tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339303792011-12-13T22:54:15.345-05:00Canada (pronounced ['kʰænədə] in English and [kanada] in French) is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America.Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.comBlogger1341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-52053796105097339362011-09-26T11:39:00.003-04:002011-09-26T11:47:21.825-04:00

The last time the world was suffering from this kind of economic malaise my father was just a boy, so it's not surprising no one really remembers it. Still - although it's hard to imagine! - there was in fact scholarship and research before the internet, and for those who care to have actual evidence there is plenty available. Of course 2008 is not 1929, but it is the only historical analogue so

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-73271624565092302862011-08-30T21:22:00.000-04:002011-08-30T21:22:49.164-04:00

More than 80 local residents joined the Why Should I Care team last night in welcoming the candidates seeking to represent Trinity-Spadina in the upcoming Provincial election to an all candidates' debate at the Duke of York. Incumbent NDP MPP Rosario Marchese, Liberal candidate Sarah Thompson, and Green Party candidate Tim Grant all attended to speak to and hear from voters. The Conservative

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-32501096902110621012011-03-02T16:01:00.001-05:002011-03-06T00:40:06.278-05:00

I joined an evening of political conversation earlier this week hosted by the nice people at "Why Should I Care". The subject was the decision of Stephen Harper's Conservatives to end the mandatory long-form census and replace it with an optional one. Much of the discussion revolved around the ways in which census data have been used - by businesses and community groups, in particular - and how

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-12238632263876974802011-02-26T23:32:00.090-05:002011-03-01T00:15:14.716-05:00

Rob Ford recently discovered that it was harder to find gravy than to pour it on a thanksgiving turkey, and after promising to cut 2.5% in spending from the budget actually returned with a first budget that has more spending than in any of David Miller's eight years.  This is no surprise. Stephen Harper inherited a surplus and stayed in surplus for two budgets, both of which increased spending;

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-46371287394713197382011-02-21T12:06:00.003-05:002011-02-21T12:20:40.030-05:00

Ronald Reagan, greatest President ever? He is if you believe the most recent Gallup poll, but this surprising result is actually not difficult to understand. Recall that this is a poll of average Americans, *not* of Presidential historians or political observers. Those groups routinely put Lincoln, Washington, and FDR in the top slots, and indeed those are the only three Presidents that have

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-37726596942998894432011-01-13T11:32:00.001-05:002011-01-13T11:34:35.137-05:00

Strangely, there's still a debate in the public discourse about climate change, and whether or not it's happening. A lot of people, I find, react with naked skepticism, as if to say “I don’t really have to believe ANYTHING you say.” They aren’t adamantly against climate change, their just against believing anyone’s claims about anything. The “statistics can say anything” and “that’s just a

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-52679675602289063342010-11-08T12:26:00.000-05:002010-11-08T12:26:25.962-05:00

This Remembrance Day do not think of our men and women in uniform. Do not think of bravery. Do not think of patriotism. Do not think of our sacrifices and victories. None of this is of Remembrance Day. Lest we forget, we mark the armistice of what was then the Great War but is now only World War One to remember the horror of war. This Remembrance Day think only of the corpses, the piles

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-90954887675378324462010-09-29T14:09:00.000-04:002010-09-29T14:09:00.178-04:00

At the meetings of G20 finance ministers following the 2008 crash, there was unanimity about the urgency of all national governments continuing to spend - spending consumers were unable and businesses unwilling to do - to prop up the global economy. A little over a year later, several countries (and notably the wealthiest - UK, Germany, USA, France) are curtailing this spending and looking to

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-14183761536052948312010-06-09T10:46:00.000-04:002010-06-09T10:46:09.621-04:00

A year ago you may recall that GM was in bankruptcy, looking to sell off assets around the globe and begging for what turned out to be a $60 Billion bailout package from North American taxpayers. When GM was on the ropes, Germany and Canadian parts manufacturer Magna put together a bid for GM's European arm, Opel. They thought they could take those facilities and brands and do better with them

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-44796632121019586982010-06-08T16:25:00.001-04:002010-06-08T16:25:37.539-04:00

I'm just so proud of our Prime Minister who, after four years of near-obscurity on the global stage, he has finally come out of his shell to stake out and aggressively lobby for not one but two major diplomatic initiatives: Fighting international co-operation on a bank tax to assist in paying down the massive debts incurred in the recent recession and bailout; and Campaigning to prevent our G8

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-4061104017326838132010-04-28T13:31:00.001-04:002010-05-09T14:28:14.661-04:00

There's a lot of consternation about what's going down in Greece: on the one side of the Atlantic, we are concerned that it "threatens the recovery" that appears to be underway in the wake of the Great American Recession; on the other side, they rightly fear the same moral hazard about which America has done nothing will infect Europe, and that Spain, Ireland, or Portugal will take their place in

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-74072407224150040092010-04-19T09:21:00.000-04:002010-04-19T09:21:52.702-04:00

I don't have enough time to write about this at length now, but this is just about the greatest news since October 2008. Hopefully this is the tip of the iceberg, both for Goldman and for their cohort. Although this claim relates to investor fraud (and in the great American Freedom it is important to recall that hurting investors counts, and the damage they did to society at large does not)

