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First Nations leaders leery of government measures on child welfare

CBC News Well, yes. Of course it would make First Nations somewhat cautious. The number seems arbitrary. Arrived at because it was the freed money from another budget. First and foremost, the government needs to consult First Nations leaders. There are organizations set up, mainly by First Nations, which can lead to an overarching dialogue, even with dozens of disparate and widely varied First Nation cultures throughout Canada. I'm sure a face to face meeting between Trudeau and Bellegarde would've helped this process along quite nicely. But at the moment, it seems like Canadian leaders are hiding away, avoiding First Nations leadership, and this announcement was meant to placate white voters with a conscience, rather than about working with First Nations. Listen to First Nations concerns and criticisms. That shouldn't be difficult to do.

Nigel Farage, and the right wing

Nigel Farage has stepped down from the UKIP leadership. This is one complaint I have about the right wing, in general. They know how to break things down, but don't have a clue to when it comes to building things up. Anyway, this will probably muddy up the waters. There are calls for another referendum, but if the vote remains the same, then what? Has anything really changed, other than Johnson and Farage vacating their positions? Has the sentiment within the UK as a whole changed entirely, or are news reporters simply parroting Remain talking points? We'll see, I suppose.

Sihota says reluctance to go for jugular in last election deep-sixed Dix, NDP

Vaughn Palmer - The Vancouver Sun The campaign as a whole was weak, not just the positive message Dix wanted to run with. Top to bottom, weak. In all honesty, I don't even remember what the BC NDP had actually campaigned on. It wasn't as though they managed to get their message out, and I'd attended a few gatherings. Even now, perusing the BC NDP's current platform, I'm struck at how... bland it all is. Nothing exciting. Nothing new. Just the same old safe promises. Raise the minimum wage. Solve the housing crisis. Oppose Kinder Morgan. I agree with all that, but I'm having a hard time getting up for it all. The BC NDP does understand we're facing a world-wide crisis, right now, as pertaining to climate change, right? Were the BC NDP to promise we would begin work, as of right now, yesterday even, on bringing BC to the forefront of green technology, world-wide, I'd jump onto their platform in a heartbeat. Were the BC NDP to pick a fight with the fede...

Sports salaries, and then real life

A draft, archived, and forgotten. It's released, months late and unfinished. Never mind the now obsolete claims, throughout. This is merely a thought. Some light consideration of sports salaries. Nothing in-depth. Merely guesswork and supposition. No evidence. No proof. No editing. No expansion. I'm just going to write out some vague ideas that are lurking below the surface of my thoughts. A free writing exercise. I enjoy sports. Always have. Probably always will. Can no longer play sports. Injuries and accidents have robbed me of mobility, especially in the past five years. I'm done with anything involving running. Or heavy lifting. Was intrigued to see David Price, formerly (and shortly) of the Toronto Blue Jays had signed with the Boston Red Sox for $217 million dollars. Wow. That's a lot more money than I could earn in my entire lifetime. I'd have to win the lottery. Just wow. Seems obscene, but then again, I also subscribe to the old maxim, "Everythin...

Brexit: a disaster decades in the making

Gary Younge - The Guardian  Just started reading this article. Will take time over the next day or two to really digest it in full, but so far, it's been excellent. One point made, that simply astonished me, I'll share: Neglect, both benign and malign, and indulgence, both covert and overt, left those prejudices open for opportunists to exploit for their own ends. Now that needs repetition, for our friends in power. Over and over, again and again: "Neglect, both benign and malign, and indulgence, both covert and overt, (leave) prejudices open for opportunists to exploit for their own ends."

When all you have is a hammer...

Canada’s government spending is now on unsustainable path, warns PBO Financial Post's reporting is a bit, what's the word? alarmist? Things really aren't so dire. Canada’s sub-national governments need a combination of new revenue or spending cuts totalling 1.5 per cent of GDP to put themselves on a sustainable path, up from 1.4 per cent last year — what the PBO called a “modest deterioration.” That would require a combined $30.2 billion in spending cuts or tax increases from provinces, territories, local and indigenous governments. You know, the major, important thing is, that no one ever really mentions, is Canada will always have a modest to wealthy tax base. And also, Canada prints its own money. That's a major strength. It means Canada can always repay its dept, even if the value of its currency falls. $30 billion? It shouldn't be an impossible amount for the government to raise. It should be a multi-pronged approached. Modestly raise taxes, starting fro...