Archive for the ‘Governance Debates’ Category
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Ford government’s media tactics draw ire of journalists, opposition parties
… the obstructive tactics on display from Ford and his cabinet ministers go far beyond the partisan messaging expected in most political environments. Drowning out reporters’ questions with paid applause and producing government propaganda in the guise of an independent news story, they say, represents a misuse of taxpayer dollars and poses a threat to democracy. The government has said it uses funds from the caucus budget to fund social media accounts operating under the name Ontario News Now, which have delivered two videos so far promoting party messages.
Tags: featured, ideology, participation, standard of living
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Federal government urged to save Ontario’s basic-income pilot project
The minister’s office provided a statement on Wednesday to The Globe and Mail that was neutral on the Ford government’s decision. “The design of provincial social programs is up to the provincial governments,” his office said.
Tags: budget, disabilities, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty
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What are we owed? Life, liberty, and security
… The Charter says that as a Canadian I have fundamental freedoms… [including] the right to life, liberty, and security of the person… We all understand that government cannot guard us from every peril. Some things in life are truly freak accidents, and though they may be tragic, they are probably unavoidable. But the murder of innocent people is not unavoidable. It is intolerable.
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, jurisdiction, rights, standard of living
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The Localist Revolution
Localism is the belief that power should be wielded as much as possible at the neighborhood, city and state levels. Localism is thriving — as a philosophy and a way of doing things… But under localism, the crucial power center is at the tip of the shovel, where the actual work is being done. Expertise is not in the think tanks but among those who have local knowledge, those with a feel for how things work in a specific place and an awareness of who gets stuff done. Success is not measured by how big you can scale, but by how deeply you can connect.
Tags: globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, participation
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Federal government urged to rein in mandatory minimum sentences
“Crowns and judges alike… share the concern of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association that mandatory minimum sentences interfere with the ability of the parties to properly assess cases, properly exercise discretion and to resolve matters that should be resolved.” … “The proliferation of mandatory minimum penalties not only disproportionately impacts Indigenous peoples, but also harms us all by making Canada a harsher, more punitive country and by undermining our commitment to equality and the rule of law,”
Tags: budget, corrections, featured, ideology, Indigenous
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Now He’s Won, Can Doug Ford Fill Voters’ Desire for ‘Order?’
With economic upheavals, there is a segment of the population looking for stability and order. Not sharing in economic prosperity, they look to government to slow social change, such as those related to immigration and multiculturalism. Lacking faith in transformative change, they look to politics as a way to deliver small material benefits like a tax cut or cheaper hydro. Holding onto those voters is a fundamental challenge for Ford and his government.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, participation, standard of living, tax
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The coming, chaotic battle for the soul of a Doug Ford government
He wants to cut taxes on corporate and personal income and fuel. He wants to increase spending on health care and infrastructure and (so far as one can tell) by further using provincial funds to relieve energy ratepayers. He intends to do all this and much more while steering the budget back to balance, without cutting a single public-sector job. In other words, he has conveyed no priorities at all, because he has displayed no willingness to choose between incompatible things.
Tags: budget, ideology, tax
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The Next Four Years: An Ontario election post-mortem
… Premier-designate Doug Ford… swept into power on a thin platform that was never fully costed. Economists estimate at least a $10 billion fiscal hole in the party’s promises. That means there will either be deep and painful cuts, a lot of unfulfilled promises, or both. Progressives who hoped Ontario was on the brink of a major expansion of social programs—universal dental care, pharmacare, child care, affordable housing—will now be tasked with turning that hope into resolve.
Tags: budget, child care, Health, housing, participation, tax
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Ford’s win exposes the angry blind spot of Canadian democracy
… a majority of males between the ages of 20 and 55 appears to have handed Doug Ford power over the next four years, and his supporters are, by and large, anything but optimistic about the economy or, for that matter, anything else… The trigger of their discontent is that they belong to that sizeable chunk of the province’s population who have been standing still or moving backward in the economy over the past 30 or so years, and who do not see things getting better in the future.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, immigration, participation, standard of living
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Ford’s victory: Welcome to the new era of post-policy politics
… the lack of platform was his platform, and his snub of policy was part of his pitch… Ontario voters have now formally joined the ranks of others around the world who live in the era of post-platform politics and post-policy government. Chronic volatility resulting from global markets and geopolitical jolts has led to widespread acceptance that traditional platforms – and the partisan policies upon which they rest – are largely irrelevant.
Tags: featured, ideology
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