Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Idle No More calms after the storm

The fever pitch sustained by Aboriginal leaders, Idle No More protesters, and hunger-strikers on Ottawa’s Victoria Island relented over the weekend. Everyone’s taking a breather after an onslaught of pressure forced Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General David Johnston to meet with Assembly of First Nations chiefs. Over the weekend, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, who stayed relatively quiet during the last week of protests, suggested Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence should end her protest, instead calling on Aboriginal leaders to pressure the government to follow through on its commitments. Former AFN national chief Matthew Coon Come sent a similar message, as did Justice Murray Sinclair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As well, Manitoba Grand Chief Derek Nepinak stepped down from earlier comments about bringing Canada’s economy “to its knees,” instead endorsing only peaceful protests.

More demonstrations are planned for this week, but the national conversation has taken on an altogether calmer tone.

What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with further Aboriginal protests planned for this week. The National Post fronts six men arrested in another India gang rape on a bus. The Toronto Star goes above the fold with the high odds that Ontario will soon have its first female premier. The Ottawa Citizen leads with Canadian logistical support to the fight against extremists in Mali. iPolitics fronts guidelines to playing nice on Twitter. CBC.ca leads with the RCMP’s inability to track internal misconduct for a number of years. National Newswatch showcases a Charlottetown Guardian story in which a woman claims the government’s new EI rules wrongly disqualify her from collecting a cheque.

Original Article
Source: maclean's
Author: Nick Taylor-Vaisey

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