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-14018428325478541882010-02-26T16:52:00.000-05:002010-02-26T16:52:28.729-05:00

Well this is probably bad press that couldn't come at a worse time for our friends at GS... ah, who are we kidding, they're doing fine. And man, but these guys are savvy! Take their "assistance" to the Greek government, the full genius of which we mortals are only just beginning to comprehend:First, hide, rather than fix, increasing symptoms of economic distress. Then create a derivative to bet

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-15061138443440204212010-02-24T11:52:00.000-05:002010-02-24T11:52:01.636-05:00

There was an interesting article in Monday's Globe about the failure of U of T to get good returns on its pension, having lost nearly 30% in the last year. More interesting, however, was the data the Globe presented for the pension asset management results of 23 Canadian Universities. In the 1-year returns, U of T was at the bottom with -29.1%; Saskatchewan did the best with -11.1%. Tough year.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-5622924812114610472010-02-12T10:08:00.002-05:002010-06-08T16:35:09.866-04:00

Stephen Harper, speaking from his pulpit as this year's G20 Chair, has announced to the world that its economic leaders agree on a global Keynesian economy where the individual sovereign interests of states are ultimately suborned to international oversight by the G20 to help us reach a point of "enlightened sovereignty" (and strangely not 'enlightened sovereign interest' as Mill would have had

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-84763570272545013212010-02-10T17:43:00.000-05:002010-02-10T17:43:59.917-05:00

Yesterday political commentator Arianna Huffington called the Tea Party Movement "...a boil alerting us to the infection lurking under the skin" of America. She suggested the 600 appearing at their rally, headlined by palm-reader Sarah Palin, might be like "canaries in a coal mine." Arianna, are you being deliberately obtuse? This is like seeing Chicago overrun by zombies and saying it's an

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-3307271143738894772010-01-29T12:35:00.001-05:002010-01-29T12:36:52.574-05:00

Former British PM Tony Blair took the stand before the Iraq Inquiry today. In a classic Blair fashion (as well as a classic logical fallacy), he answered doubts about his 2002-2003 course of action with his own purely rhetorical 'what-if' hypothetical about the then-future world of 2010: "My view is that if we'd left Saddam there... I have little doubt myself... that today we would be facing a

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-82178256754549279442010-01-25T16:20:00.001-05:002010-01-25T16:34:13.501-05:00

Michael Ignatieff has unveiled a set of rules he hopes will one day govern the proroguing of Parliament. Good for him. In the meantime, as always, Conservative supporters are shouting "Hypocrisy!" and argue that Jean Chretien prorogued 4 times and Harper only 2, so Liberals should all just shut up. Like their leader, they have not yet realized that the job of opposition is different from the job

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-908051384093298702009-12-15T13:31:00.000-05:002009-12-15T13:31:45.494-05:00

In discussions about "Wall Street" - like this one, arising out of Dean Baker's recommendation of a transaction tax - I am often told that we need these people and their supposed wealth generating capacity. Although I have not noticed that it trickles down to me, this position is generally not based on evidence that it does, but rather on the principle that, at the root, "Greed is Good" - a

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-77001394353248691712009-11-04T16:51:00.003-05:002009-11-04T17:01:19.085-05:00

Wonders never cease: an Italian Court has convicted 23 Americans, 22 of them CIA agents, and 2 Italians for the 2003 kidnap of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, a Muslim cleric.It turns out that kidnapping someone in broad daylight in a foreign jurisdiction without authority and then flying him illegally to Egypt where he is tortured and imprisoned for years without charge is a crime. The White house

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-36008344641965257532009-11-04T16:40:00.004-05:002010-01-25T15:28:04.432-05:00

Fresh off the resuscitation and flush with about $60 billion in someone else's money, GM is going into battle to prevent the purchase of it's European Opel division by a consortium including Magna, a Canada-based auto parts manufacturer. This is very bad news for Opel, since of course it means that instead of new ownership and continued operations under the freely negotiated sale deal (crafted

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-56935225784767888032009-10-30T10:20:00.004-04:002009-10-30T10:27:40.128-04:00

For my recent post on the Cuba embargo I looked up the Vietnam War on Wikipedia to see what the death toll was (or what it was reported to be). I could not resist skipping down to a section near the end called Effect on the United States. Almost the entire section is composed of quotations from senior US Commanders about the lessons of Vietnam. It's a shame that they did not refer back to

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-43125905195644469802009-10-30T09:47:00.002-04:002009-10-30T09:50:32.852-04:00

According to the NY Times, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's brother Ahmed has been on the CIA payroll for the last 8 years. The article notes that he is considered a central figure in their opium trade, but doesn't discuss any relation between the CIA and widespread voter fraud in the elections. If you can't beat'em...

