This week on Open Sources Guelph, we’re talking about unity and division. Mostly division. Right now, the United Nations is divided because of a perhaps ill-advised Goodwill Ambassadorship that has since been revoked, Quebec is divided because of the government’s latest assault against religious attire, and there’s division in Russia because that’s just the way Putin likes it. As for unity, we look to Alberta and all it’s conservatives, big and small ‘c’, who are trying to find one leader to unite them all for the next election.
This Thursday, October 26, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:
1) E Pluribus Unum. We almost forgot about this one, but the weekend marks the first leadership convention of the United Conservative Party in Alberta. It’s a three-way race between recently elected PC leader and former Federal cabinet minister Jason Kenney, former Wildrose leader and Harper government backbencher Brian Jean, and Doug Schweitzer, who’s biggest contribution to Alberta politics so far was to be Jim Prentice’s campaign manager in the former Premier’s 2014 leadership campaign. The only thing these three men really agree on is that Premier Rachel Notley has got to go, but which one of them has the right stuff to do it?
2) Bad Will Ambassador. The name Robert Mugabe conjures a lot of mixed feelings in people. At best, he’s a controversial figure, and at worst, he’s one of Africa’s most brutal dictators, which is why it was all the more vexing when the World Health Organization named him a Good Will Ambassador to assist in the fight against fight against non-communicable diseases in Africa. Mugabe, as Zimbabwe’s president, hasn’t exactly been the best of times for that country’s healthcare system, and then there’s his record on human rights, which one might think would be immediately disqualifying for a Good Will Ambassadorship. Still, does this now aborted decision give the WHO a bad name, and damage the reputation of the U.N.?
3) Bad Bill Vol. 62. For some strange reason, the Quebec government went ahead and opened a can of worms by passing Bill 62, which demands that all religious head coverings be removed when using government services. Public outcry was immediate and negative, hundreds of people have been walking around town in various places with their faces covered, and even the prime minister called into question Quebec’s thinking on this. So what the heck is Quebec’s Liberal government thinking? Don’t they know that this is the exact same playbook the Parti Quebecois ran with before their defeat? And the federal Conservatives? And why are they scrambling now trying to ease people’s thoughts on the legislation?
4) Russian Addressing. These are strange times for Russia. Alexei Navalny just finished his third stint in prison this year, thus allowing him to continue his campaign to unseat Vladimir Putin in next year’s Presidential election. Meanwhile, Tatyana Feldenhauer of the radio station Echo of Moscow, a well-know critic of Putin and his regime, was stabbed in the throat by some “random guy” that broke into the station. Already one journalist from Echo of Moscow has had to flee the country, which makes the situation even more suspicious. In the meantime, Donald Trump has yet to enact new sanctions against Russia, and no one is saying why. Seems like a good time to talk Russia to us…
Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Open Sources Guelph 