This week the House of Commons passed Bill C-76, the Elections Modernization Act, the federal government’s answer to the so-called “Fair Elections Act” that the Conservatives enacted in 2014.  And although I and the rest of the NDP caucus voted in favour of the bill, I would say this bill is “a day late and a dollar short.”...

Several times in our province we have had election results distorted by our current voting system (first past the post). As a result the political landscape has been plagued by polarized politics for as long as anyone can remember and many voters find themselves voting to block something they despise and/or not having their...

To meet one of its most critical conservation targets by 2020, Canada must protect a massive amount of land — roughly the size of Alberta — over the next year and a half. So where will this protection occur and can it be done in a way that actually benefits biodiversity? By Gloria Dickie, from The Narwhal The world...

War, what is it good for? Absolutely nuthin.’   -- pop song, 1968 War is the Father of us all.   – Herodotus, Greek historian, 5th C. BCE War is over, if you want it.     – John Lennon Forgive me Lord, I do so love it.  – General Patton, American Army War is the typical normal condition of humanity, not peace.   – James...

The U.S. president may think global warming is a hoax perpetrated by China, but his administration has concluded Earth’s average temperature will rise 4 C over pre-industrial levels by 2100 if we fail to address the causes. Overwhelming scientific evidence concludes that such a rise would be catastrophic for humanity and many...

A key ingredient in any democracy is that people choose their leaders based on their values.  In our current voting system we are often forced to choose between a person or a party or to vote “strategically”. The make-up of the government often doesn’t reflect the popular vote so a party may only get 10% of the seats even if...

Plus ça change.....   One hundred years ago, in 1919, William Lyon Mackenzie King proclaimed that 1921 would be the last election held under FPtP. Once elected, he lost his appetite for change, declaring that the Liberal Party was in favour of proportionality, in principle only. A few years later, facing election, King again...

It’s time to revisit the topic of corporal punishment of children: spanking, swatting, or otherwise hitting a child as punishment or “correction.”  Is it ever acceptable?  There are so many different views, but now we have some new research evidence favouring the totally non-violent approach to child-rearing.   On March 5 of...

When our children and grandchildren and those of us still here in 20 years look back to this time, will we say it was when the world finally got serious about the climate crisis? Or will we mark a tragic time when political and business leaders prioritized short-term economic gain over the future of humanity? Listening to...

We tend to think of the post office as a place just to get and send our snail-mail, especially parcels.  We may have to change that thought: Canada’s postal workers are in negotiations for a new contract, and they are proposing some interesting things. They’re also authorized to go on strike. But that’s the stick:  they’re ...