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-75356062007134166762009-10-29T09:51:00.000-04:002009-10-30T10:19:08.684-04:00

Once again the world has condemned the US Trade Embargo against Cuba... once again over only three objections, coming from the US (obviously) as well as their key Caribbean allies Israel and Palau, for a score of 187-3.You don't have to like the "Communists" to see that the embargo is the main cause of the suffering of the Cuban people. Opinions on Fidel, his government (now his brother's), and

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-54843433038531799612009-10-14T01:51:00.002-04:002009-10-14T01:54:20.957-04:00

a) That the Nobel Committee does not sufficiently understand US domestic politics to realize that the award was a hindrance and not a help; andb) That at this point even an aspirational change in American leadership is more precious than water.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-71030572975246405612009-10-09T23:12:00.002-04:002009-10-09T23:17:33.020-04:00

With all this talk about who deserves what, or doesn't, and why, I think everyone is missing the real story here: How is Obama going to spend his $1.5 million??

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1041768343814540812009-04-17T20:35:00.002-04:002009-04-17T20:43:25.823-04:00

A court in Sweden has convicted 4 men to 1 year each in jail for running piratebay, which is like isohunt and probably everyone who reads this uses one or both of those sites, but that's neither here nor there.The real question is, wtf is the state doing imprisoning people for infringing intellectual property rights? It's not theft, it's infringement. Big difference. Why should corporations

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-6425494389582745202009-03-30T10:03:00.002-04:002009-03-30T10:06:02.297-04:00

I'm very concerned that these two articles, at present only a coincidence in time, will later turn out to be prophetic:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iRHXSIoJJdXQpG3kPrRO2LWMnWTAD975TOK00http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/02826b9e-1aa9-11de-8aa3-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1Is it blasphemous to tell the Pope he's got it ass-backwards on condoms?

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-72426634100915794752009-02-12T13:08:00.004-05:002009-02-12T13:52:30.288-05:00

Here in Canada, the Tories are proposing removing the 'hate speech' provisions of the Human Rights Code. Hate speech is also a crime pursuant to the criminal code. The double legislation is not redundant: crimes are offences against Her Majesty, punished by the state by penalties including incarceration; the Human rights Code provides a civil avenue for individual victims to seek redress.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-70934611164007286182009-02-10T12:13:00.003-05:002009-02-10T12:34:19.271-05:00

Today, top British banking officials publicly apologized for their role in the financial crisis and their responsibility for the taxpayer funded bailout of their banks.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7880292.stmThey actually said sorry. They actually admitted making mistakes. How refreshing.But if I recall correctly, this crisis did NOT start in the UK! The people who are most responsible

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-84313796256056326182009-01-18T11:08:00.003-05:002009-01-18T11:19:46.665-05:00

Well I was right again - a 'unilateral ceasefire' - and with two clear days to make sure none of this features prominently during Tuesday's inaugural address. Not on completion of any military objective: lots and lots of objectives were destroyed, for sure, but Hamas lunched another 16 rockets, one of which actually hit a target, prior to dictating their own ceasefire terms, so even if the

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-62633571800188070412009-01-16T11:41:00.003-05:002009-01-16T11:54:10.489-05:00

A prediction (really two), a comment, and a link:PREDICTION:This war will be resolved in time for Barrack Obama to be inaugurated. It would be embarrassing for it to continue through his inauguration and Israel is aware of the importance of maintaining good relations with the US.It will end prior to this arbitrary date and not on 'mission success' because you cannot simply crush someone's ability

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-16241567823667788002008-12-31T01:43:00.002-05:002008-12-31T02:14:59.461-05:00

"Hossein Derakhshan, nicknamed the “Blogfather” for his role in pioneering a blogging revolution in Iran, last updated his blog in October and Canadian media reports, quoting a friend, said he was detained on Nov. 1 during a visit to Iran."Mr. Derakhshan, 33, was a journalist in Tehran before moving to Toronto in 2000. He made his name by publishing instructions on how to use blogging software to

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-73056807697554802582008-12-08T17:40:00.003-05:002008-12-08T17:45:58.903-05:00

Barely two days ago I proposed that one of the only viable solutions to our current stalemate the Liberal caucus arrive at a leadership consensus and install that person immediately.Today, Domenic LeBlanc has shown excellent judgement, both in reading my blog and taking my advice. Bob's current efforts, while admirable, are damaging. It is sad when a good man has to admit that he has missed his

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-74119502032471061942008-12-06T13:07:00.003-05:002008-12-06T13:28:31.298-05:00

Our government isn't working - literally has not been working since the summer. But we still pay them just the same, so how are we going to get them back to work? We will see one of three scenarios play out over the next six weeks:The Road to Damascus: The government has not been working because Steven Harper did not want it to work, preferring to divide and conquer than to make friends of his

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-38812362364996836662008-12-02T18:54:00.002-05:002008-12-02T19:36:47.906-05:00

Stéphane Dion's Liberals and Jack Layton's NDP, with the support of Gilles Duceppe's Bloc, are proposing to vote out Mr. Harper's Conservatives and form the new government. Is it a coup? Is it democracy? What will the GG say?The fact accords with the constitutional reality - Prime Minister Harper has lost the confidence of the house. He will almost certainly lose the next confidence motion. A

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-58691952249147197492008-05-27T20:13:00.002-04:002008-05-27T20:31:45.441-04:00

