Jake McEwan published this op-ed in today’s Toronto Star today. Inspired by a recently released Economist Intelligence Unit report his central point is that”
It is indeed disturbing that in certain sectors it is easier to trade with the US then within Canada. Not to mention that it is a sad commentary on federal and provincial leadership.
[tags]canadian politics, economy, trade, provinces, action canada[/tags]
I’m deep into reading on the evolution of the welfare state/social policy and the origins of progressive politics. If you are wondering why these haven’t appeared on the site’s book section… I haven’t thrown any of them up but hope to eventually. Too many books, too little time. That said, if anyone has suggested readings on those topics please, please, please post, or send me, your thoughts, titles, ISBN #s, rants, raves, etc… the more the merrier.
I also want to thank to Beltzner for suggesting that book reviews appear on a scale (e.g. “5 out of 10” as opposed to just “5”). I’ve edited the php code so that it now does this.
Speaking of book reviews, they’ve been getting a ton of hits so thought I’d put them front a centre for once. Below are some of the books I’ve read over the past few months that I have managed to write reviews for. To be fair most are positive, but then it’s hard to keep reading books that I find boring or uninteresting. Moreover, since I’m not being paid to finish the book and write a review, those that aren’t good tend to drop off the radar… it is, admittedly, a somewhat Darwinian process.
Oh yeah, and here are a couple of books I really liked, but didn’t write reviews for…
Nicolas T. was kind enough to put me on the scent of this debate, featured on CNN, between Craig Newmark (arguing in favour of Net Neutrality) and Mike McCurry (arguing against).
If you are a blogger (or if you read blogs) this issue is of paramount importance. Essentially, the cable and phone companies want the right to charge content providers a premium to guarantee prefered access. This means that the entities who pay the premium will have their sites load faster then those who don’t.
For example, imagine a world where TSN elects to pay the premium and SportsNet doesn’t. In this world, TSN’s site loads faster then SportsNet’s. No big deal, eh? Maybe. Except, I can pretty much guarantee that you, the independent blogger, will never be able to afford this fee. So say goodbye to an internet culture where anyone, anywhere, can come up with a clever idea and have it easily spread across the web. Because the web would no longer be “neutral” the large (essentially corporate) website would be better able to show videos and display content. This is a system that will strongly favour established, and wealthy, players.
The “free culture” of the web, which allows for open debate, access to virtualy unlimited information and a level playing field for creating and spreading your ideas probably wouldn’t be eliminated, but it would be curtailed. In short, the cable companies want to turn the internet into a more controlled medium, like your TV, so they can guide you to the places that make them the most money. (About your TV, it’s that box in the corner of your living room likely covered in dust – if you’ve forgotten how to use it, don’t worry, it’s like riding a bike. There’s probably something called a “remote control” under some couch pillows, once you get your thumbs on it, it will call come back to you. Just make sure you are, by chance, at the right channel at the right time, or whatever you are looking at won’t interest you…)
Don’t think Net Neutrality matters? The fact you are able to read my blog means that it does.
[tags]net neutrality[/tags]
Larry Lessig put this cartoon in Free Culture to illustrate how Americans are (and Canadians are contemplating) regulating these two tools differently.
I love the image because of the clarity it brings to the debate… in ths US. What I’d love though is to find an image that might reasonate with us Canadians – if you have any suggestions please pass it along!
[tags]opensource, lessig, copyright[/tags]
If you haven’t read Free Culture… do. In summary, it outlines the already raging battle being fought over who controls the infrastructure that sustains creativity. Sound unimportant? Think again.
If we are moving from an information society to a creativity society (as argued by the likes of Max Wyman in Defiant Imagination and Richard Florida in Rise of the Creative Class) then determining who is allowed to be creative, and how they are allowed to be creative, is possible the most important question confronting us. It’s answer will determine not only the rules of our economy, but the shape and nature of our culture and communities.
Moreover, because this battle will shape our capacity to think about, and respond to, every other issue, it may be the most important fight of our day.
So to celebrate this book (and its author, Lawrence Lessig), I’ve written this review, and have planned for a week of “Free Culture, not Permission Culture” posts!
[tags] Lessig, Free Culture, Copyright[/tags]
Thursday’s blog piece “the prime minister, the taliban and human rights” was published in the Toronto Star today as an op-ed. You can catch the Star’s version here.
My fear is that this piece will never attract any conservative readers (not because it is in the Toronto Star, but because it is critical of Harper). The fact is, this is an important issue. Ensuring our PoW’s are treated in accordance with the Geneva Convnetion is an essential tactical and strategic tool for our soldiers in Afghanistan. Ethics and values aside, it would be a mistake to discard even on purely military grounds, especially to simply win some small political points at home.
However unlikely the possibility, if the PMO reads this piece I’d understand why they might get angry. That said, I hope it doesn’t prevent them from taking its underlying advice to heart. This is not a partisan issue, this is a “how do we achieve success and protect our soliders in Afghanistan” issue.
