A message for the NDP: Trust the people, be bold, take a risk
Parliament resumed yesterday and Canadians could be forgiven if they decided they would rather stick pins in their arms than watch another round of Stephen Harper’s cynical manipulation compete with Michael Ignatieff’s inept political meandering. I haven’t seen a recent poll on whether or not people want an election, but it wouldn’t surprise me if […]
LETTER: MP Atamanenko 'ill-informed', says Conservative candidate
Dear Editor, As most people will recall, the NDP sent out a cartoonish flyer last fall, which discussed the Canada-European Union: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, also known simply as CETA. Since then, there has been much discussion about the issue and recently, our current MP has spent time criticizing both local constituents and the […]
QUNFUZ: January 25
The day the revolution started. In this second film Waseem Wagdi, an Egyptian protesting outside the embassy in London, says it all, beautifully. Robin Yassin-Kassab is a UK-based writer and journalist. This piece originally appeared in his blog, Qunfuz. Reprinted with the author’s kind permission.
QUNFUZ: Sovereignty
My past experience talking to Egyptians, in Egypt and around the world, is that 95% of them hate Husni Mubarak and the humiliation he’s brought upon their once great country. When I ask of their hopes for change, they answer with the bitter resignation common to all Arabs: “Nothing will change. His son will come […]
And then everything changed....
The photographs are as stunning as they are inspiring. The world is now totally focused on the democratic rebellion in Egypt. President Hosni Mubarak, the dictator who Israel relies on for its current unassailable position, sends out the army to deal with demonstrators and what happens? The soldiers, including officers, joined with them, hugging them, kissing […]
Ignatieff and the media: who's telling the truth?
This one should make you laugh, shake your head or maybe even cry. It shows perfectly why so many Canadians don’t trust our politicians or our media. On Wednesday, the Toronto Sun carried a story headlined “Feds shouldn’t foot bill for NHL-calibre arena:Iggy” The piece revolved around Quebec City’s dream of building a $400 million arena and […]
QUNFUZ: A crucial moment in Egypt
Today is crucial and could go very badly. The Egyptian gangster regime and its backers have clearly decided to use maximum force to end the popular challenge. At 12.34 this morning, Egypt’s entire internet service was closed down – the largest shutdown in history. Mobile phone services have also been suspended, and al-Jazeera has been taken off […]
Why tax cuts make us weak
I don’t think I have ever re-cycled a column before but the whole question of tax cuts and all the issues it involves never really changes. In November, 2007, I wrote a column for the Tyee and rabble focusing on Conservative finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s five year tax cut plan. This up-coming cut to corporate […]
Mish Ayazeenu: We don't want him
Egypt’s anti-regime protests are unprecedented in size, frequency and ferocity. In Shubra, Dokki, Mohandaseen and Bulaq, Cairenes chanted ash-sha’ab yureed isqaat an-nizam, or The People Want the Fall of the Regime, and braved tear gas and baton-wielding thugs in the central Tahrir Square. Alexandria, Tanta, Suez, and the labour stronghold of Mahalla al-Kubra have also demonstrated. A […]
ATAMANENKO: A year in review, part two
This past year, my staff and I had the privilege of assisting constituents faced with federal bureaucratic problems – unfair treatment, misinterpretations or just plain despair at not seeing any hope in their particular plight. For the most part, I find the federal public service is exceptionally professional, knowledgeable and helpful, and should not be […]