Assorted content to end your week. – Jim Stanford examines how a national child-care program would boost Canada’s post-COVID recovery and rebuilding. And Michael Roberts points out the value of being able to manufacture vaccines and vital goods for ourselves, rather than depending on foreign corporations for public health necessities.
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Accidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Brigid Delaney writes about the significance of the truth about climate breakdown. Graham Readfearn reports on the risk of outright firestorms as bush fires burn out of control. And Geoff Dembicki writes about a case from the Philippines seeing oil companies held responsible
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On legacies
For all the campaign talk about how this year’s election campaign could have proven a parallel of the 1972 result, we’ve instead ended up seeing Justin Trudeau repudiate his father’s response to another contentious result. When he won a majority government in 1980 which lacked representation from the western provinces,
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Horgan’s right on Kinder Morgan, even if he got Site C wrong
On Kinder Morgan, John Horgan is standing up for British Columbians — as he should (BCNDP/Flickr) Dear Premier Horgan, I’m still mad at you for carrying on with Site C Dam, based on the utterly bogus reasons you offered the public. But when it comes to Kinder Morgan, I’ve got
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: Christy, Libs let off hook for ruining Hydro, ICBC, failing on LNG
Christy Clark and Rich Coleman (center) meeting with Malaysian LNG officials in 2014 (BC Govt photo) I have a bit of a knack for remembering doggerel as part of my brain’s principal function as a storehouse of useless information. Ergo this: You cannot hope to bribe or twist Thank God, the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe to Horgan: Get Serious about Kinder Morgan, Woodfibre LNG
John Horgan being sworn in as Premier, with Environment Minister George Heyman looking on (Photo: Flickr/Province of British Columbia) Dear Premier Horgan, My congratulations to you and your new government. I can tell you that a great many British Columbians who do not usually support your party voted for you
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe to NDP: Now you’re the government…here’s what to expect that you’re not expecting
NDP Premier John Horgan and his cabinet being sworn in by Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon (Photo: Province of BC / Flickr) In politics, speculation is half the fun – the other half is figuring out how, with all your experience in the field, you could have been so bloody wrong.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: Liberal Opposition will make life very difficult for NDP-Greens
BC Liberal MLAs in the Legislature (Province of BC / Flickr) I wish John Horgan and his new government well. He has his work cut out for him. There has been a load of pollyannish bullshit spouted by the media about what will and what will not happen to his
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: NDP-Green pact should mean good riddance to Kinder Morgan, but Liberal opposition won’t make life easy
John Horgan and Andrew Weaver seal their pact (Photo: @jjhorgan/Twitter) It will be a much postponed verdict but my initial reaction to the NDP-Green deal is positive. Whether so motivated or not, Andrew Weaver has done the right politically moral thing – contradiction in terms though that is – by
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: Weaver would be crazy to make pact with Christy; NDP should have nailed Libs on economy, LNG
The three BC leaders at the televised debate (Photo: Broadcast Consortium) It’s May 10, 2017 as I write this, an appropriate date to examine the election, being the anniversary of the Nazi invasion of France and the Low Countries in 1940 and the day Winston Churchill came to the rescue.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Green Party campaign manager quit over Andrew Weaver’s bullying, bad policies
Andrew Weraver attacks BCNDP Leader John Horgan during the televised leaders’ debate On the eve of his candidate’s kick-off event, Green Party campaign manager Troy Grant reached his breaking point with Andrew Weaver, causing him to resign. “I can’t support the BC Green Party because of Andrew Weaver,” Grant now admits.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2017 Links
The latest from the federal NDP’s leadership campaign. – Several of the candidates have been doing plenty of touring over the past week. And while not all the stops have included media coverage, you’ll find features about Charlie Angus from Timmins, Sudbury (X2), North Bay, and Red Deer, along with
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Why the BC Liberal economic record is actually worse than the NDP’s in 90’s
Many people are ready for a change in Victoria. Christy Clark is one of the least popular candidates for premier in BC history and, after 16 years of scandal-filled rule, her Liberal Party has tried British Columbians’ patience to the extreme. Yet everyday on social media, I run across a familiar refrain: “Better
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: It’s got to be the NDP to replace Lyin’ Liberals…but LNG complicates matters
NDP Leader John Horgan Like a large number of people in the WestVancouver- Sea-To-Sky constituency, I am breaking the usual rules – I want the NDP to form the next government but I am passionately opposed to Woodfibre LNG which the NDP candidate supports. If I were to support her, my
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe Mair: How Liberal myths about the NDP distort BC’s political history
Christy Clark (Province of BC/Flickr and John Horgan (BCNDP/Flickr) Let’s look at some political myths and near-myths. The BC Liberals are hammering away at the NDP, saying that the last time they were in office, it fiscally ruined the province; this from the government that in 16 years, in 2016
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: Christy Clark must go!
British Columbians have had enough of Christy Clark, say Rafe Mair (Province of BC/Flickr) The Christy Clark government and Clark herself must go! I am not a socialist but neither are the NDP. Of course, we must have a thriving economy that supports our necessities and has room for earned
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: BC Green candidate Lia Versaevel brings a lot to the table
MLA candidate for Nanaimo-North Cowichan Lia Versaevel (photo: BC Green Party) This coming election, May 9, is the most unsatisfactory one I can remember since, perhaps, 1952, when the old Coalition broke up. Most people I talk to throw up their hands, saying such a terrible choice – a corrupt,
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Rafe: BC Liberals taking heavy fire, but NDP need to pour on the gasoline
BCNDP Leader John Horgan (Flickr/BCNDP) and Premier Christy Clark (Flickr/Province of BC) It’s not easy to write an article on politics in the quiet backwater of British Columbia in light of the tragedy in Quebec. I’m going to make this, then, a doubleheader. This past weekend, the initial story, of course,
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: How rich elites took over BC…and the Liberals welcomed them
Imperial Metals’ Murray Edwards, Real Estate magnate Bob Rennie and Kinder Morgan’s Ian Anderson The following is re-published with permission from author Roy Hales and The Eco-Report. It’s been a fortnight since the New York Times carried the story. The author, Dan Levin, told Global News: If this were in Russia or China or
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Clark’s big loss to teachers is an opening for NDP’s Horgan…at last
BCNDP Leader John Horgan (Flickr/BC NDP) and Premier Christy Clark (Flickr/Province of BC) You have to feel sorry for John Horgan, the BC NDP leader. He has had a hell of a time getting traction and seems unable to find an issue he’s comfortable with. Even when a decent one
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