As part of a broader privatization agenda, Stephen Harper and the federal Conservatives have stealthily cut $36 billion in federal funding for health care. On Monday people gathered in St. John’s to discuss the implications for NL, and how to fight back.
How the Harper Government is destroying civil society and why that will hurt us all
Political interference in scientific research must not be tolerated.
Researchers warn of the growing impact of political intervention on scientific research in Canada
Turkey isn’t the only country plagued by a deficit of democracy. Canada’s federal Conservatives don’t have much more ethical credibility than Turkey’s embattled regime.
It’s not that democracy’s bad, but …
Politicians across the country say that the federal Conservative government has crossed a dangerous line by meddling in provincial elections. In recent weeks members and even Ministers of the federal government have directly taken on provincial politicians – violating the unwritten rule to respect federal/provincial political barriers. Last week federal Finance minister Jim Flaherty was quoted saying that Ontario “can’t afford four more years of the same Dalton McGuinty government.” Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on the NDP’s majority win this week in Manitoba: “I prefer to work with the farmers of Manitoba than an NDP government that has gone past its best-before date.” And in PEI, the Chronicle Herald is reporting accusations of a setup against Robert Ghiz’s Liberal party during that election. Read more at the Chronicle Herald via the link below. Has there been any instances of federal interference in Newfoundland and Labrador? Or did the PCs…
As the Federal Conservatives are pushing through new “tough-on-crime” legislation at the national level, many people are left wondering “why?” The crime rate in Canada, afterall, is the lowest it has ever been in almost 30 years – and that rate has been in general decline during that same time. But here in Newfoundland and Labrador – on the northeast Avalon especially – crime is becoming more and more of a problem. While Stats Canada reports that nationally crime decreased by 4% in 2009, the total crime rate in St. John’s actually saw an increase of 4% – and our capital city now has the seventh-highest metropolitan crime index. With money comes prosperity, but it also brings nastier elements of society – that quite frankly us Newfoundlanders aren’t used to. Disappearing are the days where we can leave our car idling in front of the convenience store, leave our front…
‘Musings’ from two former Liberal leaders about an NDP-Liberal union have helped spur growing calls to ‘unite the left’ with the intent of balancing Canada’s political landscape. The idea has attracted the backing of former Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien, who, according to a Quebec columnist, boasted on a return flight from Mr. Layton’s funeral that his plans for a Liberal-NDP merger would have stopped the Conservatives from taking power this year. Meanwhile, former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said on his Facebook page that Liberals and New Democrats all care about generosity, justice and hope, adding it was a pleasure to “imagine what the future of our country might look like if we put those values first.” However current Liberal leader Bob Rae and a majority of Liberal MPs shot down talk of a merger or a coalition as a waste of time, even as they acknowledged that they face a…
It appears that the elimination of subsidies for political parties will be a key plank of the new Conservative budget in June. The $2-a-vote annual subsidy was originally created by former Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s Liberal government in 2004 after new donor limits were placed on individuals and corporations – a move designed to steer Canada away from the American-style political financing. In the time since 2004 the Conservative party has proven to be far more efficient in raising its own funds than the other political parties, and does not depend on it like the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc have. The subsidy’s detractors say that public money should not be handed over to political parties, but have also been accused of taking advantage of a Conservative strength to severely injure all of the other parties in the House of Commons. After winning the 2008 election, Harper tried to eliminate the…
The truth about the F-35 purchase revealed!
