It seems all we ever hear about these days is the scary world of Islamic extremists ready to watch the world burn, starting with Canada. Terrorism and concerns about terrorism have filled the news since Open Sources Guelph was last on the air a week ago, and the line between informing the public and scaring the public is getting progressively more blurry. In the meantime, government corruption moves back to the front burner as the sins of senate are further recounted, while the Ontario government looks to dig its way out of its scandals by selling off shares of Hydro One.
This Thursday, March 12, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz McWhinnie and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Friendly Fire. Canada suffered its first casualty as a result of the military mission against ISIS this past weekend. Sgt. Andrew Joseph Doiron was killed in a so-called “friendly fire” incident when Kurdish forces had mistaken Canadian troops for the enemy. As people once again mourn the loss of a soldier, the impact of the mission in Iraq hits home. Like the revelation last January that Canadian soldiers were involved in firefights along the frontline, has the government undersold the danger of combating ISIS?
2) Terrorism: The Practical and the Politics. As we covered at the end of last week in “This Week in Terror,” the release of the video Michael Zehaf Bibeau made before his shooting spree last October was coupled with a warning that the RCMP may be putting so much energy and resources into terrorism that other crimes might fall through the cracks. Followed by Lawrence Toet’s weird survey to constituents, a Conservative Party social media post that may violate their own Bill C-51, and the capture of a terror suspect in Toronto that may call into question the need for C-51 in the first place, and it adds up to a very busy week for those concerned about public safety and the politicization of it.
3) Wallin Doubles Back. With the trial of disgraced Senator Mike Duffy coming in just a few weeks time, subpoena’s are going out to such people as Nigel Wright, Duffy’s senate colleagues, and former-Sun News commentator Ezra Levant (?) As we wait for the proverbial $#!% to hit the fan with Duffy, new information came out about the investigation into Pamela Wallin, double charges for expenses and dragging well-known former associates into the mud. What insights await us as court proceedings begin?
4) Power to the Private? In a surprise move, it was reported this week that the Ontario government of Kathleen Wynne was considering a partial sell-off of shares in Hydro One, a limited privatization of the power utility that is worth somewhere between $15 and 16 billion. The proposed sale could amount to 10 or 15 per cent of Hydro One, resulting in $1 billion in new capital for the cash poor Queen’s Park, but is this a shrewd business maneuver or is Wynne robbing Peter to pay Paul (so to speak)?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Open Sources Guelph 