The "robo-call" scandal has rocked the notions of the integrity of the Canadian election system. Now a new scandal is brewing. David Ball reporter for the Vancouver Observer uncovered that numerous Conservative party MP's used an American political strategy firm with ties to the Republican party in America. Although the use of firms is uncontroversial, staff from the firm campaigned on behalf of the Conservative party in the 2011 election. This is illegal under Canadian election laws. David Ball explains how he uncovered the story, what the implications may be and the pending investigation.
Radio Segments |
Sun, 05/13/2012
The Council of Canadians says pre-recorded robocalls and live calls influenced the outcome of votes in closely fought races in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon and Ontario. The organization's lawyers filed four applications all seeking have the results of the votes set aside. The applications claim that irregular, fraudulent or illegal activities affected the outcome in each of the seven ridings. All of the ridings named were won by Conservative candidates and all but one was decided by fewer than 1,000 votes. Gary Neil is the executive director of the Council of Canadians. Gary explains the the legal action the the allegations of voter suppression.
Sun, 05/13/2012
The uprisings of citizens in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have seized the attention of media analysts who have characterized these as 'Arab revolutions', a perspective given weight by popular demonstrations in Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and elsewhere. However, what have been given less attention are the concurrent uprisings in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Western Sahara and Zimbabwe. The uprisings across Africa and in the Middle East are the result of common experiences of decades of declining living standards, mass unemployment, land dispossessions and impoverishment of the majority, while a few have engorged themselves with riches. Frizoe Manji is editor of Pambazuka News and the editor of the recent book African Awakening: The emerging revolutions. Firoze explains why this is happening now and the prospects for Africa in the future.
Sun, 05/13/2012
Jamie Brownlee is currently working on his dissertation at Carleton University in Ottawa. He is part of a new collaborative program where he will obtain a PhD in sociology with a specialization in political economy. This focus aligns with his research and teaching interests in Canadian and international political economy, political sociology, social theory and the sociology of education.
Jamie's book Ruling Canada is a critical examination of Canada’s “economic elite”—a collection of the country’s richest and most powerful individuals, many of whom preside over Canada’s largest corporations. Brownlee argues that this corporate elite is increasingly unified and class conscious.
Jamie Brownlee talks with Alex Paterson and Scott Price about corporate class consciousness and cohesion inherent in the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
Wed, 04/18/2012
Alex Paterson spoke with Todd Gordon about how we need to understand Canada as Imperialist and playing a prominent role in a capitalist global order. The interview discusses how CIDA and other agencies are oriented towards creating the conditions to support capitalist exploitation. The interview calls for Canadians to quit pretending like their government and corporations are not committing atrocities at home and abroad for the benefit of the economic elite.
Wed, 04/18/2012
This interview covers why gold mining is far too risky and destructive, while being largely based on our vanity. It provides details of how companies like Barrick Gold are exploiting resources, and how communities are resisting this.
Sakura Saunders is an organizer for ProtestBarrick.net, an all-volunteer online network of groups researching and organizing around mining issues, particularly involving Barrick Gold.
Sun, 04/01/2012
Herman Avila-Sakar is a Member of the U of W's faculty of biology and a member of Group Zero. Group zero has a plan to remove an overpopulated foreign species of carp from Manitoba waters and turn them into fertilizer. The project could improve the health of manitoba's watershed, and provide fisherman with a new market for Carp.
Fri, 03/30/2012
Because of manitoba's regulations on the commercial fishing industry, thousands of freshwater fish get wastes. Dean Rennie from Manitoba Alternative Food Research Alliance, Gerald McKay Grand Rapids Fishermen's Co-op and Harry Finnigan a private consultant of Mckay Finnigan and associates have a pilot project aimed at using this wasted resource. Fish that would otherwise be bushed, could be delivered from grand rapids to Winnipeg Harvest where the valuable food product would be distributed to manitobans.
Fri, 03/30/2012
Gerald Amos was Chief Councilor for the Haisla First Nation for 12 years. He has been a leading voice for conservation in Canada for thirty years. Gerald explains how ingenious communities have been fighting back against natural resource extraction and specifically the Enbridge pipeline.
Fri, 03/16/2012
Lester Pearson was one of the key individuals to develop Canadian foreign policy. He is regularly cited by numerous "progressive" politicians as the beacon for Canadian foreign policy. Does the myth of the man live up to reality? Author and Activist Yves Engler new book critically looks at Pearson foreign policy while in goverment and the effects of it on Canadian foreign policy today.
