Higgs has made mainly the right moves, with some glaring exceptions, but mainly solid intentions such as promising serious health care reform and promising tough but very needed municipal reform.
All in Political
More random thoughts about next week's election
He just looked at me and said, “You don’t know much about politics do you?” BAM!
Election thoughts with one week to go
A related point to keep in mind for those, and I sense there are many, that agree Higgs with a minority is preferable to Higgs with a majority, and that is that if we had proportional representation rather than our antiquated first-past-the-post system, the very system the vast majority of democracies did away with many years ago, minority governments would then be the norm not the exception.
Rolling the dice on a pandemic election
Here’s where it depends on whose version of events you want to believe. Nuances aside, it appears the government’s ask was a bit of overreach that perhaps Higgs figured other parties would have to agree with because they feared an election.
Racism - it's not just an American thing
Most Canadians, not all, are quick to sympathize with police brutality and racism in the United States - as they should be - but continue to remain silent about the injustices many indigenous people in their own country continue to suffer at the hands of law enforcement and the justice system. (TJ Burke)
Farm and fish plant work "a slap in the face". I beg to differ.
For those who are don’t need the money, great, good for you. Or if you are lucky enough to land a job related to your field of study or to determine if it’s a field you want to pursue as a career, good for you too, fill your boots. But for others, the real field offers value as well.
Health Care Reform? Not So Fast!
the whole fiasco made for an interesting and insightful week as I guess is inevitable when a government does something that takes it to the brink. I couldn’t help but notice the major divide on social media between those who saw the announced changes as an attack on rural New Brunswick, and those who applauded Higgs for a government with the guts to do the unpopular to save a health care delivery system that is unsustainable
Health Care Reform - Curse or Cure?
If I had to bet, I would bet against the government going down over this. But this may be just the warm-up act.
What value do you put on Democracy?
It’s a special day in Canada and for Canadians. Vote as you see fit, but at the same time give a thought to how great it is to have that option. And realize that democracy is precious, and we need to be ever vigilant so we don’t allow it to erode, as it has to the south of us.
Made your mind up yet? I have.
Which brings us to Fredericton. According to CalculatedPolitics.ca, a site that aggregates all the polls by appropriate weight, the riding of Fredericton is the tightest in the province, and perhaps the country.
With Election Day coming - I say a pox on both their houses
there’s little to distinguish between the Liberals and Conservatives in this election. Neither has what could be called a real vision for the country. Their messages mainly boil down to “Vote for me because I’m not as bad as the other guy”.
Trudeau and the Ethics Commissioner's Report
Mind you it is because the then Attorney General Jody Wilson-Rayboult was strong enough to hold her ground, and it may have been a different outcome with a weaker Minister. But it couldn’t be forced. That’s the salient point. That is what distances us from lesser democracies.
The Potential of Co-operatives just got a boost
While successive provincial governments have long placed their priority on chasing investment from outside the region, plying everybody from Sears to call centres with everything from wage subsidies to tax breaks, the real economic potential has always been right here in front of us. It’s Co-operatives and Social Enterprises.
Trudeau or Scheer - I don't know which one is worse. Do you?
Trudeau’s arrogance and maybe corruption. Sheer’s pandering with nary a Red Tory left to provide a social conscience to his party. God, this is all so depressing. The only positive thing is that we aren’t the United States.
Passing on Francophonie Games not about language, as much as some are trying to make it so
This is about money and what we can afford. It’s a shame that some are trying to use it to widen the linguistic divide.
Is Robert Gauvin going to be Blaine Higgs' Jean Maurice Simard?
Circumstances can sometimes catapult someone into a situation they didn’t invite, and that requires a decision the consequences of which represent more responsibility than they maywant to assume.
Let's see how the new Higgs government measures up on the compassion front
The problem is considerable. For a start, there’s hardly any affordable housing. Rents have risen steadily while welfare rates haven’t moved in years. Add to that the complex issues those who are living rough are dealing with. Almost all have mental health challenges, often combined with serious addictions. As Faith McFarland of the Community Action Group on Homelessness so matter-of-factly states, crystal meth is a monster. And it is a monster combined with everything else requires professional intervention. This isn’t a job for volunteer ladies from our local churches, regardless of how well-intentioned they may be.
A Straight Pride flag? Chipman, ya gotta be kidding me.
I expect the mayor and council, and maybe even those who hatched the flag idea, simply didn’t think it through. That’s the benefit of the doubt. The other possible conclusions are less kind.
It's time for a serious discussion on Proportional Representation
Just two points to wrap this up. First, we are one of only five countries in the world that is still using the first-past-the–post system, and one of the other ones is the United States. We can see how that’s working out for them. Second, consider New Zealand. They switched from first-past-the-post in 1996. Then in 2011 as part of that year’s election, they had a referendum asking if citizens would like to switch back. The response – no way.
Some final election campaign thoughts
It is almost a sense of resignation that it doesn’t matter, that nothing is going to change. I can certainly understand the cynicism.