News
Counting our Blessings
Blog | Monday, 13 Oct 2014On this Thanksgiving weekend, I think we are all drawn toward the counting of blessings. As my new book tries to set out, I think of “who we are” as a people and as a nation. And as both, we have...
The speech I did not get to give
Blog | Saturday, 11 Oct 2014I had thought that the debate on sending a military mission into Iraq would allow for me to make a 10 minute speech. Due to the motion for closure, I never had that chance. I had some rough notes of...
Climate Change is a threat to food production—one we are ignoring
Blog | Thursday, 09 Oct 2014As the multilateral process within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) works toward a new, more inclusive and stronger treaty to limit greenhouse gases to be completed...
Who decided biotech was a technology winner?
Blog | Monday, 22 Sep 2014The federal government, regardless of political stripe, has a poor record of picking technology winners. Canadians essentially lost tens of billions when the giant white radioactive elephant Atomic...
A $15 federal minimum wage will not solve inequality – but it could help
Blog | Thursday, 18 Sep 2014I am going to vote for the NDP’s motion on reinstating the federal minimum wage. A federal minimum wage would only apply to federally regulated industries which comprise only a small portion of the...
The price of cheap shrimp
Blog | Wednesday, 03 Sep 2014The readership of Island Tides is, in my experience, among the best informed and most conscientious about our collective and individual ecological footprint of any people on the planet. However, I...
Letter to the Editor: Give Capital Region a Say on Pipeline: August 28, 2014
Blog | Monday, 01 Sep 2014To the Editor, I couldn't agree more with Mayor Fortin that citizens of southern Vancouver Island must have a say, and a definitive say, about the proposal to dramatically increase bitumen-loaded...
Dumbing down of diplomacy
Blog | Wednesday, 20 Aug 2014One can be forgiven for dismissing the appointment of Canada’s new ambassador to the Vatican as a matter of no consequence. But this posting in the midst of a hot summer of global conflict may have...
Why I am marching
Blog | Thursday, 07 Aug 2014This article was primarily written for an international audience, but I thought Canadian Greens might want to join me too! On Sunday September 21 I will be with my daughter in New York, marching with...
Staking the moral high ground – why the Green Party exists
Blog | Saturday, 02 Aug 2014What follows is my original piece rebutting the National Post editorial. The NP editors requested cuts and changes which I accepted. Still, on reflection, the edits lost much content, particularly in...