How bad was he? Was it this or many things? She doesn't really look like a biker does she? These and so many inconsequential questions boggle the mind! Only a couple of things count about this whole affair:Loyalty trumps dutyBernier was defended in the House for ages, presumably because they didn't know what Ms. C would willingly have told them had they asked (I am not prepared to believe that

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-84205203654603028012008-04-14T09:18:00.002-04:002008-04-14T09:19:34.146-04:00

This poem was forwarded as part of an extensive mailing list I'm part of. I don't recommend the lists, but I do recommend the poem, which I publish without any permission whatsoever (I'll be happy to remedy if the author contacts me!)We Bring Democracy To The Fish It is unacceptable that fish prey on each other.For their comfort and safety, we will liberate them into fishfarms with secure,

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-11859501866221489182008-04-07T09:50:00.002-04:002008-04-07T10:11:47.474-04:00

The protests and numerous attempts at interruption of the Olympic torch relay have been well covered everywhere (except by CCTV of course). Still, beneath the typical "Boo-Hooray!" line of moralizing (less interesting even than usual since there is little dissent on all but the finest points) there are a couple of things I find genuinely interesting.Like, this is the longest torch relay ever, and

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-61811744747274142008-03-27T10:34:00.003-04:002008-03-27T10:52:26.443-04:00

What the hell is wrong with the federal Conservative party? I mean, we have longstanding disagreements on policy issues, certainly, but their recent sniping from Ottawa (read: Flaherty) at Ontario (and particularly Finance Minister Duncan) is not only infantile but also completely dumbfounding. It used to be that a newfoundland premier would take shots at Ottawa for local votes at provincial

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-85731458497169289992008-03-11T22:17:00.002-04:002008-03-11T22:58:44.134-04:00

So I just joined this Facebook group to oppose Bill C-484, which has passed first reading (and I note happily with rare dissent in the blue ranks).As I noted on joining the FB group, I find this whole situation pretty sad. Clearly, what Epp is saying is that it's bad to hurt pregnant women, and somehow worse because their status as pregnant women means the perpetrator ought to have known that

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-6028436880029641992008-03-08T11:43:00.003-05:002008-03-08T11:49:10.150-05:00

So admittedly I haven't been here in a while. I'll try to be better, I promise. In the meantime, please take a look at this story about Chinese Human Rights lawyer Teng Biao. Mr. Teng, a campaigner for stronger political rights and rights of migrant workers, among other things, called home before leaving work on Thursday night and has not been seen since.Friends and family believe he has been

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-87099147608847563542007-09-11T18:30:00.000-04:002007-09-11T18:54:03.316-04:00

A friend of mine was baffled by news today that the judge instructed Robert William Pickton's jurors to disregard evidence about a skull fragment found on the farm by police and belonging to a Jane Doe.Sounds stupid, and frankly in some ways it is. But we have to make many painful compromises in law, and many are not as stupid as they first appear. So I took some time to explain it for her. Since

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-82802245517765424622007-04-14T12:07:00.000-04:002007-04-16T11:57:30.179-04:00

I read in the Star today that some Liberals are upset with Dion's decision to allow Elizabeth May to run unopposed in Central Nova. Without putting too fine a point on it, these Liberals should get stuffed.Some suggest that this damages the Liberal's image as a national party. What a load of crap. There is a long parliamentary tradition (not universally respected) of allowing the leaders of other

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-51551260408825216152007-04-05T20:19:00.000-04:002007-04-07T13:28:44.360-04:00

My friend Rachel Décoste is running for the federal Liberal nomination in Ottawa-Orleans, and I need to take a moment to commend her to all of you because I live in Toronto and I can't vote for her myself.I actually met Rachel through her blog, which I found to be refreshing: honest, often funny, often biting, completely betraying both her good nature and sharp mind. The real life Rachel was even

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-66800342013370379232007-03-06T11:53:00.000-05:002007-03-06T12:18:45.491-05:00

Michale Bryant (A-G Ontario) has sent a position paper to his Federal colleagues saying their 'smart on crime' approach is a loser with voters. Who could have guesses it would become public and embarrass us? Mr. Bryant could have guessed, for one, but that's water under the bridge.I don't think crime is a very important issue, but since most voters are not criminals it's an easy wedge issue to

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-851373710795323642007-02-22T13:03:00.000-05:002007-02-22T13:38:01.178-05:00

It's not every day the PM gets shouted down by opposition backbenchers. Then again, it's not every day he deserves it. For anyone who somehow doesn't know, that's what happened in question period earlier this week when Harper tried to read from an article in the Vancouver Sun.The question he was asked had to do with the stacking of judicial committees with Conservative partisans and other parties

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-58829725274944144722007-02-19T13:01:00.000-05:002007-02-19T13:07:14.723-05:00

Not surprisingly, Condoleeza Rice returned from her recent mideast trip with no good news:"Ms. Rice reported no progress in restarting talks, which broke down more than six years ago."Six years? SIX YEARS?? No progress made in six years? What could possibly have happened six years ago, what unmitigated disaster could have befallen us, that we have not managed a single positive step in six years?

