Monthly Archives: July 2007

Afghanistan: Rethinking the Mission

The left has a problem: Is it possible to oppose the Afghanistan mission while simultaneously “supporting the troops”? This is not a question of principle (this is after all the left we’re talking about) but rather a conundrum of political communication. And a conundrum it is. If Canadian troops are doing good work in Afghanistan, […]

Dion’s Stealth Replacement Strategy

I’ve been watching with a bit of interest how Stephane Dion has been handling the by-election preparation in the Montreal riding of Outremont which was vacated in the winter by Paul Martin’s Quebec lieutenant Jean Lapierre (who incidentally praised Stephen Harper’s government on his new show after he had left his Ottawa bench). Dion […]

Toronto Wakes Up, Smells The Starbucks

I have to admit that I didn’t see this bit of pleasant news coming, especially so quickly! After his plan for massive tax increases got shelved on Monday, Toronto Mayor David Miller announced today that “massive” cuts are coming to the city’s services. Among these will be the closure of the TTC’s third […]

Government Reparations and Limited Responsibility

Without meaning to, I started a bit of a firestorm a couple of days ago over the residential schools issue. This has caused me to look much more seriously at this issue than I had before. While those who disagreed with me called attention to some remarks of mine that were perhaps not […]

The Red Tory Tradition

The Red Tory or “progressive” or “moderate” wings of Canada’s conservative parties really like to play up how polite they are compared to the Liberals, or how civilized they are compared to their party kin who take the term “conservative” a little more seriously. While its true that there are quite a few grassroots […]

Homer Messing with Fertility

*

Ann Bryn-Evans, joint Wessex district manager for The Pagan Federation, said: “It’s very disrespectful and not at all aesthetically pleasing.
“We were hoping for some dry weather but I think I have changed my mind. We’ll be doing some rain magic to bring the rain and wash it away.”
Source 

The Cynic Who Barked Too Loud

Being a Canadian Cynic is a tough gig these days.  There has been quite a backlash against the anonymous lefty-blogger who recently ranted about a grieving mother who lost her son, a Canadian Solider in Afghanistan.
Wanda Watkins, who spoke to the press recently asking for the nation to hold the course and respect the sacrifices […]

“Progressive” Shoots Self in Foot, Wishes It Away…

…sorry kid, but pot doesn’t dilute this kind of scandal! In good Left-wing fashion, the boy has ended tonight having realized that he has really has said something offensive (I thought “progressives” didn’t like to offend?) and outrageous (even Warren Kinsella finds this tasteless, I mean, talk about taking one to know one!) by […]

Calgary - Quickly Becoming Alberta’s Toronto

Jeffery Simpson wraps up many Albertans feelings towards the center of Alberta’s universe:
Few tears, however, are being shed for Calgary elsewhere in Alberta. (Edmonton never sheds them.) Calgarians won’t appreciate the comparison, but, in Alberta, their city is now regarded provincially as Toronto is nationally: fat, self-absorbed and whining, a kind of Hogtown West.
[…]
Calgary’s nose […]

Confronting Their Poverty

Phil Fontaine complicates the world:
Unfortunately, tangible progress is not happening fast enough to contain the mounting frustrations of younger natives. “Canada’s biggest challenge is what to do about First Nations poverty,” Mr. Fontaine asserts. We agree.
What a challenge. It’s called, “getting a job.”
People have used this ingenious strategy to confront their poverty for some time. […]