Fatherhood | Kids | Current Affairs
Men are violent.
Women are victims.
Last week the Ontario Government rolled out a number of initiatives against sexual violence. I support this effort 100% and I hope that it works as intended. There has been a lot of discussion about the public service announcement that is part of the campaign. I have been doing a lot of thinking as a result of the campaign and discussion. [Read more…]
I kind of can’t believe that I feel the need to write this post.
As some of you know we are having an election in Ontario.
For those of you who don’t know, Ontario is the province with the largest population in Canada. We have a parliamentary system in Canada so we vote for our local representatives – in this case, Members of Provincial Parliament or MPP’s and the person who controls the majority of the seats in the legislature – typically the leader of the party that wins the majority of the seats – serves as the Premier until the next election. We have a multi-party system in Ontario and Canada, although typically there are only three that secure enough votes to win seats in the legislature, The Progressive Conservatives (Conservatives nationally), Liberals, and the New Democratic Party (NDP).
The outcomes of our current provincial election is a bit of a toss up. Polls are showing a virtual tie and depending on the pollster, the party in the lead varies. I have heard and read comments from a number of people stating that they are considering not voting or declining their ballots this time around because they don’t know who to choose.
This is a lazy position to take.
Marking an X beside your preferred choice is the easy part. Making the decision about where to put that X requires some thought.
[Read more…]
This morning the Ottawa Citizen published their analysis of the candidates in the Ottawa South by-election taking place on August 1. They also issued their endorsement of the PC candidate Matt Young. Their primary reasons for this endorsement is that he has no baggage of government and he will not shrink into the backbenches.
I disagree with the logic of their endorsement. In my eyes they are arguing that we in Ottawa South should cut off our noses to spite our face. They would have us vote against an effective commmunity advocate to express displeasure at the government over decisions made about the GTA. [Read more…]
I don’t want to turn this blog into a political blog, even though that means I need to hold back many valuable opinions that all of you want to hear… That said, I live in the riding of Ottawa South and we are in the midst of a by-election. As I have previously stated, I have a great deal of respect for anyone who steps up and puts their name on a ballot. Last night I managed to attend the last half of an all-candidates debate (after coaching soccer). Suitably primed, today seemed like a good day to write about this by-election and my thoughts about the issues and candidates. [Read more…]
Today my Member of Provincial Parliament and the former Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty announced his retirement from the legislature. He served for 23 years as the elected representative of Ottawa South and nine years as Premier.
There will be many people who offer comments on what they feel is his legacy. I am not going to do that in any significant way. Instead I am going to focus on his willingness to serve and public service in general. [Read more…]