check it out

This article from thetyee.ca is an interesting and approachable read that details a two step solution, Housing First and Treatment on Demand, to the homelessness problem Gregor Robertson has pledged to solve. It's definitely worth checking out. One aspect I find really interesting is that in order for this to even be remotely successful, all levels of government (municipal, provincial, and federal) are going to be called upon (perhaps forcefully) to co-operate and co-ordinate at a very high level.

R.I.P

The beginning of the end? The middle of the end?
Sad? Inevitable?
At least the Cubs are still in tact...

What's going to happen when the clouds of recession hit America's favourite past time?

Shaking Hands with the Devil?

In tonight's televised address by Stephen Harper, he spent a fair amount of time pressing the point that the coalition is being held in place by the only party who's goal is to "break up Canada." I'm sure that this deal with the Bloc has a lot of Canadians uneasy, and if Stephen Harper's address is any indication, they are only going to get more uneasy as the Conservative media machine really kicks it into high gear.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about the Bloc being the backbone of the coalition. It's certainly necessary... The NDP and Liberals combined do not have enough votes to do it without them. I absolutely believe that they are going to bring some fair and interesting ideas to the table. The Bloc seems ahead of the game with regards to arts, culture, and social rights. They appear willing to co-operate, at least for the next 18 months.
But it's the 18 month thing that gets me. The reason the Bloc did not sign on for the full two years is because the parties could not agree on the status of Quebec as a "nation"-- nope, that nation debate isn't going anywhere. I think the Bloc sees an opportunity here. And, now, who wants to bet that in 18 months (assuming this coalition actually happens) we are going to have a major debate in Parliament--and perhaps an election--about the status of Quebec in Canada?
This coalition excites me very much, but I have the feeling that if it goes through we're in it for the long haul, and if we think that the political games we are witnessing right now are as intense as it's going to get, we're mistaken. Things are just heating up!

Related: Rex Murphy lays it out.

Also...how awesome is this photo! He's absolutely ruthless!

Coalition!

Today, the Liberals and the NDP signed an agreement saying that they would be willing to share power and form a government, supported by the Bloc, should the Conservative party lose the support of the house in an upcoming confidence vote. Essentially, Stephane Dion would be the Prime Minister, the NDP would get a quarter of the cabinet seats, and the Bloc would have major bargaining power when it came to legislation. The agreement between the Liberals and NDP would be in place until 2011, and the Bloc has signed on to support it for at least the next 18 months.

This news is extremely exciting for me, someone who has longed for a minority government that actually works and that is not just looking towards the next election. Coalition governments have been successful in other countries, and it seems that especially with our outdated, first-past-the-post system of government (perhaps to be changed in BC soon! http://stv.ca) coalition governments are the more democratic way to go... that is, if the parties can actually co-operate--something they will have to learn to do as they go along if they are going to share power over the next two years.

Current Prime Minister Harper is obviously stunned by the newfound balls of the opposition, as I'm sure a lot of us are. How is Harper going to handle this? He is already saying that the coalition is the "biggest political game in Canadian history" and to form a government without an election is undemocratic--he most certainly is not going to let this go without a fight. However, it would probably be beneficial for Harper to remember that back when Paul Martin was PM he himself wrote the Governor General asking for permission to form a government should the house lose confidence in the Liberals.

For the moment, it is important for Canadians to keep in mind that the majority of Canadians did not vote Conservative. This coalition is much more in line with the will of Canadians as a whole. And just because there is talk of a coalition doesn't mean it's set in stone... Anything can happen before Monday's vote, right?

Finally, I just have to say that it's kind of amazing that a fall financial update is what it took to get government all riled up...

http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/