Blogs

rabble blogs are the personal pages of some of Canada's most insightful progressive activists and commentators. All opinions belong to the writer; however, writers are expected to adhere to our guidelines. We welcome new bloggers -- contact us for details.
Blog - The Views Expressed May 7
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gives a public address on the COVID-19 crisis on March 16, 2020. Image: CanadianPM/Video Screenshot/Twitter
Justin Trudeau should lift Canada's economic sanctions now
Ken Stone | Trudeau cannot ignore the damage he is doing to the efforts to fight the novel coronavirus in 20 of the world's poorest countries by maintaining sanctions.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 7
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney at a press briefing on May 7, 2020. Image: Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta/Flickr
Jason Kenney is Canada's least popular premier -- some caveats may apply
David J. Climenhaga | Kenney has an approval rating of 44 per cent, and a disapproval rating of 48 per cent, the only premier in a recent poll with a higher disapproval rating than approval rating.
Blog - The Views Expressed May 7
Image: klimkin/Pixabay
COVID-19 highlights the need to switch to a community-living care model
Fiona Whittington-Walsh | Everyone has the right to live in a community setting receiving whatever levels of support they might need. After 150 years, it is time to end the institutional model.
Blog - Viewpoint: Reproductive Justice May 7
Image: Bokskapet/Pixabay
The rights of pregnant people have been threatened during COVID-19
Tina S. Beier | Some hospitals have denied support persons during labour for any patient suspected of having COVID-19, and home births have been suspended in Nova Scotia.
Blog - The Views Expressed May 6
Image: cat's_101/Flickr
Ramadan, Passover and Easter: time for hope in the age of uncertainty
Abdul Nakua | Faith communities should focus on promoting inclusion, sharing wisdom, and building robust coalitions and cross-sectorial collaborations that address the inadequacies of the economy.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 6
The scene in the lunchroom of the JBS slaughterhouse in Brooks, Alberta. Image: Screenshot of JBS Canada video/YouTube
Maybe it's time for Ottawa to use its power to close those meat-packing plants until their owners fix their COVID-19 mess
David J. Climenhaga | Ottawa has the power if it chooses to use it. It has regulatory jurisdiction over any meat-packing plant that sells meat outside its province of origin.
Blog - The Views Expressed May 5
Image: Stock Catalog/Flickr
Jason Kenney and the pharmaceutical pipeline
Adam R. Houston | The Access to Drugs in Exceptional Circumstances pathway allows a jurisdiction to temporarily import a drug or vaccine not approved by Health Canada, but approved in the U.S., the E.U. or Switzerland.
Blog - David Suzuki May 5
Wolves - Discovery Center in West Yellowstone in 2009. Image: Shawn Kinkade/Flickr
Giving nature a chance improves our chances of well-being
David Suzuki | Whether it's conservation or rewilding, we know that when we give nature a chance, it bounces back. Because we're part of nature and rely on everything it provides, that's to our benefit.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 5
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney provides an update from Edmonton on Thursday, April 30, 2020, on COVID-19. Image: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr
Is the huge gap in COVID-19 cases between Edmonton and Calgary bad luck or bad management?
David J. Climenhaga | When health-care professionals have been able to call the shots, Albertans seem to have mostly fared OK. But where Conservative politicians have been involved, the results are disastrous.
Blog - The Views Expressed May 4
John Roberts of Fox News at a budget town hall for Congressman David Schweikert at the Goelet A.C. Beuf Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona in 2013. Image: Gage Skidmore/Flickr
The Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame should revoke the honour it bestowed upon Fox News personality John Roberts
Matthew Hays | Fox News has been accused of toxifying public discourse for many years, and now faces a lawsuit for spreading misinformation about COVID-19. Roberts lends a false veneer of credibility to the network.
Blog - Brent Patterson May 4
Armed RCMP officer trespasses on unceded Wet'suwet'en territory in October 2019. Image: Unist'ot'en Camp/Video Screenshot/Twitter
Ban on assault weapons welcome, but more needs to be done
Brent Patterson | While the Trudeau government's ban on military-grade weapons in Canada is needed, it should extend to this country's increasing arms export industry as well.
Blog - KAIROS Witness May 4
Workers at the Coastal GasLink project site on unceded Wet'suwet'en land on April 1, 2020. Image: Unist'ot'en Camp/Video Screenshot/Twitter
Large-scale resource extraction exacerbates the threat of COVID-19 across the American hemisphere
Chrystal Désilets, Gabriela Jiménez, Beth Lorimer | The grave threat posed by COVID-19 across the American hemisphere, especially to Indigenous peoples, is exacerbated by extractivism.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 4
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Friday's announcement of the ban of 1,500 makes of military-style rifles (Image: CanadianPM/Twitter).
Alberta's statement on Ottawa's gun ban illustrates how little the rule of law really matters to Conservatives
David J. Climenhaga | Since neither low oil prices nor COVID-19 are going away any time soon, at least Ottawa's ban on assault-style firearms gives Alberta Premier Jason Kenney something to talk about.
Blog - Raluca Bejan May 4
Migrant farmworkers in southern Quebec in 2014. Image: BEVNorton/Flickr
New Brunswick debate on migrant workers leaves a lot to be desired
Raluca Bejan | Either migrant workers should have access to permanent residency so they can benefit from the same rights as the resident population, or the TFW program should be scrapped altogether.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog May 1
Thanks for participating in rabble's 2020 vegan challenge!
rabble staff | Thank you to everyone who participated in the challenge from the comfort of your own kitchens.
