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 Activist Toolkit Blog August 26
Burning rainforest in Brazil. Image: NASA/Wikimedia Commons
Three strategic ways to protect the rainforests
Maya Bhullar | Hope is better than despair, so let's act together.
Blog - The Views Expressed August 23
Alex Potter designed and led a concert featuring musical versions of the Song of Songs as part of Early Music Vancouver's Bach Festival at Christ Church Cathedral. Image: Jan Gates/Early Music Vancouver/Facebook
The agony and the ecstasy -- a call for dogma to embrace poetry
Hadani Ditmars | As Eid al adha and Tisha b'av coincide and news from the Holy Land -- not to mention America -- seems as grim as ever, it seems a fitting time to ponder another side of the religious experience.
Blog - Taking Sides August 23
Man listening to earphones. Image: Muhammadtaha Ibrahim/Unsplash
Short-sighted digital policies for short-term gains
Philip Lee | Accessibility and affordability are watchwords of the communication rights movement. Yet when it comes to digital access, governments still have not got their act together.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog August 22
Launching the search for a 2020 Jack Layton fellow
rabble staff | The fellowship supports emerging writers and journalists who are passionate and engaged in developing unique voices in social change reporting. The deadline for applications is October 30, 2019.
Blog - On The Other Hand August 22
Elections Canada poll sign. Image: Dennis Sylvester Hurd/Flickr
Ethics and truth in election advertising
Penney Kome | Ready or not, we are embarking on an experiment to see whether Harper's legacy of election laws can support an actual election.
Blog - Brent Patterson August 21
Rita Wong. Image: PBI-Canada/Facebook
Land defender Rita Wong sentenced to jail for blocking Trans Mountain work site
Brent Patterson | Before she was arrested, Rita Wong encouraged "more people to make the connections between violence against the land and violence against missing and murdered Indigenous women."
Blog - Council of Canadians' blog August 21
Image: Vladvictoria/Pixabay
When corporate interests hijack government, beware claims about 'public interest'
Robin Tress | Nearly any democratic institution in Canada is susceptible to manipulation by corporate interests, making claims about serving the "public interest" or "public security" highly dubious.
Blog - David Suzuki August 21
Image: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Flickr
Captive breeding only works when animals can go home
David Suzuki | Under current conservation practices, we breed endangered species in captivity, then release the captive-bred animals into the degraded habitats that failed to support the species in the first place.
Blog - A change is gonna come August 21
Image: NFB
Two films about Indigenous perseverance premiere at Toronto International Film Festival
Doreen Nicoll | This year's Toronto International Film Festival features "Now is the Time" and "Jordan River Anderson: The Messenger" -- two incredible stories of First Nations perseverance and ultimately success.
Blog - Linda Leon's Blog August 20
Prime Minister Trudeau announces that the Government of Canada will ban harmful single-use plastics. Image: Adam Scotti/PMO
Is the Liberal government doing enough to combat climate change?
Linda Leon | The Liberal electoral platform isn't out yet. But the "Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change" is worthy of assessment. Is it good enough?
Blog - Alberta Diary August 19
Alberta Teachers Association president Jason Schilling. Image: David J. Climenhaga
UCP slaps Alberta Teachers Association … probably not for the last time
David J. Climenhaga | As a union and a signatory to a memorandum of agreement with the NDP, the Alberta Teachers Association is nowadays a particular bête noir to the united Kenney party.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 19
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Image: Government of Alberta/Flickr
UCP purges NDP appointees from Alberta's boards, agencies and commissions
David J. Climenhaga | The changes, and the way they were made, are harbingers of both how radical the UCP program is likely to be and the shock strategy it will use to implement them.
Blog - Brent Patterson August 18
Image: Peace Brigades International
Remembering Colombian land defender Hernán Bedoya
Brent Patterson | The human right to a healthy environment means better protection of environmental human rights defenders and their families.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 18
Alberta Labour Minister Jason Copping, left, and minimum wage "expert panel" chair Joseph Marchand at the government's newser in Calgary. Image: Government of Alberta/Flickr
Kenney Conservatives create policy panel to push the working poor back to penury
David J. Climenhaga | Lobbyists influencing policy and legislation is nothing new. But Thursday's announcement suggests the Kenney government isn't even trying to pretend anymore.
Blog - Greening the News August 18
A 2011 oil tank fire in Gibraltar. The Trans Mountain pipeline extension would increase the risk of such fires at the pipeline's terminus in Burnaby, B.C. Image: Moshi Anahory/Wikimedia Commons
Resistance to Trans Mountain pipeline is growing on all fronts
Robert Hackett | The bitumen-bearing pipeline depends on taxpayer subsidies. Now, emerging campaigns aim to stop those subsidies -- and to re-align energy and climate policy with Canada's best values.
