After taking a couple of weeks to do some special episodes about Earth Day and an interview with the Mayor, Open Sources Guelph gets back to talking about the issues, and there is so much to talk about. With elections abroad, elections at home, and elections still to come, there’s also the matter of social justice issues to consider, as our First Nations people and homeless populations face old problems that remain, as ever, unsolved.
This Thursday, April 30, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) ‘Round Ottawa. Last week, the Harper government finally released the Federal Budget after much delay and discussion, and it turns out that the plan is to put the burden on the prime minister’s granddaughter. Misspeaks aside, the budget seems to be a winner for the Conservatives, but it’s not all coming up Milhouse for the Federal Conservatives. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau snaked a star candidate in the form of former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who seems to be willing to campaign on the Liberal promise for marijuana legalization. Meanwhile, the government has opened a new front in the struggle to end the drug war by suggesting that B.C. dispensaries are illegal. How does this all affect the election landscape? We’ll dig into that.
2) Election Eve Pt. 1: Alberta & PEI. Speaking of elections, there are two are already in progress across Canada, Alberta and Prince Edward Island. The course of the race in P.E.I. has been fairly typical, the only controversy being some racist graffiti on an election sign for NDP candidate Jacqueline Tuplin that the RCMP is investigating. The big news though is the showdown in Alberta, which seems to indicate an upset may be in the offing for Jim Prentice’s Progressive Conservatives. The NDP have been coming on fairly strong, and Rachel Notley‘s debate performance was the toast of Alberta politicos. Brian Jean’s leadership of Wildrose has also resulted in fewer “bozo eruptions” than in 2012, so with all things working well for the Opposition, are we looking at the end of the PC dynasty in Wild Rose Country? (The flower not the party.)
3) Election Eve Pt. 2: United Kingdom. A week from today, voters from across Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will go to the polls. Current prime minister Conservative David Cameron is not just trying to hold on to his time in government, but secure the majority that eluded him in 2010. But the opinion polls show a very tight race between the Conservatives and Ed Miliband’s Labour, and unless something major happens in the next seven days, then the new government of the U.K. will be even more divided than the last. We will be joined by Stephen Hall of the Left Unity Wigan Party to talk about the issues facing the United Kingdom in this election, and the mood of the electorate it terms who might form the next government.
4) Two Different Homeless Plights. For the fourth year in a row, the Kashechewan First Nation had to be completely evacuated as the Albany River flooded again. With the yearly occurrence and the cost of constantly moving the Kashechewan people every spring, why is no one talking about a permanent solution to this annual problem? Meanwhile, in Winnipeg, John Paul Ostamas was arrested for the murder of three homeless people earlier this week. The arrest came after the city’s street population was told to be on the lookout for a dangerous individual, but the news reinforced the silent suffering of those who are homeless, 41 per cent of whom report that they have been the victim of violence. Is the plight of the nation’s homeless becoming more invisible?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Open Sources Guelph 