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 - Cathy Crowe's blog November 20
Activists hold a banner at a vigil hat says "Declare an Emergency." Image: Cathy Crowe
Toronto needs to declare homelessness an emergency to prevent more deaths and suffering
Cathy Crowe | Toronto's Shelter and Housing Justice Network takes an extreme measure and calls for the mayor to declare a state of emergency on homelessness.
Blog - David Suzuki November 20
Image: David Rogers-Worrall/Flickr
New database tracks sustainability in seafood industry
David Suzuki | Achieving sustainability throughout the seafood industry supply chain remains a work in progress. SeaFood Progress is tracking sourcing information and sustainability compliance across the industry.
Blog - Alberta Diary November 19
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and cabinet swearing-in ceremony, April 30, 2019. . Image: Ian Jackson/Premier of Alberta/Flickr
If you're shocked by the firing of Alberta's election commissioner, you shouldn't be
David J. Climenhaga | If you're shocked that Jason Kenney's government has effectively just fired Lorne Gibson, the guy who's been investigating the sleazy kamikaze campaign, you haven't been paying attention.
Blog - Alberta Diary November 19
Alberta Teachers Association associate communications coordinator Jonathan Teghtmeyer. Image: David J. Climenhaga
Alberta law lets Kenney hijack teachers' retirement funds
David J. Climenhaga | If Alberta Premier Jason Kenney could just pull out of the Canada Pension Plan without so much as a by your leave, he would.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog November 16
You can make a BIG impact
Kim Elliott | Canadians who want to make sense of the politics and policy coming out of Ottawa need Karl Nerenberg's distinct political analysis and frontline reporting.
Blog - The Views Expressed November 15
Poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa. Image: Tjololo Photo/Flickr
Poppy wars reveal divisions over what we consider sacred
Matthew Hayes | For some, Don Cherry was fired on Remembrance Day for defending the troops. For others, Don Cherry's bigoted language recalls the evil enemy we defeated at great sacrifice in 1945.
Blog - Taking Sides November 15
Child using tablet computer. Image: Kelly Sikkama/Unsplash
It takes a village to protect children online and offline
Tess Sison | People under the age of 18 are the fastest-growing online demographic in a world that is in the midst of the fourth Industrial Revolution, which offers greater opportunities and risks.
Blog - Alberta Diary November 15
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announces the launch of a public inquiry into foreign-funded anti-Alberta energy campaigns. Image: Government of Alberta/Flickr
Jason Kenney's 'anti-Alberta' inquiry gets increasingly compromised
David J. Climenhaga | Whatever led to inquiry commissioner Steve Allan's decision to use a law firm that employs his son, it doesn't pass the traditional political sniff test.
Blog - The Views Expressed November 14
Tyne Cot Cemetary in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. Image: Thomas Quine/Flickr
Lest we forget, remembering war
Shama Naqushbandi | Remembrance poses uncomfortable questions with no easy answers. Do we treat war as an aberration in human history, or as the darker shadows of our better spirits that we need to continuously counter?
Blog - Alberta Diary November 14
Prince Rupert waterfront. Image: A.Davey/Flickr
Wexit's last territorial demand in British Columbia
David J. Climenhaga | Let's lop off the top half of British Columbia and give it to Alberta! It might be the only way to save the country, dontcha know?
Blog - Council of Canadians' blog November 14
Image: gripped/Flickr
Western alienation isn't new, but corporate media is misdiagnosing the problem
Chris Kruszewski | Prairie communities have reasons to be upset. We feel the negative impacts of an undiversified economy daily. But corporate media is distorting Wexit, amplifying far-right voices.
Blog - The Views Expressed November 13
National War Memorial in Ottawa. Image: Paul Gorbould/Flickr
Balancing remembrance and memory in an age of anxiety
Abdul Nakua | All wars are fought twice, "the first time on the battlefield, and the second time in memory." What is often forgotten is the memory of those who were oppressed, exploited and unrecognized.
Blog - David Suzuki November 13
Image: Jeanne Menjoulet/Flickr
Care and community in times of crisis
David Suzuki | Reimagining and acting to create a better world can be a deeply positive experience. In the act of coming together, we can rewire the status quo so that taking care of each other becomes the norm.
Blog - Alberta Diary November 12
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Image: Government of Alberta/Flickr
UCP's dream of grabbing the CPP won't be as easy as they claim
David J. Climenhaga | How much of the UCP's radical project to transform Alberta into a dystopic firewalled statelet was predicated on a Conservative victory in last month's federal election?
Blog - Alberta Diary November 12
Image: Dan Williams/Facebook
Jason Kenney's war on everything and everyone
David J. Climenhaga | Albertans aren't all for a private member's bill which would restrict reproductive rights. But don't count on the common sense or common decency of the UCP caucus to ensure the right thing gets done.