Blog - A change is gonna come August 18
A native plant garden. Image: Flickr/Jim Crotty
Burlington should be supporting, not policing native plant gardens
Doreen Nicoll | Resident Paul Raun was recently notified by Burlington by-law enforcement that he must cut and remove overgrown weeds on his property. The problem is, he has no weeds, only native plants.
Blog - The Views Expressed August 16
Reflection on Dal Lake. Image: McKay Savage/Wikimedia Commons
To Kashmir, the country without a post office, with love
Shama Naqushbandi | While the move taken over the last week to forcibly impose Central Indian rule under complete blackout may seem like the beginning of an end, in truth, Kashmiris have been here many times before.
Blog - Pulpit and Politics August 16
Michael Adams (on right) at 2019 Ottawa book event. Photo: Dennis Gruending
Pollster Michael Adams says Trumpism unlikely in Canada
Dennis Gruending | Pollster Michael Adams' new book predicts that Trumpism and Brexit divisions are unlikely to sprout in Canada.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 16
​Image: Jason Woodhead/Flickr
Conservative propaganda machine is applying a full-court press
David J. Climenhaga | The ecosystem of partisan Conservative propaganda outlets is gearing up for the full-court press to persuade us the United Conservative Party is right and that there is no alternative.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog August 15
The future of the public library and stories of resistance
Matthew DiMera | Just as libraries provide public space, essential to a thriving and blooming community, rabble provides the online space for the democratic debate of issues affecting progressive Canadians.
Blog - A change is gonna come August 15
Antheia's milkweed taken by Altheia. Used with permission.
Burlington declares climate emergency, orders resident to cut down naturalized garden
Doreen Nicoll | Burlington declared a climate emergency this spring. But the city has violated its own bylaws by forcibly cutting down a resident's naturalized garden, a research-proven climate solution.
Blog - Viewpoint: Reproductive Justice August 14
Ontario Premier Doug Ford visits Joseph Brant Hospital to celebrate the completion and grand opening of its newly expanded facility. Image: Premier of Ontario Photography/Flickr
Ford's cuts to health care and our rights
Tina S. Beier | An overview of the Ford government's cuts to health care in Ontario and how these cuts affect reproductive health, LGBTQ+ mental health, and privatization.
Blog - The Views Expressed August 14
Opening ceremony, Canada Day Toronto Blue Jays game. Image: Ken Whytock/Flickr
Should Canadian voters be concerned about populism?
Deborah Mebude | At its worst, populism exploits weaknesses in democracy, playing off tensions within society. At its best, it could produce increased democratic inclusion and provide a platform for everyday people.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 14
Syncrude camp and operations site north of Fort McMurray. Photo: Julia Kilpatrick/Pembina Institute/Flickr
Alberta may still be mired in climate-change denial, but the rest of the world is moving on
David J. Climenhaga | Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's strategy of yelling at anyone who disagrees is not going to prove very effective as the world comes to the conclusion climate change is real.
Blog - David Suzuki August 14
Image: IAEA Imagebank/Flickr
New IPCC report flags diet and land-use changes to curb climate chaos
David Suzuki | The way we manage forests and grow, process and distribute food is contributing to climate disruption, but protecting and restoring natural landscapes will help absorb excess CO2.
Blog - Judy Rebick's Blog August 13
Elections Canada polling station 2015. Photo: ishmael n. daro/Flickr
Why I don't support strategic voting
Judy Rebick | Last election, support for strategic voting may have won the Liberals their majority. This time we shouldn't do it. We need the NDP and Greens to have more weight in Parliament.
Blog - The Views Expressed August 13
Photo: Carolina Ödman/Flickr
Building trust in a fragmented world
Philip Lee | Genuine communication is all about creating relationships and building trust. When members of a community listen to each other's views and opinions, they gain greater understanding.
Blog - Policy Note August 13
Calls for climate action from the group Extinction Rebellion. Photo: Sebastian Dooris/Wikimedia Commons
The Canadian public is ready for climate action. Now we need politics to catch up
Seth Klein | Canadians support systemic solutions that go well beyond what our governments have so far been willing to undertake.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 13
Alberta Minister of Health Tyler Shandro tours the Stollery’s new pediatric intensive care unit. Photo: Government of Alberta/Flickr
Conservative mismanagement of Alberta's health-care system is a feature not a bug
David J. Climenhaga | After years of constant conservative mismanagement, Alberta's health-care system may not be able to take another major reorganization without catastrophic results.
Blog - Brent Patterson August 12
Photo: Brent Patterson
Mohawk land defender Ellen Gabriel on the continuing struggle for land and territory
Brent Patterson | Peace Brigades International visited The Pines in 1991 and takes note of the escalating tensions over land ownership in 2019.

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