The inherent unfairness of Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system has been displayed many times in previous federal elections, but never so blatantly as in the recent voting farce. Its outrageously skewed outcome starkly exposed the inequitable result of our country’s failure to finally switch to some form of proportional representation – one that would be best suited … Continue reading In 90 other countries elections are held through proportional representation, a fair voting system denied Canadians
Democracy
With the election of a minority government looming, it’s the NDP that merits support
For what it’s worth (probably not much), I’ve switched my vote on October 21 back from the Greens to the NDP. This is not because I no longer believe that climate change is by far the most crucial issue facing voters in this election, or that the Greens are the only party that is treating … Continue reading With the election of a minority government looming, it’s the NDP that merits support
Failure of our political parties to take action against Quebec’s Bill 21 shameful
Anyone familiar with the history of Quebec’s preferential status in Canada – with its exceptional ability to enact policies that would be taboo in other provinces – should not have been surprised by its adoption of Bill 21. Granted, this piece of legislation is more unjust than previous political iniquities in la belle province. It … Continue reading Failure of our political parties to take action against Quebec’s Bill 21 shameful
Deliberate deforestation of the Amazon exposes anti-climate capitalism
The outbreak of thousands of fires in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest starkly exposes the refusal of the world’s business and political leaders to take the threat of climate change seriously. For the past 30 years, at successive climate summits, they have piously pledged to curb greenhouse gas emissions, never really intending to make more than … Continue reading Deliberate deforestation of the Amazon exposes anti-climate capitalism
Predicting federal election results may be dicey, but not discerning the best outcome
With media pundits and political junkies confidently foretelling the results of the October federal election, it may be considered presumptuous for a mere blogger like me to even speculate on the outcome. I am not, however, a complete political neophyte. Perhaps a brief account of my career in politics may help bolster my credentials as … Continue reading Predicting federal election results may be dicey, but not discerning the best outcome
Today’s dissenters not burned at the stake, just ridiculed, disparaged, and blacklisted
The brooding statue of Giordano Bruno in the Campo dei Fiori in Rome attracts few tourists. Among those who do stop to look at it, fewer still know who Bruno was and why he has been so esteemed. But he is widely remembered in academic and literary circles, and is revered as a hero by … Continue reading Today’s dissenters not burned at the stake, just ridiculed, disparaged, and blacklisted
The decline of reading causes a decline in thinking, which in turn impairs social and political participation
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. --Joseph Addison. The number of newspaper readers is plunging by the millions in most countries, including Canada and the United States. This decline is driven by the hundreds of metro dailies that have been forced to close, merge, or drastically reduce their size or … Continue reading The decline of reading causes a decline in thinking, which in turn impairs social and political participation
Happiest countries in the world are not necessarily the richest, but those with truly democratic governments
Those who want much are always much in need. Happy are those who simply want sufficient for their needs. --Horace Is human happiness a feeling that can be measured and quantified? Nobody, of course, is perpetually happy, but, for most people in some nations, happiness is more the norm than the exception. That assessment, however, … Continue reading Happiest countries in the world are not necessarily the richest, but those with truly democratic governments
The Nonagenarian's Notebook 