By Frank Moher While the States deals with its case of loose lips sinking General McChrystal, are we watching a similar self-capsizing occur up here? CSIS director Richard Fadden is today backing-off statements he made in two interviews with the CBC, broadcast earlier this week. Fadden said that CSIS suspects some municipal officials in BC, […]
Canadian politics
Harper throws women overboard
By Alison@Creekside Gerald Caplan, G&M: The Harper government, women’s rights and the cost of speaking out. The Tories are playing punishment politics with Canada’s progressive NGOs — and eroding civil society in the process. “Despite the chill on speaking out, this week the Canadian Council for International Co-operation announced its fear that its funding is […]
A leaky water bill
Alison@Creekside Gosh, was it only 18 months ago that US Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci was recommending “constructing huge aqueducts to carry Canadian water to the US” ? Ho hum, responded the Cons, as they continued to obstruct any and all opposition motions to protect Canadian water from bulk export, including the recommendation to do […]
Goldman Sachs McGuinty
By Alison@Creekside Ish Theilheimer at Straight Goods wonders why there has been no public outcry about McGuinty’s decision to hire Goldman Sachs to come up with a privatization blueprint for 49% of Hydro One, Ontario Power Generation, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. The LCBO, OLG, Hydro One […]
On shutting the fuck up
By Alison@Creekside If there’s one thing Steve does really well, it’s using hot button issues to sew strife and division among his enemies. Within a day of Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth’s tactical warning on Monday to NGOs that their insistence on having access to abortion included in Steve’s maternal health initiative for developing countries risked […]
Blocking the Bloc on Afghanistan
Alison@Creekside The Sun: “The Tories’ house leader Jay Hill told QMI Agency the government has not agreed to allow members of the Bloc to review confidential documents related to the transfer of Afghan detainees.” Haven’t said no; haven’t said yes. “Bloc MPs would ‘have to swear allegiance to Canada and the Queen’ if they want […]
Ottawa expands its terror kit
By Alison@Creekside Your government announced on Friday that it needs more powers to combat terrorism. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson: “These provisions are necessary to protect our country from the threat of terrorism.” A redo of the panicky, now-defunct Anti-terrorism Act of 2001, the new Combating Terrorism Act includes preventive arrest and forcing people to testify […]
Rights and Democracy, and Hypocrisy
By Alison@Creekside On the same day we are hearing from the three fired members of Rights and Democracy at the Foreign Affairs Committee (see below) comes an op-ed in the National Post by R&D board member Marco Navarro-Genie. And what a gong show stinker it is too. According to Navarro-Genie, the Foreign Affairs committee is […]
Big day for the Blue Dog Liberals*
By Alison@Creekside Quite a day, Blue Dog Liberals. You voted against stopping a $¼-million government subsidy to an asbestos lobby group. 2) You dogwhistled about abortion, in your maternal health initiative for developing countries “wedge” motion, but were too afraid to actually include the word. 3) You used the “wedge” motion — intended to smoke […]
Jim Abbott explains why torture is okay
By Alison@Creekside Back in 2007 the Cons claimed that the Geneva Conventions do not apply in Afghanistan because we are not officially at war with Afghanistan. On Tuesday in the Afghan parliamentary committee, Con MP Jim Abbott attempted to resuscitate that position. Appearing as a witness before the committee, Paul Champ, human rights lawyer for […]
