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 - Alberta Diary August 12
A typical workday for UFCW 401 President Doug O'Halloran. Photo: David J. Climenhaga
Doug O'Halloran, UFCW 401 president, signs off with dignity and courage
David J. Climenhaga | On Friday, Doug O'Halloran, one of Canada's last old style union leaders -- tough, plain spoken and deeply committed the workers he represents -- announced his life is coming to an end.
Blog - Brent Patterson August 10
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Does campaigning by jet make sense in an era of climate breakdown?
Brent Patterson | Travelling by train wouldn't make Trudeau or Scheer climate leaders, but jetting across the country for 36 days is deeply problematic.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 9
Mark Iype attends "Words Matter" event at Peter Lougheed Leadership College, University of Alberta in 2017. Photo: Peter Lougheed Leadership College/Facebook
Postmedia seeks new editor for Edmonton Journal. What became of the old one?
David J. Climenhaga | Do the latest changes at the Journal have anything to do with the placement of one of Canada's most right-wing commentators in charge of political coverage at Postmedia?
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog August 8
Fuel the fire of independent media
Judy Rebick | rabble remains resolved to amplify underrepresented voices and bring media democracy to the forefront of the Canadian media landscape.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 8
Jason Kenney, Andrew Scheer and Tim Uppal (Photo: Andrew Scheer/Twitter).
Fallout from dual probes into 2017 UCP leadership campaign still drifting down
David J. Climenhaga | Investigations by the RCMP and the Office of the Election Commissioner keep turning over new rocks in the 2017 UCP leadership race won by Jason Kenney.
Blog - Council of Canadians' blog August 8
Image: Sally B. Tuck/Flickr
Police surveillance stifles climate justice activism, supports fossil fuel interests
Robin Tress | From Kenney's war room to CSIS and the RCMP monitoring Indigenous activists and sharing knowledge with oil giants, democratic institutions have been captured by the fossil fuel industry.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 7
Thomas Dang, one of the NDP members of the Alberta legislature's member services committee (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).
Symbolic MLA pay cut sets stage for attack on public services -- so why did Alberta NDP support it?
David J. Climenhaga | From the perspective of practical politics, what is important, and what will be remembered, is that the vote of the committee was unanimous. NDP members should have voted no.
Blog - The Activist Toolkit Blog August 7
Photo: Born 1945/Flickr
The Activist Toolkit's summer reading list
Maya Bhullar | August is here. It is time to think of the fights that will be coming up when legislatures come back into session. Here are some summer reading suggestions to make effective change.
Blog - David Suzuki August 7
Image: Dunk/Flickr
Deniers deflated as climate reality hits home
David Suzuki | Those who continue to spread doubt and confusion about climate science are starting to look even more ridiculous with their many conflicting, insubstantial arguments.
Blog - The Views Expressed August 6
Dialogue with civil society representatives. Photo: Patricia Leiva/OAS/Flickr
Shrinking civic space demands alternative strategies
Philip Lee | The shrinking of civil society spaces has become a topic of intense debate, increasingly flagged by activists, academics, and rights advocates who discuss its causes and impacts.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 6
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Photo: David J. Climenhaga
Kenney pledges 'I will never give up on Canada' while stoking Alberta separatist sentiment
David J. Climenhaga | Being exposed as a politician willing to put our country's future at risk isn't a good look for a guy who still harbours his own prime ministerial ambitions.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 4
Postmedia political columnist Licia Corbella. Photo: David J. Climenhaga
The real problem with Licia Corbella dustup is the lack of diverse views in Canadian media
David J. Climenhaga | Bans on journalists employed by major media operations holding party membership cards are a ridiculous affectation of the sort commonly known as a fig leaf.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 2
Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).
Former Postmedia journalist hired by Kenney government to 'reset the record'
David J. Climenhaga | When Sonya Savage said "the lies end now," was the energy minister referring to what the CEOs of the oil giants have to say? Or just those pesky foreign-funded environmentalists?
Blog - Alberta Diary August 2
AUPE President Guy Smith addresses union members and supporters Wednesday in Edmonton (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).
Alberta government seeks leave to appeal injunction suspending Bill 9
David J. Climenhaga | Should the Appeal Court uphold the injunction, it will be interesting to see which is more important to the UCP: preserving the federal Tories' election chances, or pursuing their own radical agenda.
Blog - The Views Expressed August 2
Leo Gerard speaks at a Capitol Hill trade deal protest in 2010. Photo: AFL-CIO America's Unions/Flickr
Leo Gerard reflects on 54 years in the union movement -- and what lies ahead
Leo Gerard | As he retires from his job as president of the United Steelworkers, Leo Gerard looks back at his half century in the trade union movement and makes the case for why unions are needed more than ever.
