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 July 21
Image: Tim Mossholder/Flickr
Laughter in the middle of a pandemic is not a cure, but it helps us endure it
Ed Finn | During the COVID-19 pandemic, it's getting harder to maintain a good sense of humour. But laughter is important, even in these morbid times.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 21
Tyler Shandro gives a press conference on June 23, 2020. (Image: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr)
Alberta government looks to side deals with specialists in war with provincial medical association
David J. Climenhaga | Efforts to explain the depth of the government's animus and aggression towards the Alberta Medical Association during a global pandemic have not cast much light on the conflict.
Blog - David Suzuki July 21
Atlas Coal Mine, near Drumheller, Alberta. Image: Heidi G/Flickr
Coal power should be relegated to the ash heap of history
David Suzuki | More and better jobs could be created by facilitating clean tech and renewable energy industries than relying on outdated, destructive energy sources that the world has agreed must be phased out.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 20
Aerial photo of the 2013 Lac-Megantic rail disaster. Image: Transportation Safety Board/Flickr
Here's why oil train derailments and pipeline spills keep happening
Liette Gilbert, Anna Zalik | Inconsistencies in reported data present a major obstacle to proper monitoring and auditing, even though the available information provides superficial comfort to some.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 20
Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw. Image: Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta
Alberta now has the highest per capita rate of COVID-19 infections in Canada
David J. Climenhaga | Premier Kenney says he's making "a very strong recommendation" that Albertans wear masks, but there's no way he's going to order them to do it.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 17
Finance Minister Bill Morneau with Kielburger in 2017. Image: Bill Morneau/Facebook
Media focus ignores WE Charity's negative impact on young Canadians' understanding of global injustice
Yves Engler | A little-discussed reason the federal government funds NGOs is to co-opt internationalist minded young people into aligning with Canadian foreign policy.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 17
Unist'ot'en Matriarchs burning a court injunction in ceremony in February, 2020. Image: Unist'ot'en Camp/Twitter
The hidden part of Canada and British Columbia's MOU with the Wet'suwet'en
Pierrot Ross-Tremblay, Nawel Hamidi, Colin Samson | The speed with which the Canadian government is acting is clearly linked to pushing through as many dangerous and irresponsible extractive projects on ancestral territories as possible.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 17
Jonathan Wilkinson during a press conference in June, 2020. Image: Jonathan Wilkinson/Twitter
Federal environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson suddenly gives Alberta coal mine proposal the fish eye
David J. Climenhaga | Could Wilkinson's doubts have anything to do with the appointment of a climate change denier as a VP of the Alberta Energy Regulator?
Blog - The Views Expressed July 16
Image: Courtesy of FoodShare Toronto
Poverty and food security in our new COVID-dominated reality
Paul Taylor | Will we take the lessons of the past several months to implement progressive policies to confront the societal wrongs exposed by the pandemic?
Blog - Alberta Diary July 16
Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro during a press briefing on July 13, 2020. Image: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr
Alberta health minister tells college of physicians and surgeons it can't let doctors quit
David J. Climenhaga | Yesterday's desperation play confirms the UCP government's "war on doctors" isn't going well.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 15
Image: Tumisu/Pixabay
What should we do with $900 million for Canada student service grants?
Chi Nguyen | The federal government has an opportunity to put more effective principles of community-ownership, youth empowerment, and intergenerational thinking in reshaping the Canada Student Service grant.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 15
Lethbridge-West NDP MLA Shannon Phillips, who was environment minister in the Notley government. Image: David J. Climenhaga
Lethbridge cops almost get away with illegal surveillance of an NDP minister
David J. Climenhaga | Left unmentioned so far in the affair is its relationship to the continuous abuse endured by female politicians in Alberta by right-wingers while the NDP was in power.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog July 14
Image: rabble.ca
It takes a village to keep social justice journalism going
Judy Rebick | It takes a village to keep social justice journalism going, and thanks to all of you, we have that village.
Blog - David Suzuki July 14
Image: Saurabh Singh/Unsplash
Human rights lens needed to prevent environmental racism
David Suzuki | Unresponsive environmental policies systematically result in concentration of pollution risks -- and inadequate access to environmental benefits -- in disadvantaged Canadian communities.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 14
Then British prime minister David Cameron, giving a speech in 2015. Image: Number 10/Flickr
From us to WE: former British prime minister David Cameron's neoliberal 'big society' concept lives on
David J. Climenhaga | The persistence of the "big society" concept helps explain Justin Trudeau's preposterous claim the WE Charity was the only organization in Canada capable of running a nationwide program.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 13
Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro. Image: Screenshot of Government of Alberta video
Whether or not half of Alberta's doctors are thinking of leaving the province, even a much smaller exodus would be a disaster
David J. Climenhaga | The echo chamber of UCP "issues managers" and press secretaries vilifies any doctor that talks back, and seems to be daring physicians to leave the province.
