Like many Canadians, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberals during their first year in office. I even suggested in a previous blog that the saying “they campaign from the left but govern from the right” might finally no longer apply to the current incarnation of the party. But I suffered…
Category: Canadian politics
Our chance at real electoral reform
Do you feel that your vote counts? You’re not the only one who wonders. The harsh reality is that with our outdated, old-fashioned “first-past-the-post” electoral system, most votes don’t count. Let me explain, using our last federal election as an example. The federal Green Party received approximately 4% of the vote nationwide. Yet, that translated…
When “disability” disappears and everyone is valued
A lot has been said in recent days, both pro and con, about the federal government’s bill on assisted dying. Just over a year ago the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Criminal Code provision prohibiting assisted dying was unconstitutional and gave the federal government one year to amend the law. For what its…
A third option for more justice
On Tuesday we learned that Jian Ghomeshi’s last outstanding criminal charge of sexual assault was dropped by the Ontario Crown Counsel. Mr. Ghomeshi entered into a peace bond that will last for a period of one year, and apologized in court to his victim — Kathryn Borel, a former associate producer on CBC Radio’s Q….
Connecting the dots on the Fort McMurray catastrophe
My sincere condolences go to the tens of thousands of people so profoundly affected by the fires in and around Fort McMurray, Alberta. I do not ever recall such a large population evacuated due to fire in Alberta, BC, or anywhere in Canada for that matter. Fort McMurray’s population of 80,000+ is no small hamlet…
Arbutus Corridor: Making housing out of thin air
At long last there is some very significant progress on the Arbutus Corridor. Just last week the City of Vancouver and CP Rail, the owner of the land, reached an agreement. CP will sell this 9-km rail corridor, stretching from Marpole to south False Creek, to the city for $55 million. Many years ago the…
Growing quality, not quantity
With the Globe 2016 conference happening in Vancouver, politicians and leaders from some of the world’s biggest businesses are coming together to try and address “sustainable business” — in other words, how to continue to grow their businesses and the economy while doing so in an environmentally sustainable way. The implied goal — indefinite, continued…