It’s June, and you know what that means, summer gatherings with all your friends on the weekend! Two federal political parties had that same thought last weekend, as they gathered in different parts of the country to talk shop and celebrate their victories or their loses that were really victories. We’ll talk about all the policy, gossip and gaffes that came out of the Liberal and Conservative conventions last weekend, and then dive into two serious issues that have been on the Open Sources Guelph radar for a while now.
This Thursday, June 2, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) Red Team. The Liberals met in Winnipeg last weekend for what was basically a victory lap, celebrating their election win, and celebrating the fact that not even errant elbows can end their honeymoon status. But it wasn’t all good times. There was some serious business to get down to, including a radical new constitution that opened up membership to the party by getting rid of it. That wasn’t exactly a unanimous development, some accused Justine Trudeau of a “naked power grab” for him and his “cronies.” Aside from the party politics though, the Liberals also approved a motion to develop a national strategy on guaranteed income. Are these the Grits you’re looking for?
2) Blue Team. Meanwhile, the Conservatives were having their convention in Vancouver, and if you don’t think they weren’t celebrating, then you don’t know that this was the best defeat in 25 years for the party. (Yeah, that happened. Listen to this week’s Canadaland Commons.) Like the Liberals, the Tories made some big moves, not the least of which was ending their opposition against same sex marriage, and hearing from key politicians about the need for the party to embrace environmental issues. All positive moves if the party starts to want to make inroads into groups beyond their base, but can they move past the shadow of Harper, even while he refuses to go?
3) Assisted Dying Assistance? It’s been more than a year since the Supreme Court of Canada said that the government had to come up with a framework for doctor assisted death, but the wheels of legislation move slowly and continue to move slowly. Though the bill passed third reading in the House this week, it looks like the Senate will be grinding any further momentum to a halt, if not throwing up whole road blocks, and the Supreme Court’s deadline is Monday. So what’s going to happen on the day for the many Canadians wanting, and waiting, to die with dignity? Did the Liberals bungle the job?
4) Not Quite Sorry. This week, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne apologized for residential schools and the abysmal treatment of generations of Aboriginal children in them, but while it’s nice to hear the words, there’s still an awful lot of work to be done. Grassy Narrows has got a problem with mercury poisoning, but no action seems to be coming from the government. You’ve probably also noticed that Attawapiskat has once again fallen off the front page, and it’s doubtful that the problems there have been solved. Coming up on National Aboriginal Day we once again ask the question: Why aren’t we doing more for First Nations people?
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Open Sources Guelph 