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-19657294530892876652007-02-14T22:12:00.000-05:002007-02-14T22:15:49.626-05:00

Hot off the press: laws aren't worth respecting unless they were passed by conservatives. Seriously.I know it's too much to ask, but I would love for someone to go to jail on this, just on principle.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-51626217897656261752007-02-12T09:53:00.000-05:002007-02-12T10:08:29.681-05:00

I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm disappointed that Harper has gerrymandered the judicial appointments committees so that the government now appoints a majority of the members. Probably worse is that he did it by creating a new voting member chosen from the police forces by the government, and taking away the vote of the member appointed by the judiciary. (Not quite taking away - they still get

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-47840828029086434022007-01-10T22:34:00.000-05:002007-01-10T23:10:01.425-05:00

I had the good fortune to be in attendance at the Judge's night dinner tonight, which coincides with the opening of court and is always well attended by the Toronto bench and bar. Our guest speaker did not have much in common with his audience: we are all lawyers, and his predecessors as guest speaker include Mr. Turner (present tonight), Mr. Chretien, and Mr. Diefenbaker, who all held law

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-49223272823239184402007-01-09T11:14:00.000-05:002007-01-09T11:23:40.633-05:00

There has been some speculation in these parts as to why exactly our friend Wajid Khan defected (apart from the obvious answer of pure self-interest). Now we know the answer.As a Liberal, Mr. Khan would have been obligated to make his findings known to the Liberal Party. When he accepted his position in the summer, he told the Globe that:"I want to make sure that the Prime Minister gets it and

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-23847678469154848772007-01-04T19:25:00.000-05:002007-01-04T19:35:23.429-05:00

They are calling it "Ashley's procedure" since it's never been done until now, and our would-be protagonist was unlikely to be named Peter because she's a girl. But like The Pan, Ashley will never grow up. Doctor's did all sorts of weird things I'm sure I don't want to know about in detail, and now she'll stay little - Forever 9, although she looks younger.Now I suppose if they could have stopped

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-69243549660316815402006-12-12T10:15:00.000-05:002006-12-12T10:41:06.517-05:00

I'm reading this piece in the Globe that trashes Rona Ambrose. Blatantly incorrect information held up as fact in front of the media and parliamentary committees; public embarrassment internationally; a "plan" that kicks into gear in 2025; and now a call for the auditor to look into every single Liberal environmental initiative. I suppose if you're not going to do anything, you might as well talk

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-66953186396178348782006-12-06T11:18:00.000-05:002006-12-06T11:28:39.715-05:00

Every reader will know that Dion wasn't my first choice - but he turned out to be the second choice of many, and that's the Liberal way (apparently). So, I was pleased to see that he wasted no time getting out there and kicking ass:-Ratcheting up the pressure on the Afghanistan front, demanding a Marshall Plan style approach and critiquing Harper for (a) not demanding a quid pro quo for our

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1490620236545414742006-12-02T18:52:00.000-05:002006-12-02T18:53:46.323-05:00

7PM - Liberal party party - panorama room, 7th floor, Palais de Congres8PM - Hyatt - GK Campaign celebration.Later....? Let me know!

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-34912184803348742702006-12-02T18:15:00.000-05:002006-12-02T18:20:47.293-05:00

If he had shown such aplomb during the race he might not have had to give the speech. But he kept his good British stiff upper lip in place while waiting for the results, and he renewed his call-and-answer "tous ensemble," which I hope he really believes and which I hope will be guiding us forward. It is very difficult to be so gracious in defeat, and Michael has shown great character in his

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-47964908214689935262006-12-02T18:12:00.000-05:002006-12-02T18:14:34.106-05:00

Wow. It wasn't so close. Bonne chance Stephane. - nous sommes aux votre mains.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-27472777097450086932006-12-02T16:24:00.000-05:002006-12-02T16:35:07.139-05:00

From the comfort of my war room, I believed it would be Iggy. Then Bob supports no one (not a gentlemanly move, but a move motivated by the fact that he absolutely must stay in the party and remain prominent if he hopes to pay off his enormous debt, which is to his brother but which he is legally obligated to repay through donations, no more than $5400 per person, and so therefore cannot afford

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-39975596281365559712006-12-02T14:49:00.000-05:002006-12-02T15:04:13.997-05:00

Well obviously Gerard's support was incredibly valuable - Dion has leapfrogged into first, and Bob "I learned my fiscal policy lessons in Ontario but forgot them for this leadership campaign and borrowed more than all the other teams put together but don't worry I'll re-learn my lesson if you elect me" Rae is off the ballot. I don't know why my disgust at that kind of hypocrisy has overtaken my

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-90399521982425124772006-12-02T12:21:00.000-05:002006-12-02T12:23:19.973-05:00

It's official. *sigh*. I think he gave up too early.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-49346057111045242882006-12-02T12:07:00.000-05:002006-12-02T12:20:41.425-05:00

