Stephen Harper's Tory government has given us many reasons to question his commitment to democracy.
There's his love of proroguing Parliament when things don't go his way, the tendency to limit debate on just about any issue, and his distain for coalition governments despite centuries of parliamentary tradition and his own support for the idea when he was in opposition.
But nothing compares to the Robocall scandal.
At times of significant political change, it always helps to wait a while before reaching ultimate conclusions. So it is with the election of Thomas Mulcair as the new leader of the New Democratic Party.
When many thousands of Canadians indicate they are not comfortable with their governments build-a-pipeline-anywhere policies because of job-related economic concerns, energy security, and fears about environmental damage, they are ignored and belittled.
The Harper government has labeled unions, environmentalists and First Nations groups -- and anyone else who has voiced opposition to the Keystone XL and the Northern Gateway pipelines -- as radical and anti-Canadian.
Hats off to the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) for organizing a national day of action today to get the message across to Stephen Harper’s government that “education is a right!”
Our union stands side by side with students across the country, literally and figuratively, because we believe that education is the great leveler. It’s at the core of an equal society.
For those of us who have been targets for awhile, it’s getting kind of old hat. Nevertheless it’s good to see mainstream media columnists and editorialists jumping on the Harper government for demonizing and name-calling its opponents – in this case those who want a voice on the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.
I’ve been thinking about this particular Conservative government tactic. What’s behind it is really quite simple: Like any school-yard bully, the root of these attacks about “foreign money”, “radical groups”, and “extremists”, is fear.
On December 5th Russ Hiebert, Conservative MP for South Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale, B.C. introduced Bill C-377 ![[external link]](http://www.cep.ca/images/xlink/xLink-external.gif)
an act to make union books public.
It doesn’t surprise me that the Harper government has resorted to name-calling to cover up its lack of an economic and environmental strategy to develop the bitumen sands.
Around this time, I often get asked by reporters what CEP is expecting to face at the bargaining table in the new year. I don’t have a crystal ball, but there are a few things I can say with some certainty.
This Labour Day, workers across the country will celebrate our past victories, rekindle old friendships as we march side-by-side through the streets of our towns and cities, and share a moment of solidarity with our brothers and sisters from other unions.
Canada and the labour movement have lost a great leader and friend with the death of Jack Layton.
Masudur Rahman and Mohamed Zaghloul boarded a flight from Memphis to Charlotte, North Carolina, and the plane started down the runway.
The plane soon stopped and the pilot told Rahman and Zaghloul to get off. The reason? They were Muslim, and pilot said other passengers might be uncomfortable with them onboard. On the same day, in New York, Imam al-Amin Abdul Latif was refused a seat on another flight, also to Charlotte.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is responding to the current market meltdown the same way he responded to the last one in 2008, by sticking his head in the sand and refusing to do anything.
In our movement, solidarity is our deepest emotion and strongest statement because it goes beyond words and defines how we act together and act towards each other. It is in that spirit I send you our solidarity and our affection to you in your struggle.
With the major political forces in the U.S. in a game of chicken over that country’s debt ceiling -- the world economy hostage in the process -- Canada needs to seriously reassess its economic priorities.
