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 - rabble.ca's staff blog March 5
Thank you to our readers
Kim Elliott | We were able to surpass our fundraising goal this year. Your support is what sustains us.
Blog - Alberta Diary March 5
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas. Image credit: David J. Climenhaga
Amid pandemic chaos, CFNU President Linda Silas ends bid to lead Canadian Labour Congress
David J. Climenhaga | Saying she will remain as president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, Linda Silas called for Canada to address "the stark inequities that COVID-19 has exacerbated."
Blog - Indigenous Nationhood March 4
Water faucet. Image credit: Sasikan Ulevik/Unsplash
Canada still failing to fix water crisis in First Nations communities, says AG
Pam Palmater | This week, Canada's auditor general released her report on whether Canada is providing enough support to ensure that First Nations have access to clean drinking water. The answer was a clear no.
Blog - Alberta Diary March 4
Fort McMurray-Cold Lake Conservative MP David Yurdiga. Image credit: David Yurdiga/Facebook
Alberta MP launches petition to make House of Commons stop calling assault rifles 'assault rifles'
David J. Climenhaga | You can mock Alberta Conservative politicians, but it is nearly impossible to parody them. Fortunately, they do that themselves without prompting. Sometimes twice in one week.
Blog - On The Other Hand March 4
View of skyscrapers from below. Image credit: Samson/Unsplash
Using the pandemic to re-set the world economy
Penney Kome | Consumers and investors have a new reporting framework that uses environmental, social, and governance standards to measure corporations.
Blog - The Activist Toolkit Blog March 4
Image courtesy of Sue McKenzie
Why Muskoka declared a climate emergency
Maya Bhullar | A conversation with the organizers behind one of the most impactful climate-change plans in the country.
Blog - The Views Expressed March 3
Image credit: Catholic Church England and Wales/Flickr
Papal visit will show solidarity with Christians in Iraq
Carl Hétu | Despite a pandemic, political instability and rumours of threats to his life, Pope Francis is going to Iraq from March 5 to 8.
Blog - Alberta Diary March 3
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney at his news conference in Calgary yesterday. Image credit: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr -- Photography by Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta
No fiscal reckoning for health care -- just yet, anyway -- Alberta premier says
David J. Climenhaga | Cabinet ministers at Premier Jason Kenney's news conference about health-care spending yesterday behaved themselves. Some government MLAs, not so much.
Blog - David Suzuki March 3
Person wearing mask with words "I can't breathe." Image credit: David Ramos/Unsplash
Lessons in the pandemic's shadow: Moving past hope to action
David Suzuki | It would be a tragedy if, in the rush to return to normal, we cast aside what we've learned, and postpone the work necessary to change our systems to build the resilience we need to thrive.
Blog - The Views Expressed March 2
Berta Cáceres. Image credit: UN Environment/Wikimedia Commons
Berta Cáceres in a time of COVID
Tracy Glynn | Activist Berta Cáceres would likely look at the inequalities that COVID-19 has made more visible and still demand more of the activists concerned about climate change and forced migration.
Blog - Alberta Diary March 2
When will the lights go out at Torstar? The Star Building at One Yonge Street, Toronto … Image credit: David J. Climenhaga
Casino capitalism comes to Canadian newspapers
David J. Climenhaga | The newspaper business rolled the dice and now they've come up snake eyes. Torstar wants to open an online casino: Joe Atkinson must be spinning in his grave like a roulette wheel.
Blog - The Views Expressed March 1
Niki Ashton. Photo courtesy of Niki Ashton
Working together to build a strong progressive politics
Niki Ashton | As progressives, we must find ways to build solidarity at home and around the world, work with movements and activists who share our values and put forward a bold vision for our collective future.
Blog - The Views Expressed March 1
Bob Gallagher. Image courtesy of Bob Gallagher
'It's seared into my memory': Bob Gallagher recalls flashpoint in fight for LGBTQ rights
Libby Davies | Libby Davies pays tribute to activist and organizer Bob Gallagher, talking to her friend and colleague about the moment 40 years ago when everything changed for Toronto's LGBTQ community.
Blog - Alberta Diary March 1
Former Rocky Mountain House MLA Ty Lund with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Image: Facebook
Ty Lund, 23-year PC MLA and holder of four cabinet portfolios, dead at 82
David J. Climenhaga | One of the hardy perennials of the Progressive-Conservative dynasty, Ty Lund held the Rocky Mountain House riding from 1989 to 2012.
Blog - Alberta Diary February 28
University of Alberta campus. Image credit: Janusz Sliwinski/Flickr
University of Alberta faces more than half of budget's post-secondary cuts
David J. Climenhaga | In the 2021 Alberta budget, the University of Alberta's grant has been slashed by 11 per cent, or $60.1 million. Also: another tiki-torch march; former MLA Janice Sarich remembered.
Blog - Alberta Diary February 26
Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews reads his budget speech in a COVID-19-safe Legislature as Premier Jason Kenney looks on. Image credit: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr - Photograph by EPIC Photography/Legislative Assembly Office
Alberta budget delivers sweeter language, same old 'fiscal reckoning,' and no path to balance
David Climenhaga | If you want to know how quickly front-line pandemic heroes turn into back-of-the-line zeroes in Jason Kenney's Alberta, the answers are in Thursday's provincial budget.
