While 1665 was the year in which 100,000 died in The Great Plague, please note that #1666 was the year of the Great Fire of London that destroyed much of the centre of London but also helped to kill off the black rats and fleas that carried the plague. As there was no outbreak of plague last Wednesday, we will limit ourselves to fiery discourse this week.
We should also point out that the 1666 census of New France, organized by Jean Talon, was the first census conducted in Canada (and indeed in North America). Was there a long form, we wonder?
Yes, the natural segue is to politics and this week’s very special guest, Me Bernard Amyot, who is running for the Liberal nomination in the new federal riding of Ville-Marie (see map) According to a recent Globe & Mail story, this is to be one of the hotly contested ridings; Bernard’s impressive c.v., and well established reputation, including involvement in his profession (former president of the CBA) and in the community (National Theatre School chair, inter alia) make him an alluring candidate.
Bernard is not a stranger to Wednesday Night. Along with Groupe des cent colleagues Bruno Roy and Robert Greenhill, he was introduced almost exactly 14 years ago (at WN #935, on 2 Feb 2000) by Peter White. The account of that evening, rendered by the late Robert Stewart is a Must Read. The hot political topics of that day were the formation of the Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance (remember?) and the predicted imminent demise of the Chrétien government (didn’t happen then). M. Chrétien has, not incidentally, endorsed Bernard’s candidacy.
Wednesday Nighters will certainly have many questions for him, from how he sees the role of the MP representing the heart of Montreal, to his interpretation of what Justin Trudeau’s announcement about the Senate means on a practical basis. And we would expect him, as a good litigation lawyer, to have many questions for us.
With the mid-winter ritual of the Super Bowl over [we are not fans, but were thrilled by Renée Fleming’s rendition of the National Anthem – could we please simply have her sing it at ALL major public occasions?], we now turn our attention to Socchi in the hope that all will go well. It is hard to reconcile our intense dislike of the waste and corruption that has prevailed in every aspect and the mistreatment of both workers and local inhabitants with our commitment to cheering on the exceptional young athletes from every corner of the world. A special shout-out to the Jamaican bobsled team who almost didn’t make it!
One more note on sports – a topic we rarely address -; we just learned about the event called “The Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race” which was hosted this year at Western University. We cannot help but wonder if there is a connection to the announcement last week that Bombardier in partnership with the Quebec government is investing $1B in a cement factory in the Gaspé – are we to see cement skidoos in Quebec’s future? Our inimitable Tony Deutsch comments on the news:
This is a story with considerable pedagogic value. It tells us something about what happens when politicians are put in charge of a pool of pension money that belongs to individuals. It also raises the question that if this is such a promising project, how come the promoters cannot finance their activity on the private financial markets? And if private investors are not prepared to take the risks, why should pensioners and taxpayers?
What a contrast with the tight-fisted Harper government! The price being paid by diverse groups from scientists to veterans for the achievement of Mr. Flaherty’s balanced budget is simply too great. And why is it so urgent to balance the budget? Adding insult to injury, many of the cost-cutting initiatives are not only doing irreparable damage, but we are finding that there are not-so-hidden costs attached, e.g. the more than $22,000 to dispose of books and research material from Fisheries and Oceans scientific libraries. And at the same time, CBC reports that most 140-character tweets issued by the department of Industry are planned weeks in advance; edited by dozens of public servants; reviewed and revised by the minister’s staff; and sanitized through a 12-step protocol. How much is that costing the taxpayer? We dread the next shoe(s) to drop in the February 11 Budget, so conveniently tabled as most Canadians are absorbed in the Olympic coverage.
By the way, you may have missed the fact that in last October’s speech from the throne, the government committed to releasing an updated federal science, technology and innovation strategy. Here’s the consultation document for the revised strategy. Deadline is February 7. You may want to take a look at Evidence for Democracy which has prepared some recommendations “to help restore public-interest science and evidence-based policy development in Canada”.
The news that Keystone XL has passed another hurdle has the PM all excited – but perhaps he and Minister Oliver should read Jeffrey Frankel’s How to Overcome the Oil Curse. Although it addresses the problems for developing economies, there is much that is applicable to Canada’s reliance on its natural resources. We were also surprised by Justin Trudeau’s recent comments about the pipeline and wonder why he has decided to alienate numerous Canadian environmentalists and scientists.
World Economy:
Kimon Valaskakis has a timely blog posting on HuffPost Poverty Amidst Plenty: The Unnecessary Global Fracture
All or most of the proposed topics relate to Canadian issues, however, there are developments in the rest of the world that should not be overlooked:
First, Ukraine’s president called in sick without signing into law the bill repealing the harsh restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly that were enacted in January.; now ,he is back in the saddle and probably wishing he were not.
The Syria talks appear to be stalemated and the process for handing over the chemical weapons is not going well.
Israel is facing a bit of a setback as some Scandinavian and Netherlands investors are withdrawing investments because of the settlement issue and the Finance Minister has warned that ‘Failed Palestinian peace talks will hit every Israeli in the pocket’
Thailand’s general election has solved no problems
A couple of reminders:
Last call
February 6 and 7 The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC), in partnership with the University of Alberta’s Petrocultures Research Group, is hosting Petrocultures – 2014
Oil, Energy, and Canada’s Future: the role of oil and energy in shaping social, cultural and political life in Canada at present and in the future. Co-chaired by Wednesday Nighter Désirée McGraw, the widely diverse roster of speakers will no doubt provide both interesting information and passionate pronouncements. More information and to register
Hacking Health is returning to Montreal on February 21-23 and will be held for the first time at a hospital – Ste Justine. The theme is Improving the health of Mothers, Children, and their clinics and hospitals. This amazing initiative, which began as Sauvé Scholar Jeeshan Chowdhury’s Sauvé project , bring together health professionals and technologists to work together to prototype and problem-solve new ways to deliver healthcare. It is enthusiastically backed by Wednesday Nighter Luc Sirois of Nightingale. Spread the word to friends and colleagues.
Last week we mourned the passing of Pete Seeger, but he had a long and wonderful life. This week it is the loss of Philip Seymour Hoffman, the hugely talented actor whose memorable portrayal of Truman Capote won him an Oscar. But we loved him best as the CIA rogue agent in Charlie Wilson’s War.
For those who missed it, CBC’s The Current broadcast on January 30 Will the proposed secular charter help or hurt Quebec? is a must-listen-to
Sometimes the submissions to the Charter hearings seem more suited to the Festival Juste pour rire. Case in point last week’s witness who is terrified by the prospect of zombies who, failing the passage of the Charter are likely to protest throughout the highways and byways of Quebec (or at least Montreal).