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Maybe we aren’t that angry after all

Chris Selley in the National Post Your results may vary, of course. Earlier in January, Ekos tagged Mr. Harper with a whopping 59% disapproval rating, against 34% approval — so, a -25% approval deficit. (Bob Rae, by comparison, had 44% approval against 24% disapproval.) That sounds bad. But in September 2010, the last time Ekos [...]

How not to pay tribute to former Czech president Vaclav Havel

 A classless act by Government House leader Peter Van Loan.   It’s not the first time this has happened. Back in November, both she and a representative from the Bloc Quebecois were prevented from delivering Remembrance Day statements on two separate occasions. And this folks is what drives me crazy about the Conservative Party.  It’s not [...]

City of Saskatoon to seek exemption for international trade deal

This still boggles my mind. Saskatoon should request an exemption to a large-scale free-trade agreement being negotiated between Canada and Europe, a city committee agreed. City councillors, sitting as an executive committee, voted 5-4 Monday to seek a permanent exemption to the proposed Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, a free trade [...]

The State of the Debate on Housing Right Now in Saskatchewan

This comes from a December 14, 2011 Question Period in the Legislature.  Direct from Hansard Ms. Chartier Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Social Services has been housing many people in hotels like the Coachman, the Sunrise and the Quality Inn in Regina. There’s been one man who’s had to call the Coachman home for [...]

Obama/Clinton 2012

Robert Reich thinks a Obama/Clinton in 2012 is what is needed to save the Obama presidency. My political prediction for 2012 (based on absolutely no inside information): Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden swap places. Biden becomes Secretary of State — a position he’s apparently coveted for years. And Hillary Clinton, Vice President. So the Democratic [...]

No Social Services Checks before Christmas

From Joe Couture of The StarPhoenix A Saskatchewan Party government decision to change the date January social assistance cheques are released to after Christmas from before has come under fire from the NDP Opposition. As of 2011, Social Services changed the date cheques were issued and direct deposits paid to Dec. 29 from Dec. 23. [...]

Housing First in Alberta

A video about Alberta’s efforts at using Housing First as a philosophy for dealing with homelessness.

Warren Kinsella on Attawapiskat

Warren Kinsella has a great column on Attawapiskat. Over the years, I have advised many native bands. I have worked in communities almost as bad as Attawapiskat found in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. I have advised successive governments — Jean Chretien’s, Paul Martin’s and Stephen Harper’s — about dealing with problems which are quite similar to [...]

Where did the $90 million for Attawapiskat go?

Excellent post by the National Post about where the $90 million that Stephen Harper says were spent on housing in Attawapiskat went.  The reality is that it was on $5.8 million for housing.

Big Yellow Taxi

Why Peter McKay’s “taxi” ride in a search & rescue helicopter strikes a nerve in Newfoundland. For centuries, families in Newfoundland and Labrador have grieved for those who went to sea and didn’t come home. The risk continues. Fishing is among the most deadly jobs in the country, and the dangers inherent in travelling to [...]

Should we revisit the legacy of John Turner

From iPolitics on a new biography of John Turner. It sounds strange now, but Turner actually had collegial relationships with members of other parties. In fact, as Paul Litt notes, Turner once saved John Diefenbaker from drowning while on holiday in Barbados. With the current PM on the beach, and an opposition leader floundering in [...]

The race to the bottom

The Blackberry Roundtable with Kady O’Malley and Scott Reid has some interesting thoughts on the Conservative Party push polling the Irwin Cotler’s riding with the suggestion he had resigned. AP: When Montreal Liberal MP Irwin Cotler heard that someone was making phone calls to his constituents suggesting that Cotler had resigned and that there would [...]

Rick Perry’s campaign ends right here…

This gaffe rivals John Turner in 1984

Ridings to Watch

CBC offers up their ridings to watch and it seemed like a pretty odd list so here are my ridings to watch tonight. Saskatoon Meewasin.  The Sask Party threw a ton of resources in an attempt to unseat Frank Quennell.  If they Quennell wins, it means that the NDP still has some life in the [...]

The ethics of bankers

Thomas Friedman in the New York Times Citigroup is lucky that Muammar el-Qaddafi was killed when he was. The Libyan leader’s death diverted attention from a lethal article involving Citigroup that deserved more attention because it helps to explain why many average Americans have expressed support for the Occupy Wall Street movement. The news was [...]