Blog - The Views Expressed February 25
Image: Screenshot of film trailer
'Haiti Betrayed' turns lens on Canada's role in erosion of Haitian democracy
Kim Ives | The film provides a devastating analysis of the last four decades of Haitian history and the collusion between Washington, Ottawa, and Paris in Haiti's domination and exploitation.
Blog - The Views Expressed February 25
Indian soldiers, Kashmir, 2012. Image credit: flowcomm/Flickr
Return of 4G internet is not the real story in occupied Kashmir
Karen Rodman | While on its surface, the restoration of 4G internet in Kashmir seems like positive news, it raises some questions, including: why now, and why would mainstream media pick up this story?
Blog - Alberta Diary February 25
A fine pair of cowboy boots like these, hand-made in Alberta, can be hell to break in, but it's worth the effort, especially if you're a finance minister. Image credit: David J. Climenhaga
Alberta finance minister's break with tradition followed by run of bad fortune for UCP. Coincidence?
David J. Climenhaga | The more likely explanation is hubris, incompetence, and an ideology that clearly doesn't work. Still, it wouldn't be the worst thing if finance ministers got the idea they'd better buy new shoes.
Blog - Alberta Diary February 24
Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews. Image credit: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr
Don't expect UCP to follow Business Council's progressive advice in Alberta's budget
David J. Climenhaga | The big business guys never quite come out and advise Jason Kenney and the UCP to run Alberta like Rachel Notley's NDP did. But that's what they're doing.
Blog - David Suzuki February 24
Industrial factory in grassy field. Image credit: Anton Eprev/Unsplash
Faulty economic thinking makes destroying nature profitable
David Suzuki | Destroying nature is more profitable than protecting it, and tools such as gross domestic product are not fit for assessing real economic health. GDP is "based on a faulty application of economics."
Blog - The Views Expressed February 23
Man holds sign reading "United Against Islamophobia." Image credit: Felton Davis/Wikimedia Commons
Pushing for political leadership on Islamophobia from Trudeau to Legault
Ehab Lotayef | It is only when the people lead that the politicians will follow. Now we need to keep pushing Canada's politicians to continue fighting against Islamophobia.
Blog - Cathy Crowe's blog February 23
A tiny wooden shelter with a window and a lock on the door. Image: courtesy of Khaleel Seivwright from his website
Toronto takes carpenter behind tiny shelters for homeless people to court
Cathy Crowe | In a modern David and Goliath epic, the city of Toronto is threatening carpenter Khaleel Seivwright with legal action over his structures for homeless people.
Blog - Alberta Diary February 23
Calgary street preacher Artur Pawlowski addresses supporters at Saturday's tiki-torch march in Edmonton. Image: Artur Pawlowski/Facebook
Extremist rally at Alberta legislature met with silence from UCP
David J. Climenhaga | Jason Kenney's commentary about Saturday's tiki-torch protest in Edmonton wasn't quite a full-throated Trumpian defence of "very fine people," but surely boils down to the same thing.
Blog - The Activist Toolkit Blog February 22
Man beside window. Image credit: Fernando @cferdo/Unsplash
Community organizer takes aim at how Ottawa police address mental-health crises
Maya Bhullar | Community organizer Robin Browne speaks about his work to change how Ottawa police address mental-health crises and reflects on his decades of activism to confront systemic anti-Black racism.
Blog - The Views Expressed February 22
Inauguration of new president of Haiti in 2017. Image credit: United Nations Photo/Flickr
Canada's contribution to political corruption in Haiti
Yves Engler | As Haiti's neo-Duvalierist regime becomes ever more dictatorial it's worth revisiting Canada's history in facilitating fraud and money laundering in the hemisphere's most impoverished nation.
Blog - The Views Expressed February 22
Image credit: Quibton Gordon
Black History Month a time to celebrate and reflect on racial justice
Sharmarke Dubow | Every February, people across the country celebrate the contributions of Black Canadians, both past and present. Black Canada is diverse and we all have a tale to tell.
Blog - Alberta Diary February 22
Brian Brennan, at left, on the picket line at the Calgary Herald. Renowned Canadian author Margaret Atwood can be seen in the centre of the photo. To her right in hat is mystery thriller author Grant McKenzie. Image: Calgary Herald Strike Archive
Brian Brennan, 77, elegant wordsmith, musician, courageous trade unionist
David J. Climenhaga | For many years, Brian Brennan specialized in writing obituaries, each a polished gem of a few hundred words, with more poetry in them than the readers of a daily newspaper could expect.
Blog - A change is gonna come February 22
Nestlé water bottle. Image credit: Nestlé/Flickr
Ontario needs to ensure water remains in the public common
Doreen Nicoll | Ontario's Wellington County will be hard hit by Nestlé's plans to sell its North American bulk bottled-water business to a private equity firm.
Blog - Alberta Diary February 20
Pastor James Coates preaching to his congregation recently. Image: Screenshot of GraceLife Church video
Enforcement of Alberta's pandemic restrictions no threat to defiant pastor
David J. Climenhaga | The religious right in Canada and the U.S. is painting Pastor James Coates as a Christian martyr. Verily, I say unto you, his willingness to go to jail has nothing to do with religious freedom.

Pages