Slide 1 Collaborative slides Click there to edit together. Drag the blue handle to move this box, or resize it from the lower-right corner. Slide 2 Continuing Professional Development: Looking at Old Problems in New Ways Stephen Downes 10th National CPD Accreditation Conference Mississauga, Ontario October 2, 2018 Slide 3 Preliminaries: The Backchannel www.downes.ca/chat channel…
The Basis for Governance
Responding to this statement: “Every time someone refers to Carney as someone protecting Canadian interests against the Trump threat, I take it as an opening to explain that Carney has dramatically increased spending going to US companies like Amazon and Lockheed-Martin.” I don’t think a couple of cherry-picked and unsourced examples really makes that case….
Bill C-39 and Labour
Bill C-39 is a large piece of legislation giving the government the authority it believes it needs in order to push forward with a large number of capital infrastructure projects in Canada. In principle, I approve of the motivation. In practice, the implementation is flawed. Let’s look at how Bill C-39 impacts labour in Canada:…
The Airports
The more I think about it, the less I care about (what is being called) the privatization of airports (which is what this article is mostly about). I mean, I care about the people who work there, and want them to have good, well-paying jobs. And I care about air safety and related infrastructure concerns….
What is ‘Working Class’?
Left wing parties love to say they are ‘fighting for the working class’. It’s an easy slogan, but it leaves them open to criticism. A column in the Wall Street Journal is a case in point (it’s located here and here is an archive version). “With manufacturing now less than 10% of total employment, who…
Food Safety
Responding to a Reddit comment: Cutting environmental regulations, cutting food safety, attacking privacy rights, attacking reconciliation, cutting healthcare, and now looking to go after labour rights. If we went back a year and explained all of Carney’s record to voters then how many of these “strategic” voters would actually be able to guess who won?…
Crossing the Floor
The Liberal Party inched closer to a majority government this week as Conservative Marilyn Gladu crossed the floor to join them. The move was accompanied by the usual complaints that the floor-crosser had betrayed her constituents and turned her back on the values she pledged to support. ‘Crossing the floor’, in the parliamentary system, is…
Alto
Alto for those outside the country who may not be aware, is Canada’s proposed new high speed rail system. It is intended to run from Quebec City to Toronto, though really, in my opinion, should extend all the way to Windsor. It should not be controversial. Sure, the price tag should be controversial – how…
Checklist Politics
Responding to: Resist the urge to throw people or values under the bus The number one tool of capital (right wing fascists) is to use divide and conquer and group think. The pressure is working on some. Don’t let it. Whether it’s immigrants, Palestine, Trans people, EDI/DEI, resist the urge to “fit in.” Resist the…
Thoughts on Dominic Cardy
Here’s the question that was posed on Reddit: Anyone have any thoughts on his right wing shift and adoption of centre right politics after being a NDP member since the mid 80’s. Also what left wing positions do you think Centrist parties like Canadian future and the Centrist party should adopt from the NDP and…