From a plummeting economy to the amazing U.S. Presidential Race, to Canada’s lowest voter turnout in history to the Canadian government being thrust into upheaval, 2008 had a little bit of everything.

As 2008 began, much of the world was already in the midst of a financial crisis. Storms swept through the world in the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, and still show no signs of slowing down. The economy in 2008 was characterized by stock and real estate market meltdowns, unprecedented bank failures, massive layoffs and rising unemployment, disappearing credit and historic government bailouts of the financial and auto sectors.

And unlike Harper’s reassuring words that Canada would remain unaffected, almost every major province was. British Columbia saw U.S. demand for lumber plummet with prices dropping below profitable levels. And their mining industry suffered as demand from China dropped and commodities took a nose dive. Oil-rich Alberta, once one of the richest provinces in the country, saw the price of oil drop 78% from its peak in July when it hit $147 a barrel. Now, oil hovers under the $40 a barrel mark. In Ontario, the auto industry fights for its life after receiving a $4 billion bailout from the Canadian government. Saskatchewan fared better than the rest as a result of its diversity in energy, agriculture and potash, but still declined as a result of lower commodity prices.
(more…)

To bring in the new year, Harper decided to break one more promise. In Canada, we have the Senate (“Upper House”) and the House of Commons (“Lower House”). The Senate is composed of individuals who were selected by the Prime Minister, whereas the House of Commons is filled by the MPs who were elected by the few Canadians who decided to show up to the polls. Over the last few years, Harper has been trying to make it so that when seats are vacated (by someone reaching the age of 75, resigning, dying, etc…) in the Senate, future positions will be filled via an election rather than an appointment. Harper even introduced a bill into the House of Commons to achieve this purpose. In the party’s 2006 platform, the Conservatives lashed out at the Liberal Party for abusing the power to appoint people and for appointing “insiders.” They then promised a number of changes that would be made if elected to reform the Senate appointment/election process – none of which have ever occurred. Now, just a few days ago, Harper decided to go against every single thing he stood for with regards to the Senate.
(more…)

Before I jump into the current conflict and escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza, some background information and history of the Gaza Strip will help paint the picture a little better. Although brief, it will certainly help make clear how the recent conflict came to be. I’ll also discuss various responses to the recent incidents from Canada and other countries.

The Gaza Strip is a coastal territory along the Mediterranean Sea bordering Egypt to the South West and Israel to the East and North. It is home to approximately 1.5 million people in a total area of just 360 square kilometers, making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Throughout Israel’s existence, the Gaza Strip has remained a controversial issue in the Middle East conflict and has been under the control of various groups in its history.

Starting in 1517, the area was controlled by the Ottoman Empire up until the First World War. In 1917, control of the strip shifted to the British, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine and under the authority of the League of Nations. British rule of the strip ended following the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, when Israel became a sovereign Jewish state. Following Israel’s independence, control of the strip was placed into the hands of the Egyptians. In 1967, during the 6 Day War, Israel invaded the Gaza Strip occupying it for 27 years until 1994 when the Oslo Accords were signed. The signing of the Oslo Accords transferred governmental control of the strip from Israel to the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Yasser Arafat.
(more…)

2008 got off to a very slow start in terms of political news, but certainly picked up steam in the last few months.
So, without further ado, here are Top 5 Political Scandals of 2008:
(more…)

Just a day after the US unveiled its plan to provide $17.4 billion to cash-strapped General Motors and Chrysler, Canada has announced its intentions to provide $4 billion of emergency loans to support the Canadian subsidiaries of the Big Three automakers. Harper also announced that auto parts suppliers will get improved insurance while vehicle buyers will get more access to credit.

“We will extend additional account-receivable insurance coverage for automotive suppliers through the Export Development Corp. And we will create a new facility to support access to credit for consumers. Taken together, these measures demonstrate that Canada is taking a holistic approach along the supply chain — manufacturers, suppliers and consumers,” he said.

Ontario will provide $1.3 billion with the rest funded by Ottawa. During his speech, Harper made clear that this was not a “blank cheque,” and by March 31st, 2009, the automakers must show that solid restructuring plans are underway. In another excerpt from his speech:

(more…)

On December 10th, 2008, Michael Ignatieff became the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. He replaced former leader Stéphane Dion to become the official leader of the opposition when Bob Rae withdrew from the race. Ignatieff takes over the Liberal leadership role amidst political disarray and a poor performance in the recent federal election. He also heads a party whose popularity has been slipping as of late, according to a recently published poll. Ignatieff currently represents the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore.

Michael Ignatieff was born on May 12th, 1947 in Toronto, Ontario to Canadian diplomat George Ignatieff and his wife Alison Grant. His grandfather, Count Pavel Ignatiev, was Minister of Education to Tsar Nicholas II. After graduating from high school, Ignatieff studied at the University of Toronto where he met Bob Rae, future Premier of Ontario. He then proceeded to study at the University of Oxford in England, influenced by the well-known historian and philosopher Isaiah Berlin. Ignatieff completed his studies by earning his PhD in History at Harvard University.

Ignatieff’s roots with the Liberal Party began at the age of 18, where he volunteered to canvas for the York South riding. Three years later, he worked for the Liberal Party as a national youth organizer and party delegate for the Trudeau campaign His loyalty to the party has continued ever since.
(more…)

The Detroit News reports that President Bush has announced Friday morning a $13.4 billion bailout for General Motors and Chrysler.

The structure of the bailout is different from that of the financial sector’s recent $700 billion bailout, in that it is in the form of a short-term loan, with apparent strict conditions. 

The 3-year loan calls for another $4 billion in February, bringing the total to $17.3 billion.
(more…)

Canada’s Conservative Party would win a strong majority if an election were to be held today, according to a newly released poll by the Ottawa Citizen’s website. Canadians favour the Conservatives over the Liberals 45% to 26%. 12% of Canadians would vote for the NDP. These results come just 2 months after the Conservatives won a minority government with 37.6% of the vote.

So why the drastic change in public opinion? Canadians are just simply fed up with thinking about the prospects of another election or a coalition government forming. Almost two-thirds of respondents indicated they would prefer Ignatieff find a compromise with Harper to keep the Conservatives in power. After all, $300 million of taxpayers money was spent on the recent election. The poll also indicated the Liberals attempt to form a coalition with the Bloc a major factor in the shift of support towards Harper. As well, 7 out of 10 respondents agreed with the decision to prorogue government.
(more…)

Imagine what Canada could have done with the election budget… saved thousands of jobs, stimulated the economy, given everyone in Canada $10…

There are many things that could have been done but instead Harper wasted $300+ million and accomplished nothing. Now the government is prorogued and there will likely be an election again within the next year or two regardless of what happens when the prorogation period is over.

What will happen in the next election?
(more…)

On a current trip to Iraq, US President George Bush hailed progress in the war that will ultimately define his presidency. A war in which 4,209 soldiers have perished and over $500 billion worth of taxpayers money spent. He also got a size-10 reminder of his unpopularity when a journalist threw both shoes at him, barely missing his head. The video can be seen here: