Canadian politics

Still the True North Strong and Free

July 1st, 2012

The fight for Canada continues.More >>

Interview with NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair's Beard

April 2nd, 2012

Ever on the cutting edge of Canadian federal politics, the Propagandist dispatched intrepid cub reporter Lyle Neff to Stornoway recently to interview an important new figure on the parliamentary scene: NDP leader Thomas Mulcair's celebrated facial hair.

THE PROPAGANDIST. So, Thomas Mulcair’s beard. You’ve recently experienced a burst of new growth.

THOMAS MULCAIR’S BEARD. Why yes, thanks. It was a tough leadership contest. Very hairy for a while there.

THE PROP. Not to mention your party’s spurt in Quebec at the last election.

THOS. MULCAIR’S BEARD (visibly bristling). You sure you want to use that language?

THE PROP. No need to be prickly, sir. We just want to know why people feel so warm and fuzzy about you.

TCB. Well. It all started with my idea to trim the policy committ--

THE PROP. Wait. Sorry to interrupt, Thomas Mulcair’s beard. My editor insists on speaking to-- Jon? What can it be? Wait. Calm down! You say -- (lengthy pause)

TCB. Oh, this is intoler--

THE PROP (laughs). Horrible! Close shave indeed! Thanks Jon, I’ll ask him now. (audibly tents fingers) So... Thomas Mulcair’s beard. Seems there’s a whisker of suspicion about your campaign tactics. Something about... free moustache waxings in...More >>

A Threat To Democracy?

April 26th, 2011

Which of these countries appears to be on a slippery slope from democracy to dictatorship?

A) Russia
B) Turkey
C) Venezuela
D) Canada

Or to put it another way, which of these countries are very likely to be run by a dictator in the next six months?

A) China
B) Syria
C) North Korea
D) Canada

If you were among a surprisingly popular and vocal political constituency from far to centre left, you would not be at all surprised to see the teetering dominon of Canuckistan on these kinds of multiple choice lists.

Outsiders would probably consider such views preposterous. Canada, the rogue nation? The True North Uber Alles? Seriously?

Yet such views or not only commonplace -- they're practically taken for granted. Canadian conservative Fred Litwin explains this weird situation in How Imagined Scandals Threaten Our Democracy:

Time and time again, we’ve been warned that the scandal-ridden Conservatives are a threat to our democracy.

Have we lost all perspective in Canada? We spend months and months debating the treatment of Afghan detainees, but precious little time on the Afghan people.
...More >>

Are We For Democracy Or Not?

April 21st, 2011

canada military propaganda war military democracy freedom politics The intrepid Terry Glavin asks a simple question about Canada's political leaders of all ideological stripes:

Given the absence of leadership on global democracy that has afflicted all the federal parties (see if you can set aside for the moment your partisan pick of which one is worse), it should come as no surprise that none of them has made a big deal about this. It's a disgrace, and not one of the party leaders comes off looking good in it.

The Opposition parties and the Ottawa press corps appear perfectly content to drag any debate about these things back down into that boring soap-opera agony narrative about how Ziocon Hegemonists have besmirched the stainless reputation of a certain Montreal GONGO known as "Rights and Democracy." The Conservatives have been pleased to let that little drama unfold as its scriptwriters wish. After all, it's only $11 million a year, and more than a third of that money is spent in Montreal rather being dished out as dubious R&D disbursements to such dictators' clubs
...More >>

The Propagandist

Canadian politics

Still the True North Strong and Free

Interview with NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair's Beard

A Threat To Democracy?

Are We For Democracy Or Not?