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It’s the first week of December, and baby, it’s cold outside. But the winter chill is no excuse to stay in, eyes glued to a screen. Nora Loreto’s already done enough of that, analyzing the trends of countless email subscribers in an attempt to capture the ideal number of views on her e-newsletter. She’s taken a look at her “more pathetic hours” of web-based data analysis and tied them to data-driven campaigning in federal elections. Turns out, microtargetting potential supporters is more common than you may think. But technology doesn’t always make everything better.

From microtargetting to mass exposure, we turn to the aftereffects of our most recent election. It’s Trudeaumania 2.0 — but is that a good thing? Erika Shaker gets the ball rolling with a look at our Liberal government, and we should realistically start expecting from them. We’ve moved past Harper, but the celebrations can’t last forever. Now comes the tricky navigating through a dangerous combination of “extremely high hopes for what a new administration can bring, and our exceedingly low standards that were forcibly downgraded over the past nine years.”

Next up, John Miller has a few concerns to air about Paul Godfrey’s appointment to the News Hall of Fame. Yes, as it turns out, the man who set records for firing scores of PostMedia journalists — 2,500 since 2010, in fact — is now being hailed as a hero of Canadian journalism. Ignoring the fact that he was nominated by PostMedia and RioCan (he owns the former and chairs the latter), we have to wonder — has Canadian journalism really come to this?

And what has Canadian housing come to? As Cathy Crowe tells it, “the hotspots around homelessness are atrocious.” Wait lists for affordable housing are growing, as is the number of homeless Canadians. Shelters are becoming overcrowded, people are forced to live outdoors, and all too often, our system leads to illness and death. Thankfully, there’s a cure: A national housing strategy. Crowe takes us through the seven steps that could see our country turn its act around.

Speaking of housing, Canada’s incoming 25,000 Syrian refugees have completely changed how we view the crisis overseas. Shenaz Kermalli looks at our sudden interest — and how we need to channel that into a new strategy in Syria. While accepting refugees certainly helps, it’s not a permanent solution. As Kermalli says, “It’s not, after all, the dream of every refugee entering Canada to live here — it’s to not migrate at all.” In the meantime, continued airstrikes have killed 700 civilians without bringing about any discernable progress. It’s time for a change in strategy.

And that’s all for the first roundup of the month. December is here, and with it comes fresh snow and new opportunity. So enjoy the weather, and the great reads that come with it!

rabble is expanding our Parliamentary Bureau and we need your help! Support us on Patreon today! 

Keep Karl on Parl

 

Jen Halsall

Jen Halsall

Jen Halsall is in her fourth year studying journalism at Carleton University. Her campus experience lends her a unique perspective on student and labour issues, though she is most interested in exploring...