This week @ rabble.ca: Welcome to a Harper-free Canada!

Details: Published on Monday, 02 November 2015 16:30; Written by editor

22 Oct 2015

Hey rabble readers!

Welcome to a Harper-free Canada! The election on October 19 brought the return of a Liberal majority to Canada's Parliament and a new prime minister who has lots of promises to keep. What kind of change will a Trudeau government bring? Harper may be gone, but how can we deal with the lingering effects of Harperism? Catch up on all the election news from the week on rabble and read our analysis of what progressives can expect from our new federal government.

This election, we produced an unprecedented amount of election coverage on rabble. Since August 4 we published over 1,500 items, news stories, columns and more. We provided readers with the news, the tools, and the facts that would result in Stephen Harper's demise, and it worked. While the cost of removing Harper's majority government was a Liberal one, there is good reason to appreciate what we did along the way -- the highest voter turnout in 20 years, Harper's resignation as Conservative leader, the defeat of several Conservative MPs, and international praise from activists for rejecting Lynton Crosby's dog-whistle politics.

But the Liberals under Justin Trudeau bring some big challenges, ones that rabble is ready to meet head-on. We can expect an easy ride for the Liberals from corporate media. Who will stay on top of what's really going on in Ottawa? rabble will! We need a strong, corporate-free, extra-Parliamentary watchdog to stay on top of all the developments from the new government and hold it to account. In short, we need to keep our veteran award-winning journalist Karl Nerenberg reporting on the Hill. When Parliament's in session, so is he. Find all his reporting here. Will you support us? Go here now to keep Karl on Parl and help us expand our Parliamentary Bureau.

Do the election results have you asking yourself WTF? Us too! Well, to be precise, we're asking What's The Future? There's a long road ahead for progressive organizing in Canada now that the election is over. Where do we start? Where should we focus? Using Google Hangouts, rabble will bring together progressive leaders and thinkers for an hour-long discussion on organizing under the majority Liberal government on November 3 at 8 p.m. Eastern. Get all the details here.

This week's top news

Anti-Harper sentiment delivers Liberal majority government, sends NDP to third
Liberals surge to a surprise majority, Conservatives become opposition and NDP are relegated to third-party status.
By Tyson Kelsall

It's Election Day! Here are 20 things to think about
As you prepare to go to the polls, maybe you want to be reminded of the other parts of the campaign? They seem so long ago, but rabble.ca has got you covered here.
By rabble staff

Kenney recycles old policy announcements on Live-in Caregiver Program
York Centre Conservative candidate Mark Adler and Jason Kenney announced "new" changes to the Live-In Caregiver program only to regurgitate the Conservatives' broken promises.
By Ethel Tungohan

Votes count here: Leadnow backs NDP in contested Vancouver Granville riding
Leadnow's strategic voting campaign to get rid of Harper has sparked controversy after endorsing NDP candidate Mira Oreck over Liberal Jody Wilson-Raybould.
By Tyson Kelsall

This week's top blogs

The NDP: Minting a new political currency
Conservatives and Liberals have presented two sides of the same coin. The NDP needs to discard the two-bits and mint a new political currency. The alternatives have failed. The time has come to leap.
By Christopher Majka

What Ontario should expect from the new federal government
It's not unreasonable to expect the new and returning Liberal MPs to follow through with the desire for change and good government that got them elected.
By Sheila Block

A Liberal victory may improve fortunes of First Nation communities across Canada
The voter turnout for this election has been the highest we've seen since 1993, with more than 17 million Canadians casting a ballot, hoping to improve their fortunes with a change of power in Ottawa.
By Krystalline Kraus

Justin Trudeau's victory speech was generous, but toughly repudiated Stephen Harper's divisive rule
If there are any lessons from last night, they are that politicians underestimate Justin Trudeau -- and Canadians generally -- at their peril.
By David J. Climenhaga

Prime Minister-Elect Justin Trudeau has many promises to keep
Progressive voters who gave Trudeau his majority will have to be vigilant and let the new Liberal government know they expect it to keep its promises, starting with electoral reform.
By Karl Nerenberg

This week's top columns

Film 'Defenders of the Dawn' highlights environmental rights battles
The Canadian documentary Defenders of the Dawn examines the fight in the Maritimes for environmental rights, situated within the perspective of the world stage.
By June Chua

Democracy beyond voting: We are the ones we've been waiting for
Does change have to wait another four years for a new political party to come along, or can we get to the business of organizing ourselves into a social force that cannot be ignored?
By Matthew Behrens

Duncan Cameron: 'Happy campaigner' Trudeau makes it Black Monday for the NDP
On the campaign trail, the personality contrast between Trudeau and the two other main leaders was enough to push the new prime minister ahead.
By Duncan Cameron

Central African Republic: Another 'looting war' on the model of the Congo-Kinshasa next door
Since a 2013 coup d'état, the Central African Republic has registered more than 6,000 dead, and more than one million refugees and displaced persons, in a war fed by corporate interests and weapons.
By Jooneed Khan

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