This week @ rabble.ca: Courage is contagious

Details: Published on Friday, 08 April 2016 16:45; Written by editor

07 Apr 2016

"Courage is contagious." That's what Edward Snowden had to say on the Panama Papers leak that gave us a glimpse into the hidden world of offshore tax shelters -- that cost the world's public coffers an estimated $32 trillion globally -- and about $200 billion in Canada.

How the global 1% stash their cash remains elusive, and so far only one Canadian has been named, though 450 or so are known to at least the CBC. But what can we learn from the largest data deluge to date? Two things.

First, Justin Trudeau hasn't exactly been courageous when it comes to shutting down tax havens. The previous government audited charities but at the same time de-clawed the Canada Revenue Agency's investigative powers, creating the conditions for the tax agency to bully the little guy. And so far Trudeau hasn't done enough to undo that dynamic and in many cases the audits of charities initiated by Harper are still ongoing.

The other, larger lesson is that independent media is becoming the focal point of 21st-century investigative journalism. The network that released the Panama Papers, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and its non-profit parent Center for Public Integrity, are part of the independent, progressive media scene founded by the very same anti-establishment sentiment and desire for reform that resulted in the creation of sites like rabble.ca all around the globe -- all of which are reader-supported through donations. So if you haven't already visited our donate page, be sure to do that. You'll be helping us keep our hard-hitting editorial content coming, including our own analyses of the Panama Papers next week.

The NDP convention begins tomorrow, and in the lead-up to it, analysts, activists and NDP members have spoken out about the party's future, especially when it comes to leadership. Catch up on all the commentary on rabble, weigh in with your opinion, then follow all of our post-convention analysis here!

Toronto will host the weekend-long 2016 Marxism conference April 22-23 at the University of Toronto Multifaith Centre. This year's annual conference is all about ideas for real change! Though the Liberals have given many hope after almost a decade of brutal Conservative rule, pipelines are still being built, soldiers are still marching to war, and the 1% are getting richer. In so many ways, things are still the same. Find all the details here.

This week's top news

Documentary film on mining in South Africa opens Vancouver South African Film Festival
"The Shore Break" is the award-winning documentary film that tells the tale of the Pondo people and their opposition to the titanium-mining proposal. A fascinating film that opens Friday in Vancouver!
By David Chudnovsky

Homeless deaths in B.C. spike by 70% from previous year, report finds
rabble spoke with Megaphone Executive Director, Sean Condon, about its recent report on homeless deaths in B.C. and what can be done, especially by the provincial government, to end homelessness.
By Alyse Kotyk

Refugee family sponsored by Unifor one step closer to coming to Canada
Union-sponsored Syrian refugee families waiting for immigration clearance could be settled in Canada by the end of the year following a recent decision to restart application processing.
By Teuila Fuatai

B.C. Supreme Court rules in favour of tent city residents
In a decision announced Tuesday, the B.C. Supreme Court refused to grant the Province of B.C. an injunction against SuperIntent City campers.
By Alyse Kotyk

Proportional representation is not 'too complicated' -- the fix is in
The voting reform debate in Canada is full of confusing and nonsensical statements about proportional representation. And that's intentional. But here's the truth!
By Stuart Parker

Finding the right moment to intertwine progressive movements
Amira Elghawaby reports back with a snapshot of the Broadbent 2016 Progress Summit including Gloria Steinem's keynote speech, the need for intersectionality, and xenophobia in Canada.
By Amira Elghawaby

Criminalizing farmers' activism in Colombia
Farmers in Colombia are being systemically detained, say many human rights lawyers. Why is this practice occuring and what is the impact of these mass arrests?
By Fernanda Sánchez Jaramillo

This week's top blogs

Black Lives Matter. Tweets don't.
A controversial tweet by a Black Lives Matter TO founder has incited a media frenzy to delegitimize the BLMT movement based on the "findings" from one radio talk show host.
By Cheryl Thompson

The secret to the revival of the fastest animal on the planet -- and what could put it all at risk
Peregrine falcons have returned to Ontario, rebounding dramatically from their complete extirpation in the 1960s. But why are they doing so well? It's a case of country bird and city bird.
By Jen Halsall

Marie Henein: Not a feminist, not a surprise
The fact that Marie Henein is smart, successful and good at her job does not make her a feminist.
By Meghan Murphy

Only an inspiring, visionary leader can bring the NDP back from its spectacular failure
Canada still needs the NDP. But it needs an NDP that is both inspiring and competent, visionary and responsible, principled and practical.
By Peggy Nash

The Ghomeshi trial isn't another setback for feminism. It's proof we're winning
Viewing the Ghomeshi trial as it should be: a feminist victory -- the last vestige of misapprehensions around sexual assault in the public eye -- or at least, the beginning of the end.
By Nora Loreto, Sarah Beuhler

This week's top columns

Monarch butterflies face substantial risk of extinction
Preventing monarch extinction will require active intervention by humans on a variety of fronts. It's an opportunity for those of us who believe that abundant nature enhances the quality of our lives.
By Ole Hendrickson

'The Struggle for Democracy' offers framework for assessing democratic change
From the Arab Spring to the Zapatista uprising, our era of globalization has been characterized by democratic rebellion. A new book asks how to define genuine democratic transformation.
By Thomas Ponniah