Total votes: 4695 Ignatieff: 1481 (31.6%) +69 votesRae: 1132 (24.1%) +155 votesDion: 974 (20.8%) +118 votesKennedy: 884 (18.8%) +30 votesDryden: 219 (4.7%) -19 votesSpoiled: 5Dryden has freed his candidates and gone to Rae.Rae posted the biggest gain, which is still completely inexplicable to me. The question of Iggy's growth potential remains, but he is not bleeding support as I had hoped. Dion

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-49382566359496480132006-12-02T09:59:00.000-05:002006-12-02T11:09:26.360-05:00

Kennedy énergiqueCelui qui se classe actuellement troisième dans la course, Gerard Kennedy, a fait forte impression avec un discours dynamique et bien rythmé, qui a soulevé la foule à de nombreuses reprises.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-6050115351031508462006-12-02T09:42:00.000-05:002006-12-02T10:05:28.825-05:00

I haven't been up this early on a Saturday since I was a kid. Of course by now everyone knows the results - I was busy drinking at Ken Dryden's soiree last night and not blogging... you have to have priorities. Nonetheless, here they are (DSM numbers in parentheses):Michael Ignatieff: 1,412 votes, 29.3% (29.3%)Bob Rae: 977 votes, 20.3% (20.1%)Stephane Dion: 856 votes, 17.8% (16%)Gerard Kennedy:

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-41022498293983335192006-12-01T21:52:00.000-05:002006-12-01T22:07:07.528-05:00

I want to apologize because I missed Dion's speech, which means I can't profile speeches from all the top four. So below I profile the top three - Ignatieff's wooden but acceptable performance, Rae's very disappointing performance, and Gerard Kennedy's winning speech.You can watch the speeches and the Candidate's videos here.Also, Volpe backed Rae. We'll see if it is indeed the kiss of death,

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-57695650120421979302006-12-01T21:40:00.000-05:002006-12-01T21:49:53.536-05:00

Ignatieff's speech was slow and deliberate. On a scale of Bob to Gerard, he rates a "good"....His presentation is quite frankly wooden. Especially with the Queen wave, the one she gives from the back of horse drawn carriages - you know the one I mean...His video was unbelievably long, which seems an odd choice since each candidate has a fixed amount of time. It seems a tacit admission that he

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-56179983080157680832006-12-01T21:30:00.000-05:002006-12-01T23:03:24.886-05:00

If Bob was not a seasoned politician and renowned speaker, I would have thought his speech was pretty good. But he is a seasoned politician and renowned speaker, and against that standard I think he bombed....He spent a lot of time talking about politicking. We already know this race isn't about ideas, but I didn't realize until now that the back room business and power brokering could actually

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-37706775867934700122006-12-01T21:12:00.000-05:002006-12-01T23:02:47.097-05:00

I freely admit my bias, but I know speeches, and of the top three Gerard's was unquestionably the best....His French was just fine, and he moved in and out of it freely....He spoke about the quiet noises, a recurring theme of his campaign, and one which to me speaks directly to the compassionate government that I believe in, and that I think Canadians believe in....He told the story of the hungry

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-91879207729283177842006-12-01T16:32:00.000-05:002006-12-01T16:43:54.878-05:00

I spent the last hour with several hundred Kennedy delegates cheering and waving placards here at the Palais - a flash mob in support of Gerard. I was once a professional shouter of sorts, and the fact that people could keep up with me in shouting for an hour is testimony to the energy and confidence of our delegation.There was an amazing moment when Martha's delegation was riding down the

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-25450212074562779282006-12-01T08:58:00.000-05:002006-12-01T09:09:25.598-05:00

Just came from Gerard's breakfast rally. There were so many people the hotel staff couldn't keep the coffee urns full.Gerard gave a rousing speech, proclaiming that Canadians want a party and a leadership that actively seeks their input and support every day, not just every few years at election time. But even more impressive than the candidate was the crowd, a crowd full of people from every

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-60192578822597208362006-11-30T19:16:00.000-05:002006-11-30T19:29:36.668-05:00

In today's policy forum on Afghanistan, Michael Ignatieff stated that all youth should go overseas.As soldiers???If Iggy wanted to suggest we should have a national volunteer corps, he should have said so. He didn't.If Iggy wanted to suggest that every Canadian youth should have sufficient economic security and resources to spend time in foreign lands developing a broader understanding of

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-66749593788672177682006-11-30T16:45:00.000-05:002006-11-30T16:52:21.603-05:00

A poll released today by Maclean's compares the "negatives" of candidates: some positive and negative information on each was presented, and people were asked whether they were more or less likely to vote Liberal.ALL the top four contenders had overall negatives (as in more people said they would be less likely than said they would be more likely to vote Liberal if that candidate was the leader).

