Photo: Mykl Roventine/flickr

Harper’s Hall of Horrors continues with the Senate scandal, his rewrite of environmental laws, his treatment of First Nations rights, his attack on women’s rights, his “tough on crime” laws, and plenty more tricks of the trade. What strikes fear in many is the Conservative Convention, which launches on Halloween in Calgary and promises to bring more of the same. Also terrifying is that the majority of Canada’s media organizations that gave endorsements in the last election endorsed Mr. Harper. In the wake of the court decision that found widespread voter suppression during the 2011 federal election, the deepening Senate scandal, the widespread impacts of the omnibus budget bills, along with ongoing environmental devastation from policies based on extraction and export, this convention will set the Conservative agenda heading into the next election.

Good news! You can get news about the Conservative Convention from folks who most certainly did not endorse Harper. rabble.ca is covering the convention with news and analysis from all kinds of folks and you can find our coverage in our politics section. Our Parliamentary reporter Karl Nerenberg will have a special report on the convention in the context of the Conservative government’s recent political scandals. Alberta political blogger David Climenhaga will give us the inside scoop on what’s at stake in Alberta politics and on the national stage. And, our newest writer and former Straight Goods editor Penney Kome will be reporting directly from the convention floor!

Convention news getting you down? For a pick-me-up, we are also covering the counter-summit organized by Common Causes which you can find here. We will be livestreaming the teach-in “Pros and Cons: Policies for People and the Planet” happening Nov. 1 — tune in live to learn about the potential impacts of the Conservative policies on the table and hear from a range of provincial and national speakers about a different, progressive, vision.