On life, death and taxes: a reminder of why we pay
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- Published on Saturday, 08 February 2014 17:20
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s17 r18.
07 Feb 2014
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This week we have a mountain of coverage on the alternative budget,... electoral reform, civil liberties stories, Olympics analysis, fracking and protecting the precious Peel River Watershed in the Yukon, as well as so much more. But for our headline story this week we've chosen a piece "On life, death and taxes: a reminder of why we pay". Find it here.
This week's top news
Canada needs to adopt a prison harm reduction program
The success of harm reduction programs internationally and the high rates of HIV and Hepatitis C in Canadian prisons signals the need for the Canadian government to adopt this program in prisons.
By Denise Denning
Rail workers reach tentative collective agreement with CN
Rail workers reached a tentative collective agreement with CN today. The workers would have been in a legal strike position on Saturday.
By H.G. Watson
To our Anishinaabemowin teachers: We are listening
Teacher deserve all the praise they can get! But Robert Animikii Horton can't help but feel that one particular kind of educator goes underappreciated: Our Anishinaabemowin teachers.
By Robert Animikii Horton
What do Stephen Harper and Scarlett Johansson have in common?
What do Harper and Johansson have in common? Well the SodaStream controversy and Harper's trip have galvanized supports of Palestine and the BDS movement.
By Corey Levine
Internship program falls prey to Postmedia restructuring
Along with reporter jobs, Postmedia's restructuring cut the summer internship program, leaving fewer opportunities for young journalists.
By H.G. Watson
This week's top blogs
Corporate rights in Europe under scrutiny while Canada stays fast asleep
The common critique both inside and outside the European Parliament is that NAFTA style investor/state dispute settlement with the U.S. would be bad for democracy and not in Europe's interest.
By Blair Redlin
Cuts prompt Health Canada worker to hide library resources in basement
The federal Conservative government recently shut down health science libraries so abruptly that some Health Canada workers have resorted to hiding books and journals off-site.
By Adrienne Silnicki, Maude Barlow
Funding Olympics, Cutting the Arts
A look at the arts-cut legacy of the Vancouver Olympics.
By Holly Adams
UBC Students vote three-to-one to divest from fossil fuels
The growing movement to divest from fossil fuels took a significant step forward in Vancouver last week, as UBC's student body voted by a strong majority to urge the university to halt investment.
By Divest UBC
Harper's election reform menu has too many poison pills
Pierre Poilievre's new Fair Elections Act does contain at least a few positive changes; however, it does not give power to the people who investigate abuses and it has one surprisingly large loophole.
By Karl Nerenberg
Mi'kmaq speaking tour appeals for solidarity with New Brunswick anti-fracking struggle
The anti-gas fracking struggle in New Brunswick has won continent-wide support. Two activists in the movement are speaking about it in cities and First Nations territories across Canada.
By Roger Annis
On life, death and taxes: a reminder of why we pay
After a long stay in the NICU, a reflexion on the money that helped fund the care
By Nora Loreto
Pushing back against the privatization of public water services
Water and wastewater services have long been considered an essential public service in Canada. Why then is the federal government allowing the private sector to operate private-public partnerships?
By Daniel Cayley-Daoust
Sochi vs. Vancouver: Does either Olympic city really win?
The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi are fast approaching and Chris Shaw just can't help but comparing the appalling social issues, environmental destruction and financial costs with Vancouver 2010.
By Chris Shaw
Who owns the university? On public institutions and private giving
Following unprecedented funding cuts, the University of Alberta relies more and more on the private purse.
By Carolyn Sale
First Nations are in the fight of their lives with the Yukon government
Less than two weeks ago, the Yukon government announced it would open most of the Peel River Watershed to mining and other development. First Nations groups and CPAWS have launched a lawsuit.
By Karl Nerenberg
How the right-wing wins
To succeed in affecting change, you need to influence the media. Canadian media is increasingly owned and concentrated in the hands of large corporations promoting their own interests.
By Stig Harvor
Defending the land that thinks
For Indigenous people, the land and the people are intimately connected. Upon a visit to Guatemala, Tanis Desjarlais spoke with Indigenous people about the effects of Canadian mining companies.
By Tanis Desjarlais
If you believe that Keystone is carbon neutral you'll believe anything
The time has come to do an impact assessment of the impact assessment of the Keystone pipeline.
By Mel Watkins
Remembering one of the heroes, Alfred Joseph
This post remembers the contributions of the recently passed Witsuwit'en hereditary chief, Alfred Joseph, who made huge contributions to the struggle for Indigenous rights in Canada.
By Tyler McCreary
Toronto activists oppose Trans-Pacific Partnership and corporate globalization
On Friday, Toronto activists marched between the Mexican and U.S. consulates to protest the proposed TPP trade agreement and NAFTA.