The bots are coming
Last week was a great time to be a bot. Everybody was talking about you, especially Microsoft. But what exactly is a bot and what does it mean for digital technology?
By Wayne MacPhail

The crisis in the NDP
As delegates prepare for the April 8-10 Edmonton convention, the federal NDP membership is in turmoil. The New Democratic Party needs to redefine itself in a new political environment.
By Duncan Cameron

As its convention approaches, the NDP faces its biggest test yet
It is an interesting paradigm shift: for 10 years, Stephen Harper fantasized about disappearing the Liberal Party. Now the Liberals are in a position to destroy the NDP.
By Murray Dobbin

The real poison pill in the TPP
Canadians have many reasons to be concerned about the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But the real poison pill in the TPP lies in its "investor-state dispute settlement" mechanism. Here's why.
By Digital Freedom Update, Meghan Sali

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This week's top podcasts

Artist and historian Bahia Shehab on the Arab Spring, memory, art, and why beauty is 'a Western luxury'
The TED Senior Fellow and UNESCO Accomplished Women Speaker shares her thoughts on the Arab Spring, and choosing between being a spectator or participant in times of revolution.
By Charlene Sayo

Towards a feminist re-imagining of motherhood
Candida Hadley, Susanne Marshall, and Andrea Smith talk about the work of the Halifax Motherhood Collective.
By Scott Neigh

Net safety: Gender and the Internet
From a panel titled Gender and the Internet, held at the Internet Governance Forum in Brazil in November 2015, five speakers describe harmful and helpful uses of the Internet.
By Mindy Ran

Kristin Henry brings fight against Site C to downtown Vancouver
Kristin Henry was on hunger strike outside BC Hydro offices on Dunsmuir Street for 19 days. She was taken to hospital on March 31. We speak with Peace River Valley farmer Sage Birley.
By Redeye Collective

Honduras: Tragedy and hope
Honduras was in the spotlight with the recent murder of environmentalist Berta Caceras. But that's not stopping World Accord of Waterloo from working with their Honduran partners.
By Victoria Fenner

This week's top books

The legacy of colonization: Two poets 'dance with memory' and 'cock a fist'
The legacy of residential schools is a horrible scar on Canadian history. Two poets address the impact of residential schools in two profoundly different ways: the imagined and the personal.
By Clarissa Fortin

In this issue

Upcoming events

Vancouver The Vancouver South African Film Festival
The Vancouver South African Film Festival is proud to present features and documentaries that explore the culture, history and politics of South Africa -- films that entertain and inform.
By Vancouver South African Film Festival

LondonThe Truth that Wampum Tells: Learning Canada's constitutional history through Wampum diplomacy
This is a great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the shared history between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and the nation-to-nation relationship forged through Wampum diplomacy.
By Council of Canadians London Chapter

OttawaWriteOn! Resilience and Triumph: Immigrant Women Tell Their Stories with Monia Mazigh
Writer Monia Masigh talks about "Resilience and Triumph," a book about the stories of immigrant women.
By Ottawa Writer's Festival

This week's top in cahoots

A bank for everyone
Canada needs a postal bank. Thousands of rural towns and villages, and some Indigenous communities, don't have a bank -- but many of them have a post office that could provide financial services.
By Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Energy East Pipeline threatens drinking water of over 5 million Canadians along entire route
A new report documents the threat to drinking water in Edmundston, Saint Leonard, Saint Anne de Madawaska, Grand Falls, Cambridge Narrows, Hampton, Fredericton and Saint John by Energy East.
By Council of Canadians

The Panama Papers: What's the story?
An anonymous source, 11 million leaked documents, and a year-long investigation effort by 400 journalists in over 80 countries have yielded the Panama Papers, an unprecedented look at tax havens.
By Canadians for Tax Fairness

Active babble topics

Rethinking sexual assault laws in Canada
By kropotkin1951

Panama Papers
By NorthReport

A Liberal senator and other offshore financial dealings by rich Canadians
By quizzical

NDP convention resolutions
By Wilf Day

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This week's top tool

Montreal is hosting the 2016 World Social Forum
The organizers are hosting community meetings, volunteer training and more. Get involved to make this event spectacular!

Poll

What result do you want to see from the NDP convention?

The NDP convention is finally upon us, beginning tomorrow, and in the lead-up to it, analysts, individuals and NDP members have been pretty vocal about the party's future, especially when it comes to leadership.

The big question seems to be if Tom Mulcair will stay or go. Some comment that he is not the progressive leadership the party needs, while others suggest this focus should not overshadow the renewal of the party in general. However, several proposed resolutions will also be discussed that could have a hand in reshaping the party's future.

We've asked you what you think of the NDP leadership question (and, boy!, did you answer) and now we want to ask you this:

What result do you want to see from the NDP convention?

Choices I want a full shift back to progressive politics: Leap Manifesto adopted, a guaranteed annual income, relationship with grassroots, etc. And Mulcair out. I want Mulcair to step up and make the progressive ideals of his party a reality. Maybe take a cue from Sanders. Does it matter? These days it seems like the party is off the rails and I'm not sure what can be done to get it back on track. I want a solid plan for how the NDP will address its mistakes from the 2015 election and increase racial equity within the party. Am I the only person who doesn't care about the NDP convention? None of the above.