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-82917246920214706012006-11-30T11:30:00.000-05:002006-11-30T11:37:21.985-05:00

Wow, what a great party at les 3 brasseurs. At peak there were several hundred people upstairs, with a lineup going down the stairs, more people on the main level, more people milling around outside. These were people from all camps, Iggy people, Rae people, Dion people, all of who presumably passed up the chance to spend that time at their own candidate's hospitality suite. I think the momentum

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-87598709270838051082006-11-29T22:32:00.000-05:002006-11-29T22:43:46.987-05:00

The power of undeclared delegates is only just beginning to make itself known. Not only does it put the kybosh on many bloggers' attempts to predict why the second round will go to their candidate (you know who you are), but tonight we learned that Judy Sgro is bringing 12 undeclared delegates from her Toronto riding who will all support Martha Hall Findlay.That's just cool. I would vote for her

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-30481424860952521892006-11-29T22:20:00.000-05:002006-11-29T22:32:20.167-05:00

o A great speech by Shawn Graham, new Premier of New Brunswick. Here's a guy that took over the Libs there after a drubbing, fought like a cornered tiger, hung in through a loss to Bernard Lord by the thinnest of margins, and stood to fight another day. I also couldn't help but notice that his french was, well, schoolboyish, but he won a majority in the only officially bilingual province int he

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-12972452499127114412006-11-29T19:21:00.000-05:002006-11-29T22:14:52.367-05:00

Carleton University published a poll of 500 Quebeckers (or Quebecois - they weren't specific) that basically resembles game of family feud and provides similar measures of usefulness and entertainment.First, those polled said that "winnability" was the most important thing. They want a winner to win. Wow.Second, when asked who was best to lead the Liberals and who was most likely to beat Harper,

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-38462682666491557602006-11-29T14:15:00.000-05:002006-11-30T12:16:34.360-05:00

Paul Wells gives the boring answer that the front-runner will probably win. He could have saved us the trouble and provided us a link to Cerberus' page, since he's been saying that since Iggy was only the 'presumed frontrunner' back in June.Wells then quotes PHD candidate Peter Loewen, who as far as I can tell gets at least one thing absolutely wrong, which is shocking considering the obvious

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-55201797200719226252006-11-29T13:42:00.000-05:002006-11-29T13:45:34.471-05:00

Je suis arrive, et bien sur je suis tres occupe, mais je doit vous monter ce video de Rick Mercer avec GK!

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-56973122892791059472006-11-28T22:23:00.000-05:002006-11-28T22:43:31.553-05:00

Grammar be damned - things are looking great for Gerard.Of course, he recently added Tom Axworthy's endorsement to Justin Trudeau's, which pretty much makes him the official candidate of the Trudeau school, if there is such a thing. He has also been making headlines for his position on the Quebec resolution. And before I get started on it, let me merely say that whatever your personal position, I

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-43086689644432161342006-11-25T15:45:00.000-05:002006-11-25T15:48:57.579-05:00

I don't think the Globe has picked a winner in the entire time I've been a reader. So, when I saw that the editors in their wisdom had chosen to honour Dion with their endorsement, I knew for sure that his campaign was finished.Well done M. Dion, and well fought. You have made a fine Minister, and you will again soon I'm sure.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-42815240594110193782006-11-25T14:40:00.000-05:002006-11-25T14:59:32.169-05:00

It just feels good to say that. Or write it, as the case may be. "To my mind, Gerard represents the best chance for creating genuine solutions to appeal to all Canadians,” Mr. Trudeau said in a telephone interview from Calgary.He said he had talked to the top candidates and found them to be decent people but said that the party needs bold leadership and “there is really one choice and that's

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-39969018412444129852006-11-23T20:08:00.000-05:002006-11-23T20:14:41.290-05:00

The Hill Times reports today that "Nobody saw this coming." They are referring to Harper's announcement on recognizing the Quebecois nation. Now, of course by "this" they include the timing of the announcement, which certainly hadn't been foreshadowed.But if they're talking about the content, then once again bloggers were way ahead of the curve. If you look down to Braeden's video, which I posted

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-30785737350790434002006-11-21T02:19:00.000-05:002006-11-21T02:38:15.690-05:00

I wrote about Bob's fiscal habits in my last post, and CuriosityCat told me my argument was pathetic. Of course a quick review of the candidates' returns shows that Bob has double the debt load of the next biggest debtor, having borrowed almost as much as he has raised. So he's the worst in terms of absolute volume of debt, and the second worst of the top four in terms of his ratio. In strange

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-11813171500942653592006-11-20T11:47:00.000-05:002006-11-20T11:52:19.063-05:00

So, everyone admits that Bob's time as Premier of Ontario is the big skeleton in his closet, his Achilles heel. Although the recession can be blamed, the fact remains that Bob raised taxes in a vain attempt to deficit spend Ontario out of a recession, a recession that lasted longer here than in the other provinces (or our neighbour to the south).Bob says he's learned from his mistakes. But has he

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-78181667394664109962006-11-20T10:37:00.000-05:002006-11-20T10:41:50.076-05:00

Ontario Young Liberal Riding Director and Scarborough Guildwood Riding President John Laforet threw his support behind Liberal Leadership Candidate Gerard Kennedy today. I understand he was previously an Ignatieff campaign manager for Scarborough. Says Laforet:“The Liberal Party can’t afford to take time for on-the-job-training of our next leader. Kennedy carries the most opposition experience,

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-14495972629308565472006-11-20T10:23:00.000-05:002006-11-20T10:37:18.853-05:00

According to TIME magazine, our friend Don is debating whether to attend a conference in Germany because a human rights group is seeking a war crimes prosecution against him there. Germany has a universal jurisdiction clause for war crimes, which allows its courts to take jurisdiction even when the alleged events took place outside of Germany's borders. Papers were filed with a prosecutor last

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1163469982119427642006-11-13T21:04:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:35.552-05:00

Check out this story. Do they actually still grow pot at that Flin Flon facility?