Blog - A change is gonna come July 13
Image: KMR Photography/Flickr
We need a guaranteed livable income
Doreen Nicoll | Compared with the $71 billion that CERB will cost for just 24 weeks of payments, GLI could be a more fiscally responsible means of providing Canadians with financial security.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 10
Dave Rodney, still an MLA, in 2013. Image: David J. Climenhaga​
Former MLA Dave Rodney lands generous gig as Alberta's agent general in Houston
David J. Climenhaga | The former MLA who gave up his seat for Jason Kenney in 2017 is bound for a sinecure in Texas.
Blog - On The Other Hand July 10
An American voter posts their ballot from overseas. Image: Jeff Knezovich​/Flickr
U.S. should switch to mail-in ballot to circumvent threats to democracy
Penney Kome | The U.S. Supreme Court recently clamped down on "faithless electors," but other dangers to American democracy remain.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 9
Photo depicting the destruction caused by the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. Image: National Transportation Safety Board/Wikimedia Commons
Seven years on, have the lessons of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster been learned?
Bruce Campbell | Oil trains -- although volumes have been somewhat reduced during the pandemic -- continue to roll through towns and cities across Canada. The window is still open for history to repeat itself.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 9
Image: De an Sun/Unsplash
Individualist thinking makes prospects for global anti-pandemic campaign dim
Ed Finn | Disregard for preventative measures against COVID-19 is the direct result of an economic and cultural ideology that ranks individualism above collaboration.
Blog - rabble.ca's staff blog July 9
Image: rabble.ca
We want to explore the issues most important to you
Matthew DiMera | We are in the early days of our annual summer fundraiser, and we must ensure we make our target of $50,000 this summer to meet all of our expenses. If you can, will you donate now?
Blog - Alberta Diary July 9
NDP environment critic Marlin Schmidt. Image: David J. Climenhaga
Alberta NDP should be keeping the spotlight on Jason Kenney's racist speech writer, not Margaret Thatcher
David J. Climenhaga | The Alberta NDP should keep the spotlight shining where it's needed most -- including on Jason Kenney's determination to maintain a cozy space for racism in his government.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 8
Alberta Labour Minister Jason Copping addressing yesterday's "embargoed news conference" as "red tape reduction minister" Grant Hunter looks on. Image: Screenshot of Alberta Government video
Alberta's new labour law breaks old ground while undermining unions
David J. Climenhaga | Bill 32 has nothing to do with restoring balance in Alberta's workplaces. It's a wholesale effort to hamstring unions.
Blog - The Activist Toolkit Blog July 8
Image: Colby Rex O'Neill
Cancel Canada Day pushed back against celebrations of land theft. Now it's time to continue pushing for change
Maya Bhullar | On July 1, Idle No More and allies organized #CancelCanadaDay actions and a live broadcast to stop the annual celebration of stolen Indigenous land and stolen Indigenous lives.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 8
Image: Graphic by Iranian artist Shirin Barghi​
Canada should lift sanctions on Iran now
Stefan Christoff | The sanctions amount to vindictive economic measures that directly hurt the fight against the pandemic in Iran, leading to a greater amount of suffering and death.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 7
Oppenheimer Park. Image: Paul Sableman/Flickr
It's time for Canadian courts and governments to acknowledge that forcible displacement of homeless people is inhumane
Stepan Wood | The second article in a two-part series looking at the cycle of displacement of homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blog - The Views Expressed July 7
Bob Rae speaking at Queen's University in 2013. Queen's University/Flickr
Bob Rae's appointment as UN ambassador shows Liberal government learned nothing from UN Security Council defeat
Yves Engler | Rae's appointment suggests the Liberals are ignoring the lessons of the UN Security Council defeat and calls to rethink Canadian foreign policy.
Blog - David Suzuki July 7
Image: Cameron Venti/Unsplash
Green recovery gains momentum as world confronts multiple crises
David Suzuki | Our recovery from this pandemic will be stronger if we correct course away from activities that cause climate disruption, biodiversity loss, environmental devastation and increasing disease spread.
Blog - Alberta Diary July 7
Tyler Shandro during a June 25 news briefing. Image: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr
The United Conservative Party's health-care omnibus bill is bad, but not as bad as it could have been
David J. Climenhaga | Bill 30 opens the door to a higher degree of privatization and two-tier health care, and escalates the government's feud with Alberta's doctors.

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