The (Right) News Rundown
- “The broad support needed among Canadians for a change of this magnitude does not exist.”
- “A clear preference for a new electoral system, let alone a consensus, has not emerged" said Democratic Institutions Minister Katrina Gould.
- The government has made the right choice in this decision since based on their preferences we would likely have not seen a referendum. It's long established that when voting systems are in question of being changed that the populace should be polled. This has happened in numerous countries and provinces in recent memory. It would have been a mistake to advance ahead without a referendum.
- It would have also been a mistake to pursue a ranked ballot since that would be seen as outright benefiting the Liberal party.
- Proportional representations doesn't favor any large political party.
- All of this combined with the results of the MyDemocracy.ca survey show that change isn't needed or wanted at this time.
- You'll recall from the previous episode of The Right Side that 67% of Canadians are somewhat or very satisfied with our democracy. Overwhelmingly Canadians want a voting system that is easy to understand, they also want to know what the result of their ballot will be and one they also want a system that allows a single party to bear responsibility for decisions made.
- This story was reported in the mainstream media as though there are still many Canadians who are upset with the decision that the Liberal government made. This runs contrary to the results of the MyDemocracy.ca report.
- “What certainly we indicated to them at the time is that we’d be very happy to work with them to increase that number if that’s the direction they choose to go,” she said in a news conference Wednesday.
- According to the province, Alberta received 7,004 refugees between Nov. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2016. Of that amount, 4,921 were Syrian.
- The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) estimates about 3,400 refugees landed in Calgary last year.
- BC Court of Appeal struck down any notion of a ""native veto"" on the controversial Site C dam
- The Site C Dam is a project by BC Hydro for a large-scale earth fill hydroelectric dam on the Peace River in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada, near the border with Alberta. The site is downstream from the existing W.A.C. Bennett and Peace Canyon dams.
- “The duty to consult and accommodate does not afford First Nations a ‘veto’ over the proposed activity,” Justice Peter Lowry wrote, with the support of colleagues Peter Willcock and John Savage.
- The duty to consult means that project managers have to collaborate and find a balance of compromise, but not when the only compromise means to abandon it completely
- Lowry explained that “over the course of seven years, (Hydro) met with them 177 times and funded their full participation in the environmental assessment and consultation processes throughout in accordance with several agreements made with them over that time. The judge found the lengthy consultation process had been conducted in good faith and was extensive both qualitatively and quantitatively.”
- B.C. Hydro gave native groups more than $5.8 million to fund their participation in the review and there was government money, too.
- A final appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada is likely.
The Firing Line
- "Six dead and many more injured. Funerals have already begun to take place for the victims.
- The suspect who has been arrested and charged is 27 year old Alexandre Bissonnette. Initially the police reported to the media that there was another suspect but this was later revealed to be an error by the police.
- No motive has been unveiled yet by the RCMP. It has been revealed that the shooter was anti-immigrant and anti-feminist. The media then took it a step further and felt it necessary to shine a light on the shooter's Facebook likes.
- "His Facebook “likes” included pages for U.S. President Donald Trump, far-right French politician Marine Le Pen, the federal NDP, former NDP leader Jack Layton, chess clubs, video games and organizations at Laval University."
- Media coverage following the attack has rightly focused on the funerals and vigils held for the victims. In addition to this however there has been a huge focus on a problem that may or may not exist of islamophobia in our society. There is no way to take the pulse of an entire country and determine if it is islamophobic or xenophobic towards a certain group. There will always be small pockets of xenophobia and racism in any society. It's wrong but it unfortunately exists.
- As a result of this it felt as though the media has taken the role of social adjudicator on our society. When the media acts in such a manner they ultimately become a part of the conversation rather than just relaying the info and allowing the citizens to decide how they feel on the matter.
Word of the Week
Definition of “right” from Merriam Webster Dictionary
1: righteous, upright
2: being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper “right conduct”
3: conforming to facts or truth : correct “the right answer”
4: suitable, appropriate “the right man for the job”
5: straight “a right line”
6: genuine, real
10: acting or judging in accordance with truth or fact “time proved her right”
11a: being in good physical or mental health or order “not in his right mind”
11b : being in a correct or proper state “put things right”
12: most favorable or desired, socially acceptable ”knew all the right people”
13: often capitalized : of, adhering to, or constituted by the Right especially in politics
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Show Data
Episode Title: Rejection, Refugees, and Reform
Recorded Date: February 4, 2017
Release Date: February 4, 2017
Duration: 32:52
Teaser: An official admission from the Trudeau government that electoral reform is off the table, Alberta is contemplating accepting more refugees, and a win for the Site C dam. Plus, a rundown of the media coverage following the Quebec City mosque shooting.
Edit Notes: None