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1163268738227920872006-11-11T12:51:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:35.416-05:00

Probably not many of you will have a father and an uncle who fought in World War 2, as I do, both of whom are very much alive. So if you don't have anyone personal to remember and thank, maybe thank everyone instead: Great War: 66,655 Canadian soldiers killed, 172,950 wounded5,565,146 Allied soldiers killed15,596,071 total deadWorld War II:45,300 Canadian soldiers killed24,456,700 military

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1163108562338544922006-11-09T16:07:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:35.342-05:00

Gerard was at the shiny new Ryerson School of Business building today, and appropriately his comments centered on his vision for an 'enterprising' Canada.As usual, the speech covered a wide range of topics. I really appreciate how Gerard tries to bring different threads together. Our society doesn't work in neat little compartments, and real leadership cannot be compartmentalized

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1163091994382584882006-11-09T11:57:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:35.273-05:00

"Creating the conditions to embark on another round of constitutional reform will no doubt take time. When the good faith is there, when the common understanding is there, when the political will is there, we must bring this unfinished business to a successful conclusion."No nuancing or interpretation required. The Constitution is "unfinished business" and constitutional change to recognize the

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1163033987983774512006-11-08T19:58:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:35.205-05:00

This deserves to be reposted.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1162943139910161452006-11-07T18:17:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:35.132-05:00

Remembrance Day is not for honouring past glories but for remembering past lessons, learned by a lost generation that was butchered and damned. Yet, though three Canadian veterans of the Great War are with us still, Mr. Harper has hijacked its observance in the name of partisan propaganda. Using Remembrance Day's solemnity, McCrae's deep sadness, and scenes from the killing fields of France to

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1162867322942610582006-11-06T20:54:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:35.047-05:00

The title is a bit of hyperbole, but not of the worst sort - bear with me. The EKOS poll had something for everyone, but I have looked at two measures of delegate loyalty:Delegates' Attendance Intentions delegates saying they are likely or almost certain to attend (% of total delegates)Gerard Kennedy 93.9%Michael Ignatieff 93.0%Bob Rae 91.9%Stephane Dion 85.9%Delegates' Second Round

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1162832961837420222006-11-06T12:06:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:34.979-05:00

It looks like I can only post one picture with each article, so here is another superb portrait (Katie, Jon, Jeanette, and me) taken by campaign photographer Théria Kennedy!

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1162832519553083212006-11-06T10:46:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:34.907-05:00

I attended Gerard's fundraiser at Hugh's Room on Sunday before heading off to my father's 84th birthday party (that's right). Hugh's room is a great little Jazz and Music venue in Gerard's old riding of Parkdale-High Park, and I got to spend the first half hour or so floating from table to table to the sweet sounds of the Jazz trio.Gerard was introduced by Mary Jo Leddy and June "the conscience

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1162827845962389022006-11-06T10:38:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:34.838-05:00

I was at Gerard's fundraiser at Hugh's Room on Sunday, where I met a very talented photographer name Théria (pictured here, with her mother Jeanette). More on the event in a moment!G

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1162393286676058272006-11-01T09:59:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:34.763-05:00

"If he ever becomes prime minister and tries to advance on this file, I shudder for the country."-Jeffrey Simpson, on Ignatieff's constitutional proposal.

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1162310385214832752006-10-31T10:51:00.000-05:002006-11-15T23:41:34.691-05:00

For those who didn't catch it, Abbas Rana of the hill times provided this interview yesterday. My favourite was his answer to the question about his French speaking ability:I would say that it has never been a barrier to me both understanding and presenting the concerns and the interests of Quebecers or Franco Ontarians or Acadians because I've done that for a long time in French.... Most people

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1161961759562340822006-10-27T10:50:00.000-04:002006-11-15T23:41:34.603-05:00

The Supreme Court released its decision in R v Krieger yesterday, overturning the pot activist's conviction and sending him back to trial. Good stuff. Sometimes it takes bold jurors to demand we sit up and recognize which way the wind is blowing - and no matter how many politicians talk about decriminalization and how many polls show we largely support it, judges simply can't do that, and jurors

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33930379.post-1161873099037015622006-10-26T10:23:00.000-04:002006-11-15T23:41:34.530-05:00

Who knew the Hamilton Spectator had such quality reporting? In an article called 'Party Renewal Slow as Liberal Party Aims Low', James Travers had this to say:"Less obvious is what's happening backstage while Gerard Kennedy, Stephane Dionand Martha Hall-Findlay are up front giving hope for the future." It's sad but true that the back room machinations are more important than the up-front hope for

Gavin Magrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00795326659702114971noreply@blogger.com2