Columnists

Politics a three-ring battlefield lately

May 052013

Justin prevails, Wynne and Horwath tangle, and backbenchers begin to rebel.

by Geoffrey Stevens

Who says Canadian politics is dull? In Southern Ontario, we are witnessing three fascinating political battles. At Queen’s Park, Premier Kathleen Wynne is fighting for survival. Last week’s budget bought her Liberals some time, enough to get through the summer, I think, and probably the fall. My guess is she won’t make it – or want to make it – past next spring’s budget.

In Ottawa, the Liberal party, perceived to be moribund following three general election defeats, is struggling to return to life under Justin Trudeau, its fifth leader (including interim Bob Rae) in seven years. It’s beginning to look as though the Liberals will manage to self-resuscitate.

Low carbon energy abounds, says inventory

May 022013

Science matters

Canada is ready for a transformative energy experience.

by David Suzuki

Some people think a widespread shift from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources is not practical or even possible. You’ve probably heard the arguments: wind doesn’t always blow, sun doesn’t always shine, the technology’s not advanced enough, installations take up too much space, we need sources of baseload power that can only come from fossil fuels or nuclear power. And so we carry on, rushing to squeeze every last drop of oil and gas from the ground using increasingly difficult and destructive methods like fracking, deep-sea drilling and oil sands extraction, with seemingly little concern for what we’ll do after we’ve burned it all.

Ontario on brink of an election

Apr 292013

Insight

Nobody is cheering about the idea of going to the polls in June.

by Geoffrey Stevens

Premier Kathleen Wynne’s retreaded Liberal government will bring down its budget on Thursday — her first since taking over at Queen’s Park in February — and it’s anyone’s guess what will happen. We may not know until Wednesday or even Thursday. As of today, there’s probably a 35-40 percent chance that Wynne’s negotiations with NDP leader Andrea Horwath will fail. If they do, the minority Liberal government will fall within days, and Ontarians will be sent to the polls in June.

Real Beauty campaign needs better than skin-deep look

Apr 252013

Equality time

Ostensible reassurance really reinforces emphasis on women's appearance.

by Beth Lyons

Last week, Dove Real Beauty Sketches, a short video investigating the women’s perceptions of beauty, was in heavy circulation on social media, spreading like wildfire amongst women on Facebook and Twitter.

The video features a forensic sketch artist drawing portraits of a series of women based on verbal descriptions. The twist? For every portrait-subject he produces two sketches: one based on how the woman describes herself and one based on a description from someone who just met her.

The clip shows the artist working away and we hear voice-overs of the portrait subjects being described by themselves and by near-strangers. Self-descriptions focus on perceived flaws; descriptions from strangers are generous, emphasizing prominent cheekbones and eyes that light up.

Office jobs can be hard on your health

Apr 252013

Science matters

Stressed at work? Add a daily dose of green.

by David Suzuki

Is your office bad for your health and well-being? Unfortunately, a growing body of scientific evidence says yes.

The modern workday pose — fingers on keyboard, slight slouch, glassy eyes fixed on glowing screen, bathed in unnatural light — can drain vitality, happiness and creativity. Designed to maximize efficiency, this sterile setup actually reduces productivity and job satisfaction.

Ottawa presses reset button

Apr 212013

Insight

Let's hit the reset button on transparency, and start with backtracking on the F-35 purchase.

by Geoffrey Stevens

Out in computerland, they talk a lot about “hitting the reset button.” This term implies getting rid of all the bad stuff that went before, correcting mistakes and starting over again. A new beginning, you might say.

The expression has crept into politics. The Harper government promised to “hit the reset button” on plans to spend — what? — $40 or $50 billion on F-35 fighter aircraft. The government has not said what, if anything, has happened in the months since it ostensibly hit the reset button. Perhaps the bright lights in the Department of National Defence are still laboring 24/7 to wrap their heads around the awkward concept that there are more suitable aircraft available at a (much) more reasonable cost.

Wearing pink is not enough

Apr 182013

Equality time

Legal, social, economic inequality at root of gendered violence.

by Jody Dallaire

It is not often that I agree with something that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said. Last week the Prime Minister cautioned people about referring to what happened to Rehtaeh Parsons as bullying. He said: “I think that we’ve got to stop just using the term bullying to describe some of these things…What we are dealing with in some of these circumstances is simply criminal activity.”

I would go a step further and characterize this incident as yet another classic example of preventable gender-based violence – in this case, male violence against women. Lately, there have been so many examples in New Brunswick and across Canada that it is hard to keep track of them all.

Blowing away the myths

Apr 172013

Science matters

Wind power opponents may be blowing hot air.

by David Suzuki

Opposition to windmills often centres on health effects, but what is it about wind power that causes people to feel ill? According to recent research, it may not be the infrasound from wind-energy installations but, oddly enough, the warnings from opponents.

Ottawa competition changing

Apr 142013

Insight

Stephen Harper, meet Marilyn Monroe and the political seven year itch.

by Geoffrey Stevens

One of the most iconic scenes in American cinema comes from the 1955 Billy Wilder film, The Seven Year Itch. It shows Marilyn Monroe, the love interest in the film, standing on a Lexington Avenue subway grate, trying to hold down the billowing skirt of her sexy white dress.

What does this have to do with Stephen Harper, you may ask? Well, maybe a bit.

Women still struggle to achieve positions of power

Apr 112013

Equality time

Margaret Thatcher and others remind us how few women reach the top.

by Beth Lyons

The topic of women in positions of influence — meaning positions of power and leadership — is having a much-needed moment in the spotlight.

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