January 2012
5 posts
2 tags
Why I'm Endorsing Brian Topp as the Next Leader of...
I’ve been a New Democrat since I was 15.
It had started years earlier. Watching images of American warplanes reign hellfire on Iraq in the early days of the 2003 invasion, something inside of me started to shift. I wasn’t even 13, yet I still sat in front of the painful images on CNN, outraged.
Now, I don’t want to get into my life story here. Suffice it to say, that I was...
1 tag
Goddamit, America, You're Scaring Us.
(Original photo: Phelan Ebenehack / Reuters)
Hey, America, cut it out.
When this GOP primary race started out, we all just figured ‘They’ll do their crazy dance, then end up going with the boring guy’ like you did with John McCain a few years ago. We had some laughs, you got a boring moderate white dude - everyone’s happy.
No, this time, you spurned your great white...
2 tags
Mining For Good Policy in the NDP Leadership Race
Paul Dewar tells reporters about the fish he just caught. Just don’t ask him about policy.
Via the Canadian Press
This week, I was offered a curious thought.
The thought goes that this NDP leadership race ought not introduce any new policy, and rather it should focus itself on who is best able to lead the party to victory.
It’s a valid thought, no doubt, and it makes a lot...
2 tags
Dear Quebec: Make Up Your Damn Mind.
Quebec, we need to talk.
Last spring you brought in the ‘Orange Wave’ that pulled the Bloc out to sea and violently drowned them. Then, you welcomed Francois Legault with open arms and together you CAQ-blocked the Péquistes. Now, a floundering Gérald Tremblay is doing a morose victory lap on his tenth year as mayor of Montreal, just waiting to get pounded by Richard Bergeron or Louise Harel....
2 tags
On: Getting Blatch'd, Inspiring Ire and the Thomas...
Well, dear readers, if you’ve read more than one post here, you know that I have a penchant for snark.
I’ve come across a few, such as some in the Rabble crowd, are no big fans of my acid tongue.
My mother has also expressed concern at my salty language.
But that comes with the territory. I wouldn’t be happy unless I were pissing people off.
And, much to my surprise, the...
December 2011
15 posts
2 tags
The End of the Second Period: The NDP Leadership...
So while Canadians sit around the table and contemplate good cheer and the year that passed us by, I’ve got my eyes firmly fixed to the NDP leadership race.
Save your pity. This race is fun to watch. The sheer number of contenders is always enjoyable, albeit frustrating at times. Even with Robert Chisholm’s dropping-out this past week, eight fighters still remain. That’s a whole lot of...
2 tags
And Then There Were Eight.
Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press
Well, the over-sized pack of painfully polite wolves has shrunk by a factor of one.
Robert evidently saw the francophone writing on the wall and knew his campaign would never survive past the next french debate. That was a smart move.
But one has to wonder exactly what Robert left behind. No doubt, some of the long-shot candidates entered the race as a...
1 tag
Harper Punishes UNESCO By Appointing Jean-Pierre...
Photo: Radio-Canada
Good news, everyone! Harper has finalized the appointment for Jean-Pierre ‘I Hate Veterans’ Blackburn to the Palestinian-loving UN arts and culture body, UNESCO.
It doesn’t take a genius to put this one together.
Blackburn, a defeated MP who has no experience with education, arts or culture, is headed to sit on a body simply because the Harper government...
1 tag
EthicalOil Boycotts Bananas, Canada Collectively...
Yes, really.
I’ve written before about Ethical Oil and their magical campaign against logic.
Now, with Alykhan Velshi departed for a cushy job in the Prime Minister’s office and new-kid-on-the-block Kathryn Marshall has taken the reigns.
Marshall, according to her LinkedIn, has also worked for the Conservative government from time-to-time. She’s also worked for the right-wing...
2 tags
The First NDP Leadership Poll
So the National Post buried the lede a bit and embedded the results of our first NDP leadership poll in a story about Paul Dewar.