Blog - Dented Blue Mercedes August 2
Image: Screenshots/Mercedes Allen, waxing tools/Adobe Stock, with composition by Mercedes Allen
Human rights sky not falling in B.C. genital waxing case
Mercedes Allen | Trans human rights protections were never meant to be used to force cis women to touch a penis that they did not consent to. But here's the secret: they don't.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog August 1
Continue to be a part of our story
rabble staff | We are at an important midpoint in our summer fundraiser, and we'd like to thank you for continuing to be a part of our story.
Blog - Alberta Diary August 1
Premier Jason Kenney cutting red tape. Photo: Government of Alberta/Flickr
Regardless of Jason Kenney's tweets, the Corporate Mapping Project is uncovering data of value to citizens
David J. Climenhaga | Support for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's peer-reviewed grant application-review process appears to cross political lines.
Blog - Brent Patterson August 1
CF-18 flyover in Toronto. Photo: synestheticstrings/Wikimedia Commons
Can the climate justice movement ground the fighter jets celebrated at air shows?
Brent Patterson | A rebellion against our extinction and the winning of a Green New Deal means challenging the spectacle of burning jet fuel for entertainment.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 31
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees President Guy Smith speaks wither reporters about Bill 9 earlier this month at the Alberta Legislature (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).
Injunction suspending application of Bill 9 leaves Kenney government with egg on its face
David J. Climenhaga | In the short term, this doesn't leave the government a lot of palatable options if it doesn't want to upset federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's rickety applecart before October 21.
Blog - Indigenous Nationhood July 31
Photo: Provice of British Columbia/Flickr
Debate should be over, Canada is guilty of genocide
Pamela Palmater | Canada needs to turn its resources inward and work on a national action plan in partnership with Indigenous governments and led by Indigenous women.
Blog - David Suzuki July 31
Photo: Sivanesan/Flickr
It's our choice: turn down the heat or cook the planet
David Suzuki | There's room for discussion about the most effective ways to address the climate crisis, but ultimately we have to deploy every solution available and keep developing new ones.
Blog - Cathy Crowe's blog July 30
Handwritten hearts are left outside Toronto Mayor's office. One says 'Please make the right choice and respond to our housing crisis now!!' Photo credit: Paul Salvatori
The heat is on: Toronto must do more to protect the vulnerable
Paul Salvatori | There is no relief in the city's heat relief network, nor is there compassion.
Blog - Council of Canadians' blog July 30
Photo from Reclaiming our Past, Present and Future Facebook page
Attawapiskat water crisis continues despite urgent calls from community
Vi Bui | Three weeks after Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency over its water quality, there are no signs of concrete actions from the federal government to address the community's water crisis.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 30
Jason Kenney, 22, tells CNN why women at the University of San Francisco have no right to speak freely on campus in favour of their reproductive rights (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube).
Push for free speech charter on Alberta campuses will privilege radical right
David J. Climenhaga | Premier Jason Kenney has a history of opposing free speech rights of people he disagrees with. Now we're supposed to believe his government is concerned about free speech on campus?
Blog - Brent Patterson July 28
Photo: Brent Patterson
Colombian-Canadians and allies rally in opposition to the killing of human rights defenders
Brent Patterson | On July 26, thousands took part in a "march for life and the defence of social leaders" global day of action.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 28
Pengrowth Saddledome and the Calgary skyline. Photo: James Teterenko/Creative Commons
Postmedia pours it to bring home the bacon for Calgary's hockey billionaires
David J. Climenhaga | If Calgary city council had been paying attention, someone might have asked: Does Mr. Calgary really want to go down in history as the Peter Pocklington of Southern Alberta?
Blog - Alberta Diary July 25
One of the subjects of the Corporate Mapping Project’s ongoing study (Photo: Suncor Energy/Flickr).
Memo to Kenney: Corporate Mapping Project was approved on Harper's watch
David J. Climenhaga | Given the great work the Corporate Mapping Project has been doing, I am astounded it has taken this long for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and their former CEO to start trying to discredit it.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 25
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson back in the day. Photo: EU2017EE Estonian Presidency/Flickr
How much damage will Boris Johnson do to the U.K.?
David J. Climenhaga | Meanwhile, back in Alberta, Premier Jason Kenney has been strangely silent about his enthusiastic support for the Brexiteers two years ago.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog July 24
What's democracy worth anyway?
Amira Elghawaby | By supporting rabble, you are supporting an independent, progressive, and ethical media platform.

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