Are we as rational as we believe?
Yesterday, I reviewed “Don’t think of an Elephant,” by George Lakoff. Lakoff argues that U.S. conservatives have had such success in the past in gaining public support for...
View ArticleCanadian politics about power, not governance
With Parliament set to resume next week, it seems clear that the June show-down that resulted in the Blue Ribbon EI panel will resume where it left off. Accusations have been flying from both sides,...
View ArticleContinuing conversations with Canadians VIII
Canadian democracy is broken. Macleans’ columnists Paul Wells and Andrew Coyne don’t beat around the bush with this conclusion. They identify sham elections, an irrelevant...
View ArticleFaith and partisan politics
Glen Pearson has reflected on the implications of faith for political behaviour before, thinking in particular about Question Period. This week, he has offered another rumination on faith and politics,...
View ArticleContinuing conversations with Canadians IX
In all reports of dissatisfaction with Canadian democracy, Question Period seems to be at or near the top of the list. In the latest issue of the Canadian Parliamentary Review, Frances Ryan takes a...
View ArticleTen-percenters and the politicians who represent us
As of late we’ve have been hearing a lot about political flyers known as “ten-percenters.” These refer to flyers that Members of Parliament (MPs) are allowed to send to...
View ArticleEqual Voice: Encouraging women’s participation in government
Earlier this week Chandra and I attended a reception hosted by Equal Voice, in celebration of their Experiences mentorship program. Equal Voice is an organization that works in partnership with women...
View ArticleAn election we’d vote for…
When an election is called, church communities will encourage their faithful to undertake their civic duty to vote. All faith traditions will laud democratic participation – yet many...
View ArticleElection 2011: Some More Issues
Over the years, Canadian churches, Christian organizations, and other social justice advocates have provided valuable analysis on a range of issues of concern to Canadians. Throughout this election...
View Article"False majority?" Thinking seriously about electoral reform
With the Conservatives winning a majority government by virtue of 6,102 votes and only 39.6% of votes cast, talk of electoral reform is surfacing once again. In fact, rallies were held across the...
View ArticleContinuing conversations with Canadians IV
The National Post has an excellent piece today on “Understanding our democracy,” by former Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson. The column is an excerpt from a new book, Parliamentary Democracy in...
View ArticleContinuing conversations with Canadians V
Paul Wells of Maclean’s magazine had a column last week advocating for changes to Question Period. He argues that fixing Question Period will help to fix what’s wrong with our country’s...
View ArticleContinuing conversations with Canadians VI
Jim Travers has an article in today's Toronto Star arguing that Canadian government cannot respond to the challenges of our time because Members of Parliament and civil servants lack space to do their...
View ArticleContinuing conversations with Canadians VII
Earlier this spring, Toronto Star columnist Jim Travers wrote a heart-felt rant about the downward slide of democracy in this country. Now the Toronto Star has followed up on that sentiment with a six...
View ArticleParticipatory budgeting: let Canadians decide on spending priorities
Operating under the guise of “consultation,” the federal finance committee announced its annual pre-budget process earlier this summer (don’t worry if you missed it, most Canadians did too). People...
View ArticleGovernment: What is it good for?
I have been fascinated by government and politics since I was a very little girl. My parents often tell people that I had the ambition of being prime minister before most kids even knew that such a...
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