I mean, it’s sort of a non-poll, given that it’s a paltry sample size of 300 people who voted NDP in the last election. So, statistically, seven of those respondents are actually members. Not exactly representative.
But, like any good pundit, I will...
2 tags
No, The Solution To Attawapiskat Isn't Fucking...
via APTN
Under the guise of this horrifying crisis in Attawapiskat, some of the Tories see an opportunity to ‘fix’ the reserve system.
The reforms would allow for private property within the communal system of the reserves. The only significant change, it seems, is that it would allow the home-owners to mortgage them homes, gain equity and, best of all, put them up as collateral on...
1 tag
Cynical Polls, Cotler Folds, Scheer Scolds
MITCHEL RAPHAEL, Maclean’s
So today Speaker Scheer ruled that phone calls that have flooded Montreal Grit Irwin Cotler’s riding were not a breach of his parliamentary privilege and did not impede his work as an MP.
Good.
Honestly, this shtick has gone far enough. Cotler has a right to be angry about these calls. He, however, should stop wasting the House’s time with this.
...
2 tags
On Head-Coverings, Hijabs and Hysterics; Another...
So the news breaks this week that Jason Kenney wants to force all people (read: Muslim women) to show their face during citizenship ceremonies. The reason given is that the Citizenship and Immigration officials need to see the soon-to-be-Canadians actually saying the oath.
Does that sound stupid to you? It is.
I’ve never taken an oath where I’ve actually paid attention to what I...
4 tags
Laurin Liu and the Durban Climate Change...
In April, Laurin Liu wasn’t expecting to go to Ottawa. In May, she wasn’t expecting to go to South Africa.
But on election night, Liu was elected as the New Democrat MP for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. She joined four other McGill students in the House of Commons.
And now, as deputy critic on the Environment, Liu is in Durban, South Africa for the most recent round of climate change negotiations.
...
Pinkwashing Foreign Aid and Updates From Durban!
I’ve got a new story up on the fantastic Gaily on Obama’s new directives for tying queer rights to foreign aid, check it out…
Forget Black, Are Gays The New Afghani Women? The Pinkification of American Foreign Aid
Good news, oppressed queens and dykes of the world, Barack Obama is coming to the rescue!
Yessir, the Hope Man has announced that he’ll be prioritizing foreign aid...
5 tags
NDP Leadership Debate Roundup
Just dumping two links here,
One from my Rabble.ca post-debate round-up. Any dreariness in the piece is due to; having to watch 9 people violently agree with each other, and from having to write the entire thing on the bus ride home.
Not much [o]omph at the NDP leadership debate
The next phase of the New Democratic leadership race limped out of the starting gate Sunday afternoon in Ottawa.
...
4 tags
The Slogan War - A Bitter New Democrat Bloodsport.
Andrew Vaughn/The Canadian Press
Canadian Leadership. Travaillons Ensemble.
Those are some damn good slogans.
Whoever replaces Jack has got to be capable of crafting an equally brilliant two-word platform.
Robert Chisholm - A Real Leader.
Ryan Taplin/Metro News
In a stunningly creative move, Chisholm has gone for ‘A Real Leader’ - finally calling out all the other phony...
2 tags
NDP Leadership Debate #1: Inequality!...
Photo: Chris Zacchia at www.forgetthebox.net
The great Canadian left-wing Jack Layton memorial competition euphoria broke out of its hibernation this afternoon, and into the bold new world of niceties, talking points and pleasant agreement on everything.
That’s right, the first installation of the oh-my-god-there-are-at-least-five-more-of-these debates came (and went) with a wimper this...
3 tags
Debate Season: Complete With Bread Analogies!
The 9-headed pack of social democratic do-gooders is set to take the stage this afternoon for tea, crumpets and debates about monetary policy and trade relationships.
Aside from the Macy’s Day Parade, this’ll be the most fun sunday afternoon all year.
So what should we be expecting from the candidates?
