Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday June 23, 2016

It’s a week of break ups and make ups on this edition of Open Sources Guelph. Across the ocean, one country is deciding today if they’re going to dump the Eurozone experiment like a bad boyfriend that forgets your birthday and never picks up after himself. In Canada, the provinces made the decision to work with the Feds to expand the savings possibilities of the people. Meanwhile, one Conservative politician may be looking to dump his federal party and take his chances with a provincial one, and an old friend is coming by to help out with our ongoing political roast of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

This Thursday, June 23, at 5 pm, Adam A. Donaldson and guest co-host Oliver Rockside will discuss:

1) Brexit Wounds. The long-anticipated (or dreaded depending on your point of view) referendum on whether the U.K. should stay or leave the European Union is being held today, but the last days of the campaign were not without controversy and tragedy. British MP Jo Cox was murdered by a man whose motives were clearly inspired by the “Leave” side, attacking a politician who was in support of immigration and remaining in the E.U. It was a terrible sign of just how far, and how vitriolic, the debate became as the future of the United Kingdom comes down to what’s being reported as a very close vote with a great many people still undecided about their country’s fate.

2) Pension Play. It seemed like a fool’s errand earlier this week when the federal and provincial finance ministers got together to talk about expanding Canadian Pension Plan coverage, but after one day of talks, the ministers came out with an agreement in principle to help Canadians save more for their golden years. Good news, right? Not to fast, says Canada’s business community. Small businesses in particular are warning that an increase to the CPP will cost us all in the long run in lost hours, wages, and jobs for working Canadians, but in an environment where Canadians are having a more and more difficult time saving for the future, is it not advisable for government to help find a way to rectify that?

3) Later Kenney. Even before Stephen Harper stepped down as party leader, Jason Kenney was long seen as an obvious heir apparent for the federal Tory leadership, but is that what he really wants? Rumours abound this week that Kenney will step down from Federal politics and instead pursue the leadership of the Alberta PC party, where he will try and unite the right again in his home province. Shrewd decision, or does Kenney just not fit in with the new Conservative Party federally? We’ll also recap the year so far on Parliament Hill as MPs rise for summer break with the government more popular than ever.

4) Rockside V. Trump. It was another banner week for Donald Trump as Hillary Clinton once again went on the attack, and a staff shake-up at Trump HQ represents the first real hiccup behind-the-scenes for the presumptive Republican nominee. At the same time, there are persistent attacks on his status as a financial whiz, the grotesque things he says about his daughter, and his petty battle against the media, including his banning of the Washington Post from his campaign events. All the while, the #NeverTrump movement still has some life left in it as the GOP is starting to have serious buyer’s remorse. Oliver will surely have words to say about this messed up situation south of the border.