(Updated 10:38AM PST) Want to say thank you to the numerous friendly emails. Also my friend Taylor Owen sent me this fantastic piece, which highlights how the current British PoW crisis in Iran feeds off this problem as well…
As I discussed in this earlier post the Liberal Party has not published all the Renewal Commission Reports. Of those not published I had thought you could only download the Aboriginal Task Force Paper and the Environmental Task Force Paper.
Apparently, the paper by the task force on Civic Engagement has also been available for some time via its commissioner’s website. You can download it directly here.
Sadly, none of the above reports have been translated…
[Tags] Politics, Public Policy, Liberal Renewal Commission[/Tags]
Coyne appears to have given up on trying to distinguish Liberals politicians from Conservatives. This piece on the budget is acidic, and bang on.
Ever since I saw Coyne speak at the Canada2020 conference I’ve been reading him and enjoy his perspective. Also, a big shout out to Rikia S. for passing it along, thanks!
(10:00AM PST Update) Just saw Ibitison’s piece on the budget, entitled “A Budget so Liberal the Grits Should Sue” which seems to also agree. Open line is also stinging: “How Liberal is this allegedly Conservative budget? It’s so Liberal that it actually revives the sponsorship program.”
Download the Report here.
In the spring of 2006 Tom Axworthy was tasked by the Liberal Party to set up a Renewal Commission that would brainstorm policy ideas to help renew the party’s platform. Let us, for now, put aside the numerous problems inherent in this process (I promise to write about that soon) and instead focus on the output of this commission.
In the late summer of 2006 the Party began to publish some of the reports on its website here. However, while the link remains active only a handful of the reports commissioned and completed were ever released. Moreover, as some of you have observered, the “renewal” link has disappeared from the Liberal Party webpage.
The authors of the Aboriginal Report (of which I was the only non-aboriginal) have jointly decided to put forward our ideas independently. So please click here to find our report. Please note that this report is not an official Liberal Party report and is not Liberal Party policy. It is merely the effort of several young progressives to reframe the debate and provide interesting ideas in an effort to move this important issue forward. Please also feel free to post your concerns, critiques, ideas, thoughts, praise… anything.
We continue to believe in renewal and the ideal that healthy political parties encourage and promote healthy debate – particularly on the most pressing policy issues facing our country. If other renewal commission heads are out there and would like to post their reports (as independent pieces – not official Liberal Renewal Commission Reports) I’m happy to do so. I know that the Environmental Report, which was also never released, is available here. Let’s let a thousand flowers bloom.
19/03/2007: Some of you may have noticed this piece in the Toronto Star that talks about the Aboriginal Report. Clearly copies made it into circulation before it got posted on this site.
[tags]liberal party of canada, aboriginal, public policy [/tags]
Hi friends – the Gordon Foundation (great people, great organization) have just issued a call for applications for the upcoming year’s World Youth Fellowship. I’ve posted the details below and encourage anyone interested to find out more information here.
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Global Youth Fellowship – Call for Applications/Appel à candidature
The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation is pleased to announce the 2007 call for applications for the Global Youth Fellowship. This initiative is intended to complement the grants we award through the Foundation’s Global Citizenship Programme. The Global Youth Fellowships are targeted towards emerging, young Canadian leaders who demonstrate potential to enhance Canada’s role on the world stage. The Fellowships will provide successful candidates with a cash award of $20,000 as well as other forms of support.
To be eligible for consideration, applicants must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants between 24 – 35 years of age with previous international experience – paid or volunteer. They also need to demonstrate a sustained commitment to international issues through studies, career choices and volunteer activities.
For bios of the 2006 Global Youth Fellows, please visit our website.
Application Deadline: Friday, April 20, 2007 by 5:00 p.m. EST
Application form and guidelines as well as more information about the eligibility criteria can be found on our website at: www.gordonfn.org.
We welcome your help in circulating this call for applications as broadly as possible.
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La Fondation Walter et Duncan Gordon a le plaisir de vous annoncer l’appel à candidature pour son programme de bourse de recherche des jeunes citoyens du monde 2007. Cette initiative vient compléter les subventions que nous octroyons au travers du programme de Citoyenneté mondiale de la Fondation. La bourse de recherche des jeunes citoyens du monde s’adresse aux jeunes chefs de fil Canadiens, hommes ou femmes, possédant un potentiel pour améliorer le rôle du Canada sur la scène internationale. La bourse de recherche offrira aux candidats et candidates retenues un appui financier de 20 000 $ ainsi qu’un support logistique.
Pour être admissible, les candidats doivent posséder la citoyenneté canadienne ou le statut de résident permanent, être âgés de 24 à 35 ans, et posséder une expérience professionnelle ou bénévole internationale. En outre, ils devront pouvoir démontrer leur intérêt durable aux questions internationales par l’entremise de leurs travaux de recherche, de leur choix de carrière ou de leur engagement bénévole.
Découvrez la biographie des jeunes boursiers citoyens du monde 2006 sur notre site Internet.
Date limite de dépôt des candidatures : Le vendredi 20 avril 2007 à 17 h 00 HNE.
Visitez notre site Internet à www.gordonfn.org pour obtenir les critères d’admissibilité ou le processus de sélection.
Merci par avance de diffuser cet appel à candidature le plus largement possible.
[tags]canada and the world, fellowships, scholarships, applications[/tags]
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