Thomas Mulcair
The anointed front-runner that never was, Mulcair is going to...
Ladies?
It was not long ago that I was lamenting about the over-saturation of straight, white dudes competing to lead the NDP.
Yes, in those olden times, it seemed like Taxman Topp and THOMAS MULCAIR (proper syntax is to angrily yell his name) had this all sewn up.
But this is December. The times they are a changin’. The world is a different place.
Niki Ashton - New Politics
This young...
November 2011
9 posts
1 tag
Taxing the Topp Earners.
Brian Topp reaches out to steal someone’s wallet. Image via Topp’s Flickr.
Yes, I made a Brian Topp pun.
This week, the Commie-Pinko candidate announced his new plan to redistribute the wealth and punish rich people. His press release of Communism details his quest to destroy Canada (in three parts!)
A new federal income tax bracket of 35% on income in excess of $250,000
A new...
2 tags
A Five Point Guide to Shooting Yourself in Both...
Interim leader Nycole Turmel at her day-job, as a chef for childhood firefighters. Image via NDP flickrstream
So maybe you’re curious as to exactly what the hell Canada’s new official opposition is doing in Ottawa. And if you’re been paying attention, you can tell it’s totally working.
Assuming ‘working’ is code for ‘doing very poorly.’
New...
4 tags
It Could Get Worse; Bill C-10 and the Tyranny of...
Stand in front of a mirror.
Yell:
“Bill C-10. Bill C-10. Bill C-10.”
Has Rob Nicholson jumped out and sentenced you to prison yet?
Nicholson, for those of you not living in fear like myself, will be our driver of the Omnibus stratight to hell.
Something old
A lot of hyperbole has come along with the debate around this package of new crime legislation.
No column inch has been...
4 tags
Why Thomas Mulcair Is Sunk, and Ethical Oil Part...
Two more stories. The final part to my feature on Ethical Oil (now under new leadership) and another OpenFile column about the untimely death of the Thomas Mulcair campaign.
Rumors of Thomas Mulcair’s Demise Have Been Greatly Understated. (Original title.)
The great New Democrat succession competition is now two months old. The field is crowded. All the candidates have announced their...
2 tags
Fuck You, Peter Kelly.
Hey Peter Kelly,
Fuck you.
I realize some of the other mayors were kicking out the Occupy protesters. That’s kind of too bad, really.
But you, not content with being your usual, harbour-swimmin’, mediocre self - you decided to get all Machiavellian on those kids.
So you marched your skinny white ass downstairs, entered one of the common folk tents and started wheeling and...
3 tags
Conscientiously Objecting to Remembrance Day.
Let me preface this, as I feel required to do, by saying that I don’t hate our veterans or any other of that bullshit that is lobbed around on days like this.
No, I have ancestors who died in both wars. One on D-Day. I’ve met many veterans, worked with them. I’ve studied and written on war and veterans issues.
But today cannot be cut-and-dried. Today cannot be a day to simply...
Dawson College's Queer Space and Ethical Oil; Part...
Two stories up today, one on OpenFile Montreal and the other on Forget the Box. Check em out.
Dawson’s Queer Space: Shelter from Homopobia in Montreal.
Crowded doesn’t begin to describe it.
Walking into Etcetera’s “safe space” on the second floor of Dawson’s D building is sensory overload. I stand on one leg to avoid crushing fingers as I try to make it to the mismatched sofas across the...
2 tags
Yes, Let's Kill the Wheat Board.
I agree with the Conservatives. And I’m not being faceitious.
Cut to a shot of me and Gerry Ritz doing a flying high-five.
First off, the bill is not exactly as firebrand Dipper Pat Martin described it in the house.
Mr. Speaker, coming from a failed ostrich jockey, I do not know what the member knows about beaver fever.
One thing is clear, the government actually has no idea what...
Ethical Oil, Part One; The Debate →
It’s not easy being green.