Blog - Alberta Diary November 11
Preston Manning in 2013. Image: David J. Climenhaga
Preston Manning turns up again on Alberta's sovereignty-association panel
David J. Climenhaga | Good rarely results from Manning's interventions in politics, so don't expect positive results from his appointment by Jason Kenney to new "Fair Deal Panel."
Blog - Greening the News November 11
Poppies on National War Memorial in Ottawa. Image: Robbie/Flickr
On Remembrance Day, honour the fallen by working for peace
Robert Hackett | When we commemorate the sacrifices of Canadians who have gone to battle over the years, let's honour not only the soldiers, but those who take risks to prevent war or to repair its damage.
Blog - Taking Sides November 8
View of dock in Cape Broyle, NL. Image: Terrilynn Lushman/Unsplash
Harnessing the 5G wireless dividend to help connect those left behind
Lorenzo Vargas | Developed countries like Canada are in the midst of transition from 4G to 5G networks. And yet Canada still suffers from a digital divide.
Blog - Alberta Diary November 8
Political scientist Duane Bratt says Bill 207 shows the UCP is more like the Wildrose Party than the old Progressive Conservatives. Image: David J. Climenhaga
First reading of Bill 207 reveals zero UCP votes for reproductive rights
David J. Climenhaga | The private member's bill purports merely to support constitutional rights, but its purpose is clearly to wedge open the door for more restrictions on reproductive rights.
Blog - The Views Expressed November 7
Elections Canada sign at an advance polling station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on October 11, 2019. Image: Coastal Elite/Wikimedia Commons
Proportional representation a fair voting system denied Canadians
Ed Finn | The inherent unfairness of Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system has been displayed many times in previous federal elections, but never so blatantly as in the recent voting farce.
Blog - Alberta Diary November 7
Peace River MLA Dan Williams being sworn into office. Image: Dan Williams/Facebook
UCP gets ready to make its first move to restrict reproductive rights
David J. Climenhaga | This ploy is a well-understood part of the anti-choice playbook, so it seems likely the bill is an attempt to find a way to limit access to abortion services and contraception.
Blog - The Views Expressed November 6
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announces the launch of a public inquiry into foreign-funded anti-Alberta energy campaigns. Image: Government of Alberta/Flickr
Action on climate change can build national unity
Gordon Laxer | If he truly advocates for Albertans, Kenney will embrace the future by joining with Ottawa to manage a rapid phase-out of the tar sands in ways that support oil workers and their communities.
Blog - The Views Expressed November 6
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Image: Government of Alberta/Flickr
Alberta's leaders should take some blame for not coping better with current slump
Ed Finn | Albertans should not be piling all the liability for their current malaise on the federal government and environmentalists. Their own political leaders should at least shoulder some of the blame.
Blog - The Activist Toolkit Blog November 6
Protest against Israel attack on Gaza in Berlin. Image: Montecruz Foto/Flickr
The NDP must stand for Palestine now
Maya Bhullar | The political winds for the last few years have been unrelentingly cruel to Palestine, but at this moment, there are some opportunities for progressive Canadians to act and perhaps make a difference.
Blog - David Suzuki November 6
Solar power lighting on road by Hatta Dam, United Arab Emirates. Image: JSPhotography2016/Wikimedia Commons
Doing more with less energy goes a long way
David Suzuki | The International Energy Agency says energy efficiency alone could provide more than 40 per cent of the emissions reductions needed by 2040 to meet Paris Agreement targets.
Blog - Environmental Defence's blog November 5
Tar sands facility in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Image: kris krüg/Flickr
Despite industry claims, Canadian oil has never been dirtier
Dale Marshall | The oil and gas industry is putting great efforts into trying to convince the Canadian public that they are making strides to be more environmentally responsible. Don't buy it.
Blog - Alberta Diary November 5
Alberta's flag. Image: abdallahh/Flickr
'Wexit' isn't likely, so why is mainstream media pretending otherwise?
David J. Climenhaga | Mainstream media needs to stop treating the leaders of the fringe Wexit movement as rock stars and credulously accepting their obviously ludicrous claims.
Blog - A change is gonna come November 4
Image: SumOfUs/Flickr
'All Eyes on Nestlé' campaign draws attention to the commodification of water
Doreen Nicoll | Activists from around the world are joining an Ontario community's fight against Nestlé and the commodification of water.
Blog - A change is gonna come November 2
Image: Mohammad Hassan/Pixabay
It takes the strength of an entire community to end violence against women
Doreen Nicoll | November is Woman Abuse Prevention month. Since 2013, the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses has sold purple scarves and ties through local women's shelters to raise awareness.
Blog - Taking Sides November 1
Two people lookign at laptop computer. Image: Brooke Cagle/Unsplash
It is vital to be able to 'read' social media
Philip Lee | Nearly seven out of 10 Canadian millennials get their news from social media. Should we be worried?

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