Privatized Delivery of Social Services in Canada
The increasingly privatized delivery of social services under neoliberal governments is arguably doing real damage to the Canadian welfare state. Discussions about neoliberalism, which as the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics points out emphasize deregulation and a diminished role for the state[1], are often closely linked with the rise of
Continue readingCanadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: Justin Trudeau Announces Liberal Party Leadership Bid
After months of speculation, it’s official! Justin Trudeau is running for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. And he’s already dreaming big: he wants to replace Stephen Harper as Canada’s next prime minister. Announcing his leadership bid in Montreal Tuesday, the Papineau MP delivered a speech unequivocally pointing in that direction. The
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: Liberal Leadership ’13: We Don’t Really Know What’s Going to Happen
If anyone thinks they know what’s going to be the end result in the Liberal leadership contest (which just had its new rules announced) they’re dead wrong. Nobody knows what is going to happen. The National Post is dead wrong when they write that there is a predestined winner of
Continue readingIlluminated By Street Lamps: ‘Winners’ And Losers In Quebec Asbestos Mess
Photo: Vsmith/Wikipedia Support for Canadian chrysotile asbestos is dead. First point, this: Canada should have gotten out of the asbestos game a long time ago.All asbestos causes cancer. We won’t use it. And, we’ve been out of step with our European friends.But now, the inconvenient rub.With apparently no clear plan about
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Thanks to a murderous nut, long gun registry will be Harper’s first post-PQ test – he will likely fail
Gavrilo Princip under arrest in Sarajevo in 1914. But a speedy arrest wasn’t enough to avert a long war. Below, Quebec Premier Designate Pauline Marois. If you think about it – and you can bet on it that the Canadian gun lobby will refuse to do so – the murderous
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: A wide open field
Others have already weighed in on Quebec’s election results. But let’s note that for all the drama of an election where it was an open question whether voters could stomach any of the three main contenders, the outcome may set the stage for sweeping changes in the fairly near future.
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Quebection Projection
Apparently I haven’t learned my lesson since predicting a Peggy Nash victory in this year’s NDP leadership race. I may not have the statistical wherewithal or ear-to-the-ground perspicacity of an Eric Grenier, but I cannot resist the peculiar temptation — that siren song that has marked the downfall of politicos
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Quebec election 2012: Hoping for a minority
In a parliamentary system, we usually hope for a majority for our preferred party because this gives them the power to implement their policies. However, there are several situations where a minority government is actually preferred such as I argued ought to be the case for the 2011 Ontario election
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Quebec’s Election: Endorsements and Analyses
Quebec politics are unique in North America because of the two distinct dimensions along which political battles are fought. In addition to the standard left-right dimension, there is the sovereignty-federalism one. For whatever reason, sovereigntists in the province have, as a general rule, tended to align themselves with the left,
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Has the PQ lost their natural advantage?
Teddy here with an interesting analysis based on recent polls and projections. The PQ, it would seem, appears to have lost their natural advantage with voters. The answer as to why, it seems, is actually shockingly simple. Lets compare some polls from Leger Marketing. An older Leger poll, that has
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