Yet, somehow, I think Alykhan Velshi gets along okay.
The self-styled social justice activist has made it his altruistic goal to ensure that every man, woman and child in the world is burning only the most sin-free petroleum.
Velshi has grabbed the banner of Ethical Oil, taking inspiration from the book of the same title written by tarsands troubadour Ezra Levant.
...
October 2011
10 posts
Regionalism and the NDP Leadership Race: Operation...
Well, we have just about a full slate for the NDP leadership race.
With Peggy Nash jumping in the deep end, and Robert Chisholm wading in slowly, only will-she-or-won’t-she candidate Nikki Ashton appears to be the only holdout. Considering the spate of recent pressers, I expect she’ll make the “very special announcement” very soon.
I’ve also started a little pet...
2 tags
No, Libya, Let's Not Take Our Relationship to the...
The first date was enchanting. Over dinner, she was playing footsie with us and smiling coyly from across the table.
And then we bombed her house for two months.
Now, after violently murdering her ex-boyfriend, we’re trying to decide where we want our relationship to go.
I am, of course, talking about Libya.
Yes, in the post-Gaddafi context, the rhetoric appears suggest the...
2 tags
Stephen Harper: J'Accuse!
This past week, the heart-retching story of Jamie Hubley came out. The 15 year-old committed suicide because of homophobic bullying from his peers. The column that appeared in the Toronto star is enough to make even the hardened-hearted like myself weep like a little girl. (Despite Heath Mallick’s journalistic masturbation clouding the horrifying story.)
Hubley was the son of Ottawa...
5 tags
Qu'est-ce que le tiers-état? Thoughts on #Occupy
Qu’est-ce que le tiers état ? Tout. Qu’a-t-il été jusqu’à présent dans l’ordre politique ? Rien. Que demande-t-il ? À y devenir quelque chose.
For full coverage and more photos from Montreal and across Canada, check out the Media Coop, my Twitter feed and my photographs.
The economy is shit. The price of food often outstrips the income for a normal family....
2 tags
Could CUPW Mark Back-to-Work Legislation as...
So the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has filed a legal challenge against the back-to-work legislation that the Harper government recently pushed past an NDP filibuster.
Their press release reads,
“Freedom of association is a fundamental right,” said Denis Lemelin, CUPW National President. “What other rights are they going to try to take from us if we let them get away with this one?”
...
3 tags
The Yukon Votes - Another Case of...
Once again, we have a provincial election that takes the popular vote, flips it around, and delivers a majority government.
Popular vote:
And the seat totals;
2 tags
Newfoundland Election Results - Really, It's Time...
This is how the Newfoundland popular vote broke down;
And this is how the seats worked out;
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Elizabeth May of the North?
The Green Party might just strike gold today.
While Elizabeth May’s election-day triumph may have been slightly overlooked due to the NDP’s surprising assent to the opposition benches, the Green movement in Canada seems to have stalled.
Tonight, Kristina Calhoun might change that.
Don’t feel too bad if you’ve never heard of the interim leader of the Yukon Green Party....
9 tags
5 tags
The Brian Topp/Thomas Mulcair Coronation Race.
Well, the NDP race is all but sewn up.
He, the front-runner that the mages hath prophesied of, has/will picked/pick up a large number of high profile endorsements from MPs and prominent New Democracts all across Canada/in Quebec. It’s all but a sure thing now; that the next leader of the NDP will be Brian Topp/Thomas Mulcair.
That’s right - it’s a fait accompli. Or, as one of...
September 2011
2 posts
4 tags
On: Fake Apologies and Backhanded Homophobia at...
So a few days ago, the National Post ran an ad that … well … see for yourself.
(Props to OpenFile for keeping on this story.)
Okay, so there are people out there that think homosexuality is a communicable disease and that Transfolk just have daddy issues. Those people are awful, but they exist.
It’s lamentable that they were given a national platform. But, perhaps on the up...
