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The West has been ripping off Africa for 700 years. Not the other way around

gerry caplan — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 19:30:14 +0000

According to The New York Times, Donald Trump's transition team wanted to know: "Why should we spend funds on Africa when we are suffering here in the U.S.?" Curiously enough, most Americans probably would have agreed with Mr. Trump that this was a real question. But they all share an entirely false premise.

America and the rest of the rich world have actually been ripping off Africa for the past 700 years, ever since the Portuguese began the slave trade, all the while insisting that Africa has been the beneficiary of this relentless exploitation. It's been one of the great hoaxes of the past millennium.

Guatemalans win right to sue Tahoe Resources in B.C.

redeye — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 17:55:48 +0000

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Six farmers and a student from Guatemala shot while protesting a mine won an important victory when the B.C. Court of Appeal said their lawsuit against Tahoe Resources could be heard in B.C. Lawyer Reidar Mogerman speaks with Redeye host James Mainguy about the case.

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Liberals' pension reforms fall woefully short for Canadian workers

rabble staff — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:45:24 +0000

Friday, February 17, 2017

While changes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) recently adopted by the current federal Liberal government offer some improvement, they do not go far enough.

The legislation includes an increase to the annual payout from 25 per cent to 33 per cent of pre-retirement earnings. In addition, the maximum amount of income covered by the CPP increases from $54,900 to about $82,700 -- once it is fully phased in. However, because the changes do not fully come into effect until 2025, most workers will not have saved enough or contributed a sufficient amount to the CPP and therefore many will be retiring in poverty.

For a government that claims its legislation is fact-based, it has clearly misread the facts.

The facts are:

While changes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) recently adopted by the current federal Liberal government offer some improvement, they do not go far enough.

Why is Canada so offside with world opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

rabble staff — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 14:01:18 +0000

Trudeau has continued Harper's blanket support for Israel in recent UN votes and in the process left Canada isolated from almost all other nations.

Trudeau's pro-Israel stance offside with Canadians -- and hampers bid for UN seat

What happened to liberal politicians? Sadly, they got smart.

rabble staff — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 13:51:21 +0000

Friday, February 17, 2017

Whatever happened to liberals? Sadly, they got smart.

For this insight I'm indebted to U.S. journalist Thomas Frank, whose 2004 book, What's the Matter with Kansas? explained the success of right-wing populism in the George W. Bush years and whose recent, Listen, Liberal, described the Hillary Clinton debacle in advance. He lectured in Toronto last month. It served as a booster shot.

I was always perplexed by Obama's infatuation with "smart guys" like Bill Gates or Larry Summers. I'd assumed anyone who knows these certified smarties must also know they come with limits and are less than advertised.

Smartness has subtly insinuated itself everywhere -- except, apparently, among voters. Smart won't ever replace fair; that's just stupid.

Canada's Conservative Party, a once-great national organization, is being overwhelmed by its own extremists

djclimenhaga — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 06:25:44 +0000

The refusal by Conservative MPs to agree to an anti-Islamophobia motion and their mockery of an Edmonton Liberal MP for having once worked as a bus driver are both additional evidence their once-great national party, like its Republican counterpart in the United States, is increasingly controlled by an extremist, offensive fringe.

Not that additional proof was really needed. The blowhards and bigots crowding the Conservative Party of Canada's interminable leadership race should be evidence enough.

Canadians at odds with their government on Israel

rabble staff — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:09:34 +0000

Friday, February 17, 2017

As the future of Israeli Jews and Palestinians spirals down into an inevitable and inexorable apartheid struggle, Canadians are being denied their fundamental right in a democracy. That is the right to an honest and frank debate about one of the most important issues faced by the international community -- the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the brutal suppression of Palestinian human rights.

It's not that Canadians don't care or don't try to inform themselves. It's that both the media and federal governments are loath to even talk about it. With these two institutions maintaining a steadfast silence there can be no genuine debate. And so we betray both Israelis and Palestinians by condemning them to a future of violence.

Pro-Israeli government policy is built on a foundation of untested assumptions about Canadian attitudes. A new EKOS poll reveals this to be convenient but quite false.

