In Stephen Harper's military, the walking wounded may envy the dead. Soldiers killed in Afghanistan have been sent home to Canada in flag-draped coffins to be received by politicians, military brass, family and friends before going down the Highway of Heroes. But soldiers who sustain an injury or struggle with their mental health upon returning home from the horrors of war are left out in the cold.
A democratic society needs an aggressive and free press able to pursue truth where it finds it, to give Canadians the information they need to exercise their democratic rights responsibly, to celebrate their victories, and to help hurting communities mourn their losses.
In late December, the Conservative majority in the House of Commons passed Bill C-377, an Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (requirements for labour organizations), which was designed to challenge unions' involvement in political activities and divert their resources to busy work.
The Harper spin machine is at it again – this time it's their outrageous plan to buy dozens of the U.S.-built F-35, the new multi-billion dollar stealth warplane coveted by the Conservatives, the generals and, of course, the military contractors in Ottawa.
Stephen Harper is sitting on a powder keg of a report right now from accounting firm KPMG. The government commissioned it after the Auditor General slammed Harper in April for hiding $10 billion from the expected cost of the F-35 program.
Many critics and most apologists focus on how "free" trade agreements are opening the economy up to the competitive market. Survival of the fittest in the marketplace is what corporations are supposed to desire.
This story is only partly true. Corporations want selective competition - competition for others, but not for themselves.
From October 26 to 29, young activists from all parts of the country will gather in Ottawa to have some of the most important discussions of our times. The national PowerShift gathering will be a great chance to learn and talk about the climate change crisis and the role of young activists in fighting for a sustainable future for all of us in Canada and all over the world.
Since the start of the month, Saskatchewan has Canada's lowest provincial minimum wage. At $9.50 an hour, someone working 40-hours per week in the province earns $19,700 for an entire year, which is below various poverty measurements.
The minimum wage in most provinces is $10-11. Many European countries have a much higher minimum wage. In Australia, the federal minimum wage is $15.51 an hour with the Australian dollar being of similar value to ours.
Here is an urgent appeal to support war resister Kimberly Rivera and her family who are facing deportation.
On Thursday, August 30th the Canadian government ordered U.S. Iraq war resister Kimberly Rivera, her husband Mario and their four young children deported to the United States. Kimberly served in Iraq in 2006, and sought refuge in Canada in 2007 after making the decision that she could no longer participate in the Iraq War.
