The Soapbox
"I do not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
- Voltaire

You've been warned - this is a place for opinions, editorials and rants about Canadian Politics. I have asked some people to write for me about various issues and I will post the results of this little experiment monthly. I also post articles (usually with some comments)  that I find on the net that I find interesting.

If you would like to rant and rave about something, please, drop me a line and we can discuss the matter. I reserve the right to stick up here what I  think is well written and to flush what I think is garbage. (Oh - and that doesn't mean I only publish things that I agree with - the key here is well written.)

I look forward to hearing from people, and their ideas, soon.

January 2003

O Canada

By Matthew Baldwin of http://www.defectiveyeti.com writes about his trip to Canada, analogies and conspiracy theories involving "Krakle" chocolates. Something more satirical for some tense times, eh?

July 2002

Canada 2002: Canadians Embracing Patriotism, Poll Shows

This is an article I have "borrowed" (yeah, that's right) from the Globe and Mail regarding a trend in Canada that I think has been apparent for years. Good thing? Bad thing? Who knows! Nationalism and patriotism are invented, but as Hobsbawms points out "in modern states, [nationalism] forms the soil which all other political sentiments grow." Or maybe I have been reading too much theory again. You be the judge.

May 2001

Machiavelli's Machine 
A Canadian rationalization of the endemic nature of electoral fraud
By Christian Leuprecht and Chris McCreery              

In their own words: 
"Conceived long before the events that embroiled the recent U.S. presidential election, the paper is intended to draw attention to the evolving practices of electoral manipulation.  From a historical and contemporary perspective on the Canadian situation, the authors argue that electoral manipulation is endemic to modern democracy. "

So, yeah, there is a lot of big words in this one - but don't let that scare you. Leuprecht and McCreery know their stuff and they have a very interesting paper. 

February 2001:

How to win friends and influence Washington
by Thomas Axworthy

This was an article that appeared in the Globe and Mail after the inauguration of President George W. Bush in the United States. The US for geographic, economic, cultural (you name it) reasons, the US is our most important ally.  Axworthy, (a former diplomat and brother to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy) gives a good outline of what Canada should be aiming for and how it should go about doing just that. Great for foreign policy buffs - like me... 

Hey! I actually received permission from Mr. Axworthy to use this article! Yay! No lawsuit!  

October 2000:

Political Animals
by Stephanie Carvin
A piece that I wrote for the Queen's Journal on campus political organizations at Queen's and why people join them. (You may be surprised. Well, at least I was.)

September 2000:

So Sue Me
by Anonymous
Reflections of an Ontario Progressive Conservative Member of Parliment's summer intern. They aren't all working for the Dark Side (tm).

Who's Right? The Youth of the Canadian Alliance  
by Me (Stephanie Carvin)
A piece I wrote for the Trans-Canada Free Press on Youth and the Right Wing in Canada today. 

August 2000:

Why almost half of Quebecois want to be independent
Pourquoi près de la moitié des citoyens du Québec souhaitent l’indépendance du Québec

With all of the recent media attention that I have been getting at the site, I started to receive e-mail from concerned separatists in Quebec about what this site was saying about Canada and how it represented. Quebec. I invited those who e-mailed me the chance to write an editorial for the web page. Éric Champagne, (now former) President for the Parti Quebecois youth in Montreal took me up on my offer. It is my hope that his editorials will help provide some understanding of what some separatists believe and why they think Quebec should have its own country. I am really excited that they are the first pages on the site to be offered in either official language. 

I can't tell you how important it is for me to believe that everyone has a fair say. That's why I have placed these editorials on my web page. Have something to say about them? Then I also encourage you to send me a piece too.   

July 2000:

Canada 2000
So Canada is the greatest country in the world in which to live according to the UN for the seventh year in a row. Politicians have made a lot out of this - but they seem to have neglected the fact that this isn't so if you are a woman.  That award belongs to Scandinavia. An interesting issue for the first Canada Day of the (unofficial) millennium...

JUNE 2000: 

Canada 1999
Yes - It's almost a year old, but here is an article on Canada being recognized as the best country in the world to live in (according to the UN) as we move into the next millennium. I thought it was a good way to kick this section off.

The views expressed in the articles linked to this page are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of thecanadapage.org, virtual-visions and the web-lacky.

HOME