5 tags
Abortion, Hate Crimes and THE END OF THE WORLD.
Okay, so maybe it’s not the end of the world.
You’d think so, though, based on the Twittosphere.
Two Tory backbenchers are vowing two acts of right-wing idiocy - hacking off the provision of federal hate crime legislation that protects folks from hate speech sent online, and de-funding Planned Parenthood’s international work.
Brian Storseth is the champion...
August 2011
4 posts
3 tags
On: No, no merger. No, really, no merger. I'm...
Listen - Pat Martin, Justin Trudeau, the Globe and Mail, Mary Magdalene and the almighty Zeus can speculate about an NDP-Liberal merger, but it’s just not going to happen. The likelihood of the two parties shacking up for anything other than an awkward, sweaty, one-election-coalition is so beyond the realm of possibility, it’s absurd.
Let’s imagineer a narrative here.
The NDP...
2 tags
No, Christie Blatchford, Not CancerAIDS.
There have already been scores of dirision for Christie Blatchford’s mind-boggling column in the National Post this past week regarding Jack Layton’s death.
Allow me to add to that.
Let me begin by saying that Jack Layton was a man consumed by public life. That’s not a bad thing. It was a choice be made to spend the majority of his life fighting and working to improve the...
3 tags
The House That Jack Built.
Even with Jack Layton’s imposing force still prominent from the national stage, the speculation is abound as to who shall step into his large shoes and noted mustache.
Yesterday, the grief was thick. The attacks were few (unless you’re a bottom-feeder like Warren Kinsella or Christie Blatchford.) I myself was pretty distraught. Today, the political question arises.
On the first day you mourn, on...
3 tags
The S Word
No, not that S word. And no, it’s nothing to do with the Showtime program about a bunch of lesbians living in the city, just trying to make it work.
No, I’m talking about the word which shall not be breathed less you want a veritable tidal wave of Anglo-Canadian chest-thumping and circle-jerking.
Yes, Separatism.
Full post here, dawgs.
July 2011
4 posts
3 tags
May I have a side of history with that, please? →
The polemics of the Palestinian have always been vitriolic. There’s been charges of racism, anti-antisemitism, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, so on.
That’s nothing new.
What is new is Canada’s full-throated support of it, even in the face of agression that wouldn’t be acceptable from any other country.
But what really gets my hackles up is when people start attacking history....
3 tags
More must be known about the Afghan detainee... →
On June 22, there was a audible buzzing coming from Parliament Hill.
The press bounced off the walls, waiting for the deluge of information ordered by House of Commons speaker Peter Milliken. Last year, the Kingston MP had assembled an ad hoc committee to release thousands of pages of documents pertaining the issue of detainee abuse in Afghanistan.
The ensuing Tintamarre, to use the Acadian...
Things in the works
I got things comin’, hang tight.
Till then, tide yourself over with this blog I wrote for the Mediacoop today.
About a week ago, one headline proclaimed that the Canadian media was shaking in its boots.
Why?
Because Kai Nagata was on the job. Or, rather, he wasn’t.
The 24 year old former journalist based out of Quebec City for CTV was laying siege to the Canadian media. Executives...
Quick AfghanDocs Note
The endless dredge through the documents continues. My focus right now is on finishing a story for Rabble.ca - keep an eye open.
Fear not, dear reader, more blog posts are soon to come.
I’ll leave you with this quote that I came across in quite an interesting document;
As one senior ANP general said, referring to ANA, ANP and ANAP [Afghanistan National Auxiliary Police], ‘the...
June 2011
16 posts
3 tags
AfghanDocs Day Six: "Some of them weren't...
(Note: Not sure how well the torrent (linked to on the left sidebar) is working, so if you’re interested in getting access to the docs via Dropbox, send me an email (also to the left.)
So today I bring you a rather nice story.
A nice story that points to some of the absurdity of trying to put the detainee abuse scandal at the feet of the Canadian Forces.
Before I get to that, and I...