Within one year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has slid from an all-time record high of 14,000 to a horrible 10,000 points. As most Canadians have shifted from the what if, to the how bad will the very probable recession be mindset, all four political parties seem to be stuck in the mud, ignoring the… Continue reading Of cash and owls
Month: October 2008
The failure of Canada’s New Left
By Ryan Pike
Don’t let the pundits fool you, Canadian federal politics has always been a coin flip. Ever since the first federal election in 1867– when 268,000 voters decided between John A. MacDonald’s Conservatives and George Brown’s Liberals– Canada has faced a two-horse race. One hundred-thirty-one years and 39 elections later, the choice is still the same,… Continue reading The failure of Canada’s New Left
No complaints here
By Caeli Hann
“I hate my sister.” “I hate this weather.” “I hate the government.” No one really likes a complainer, but you can complain about your sister’s annoying habits all you want. You can’t choose your family. Sure, you can complain about a solid week of rain if you want to. You can’t decide whether or not… Continue reading No complaints here
You have no excuse
We, the proud youth of the Great White North, are many things. We are engineers, writers, scientists, singers, labourers, farmers and students. One thing we ain’t is voters. According to a recent poll prepared by the Innovative Research Group only 50 per cent of 18- to 25-year-old Canadians plan to “definitely vote” in the upcoming… Continue reading You have no excuse
Voting blind
By Tyler Wolfe
Soon enough the federal election will be over and we will be able to switch from arguing about politics to arguing why nobody gives a shit about politics. Three of the last four Canadian federal elections have set the record for lowest voter turnout and while the 2006 election reversed the historic trend, still less… Continue reading Voting blind
Letter: Conservative disappointment
By Atul Jain
Editors, the Gauntlet I would like to ask why the Conservatives were the only party that failed to respond to the WSPCA election survey (Party responses: tinyurl.com/4uv36f ) and the Canadian environmental survey sent to them by a coalition of 30 citizen’s groups, (Party responses tinyurl.com/4s4nn7). Are they too ashamed of their repugnant pro-cruelty and… Continue reading Letter: Conservative disappointment
Mind Fights: How should we govern ourselves
By Jon Roe
Proportional RepresentationIn 1987, a New Brunswick government won 100 per cent of the legislature’s seats with just 57 per cent of the vote. This gross misrepresentation was allowed to happen under the first-past-the-post voting system, where the party that wins the most votes captures a riding completely. Consequently, votes that are not cast for the… Continue reading Mind Fights: How should we govern ourselves
Letter: Urban dreaming
By Jay Hind
Editor, the Gauntlet [“The U of C is going downtown,” Sarelle Azuelos, Sept. 25, Gauntlet] So the provincial Conservatives are going to reward their incompetent “board of governor” appointees with even more money to build a second campus to spread their incompetence even further? Another of the main reasons that this overcrowded university usually ranks… Continue reading Letter: Urban dreaming
Letter: In defence of housing policy
Editor, the Gauntlet, [“Affordable housing blues and a call to abandon ship,” Chuck Day, Oct. 2, Gauntlet] I understand the frustration around delivering affordable housing solutions to students. Progress is slow, the process is highly political and it seems like all anyone ever does is talk about it. I would like to take this opportunity… Continue reading Letter: In defence of housing policy
The rise of bleeding heart conservatism
In an attempt to connect with the ever-greening Canadian electorate, Stephen Harper has decided to try his hand at bleeding heart conservatism. At a campaign stop in Calgary on Sept. 26, Harper promised that, if elected, the Conservative government would ban the export of bitumen to nations whose environmental laws weren’t as stringent as those… Continue reading The rise of bleeding heart conservatism