Blog - The Views Expressed May 1
Views of inundated areas in New Orleans following breaking of the levees surrounding the city as the result of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans, Louisiana. September 11, 2005. Image: NOAA Photo Library/Flickr
Twenty-first century 'eco-grief' is nothing new for the world's underprivileged
Khadijah Kanji | From the slow anguish of asthma to the fast fury of flood, from Canada to Congo, eco-grief is a centuries-long condition of existence for those without the privilege of proximity to "grievability."
Blog - The Views Expressed May 1
Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image: NIAID/Flickr
Will there be a silver lining to this pandemic?
Jim Harding | During this pandemic, the planet is getting a deserved rest. But once lockdowns are lifted, we must restore biodiversity, reduce emissions and shift from an economy that promotes endless growth.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog May 1
Bourke Street on 8 hours day. Melbourne Victoria ca. 1907. ( Image: Flickr/State Library Victoria Collections)
Celebrate May Day with rabble.ca
Phillip Dwight Morgan | On May Day we celebrate the achievements and struggles of the labour movement; a movement for which rabble.ca has held a longstanding and deep-rooted commitment and solidarity.
Blog - On The Other Hand May 1
A shuttered shop in Vancouver, British Columbia. Image: Rod Raglin/Flickr
Bailing out on the old normal
Penney Kome | With grim economic prospects forecast as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, campaigns have launched to rebuild the economy differently.
Blog - Alberta Diary May 1
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney at Thursday's COVID-19 briefing. Image: Screenshot of Government of Alberta video
Your gut's probably right -- it's too soon to declare COVID-19 vanquished
David J. Climenhaga | The pandemic has taught us some powerful lessons about the usual way we do business. Is business as usual where we really want to go?
Blog - The Views Expressed April 30
Image: Shannon/Flickr
Canada closed Roxham Road -- the border crossing that saved my life
Neela Hassan | It's time for Canada's COVID-19 response plan to include asylum seekers. Nothing should excuse governments from their legal and moral obligations to protect those who are forced to flee their homes.
Blog - Alberta Diary April 30
Calgary Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel Garner in 2017. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Should we welcome Michelle Rempel Garner home with a festive serving of Oklahoma's official state meal?
David J. Climenhaga | Canadian Conservatives care deeply and profoundly about where politicians live, or even what passport they might be inclined to use -- until they don't.
Blog - The Views Expressed April 29
Image: Province of British Columbia/Flickr
Canada's she-cession: COVID-19, care work and the decline of the service sector
Naomi Lightman, Ted McCoy | When labour is feminized, it is structurally undervalued and even delegitimized. The COVID-19 crisis further exposes the ways that this process puts workers in harm's way.
Blog - The Views Expressed April 28
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gives a COVID-19 press briefing on April 27, 2020. Image: CanadianPM/Twitter/Video screenshot
International students should not be excluded from the Canada Emergency Student Benefit
Heather Stewart | Many international students are financially vulnerable. The federal government should be willing to support international graduate students who were encouraged to come to Canada to study.
Blog - David Suzuki April 28
Image: Paul Lowry/Flickr
Crisis brings out our best, but we must remain vigilant
David Suzuki | Supporting workers in hard-hit occupations is necessary, but spending billions to prop up polluting industries that are no longer profitable and aren't likely to be soon is counterproductive.
Blog - Cathy Crowe's blog April 28
Crowded cots on a gymnasium floor in a Toronto community centre show poor physical distancing. Image: Cathy Crowe
Fifty days into the COVID-19 pandemic, and homeless people are still in a desperate situation
Cathy Crowe | Homeless people across the country remain at risk in the pandemic, necessitating legal action by Toronto advocates.
Blog - Alberta Diary April 28
Donna Kennedy-Glans last year at a hearing of the Kenney government's "fair deal" panel. Image: David J. Climenhaga
Are cracks appearing in the United Conservative Party over Health Minister Tyler Shandro's fight with Alberta's doctors?
David J. Climenhaga | A post harshly critical of Health Minister Tyler Shandro has appeared on a blog used as a platform by "fair deal" panel member Donna Kennedy-Glans.
Blog - Alberta Diary April 27
Ted Morton during the 2011 Progressive Conservative leadership race. Image: David J. Climenhaga
Ted Morton has had another big idea, this time about a sales tax
David J. Climenhaga | The former Alberta finance minister did get one thing right in his Calgary Herald article: If Alberta is to survive its current bust it's going to need a sales tax.
Blog - The Views Expressed April 24
Empty shelves at a grocery store in La Vern, Southern California. Image: Russ Allison Loar/Flickr
'Hoarding' and 'price gouging' aren't pandemic-specific activities
Khadijah Kanji | Hoarding and price gouging are foundational to a capitalist system, one governed by the logic that the limitless capacity to accumulate is the impetus for human innovation and productive activity.
Blog - Alberta Diary April 24
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney at Wednesday's COVID-19 briefing, when he offered his discourse on pension policy. Image: Screenshot of Government of Alberta video
New management is now required at AIMCo to restore trust after $4-billion loss
David J. Climenhaga | No matter what Premier Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party may wish, this story is not going to go away.

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