Nobel prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman did some research before a visit to Canada, and found disquieting signs. His conclusion: I’m not making any predictions here, just noting that if we go beyond banking to ask about household balance sheets and risks thereto, things up north bear watching. Hint: Read the comments, too. Hat tip: Tim Bousquet...
Canadian-born child soldier and torture victim Omar Khadr, the only citizen of a western democracy still held in the US Government detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, went on trial this week in the first war crimes prosecution of a child soldier in US history. Under Stephen Harper, Canada is the only western country not to ask for the release of its nationals from the illegal prison camp. The Harper government has flouted court orders requiring it to take action in support of Khadr's civil rights. The U.N. Special Representative on Children in Armed Conflict warned Monday that the legality of Khadr's...
A column in the UK Guardian by BC writer Douglas Haddow predicts trouble for Canada's economy if an upcoming referendum in California succeeds in legalizing pot this November. [Y]ou may have noticed that Canadians have been behaving uncharacteristically uppity of late. This new-found swagger is a result of Canada having the dubious distinction of being the "least-bad-rich-world-economy" – an honour that would be rather unimpressive if the rest of the G8 wasn't so persistently gloom-stricken...
If the misbegotten attempt to sell NB Power doesn't flatten in NB Premier Shawn Graham, perhaps this Karate Kid tribute will do the trick. With fans like this...
Reflecting on the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market's opening day (previous posts here and here), Contrarian reader Jeff Pinhey writes: You are kidding me. An American Homeland Security regulation, the one requiring a Port Security plan in all ports with ships leaving for a US port, causes that silliness? Let me see, if I were a terrorist trying to sneak into Canada so I could board a ship bound for the states, and I could get as far as the waterfront in front of the market, I certainly could get as far as...
The following message greeted Scott Gillard, constituency assistant to Halifax Chebucto NDP MLA Howard Epstein, when he logged onto his Facebook account Tuesday: [Maybe you should "like"] Michael Ignatieff. Many who like Jack Layton like him. Well, Scott, for the sake of the country, maybe you should....
Contrarian reader Wallace McLean noticed something else about those maps: [T]he US Census Bureau seems to generate unemployment data for the 3,140 counties and "county-equivalent" units of geography below state level, with an average population of under 100,000. Statistics Canada only provides (roughly) comparable data for 73 "economic regions" within Canada, with no sub-provincial/territorial data for PEI or the territories. The 73 regions have an average population of over 450,000. Even if you could get free and up-to-date data out of Statscan, it's not nearly as fine-grained as what they seem to have in the States. There would seem to be some fundamental...
Taegan Goddard wants to revive the political term snollygoster, n., classically defined by a passage from the October 28, 1895, edition of the Columbus Dispatch (as cited in the OED): [A] fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform or principles, and who, whenever he wins, gets there by the sheer force of monumental talknophical assumnancy. Harry Truman sparked a previous revival in 1952, when he used the word in a whistle-stop speech at Parkersburg, W. Va., complaining about about politicians who make a show of public prayer: I wish some of these snollygosters would read the New Testament and perform accordingly. Alas, the OED has entries for...
I admit to some disappointment that you have so totally and uncritically capitulated to the Forces of Social Planning on the census issue. Contrarians need to be contrary. Apart from the indisputably careless design of the long form (or the sloppy posting of an unedited version), there are a couple of things that rankle: Many of the questions are sort of inherently interesting, but that doesn't mean they should be asked. What government policy hinges on knowing the birthplace of my parents (#25)? I like this statement attached to the race/ethnicity question: "This information is collected to support programs that promote equal opportunity for everyone to share in the social, cultural and economic life of Canada." It would be good discipline to have such a statement attached to each question, or at least each section. If the statement is not succinct and understandable, then it's a good indication that someone's just fishing: "We want to know where your parents were born because your government is considering a system of preferential immigration based on national origin."More argument, and Contrarian rebuttal, after the jump - photos included!
Contrarian reader Gus Reed has found a mistake in Census Canada's long form questionnaire — or at least in the sample that appears on the agency's website. It seems to me that at the top of page 5 the columns should be labeled "Person 3," "Person 4," and "Person 5" - continuing the logic of page 4. Is it my PDF reader that's wrong, or did StatsCan send out 2.4 million errors? StatsCan hasn't sent out anything yet, and there's still time to fix the error, along with the much more serious mistake of making the long form voluntary. But Gus...