By John Bonnar
Capitalism is the problem, economic democracy the solution
Do you want an equitable, sustainable economy? Then help overthrow capitalism and create an economic democracy.
By Gary Engler
Terrorizing Dissent: Harper's approach to defining terrorism is shamelessly bald
When the National Council of Canadian Muslims criticized the inclusion of an anti-Muslim supporter, Jason MacDonald chose to incorrectly dismiss NCCM as a terrorist organization.
By Azeezah Kanji
This week's top columns
Success in sports isn't always the greatest metaphor for life
Rick Salutin reviews former rower Silken Laumann's memoir 'Unsinkable' in preparation for Olympics coverage and determines that success and winning in sports isn't always the best metaphor for life.
By Rick Salutin
Undermining democracy and human rights: A cautionary tale about anti-choice politics
Not a single anti-choice private member item was accepted for debate in Parliament this session. A look a the rules of Parliament can tell us why.
By Joyce Arthur
A number is never just a number: Benefits of pension income splitting
Hennessy's Index breaks down the numbers of the extra tax breaks given through pension income splitting, which seem to only benefit the richest of senior families.
By Hennessy's Index
MORE FROM...
Naomi Klein, Linda McQuaig, Rick Salutin, Duncan Cameron, Wayne MacPhail, Murray Dobbin and others! Read columns...
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This week's top podcasts
Resistance at Elsipogtog Part 1: Context and Struggle
Grassroots journalist Miles Howe talks about the Indigenous-lead resistance to fracking and to colonization in New Brunswick over the last year.
By Scott Neigh
Canada Border Services quota to strip refugees of status
According to a bulletin obtained by Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland through access to information legislation, the CBSA aims to deport 875 permanent residents this year.
By Redeye Collective
Destruction of Canadian research libraries huge loss for science
The Conservative government plans to close seven of the 11 fisheries science libraries by 2015. Researchers says that it’s not clear how much valuable research will be lost in the process.
By Redeye Collective
Is there rape culture in politics?
Listen to a panel of experts, politicians, and media discuss the issue of rape culture in politics.
By Meghan Murphy
This week's top rabbletv
Not Rex: Conrad Black says goodbye to his Order of Canada
Yeah, Humberto 'Not Rex Murphy' DaSilva got a tinge of the schadenfreude when the Governor General pulled Conrad Black's Order of Canada.
By Humberto DaSilva
This week's top books
'Unlikely Radicals' exposes the toxic Adams Mine Dump War
'Unlikely Radicals' details the unlikely victory of the farmers, retirees and First Nations people who stood up against the Man trying to turn the Adams Mine into a garbage dump.
By Meg Borthwick
In this issue
Upcoming events
Hold the phone! Call for democracy
Without warning, the Harper government is ramming through legislation that will seriously undermine democracy in Canada. With enough pressure we can stop it.
By Council of Canadians
OttawaCelebration of collaborative progress at 25One Community
EdmontonVoices from Elsipogtog: Mi’kmaq Warriors Speaking Tour
Suzanne Patles of the Mi'kmaq Warriors Society, will be speaking in Edmonton as part of a national tour to raise awareness about the struggle at Elsipogtog against shale gas fracking.
By Coalition
This week's top in cahoots
Alternative Federal Budget 2014, striking a better balance
It delivers a plan that would lift 855,000 Canadians out of poverty, reduce income inequality, boost the economy, and lower unemployment to 5.4%.
By Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Call on Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to close unfair tax loopholes in federal budget
Will Finance Minister Jim Flaherty do the right thing on Budget Day, February 11? Send him a message now asking him to close unfair tax loopholes and tackle tax havens.
By Canadians for Tax Fairness
Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women on February 14th
UFCW Canada activists will join thousands of other women, men and family members in marches and vigils across Canada to remember and honour missing and murdered women.
By United Food and Commercial Workers
Active babble topics
A Living Minimum
By Slumberjack
Of life, death and taxes: a reminder of why we pay
By lagatta
CCPA releases its Alternative Federal Budget
By Rebecca West
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Support our work
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This week's top tool
Black History Month: Problematic Realities
Looking at the problematic aspects of Black History Month
Violence UnSilenced
Supporting survivors of sexual abuse by hearing and sharing their stories
Identifying and Dealing with Bias in History
Observing instances of bias in "instructional materials" and doing something about it
What do you find most outrageous about the Fair Elections Act?
The Conservatives' much-anticipated electoral reform bill was introduced this week, and it has caused outrage all across the nation.
What do you find most outrageous about the Fair Elections Act?
Choices The exposing of the Conservative strategy to discourage voter turnout! The Conservatives' move to ram the bill through Parliament without debate! The utter lack of consultation! The defacto muzzling of the electoral officer that resulted from the bill! That Harper and Co. think Canadians will fall for this! I'm going to organize in my community to get people out to VOTE! All of the above! None of the above.Forward to a friend
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