Mario Laguë, Michael Ignatieff's communications director, died Thursday in a motorcycle accident on his way to work. I hadn't heard of him till this week, when a memo he wrote to MPs made its way into the press. I found it prescient on our current politics and especially this summer's surprising focus on the census. It was about "not taking the bait."
civil society
![Karl Nerenberg](http://rabble.ca/sites/rabble/files/imagecache/thumbnail/category_pictures/Karl.jpg "Karl Nerenberg joins rabble to cover news for the rest of us from Parliament Hill. Karl has been a journalist for over 25 years including eight years as the producer of the CBC show The House. He has written scripts for documentary films and long-form television reports for such shows as Le Point and Actuel on Radio Canada television and The Journal on CBC-TV. Karl also founded and, for five years, edited the magazine Federations: What's new in federalism worldwide.
Karl has been awarded a Gemini award, a Best International Documentary Series award (from "la communauté des televisions francophones"), a CBC Radio Award for Best New Series (C'est la vie) among others. As a broadcaster, Mr. Nerenberg produced and directed television series and documentaries in a wide range of genres and on a great variety of subjects -- from civil war in Central America, to the crisis in South Africa's Apartheid system.
Karl works in both English and French, and can be reached at karl@rabble.ca")
Hill Dispatches: Cut their money and maybe nobody will stand up for the environment...?
| October 13, 2011A civil society strategy for revitalizing the Left
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Welcome to rabble.ca's extended series on the Canadian left -- Reinventing democracy, reclaiming the commons: A progressive dialogue on the future of Canada -- a look at where it stands after the 2011 federal election, and what the future can hold. The series will run in this, rabble.ca's 10th year, and is curated by journalist Murray Dobbin.
What happened to the North American Left? Why is it that, even now, when capitalism seems so obviously unappealing, unsustainable and unfair, the Left cannot mount a more serious challenge to the Right or its grim austerity agenda?
NGOs risk all in standoff with Harper over civil society crackdown
You have to admire the political logic. If there is no data to research, there will be no facts to account for. How perfect the Tories' ditching of the mandatory long-form census data collection is for themselves -- and how dangerous for the rest of us.
This crazily arcane little issue is just the latest example of how the government is craftily tearing down the foundational infrastructure of democratic accountability.
After four years of the same, we're close to a tipping point -- at least that is what an unprecedented number of NGO watchdogs (aka civil society orgs) are risking their necks to tell us right now.
The Taste of Peace: From Palestine to Canada
May 20 2009 - 7:30pm
May 20 2009 - 10:30pm
Location
7 Winchester Street Upper Level
Toronto, ON Canada
43° 39' 55.296" N, 79° 22' 15.1464" W
See map: Google Maps
Robert Massoud will discuss his work with Zatoun, a unique organization that sells olive oil from Palestine to support Palestinian farmers and to spread a message of peace and hope.
Robert will be discussing the conditions of farming under military occupation, fair trade, the development of cooperative structures and civil society, bridge building and much more.
Robert's discussion will also feature a taste testing of olive oil from Palestine.
Space is limited, so please RSVP to June Cassie at 416.894.8325 or openconcepttalks@gmail.com
Coffee, tea and refreshments will be served.
Contact name:
June Cassie
Contact email:
Open Concept Lecture: John Harris on The Function of Art and the Future of Civilization
Feb 26 2009 - 7:30pm
Feb 26 2009 - 10:00pm
Location
7 Winchester Street Upper Level
Toronto, ON M4X 1A6Canada
Phone:
416.894.8325
43° 39' 55.296" N, 79° 22' 15.1464" W
See map: Google Maps
John has played every role in the music industry, from manager and award winning producer to record company executive and concert promoter. He founded Harris Institute for the Arts in 1989 and recently received the Scroll of Recognition from Mayor David Miller for his leadership on Metronome, the proposed 'music city' on Toronto's waterfront.
Space is limited, so please reserve your seat!
$25 (students $20)
RSVP to: June Cassie 416.894.8325
openconcepttalks@gmail.com
Doors open at 7:30pm, starts 8:00pm sharp
Coffee, tea and refreshments will be served.
Please BYOB
Contact name:
June Cassie
Contact email:
From the outside in: Vancouver's olympic housing crisis
Claire Mahon is an international human rights lawyer based in Geneva, Switzerland. She is a dual national of Australia and New Zealand. She has practiced as a lawyer both at the national and international level.
Mahon is the principle author of Fair Play for Housing Rights: Mega-Events, Olympic Games and Housing Rights (Geneva: COHRE, 2007), and prepared the MultiStakeholder Guidelines for Mega-Events and Housing Rights (Geneva: COHRE, 2007).
She spoke with Am Johal at the Sylvia Hotel during her visit to Vancouver in November 2008.
Am Johal: What are some of your observations since being in Vancouver?