Fixing the Conservative brand
It is possible to quibble that the Saskatchewan Party is conservative in all but its name. The B.C. Liberals are also to the right of their federal namesake. Oh, and the Yukon Party is secretly Tory. But is it really good news that conservatives can still get elected in some places, but only if they don’t call themselves “Conservative”?
It might also be pointed out that the NDP holds only two provinces, including its surprising but fragile Alberta breakthrough. So maybe it’s not the Tory brand. Or maybe it’s all the fault of the Canadian propensity for vote-splitting. Or perhaps the Liberals are just in vogue at the moment.
http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/national-post-view-fixing-the-conservative-brand
Harper has nearly destroyed Conservatives
While in office, Stephen Harper demonstrated few conservative principles. Growing government power, corporate subsidies, and little accountability ruled the day. He promised a new age of transparency, but offered only secrecy, trickery and scandal.
In 2011, with the freedom of a majority government — it was party time. Taxpayer funds were doled out without proper oversight, while government refused to release financial records of its controversial programs.
Election fraud was rampant as party members violated spending rules. When scandals prove so pervasive, it’s fair to suggest they represent the culture of the Conservatives.
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2015/10/25/duel-harper-has-nearly-destroyed-conservatives
Quebec Gun Registry
BRING BACK GUN REGISTRY: OPP DEPUTY COMMISSIONER
Orillia Today
By Frank Matys
A deputy commissioner of the OPP is applauding Quebec’s plan for a provincial firearms registry and says Ontario – or the federal government – should consider following suit.
“Would I personally like to see a discussion start to take place? Absolutely I would,” Scott Tod said in an interview. “(At) either level.”
Tod broached the subject at a recent event hosted by OPP General Headquarters in honour of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
(The event included an emotional presentation by Dawn Novak, whose daughter Natalie was stabbed to death by a former boyfriend.)
A father of two young daughters and a son, Tod personalized the issue by wondering aloud if his daughters are more vulnerable than his son might be.
“The answer to that every day is yes,” he said.
Moments later, Tod addressed the plan by Quebec to introduce a firearms registry, telling the audience it “promotes what we believe is public safety.
http://cssa-cila.org/2015/12/team-cssa-special-report-december-10-2015/
A Criminologist’s Case Against Gun Control
A law professor explains why he is skeptical about new approaches to gun violence in America
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In the wake of the recent mass shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood that claimed three lives, President Barack Obama called the incidents of gun violence in America “not normal.” “Enough is enough,” Obama said. According to one count, there have been 351 mass shootings in the United States in 2015. The frequency of these shootings has led many to call for new approaches to guns and violence in America. In a Nov. 5 national survey, for instance, 52 percent of respondents said they support “stricter gun laws.” (The number who said they supported “gun control” was smaller.)
In an interview, James Jacobs, director of Center for Research in Crime and Justice at New York University School of Law, a professor of constitutional law, and the author of Can Gun Control Work?, discusses what he sees as the challenges facing those who would like to change the country’s approach to gun violence and gun laws.
http://time.com/4100408/a-criminologists-case-against-gun-control/
