Backbencher Challenge.. Dallaire's Mission.. Tory MP Doubles Down

April 29, 2013 Subscribe · Forward Tory Backbenchers To Test Ministers All eyes this week will be on at least two Conservative backbench MPs who say they are prepared to challenge their own ministers in the Commons, following a ruling last week by Speaker Andrew Scheer that left the door open for MPs to speak their minds regardless of their party's wishes.  Continue reading... WATCH: MP Defends Terrorism Quip, Slams 'Pseudo-Intellectuals' Roméo Dallaire: Are Child Soldiers Any Less Human Than Your Kids? Did Canada Help Keep Him Behind Bars? Khadr Interview Nixed After 'Overt Political Interference' Stephen Harper's Hometown Visit Race To Replace Mark Carney Is On 'The Root Cause Of Terrorism Is Terrorists' Ex-Tory Premier Blasts Party For Bringing 'Tea Party' To Ontario Climate Change Scientist Blasts Canada's 'Neanderthal Government' ADAM KINGSMITH The Slow and Painful Death of Freedom in Canada Less than a generation ago, Canada was a world leader when it came to the fundamental democratic freedoms of assembly, speech and information. So perhaps it is time for us Canadians to wake up and smell the suppression -- no longer are censorships solely the purview of tin-pot dictators in far away regimes. Continue reading... J.J. MCCULLOUGH Media Bites: The Sad State of B.C. Politics The 40th British Columbia General Election is a dreary race between dreadful choices. That's an easy thing to say about any election, granted, but the sad state of B.C. politics is truly the stuff apathy was designed for. The final droplets of ideology, vision, principle, passion, and leadership having long since drained from this province's governing class, there's now nothing left but empty partisan squabbling. Continue reading... KEVIN GRANDIA With Kinder Morgan, Clark Will Destroy Vancouver According to Tourism Vancouver, in 2011 visitors to our city spent an estimated $92 million, and "cruise passengers increased by 15 per cent over 2010. Between May and October 2011, Port Metro Vancouver welcomed 663,425 passengers on 27 different vessels over 199 cruise ship calls." While Vancouver has many amazing attractions, restaurants and cultural centers, it is the ocean and all the nature around that bring people from all over the world to visit our city. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for the amazing oceanscapes and natural beauty, Vancouver would be nothing more than a small version of... wait for it... Toronto. Continue reading... MARNI SOUPCOFF The Week In Review: HuffPost Bloggers Bravely Commit Sociology This week, the debate raged on over the "root causes" of terrorism. On CBC's Power & Politics, Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre took a literalist approach, declaring the root causes of terrorism to be terrorists. On HuffPost, the analysis ran a little deeper, with many suggested causes, including oppressive foreign policy. "The root cause [of terrorism] is only depravity," wrote one blogger, Lauryn Oates. "The line between seeking to understand this depravity, and seeking to justify it, is fine and must be tread upon with care." Whatever one's perspective, that's advice worth heeding. Continue reading... SAM TSEMBERIS How Economic Action Plan 2013 Could End Homelessness in Canada Something largely overlooked by wide media coverage of the federal government's Economic Action Plan 2013 was that it marked a significant change in the way we will tackle homelessness in this country. The policy lens dramatically shifts from supports for "helping the homeless" to "ending homelessness." Continue reading... Received this from a friend? Sign up for alerts from The Huffington Post here. Unsubscribe here.