|

Europe caricatures don’t tell the story

Saturday, July 21st, 2012

July 19, 2012
[Scandinavian] countries have higher taxes than we do. That’s how they pay for the social services their people want without piling up debt. But has that stifled economic growth? According to the OECD, the average annual growth rate in Finland and Sweden, between 2000 and 2010, was equal to or higher than in Canada… Of course, reality is not the Conservatives’ concern. Winning is. And the European bogeyman is very useful for that…

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »

Oh, those lucky poor people

Saturday, December 17th, 2011

Dec. 16, 2011
A little historical perspective can be an excellent way to show people that progress is possible – which is the first step in getting them up and working toward a better world… Consider Attawapiskat. The issue is living conditions and what we can or should do about them. The distant past isn’t relevant to that question. What’s relevant are living conditions elsewhere around the country. They’re far superior – which shows we can easily do better for the people of Attawapiskat. And that’s the only perspective we need.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »

Are Canadian values shifting to the right?

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Dec. 9, 2011
… whether the Conservative dominance of federal politics is cause or consequence, or both, there’s a widespread belief that Canadian values are more conservative than they were and they are becoming more conservative all the time. But is that true? …Since 2004, we have indeed experienced a tectonic shift in the nation’s political dynamic. But it’s a mistake to assume, as so many do, that this proves the national political values have changed. We have to consult the evidence. And the evidence, limited as it is, suggests Canadian political values haven’t budged.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »

How the federal government can really defend privacy

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

July 23, 2010
Hard-core conservatives have long seen the census as the foundation of left-wing social engineering. And not without some justification. Programs like employment equity couldn’t function without census data. Stephen Harper would love to scrap such programs but he wouldn’t dare under current circumstances. And so, as he did with the gun registry, he is making an administrative change that he hopes will cripple the program. And slowly strengthen the case for doing away with it entirely.

Tags: ,
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »

Why our drug policy is ‘inconsistent’ with all available evidence

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

July 23, 2010
– “The evidence that law enforcement has failed to prevent the availability of illegal drugs, in communities where there is demand, is now unambiguous. Over the last several decades, (there has been) a general pattern of falling drug prices and increasing drug purity — despite massive investments in drug law enforcement.”… – “Billions of tax dollars (have been) wasted on a ‘war on drugs’ approach ….” [but] … the government of Canada felt free to categorically reject the Vienna Declaration because it is “inconsistent” with its policies.

Tags: ,
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »

Changes distort the census

Friday, July 9th, 2010

July 9, 2010
If people are free to answer the census or not… bias will creep back in: People of a certain education level may be more likely to respond than others, or people of a certain age, people of a certain ethnicity, whatever. The bias may not be obvious but it will be there… Apparently, the long mandatory survey was scrapped because it offends the staunch libertarian principles of the Harper government… requiring citizens to fill out a form which is absolutely essential to sound public policy and social science? An outrageous violation of individual liberty.

Tags: ,
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »

|