Category Politics
Debating Democracy
Canadian Members of Parliament were supposed to be home today, meeting with their constituents. Instead, the House of Commons is sitting (though some MPs will be attending on Zoom). We are in a national “crisis” after all. MPs spent the weekend debating whether the Liberal government was right to invoke the Emergencies Act last Monday […]
Not With A Bang
By the time you read this, the truckers’ protest in Ottawa may be over. But many questions remain. Police on Friday and Saturday pushed demonstrators away from Parliament Hill. I watched a lot of it as it was happening, as many of the demonstrators were streaming the actions live. It seemed like a typically Candian […]
Canadian Justice
You don’t expect to hear the words “secret court hearing” when it is the Canadian legal system being discussed. For those who believe in the fundamental principles of justice it is a little unnerving. Those behind the class action lawsuit against the truckers’ convoy that has parked in downtown Ottawa for more than theree weeks […]
Missing A Slam Dunk
It is not often that Canada’s Official Opposition hands the government and easy victory. They did that this week – and the government missed it. I can only presume that they are so locked into their ways that they can’t see a gift when it is given to them. The Conservative Party sponsored a motion […]
Just Watch Him!
Canada is now under martial law for the first time in more than 50 years. Except it isn’t. The government has invoked the Emergencies Act, however the Prime minister has said he is not calling in the military to deal with the truckers’ protest or suspending anyone’s civil liberties. Needless to say, this has many […]
Fire The Prime Minister?
When Freedom Convoy 2022 was announced, the truckers’ supporting groups stated the intention was to go to Ottawa, where they hoped the Governor General and the Senate acting together would form a citizen’s commmittee and act as a government, in effect removing the Prime Minister and the House of Commons. That goal has since been […]
Protest
What are the limits to peaceful protest in a democratic society? As the truckers’ convoy keeps downtown Ottawa snarled for a seventh day today, that is the question residents are asking. It is clear the truckers won’t accomplish their goal – the removal of the vaccine mandate on their industry. It is also apparent that […]
Help Me Understand
Canada’s Prime Minister is seeking support from the New Democratic, Bloc Quebecois and Green parties to support his plans to limit debate in the House of Commons (and accelerate the passing of his legislation). He says this is necessary because the Conservatives, the Official Opposition, are too partisan. According to Justin Trudeau: “We know and […]
Convoy
Some on the internet are calling it “Canada’s January 6 event,” likening it to the attempted insurrection in Washington D.C. last year. Thousands of Canadian truckers are descending on Ottawa to protest the federal government’s vaccine mandate on their industry. Earlier this week some suggested 50,000 trucks and a half a million people were on […]
No School Today
Public schools in Ontario are closed for the Christmas break (which they probably call a winter break, I haven’t checked). When they will reopen is a matter of some conjecture. The Premier said on Friday that it was too early to say if schools would reopen in January, given the COVID case count. Too me […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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