March 2, 2010
How to bring democracy back to Alberta
There’s voter apathy and then there’s Alberta. In the 2008 provincial election, a mere 41 percent of eligible voters came out. The provincial Conservative government went on to claim a historic 11th straight victory, a win that Athabasca University history professor Alvin Finkel believes was the result of Albertans not believing that there’s a viable alternative to the Tories. So this past June,... [More >>]
November 11, 2009
Crack down on organized crime and save addicts — Legalize Hard Drugs
The misbegotten “War on Drugs” has funnelled billions into the pockets of criminals, and drug use is higher than ever. We’re addicted to policy failure — time to kick the habit Shortly after Vancouver was named the host of the 2010 Olympics, Naomi Klein was seething about injustice again. “The Vancouver-Whistler Olympic bid presented the province of British Columbia as a model... [More >>]
October 16, 2009
Interview: Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter
On June 9, Nova Scotians elected the province’s first ever NDP government, lead by former Navy public-information-officer-turned-journalist-turned-lawyer Darrell Dexter. This caught up with the new 52-year-old premier about a month later, just after he had attended a Paul McCartney concert in Halifax. This: Did you meet McCartney? Dexter: I did. It was quite a highlight. When you were a kid if someone... [More >>]
September 9, 2009
How mainstream media botched Iranian election coverage—again
A protester on the streets of Iran, June 17, 2009. The sign reads "They Killed My Bro Koz He Asked "Where's My Vote." Creative Commons photo by Hamed Saber. Two elections. Two women. Two killings. One legacy? Not really. One victim became a world icon, while the other barely registered on the books of the international media. Such are the divergent post-mortem fates of Neda Agha... [More >>]
August 14, 2009
How to rehabilitate the NDP
With its exclusive fixation on winning more seats, the NDP has sacrificed the opportunity to build a truly progressive movement. On the 75th anniversary of the CCF, James Laxer argues that to save the present, we need to remember the past [This article was originally published in the July-August 2008 issue of This Magazine. We've reposted it here since the NDP 2009 federal convention happens this weekend... [More >>]
August 13, 2009
How the Green Party is skewing Canadian elections
Another B.C. election has passed, and the Liberals under Premier Gordon Campbell were able to hold on to power, but it was hard to tell at times which party stood where on the issues and the political spectrum. The environment was a central issue in this election, but it played out in a way that made no sense based on the historic positioning of political parties in Canada. The Liberal Party of B.C.,... [More >>]
June 8, 2009
Meet Ralph Nader’s secret (Canadian) weapon: Toby Heaps
How Canada’s Rollerblading, CEO-hugging, cartel-busting activist-entrepreneur became Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign manager (and why he did it when there was zero chance of winning) Toby Heaps demonstrates his style in Toronto. Photo by Steve Payne Junue Millan is getting agitated. It’s a hot day in May 2008, and Millan, an organizer on Ralph Nader’s quixotic presidential campaign,... [More >>]
May 1, 2009
Baffled at the Ballot Box
In 1864, Thomas Hare argued at the Association Internationale pour le Progrès des Sciences Sociales meeting in Amsterdam that proportional representation — in which parliamentary seats are awarded based on political parties’ share of the popular vote — was a much fairer system than the “single member plurality” system being used in his home country of England. Within 60 years,... [More >>]
April 28, 2009
Strong Feelings On: Proportional Representation
We’re loving Fair Vote Canada… The brainchild of three concerned citizens, Fair Vote Canada is devoted to reforming Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system. Formed in 2000, it currently has members in every province from across the political spectrum, more than 2,000 dues-paying members and a contact list of 10,000 people. FVC’s ultimate goal, explains Larry Gordon, one... [More >>]
