Performative politics and the redundancy of Borat
The buffoonish hamming, the slapstick vulgarity, the imbecilic racism, the bunko set pieces, the cartoonish misogyny, the elaborate dupery, the unseemly honeytraps … with such outrageous antics happening in the most powerful office in the world, politics, as has been noted, can be hard to mock these days. Sacha Baron Cohen, the British actor and […]
The Bank of Canada needs a jobs mandate
The Bank of Canada was recently cast into the political fray by Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre calling it “an ATM for [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau’s insatiable spending appetites.” In fact, the central bank is right to buy up government bonds to stabilize our economy and save jobs, but needs a more credible mandate that […]
The messenger is shooting itself in the foot
OTTAWA—These days it would seem that the public affairs branch of the Canadian Armed Forces is their own worst enemy. First, it was the revelation in the media that as part of its new policy of “weaponizing” public affairs, DND has spent more than $1-million on behavioural modification training. This may sound harmless, but this […]
The N-word is hate speech, not free speech
CALGARY—The aroma of burning crosses dotting the landscape of this “multicultural” nation sure smells like the anti-Black racism most “leaders” are purported to stand against. The proliferation of N-word usage, primarily among educators in publicly funded institutions is becoming a crisis of mental and emotional abuse that manifests itself in structural violence. Coined in the […]
‘The kids are alright’: reflections on two years of legal cannabis in Canada
“Reefer madness” has not overtaken Canada. Two years into the legal regime of cannabis and statistics indicate that marijuana use has not skyrocketed. Nationally, cannabis use amongst Canadians 15 years and older increased by two per cent (between 2018 and 2019), with six provinces reporting no change in the percentage of users. Similarly, six per […]
Meanwhile, back in the pharma wars
OTTAWA—Never has the need for national pharmacare been more evident than during the current pandemic, as access to medications has become more iffy as a result of lost workplace health insurance during rising unemployment and widespread strains on household finances. In one step toward the creation of a universal drug insurance plan to match up […]
Freedom of information is not just a partisan concern
It’s always interesting to see the curtain drop every now and then, when the people in power say the quiet part out loud. After years of publicly pretending to care about the country’s freedom of information regime, Health Minister Patty Hajdu’s Kinsley gaffe was an almost welcome reprieve. As Dylan Robertson outlined in the Winnipeg […]
Adding a racial lens to the legislated review of the Cannabis Act
The story of the enforcement of cannabis laws in Canada is one of historical injustice and inequality. Indeed, it is undisputed by this government that one of the greatest injustices in our country is the disparity and disproportionality of the enforcement of cannabis laws and the impact this has had on Black communities, Aboriginal communities, […]
After 75 years, the UN is us: UNA-Canada head
On Oct. 24, 75 years ago, 51 heads of governments who had signed the Charter of the United Nations on June 26 of that year, marked the first UN Day as it came into effect. Citizens around the world celebrated the day after the longest, most brutal and deadly war in history gave way to a […]
Given the givens, it’s no wonder Trudeau Liberals would eye election call
OTTAWA—Maybe it is the pandemic prison we have been in for a while that has limited travel out of Ottawa. Maybe we are all really starting to drink the same bathwater. But it certainly seems the federal Liberals are more inclined to push for an election sooner rather than later. Of course, they publicly say […]