B.C. only province in Canada without poverty reduction plan

redeye — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:36:41 +0000

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Low welfare rates, minimal childcare support and skyrocketing rents mean B.C. has one of the highest poverty rates in Canada. The B.C. Poverty Reduction is organizing a week of action to raise awareness about the issue in the lead-up to the provincial election in May. Trish Garner is with the B.C. Poverty Reduction Coalition. She speaks with Redeye host James Mainguy.

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Trudeau's pro-Israel stance offside with Canadians -- and hampers bid for UN seat

rabble staff — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 20:03:50 +0000

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Aiming to outshine the U.S. on the world stage isn't exactly setting the bar high these days. Outshining Norway and Ireland, however, might present a challenge.

And these two small countries are the main competitors if Justin Trudeau is to realize his dream of nabbing a seat for Canada on the United Nations Security Council.

For all the focus on surviving his meeting with Donald Trump this week, the real prize for Trudeau lies at the UN as he seeks to position himself, particularly in Canadian eyes, as a peacekeeping-loving, refugee-embracing, women-buttressing internationalist, leading a Canada that is "back" engaging with the world.

While Trudeau's persona of a progressive internationalist has won him kudos at home and abroad, his staunch support for Israel at the UN has left Canada significantly offside with public opinion.

Occupy Vancouver: The Vets Who Took Hotel Vancouver

braden.alexander — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 15:20:40 +0000

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In Vancouver, finding a place to live can be difficult. Options for affordable housing are limited as new spaces rarely open. Unfortunately, the lack of options has pushed many to the periphery as they are forced to live on the streets. For some, this tenuous situation is unacceptable and a group of activists decided to occupy an empty building within the city. In recent news, housing advocates squat in empty buildings in order to highlight the lack of affordable housing in larger cities. However, this story takes place over 60 years ago.

Defeats of Andrew Puzder and Michael Flynn reveal power of grassroots movements

rabble staff — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 14:22:12 +0000

Thursday, February 16, 2017

"When the people lead, the leaders will follow" are the oft-quoted words attributed to Gandhi. This week, massive grassroots organizing helped defeat the nomination of Andrew Puzder, a multimillionaire fast-food CEO, as Donald Trump's secretary of labour. He was widely accused of running companies rife with wage theft and sexual harassment. His personal life was marred by accusations of hiring an undocumented immigrant, tax evasion and domestic violence. The push for his defeat was led by some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society, and serves as a lesson in the importance and power of movements.

The engine driving both the ouster of Andrew Puzder and Michael Flynn are movements of thousands upon thousands of people across the U.S., saying "no" to hate, bigotry and injustice.

Basic Canadian civic rights are being whisked away by the Trudeau government

rabble staff — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 13:51:45 +0000

The Liberal government is in the process of passing an extraordinary piece of legislation, C-23, which effectively cedes Canadian sovereignty to U.S. border officials.

Trudeau prepares to cede Canadian sovereignty to U.S. border officials

What you should worry about when you worry about President Trump (Hint: not where Ivanka sits!)

djclimenhaga — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 07:02:19 +0000

It's actually pretty hard to know who to root for in the emerging war between U.S. President Donald Trump and the mainstream media.

I mean, seriously people, I find Mr. Trump as scary as the next sane person -- although apparently not for the same reasons as the MSM, which seems to think he hates Russia with insufficient fervor.

Faking it: Donald Trump's deep ties with the racist, sexist world of professional wrestling

the views expressed — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 22:15:18 +0000

If you want a hint at how far Donald Trump's presidency will go, look no further than professional wrestling. The owners of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) -- the infamous McMahon family -- and President Trump have arguably formed the greatest tag-team of white supremacy both inside and outside the squared circle.

Trump's cabinet includes Linda McMahon, co-founder and former CEO of the WWE, as leader of Small Business Administration. While this stunned some, Trump's close friendship and affiliation with the WWE and the McMahon family goes back 30 years. Trump twice hosted WWE's showcase event Wrestlemania and also appeared as a WWE performer -- each time with vast sums of money exchanging hands.

Persecuted Falun Gong practitioners given a chance at justice

wingsradio — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 16:00:31 +0000

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In 1999, Chinese leader Jiang Zemin implemented a program to eliminate the practice of Falun Gong from the country. This persecution developed into a program of mass arrests, "re-education" through torture, executions and widespread allegations of organ harvesting for the medical market. A change in China's courts has allowed those who suffered to file complaints, and many are doing so.

Host: Kerry Foster