Harper is in Toronto on Wednesday. Let him know how you feel about prorogation. Join the picket.

Stephen Harper will be in Toronto on Wednesday afternoon to attend a roundtable meeting with the C.D. Howe Institute. Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament (Toronto) will be there to meet him, and to let him know how we feel about prorogation. We invite you to join us! Don’t let Harper get away with shutting down Parliament.

Picket against prorogation

Wednesday, January 20

Meet at 2:00pm (SHARP)

In front of C.D. Howe Institute

67 Yonge Street (on the sidewalk)

Downtown Toronto

TTC: King

Bring banners, placards or homemade signs. We’ll bring information leaflets. Spread the word. See you there!

For more information, e-mail noproroguetoronto@gmail.com.

Don’t forget this Saturday’s city-wide rally and march: Saturday, January 23 at 1:00pm at Yonge-Dundas Square. The Toronto rally is organized by Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament (Toronto), a grassroots, non-partisan movement of ordinary Canadians that emerged in response to Harper’s decision to prorogue Parliament. All are welcome to join us.

http://noprorogue.ca/ | noproroguetoronto@gmail.com | http://twitter.com/NoProrogueTO/

NO PROROGUE! The Website

This portal contains information on the over 30 protests that will be happening across the country on Saturday January 23rd including planning meetings, skills required from volunteers, and the location and time of individual events.

A site with this breadth of specific information is also a huge responsibility: check out whether you can “adopt” your community on the site by keeping information for your town up to date.

Congratulations to the organizers and creators of this much needed tool to provide essential information concerned citizens.

By Michael Wheeler

The opposition will slip into irrelevance and play directly into Stephen Harper’s plans unless they present a united pro-democracy federalist coalition before the next election.

Harper’s latest prorogation of Parliament immediately follows the majority of Parliament passing an “order-to-produce” that demands access to documents that may prove damaging to the government and may include proof of war crimes. It is possibly the single greatest threat we will see to Canadian democracy in our lifetimes.

Although it does not break any laws specifically, shutting down Parliament at this moment is entirely contrary to the spirit of how Parliament must function to be democratic. It also renders Parliament powerless heading into the future by setting a dangerous precedent that allows a Prime Minister to ignore the will of a majority of Members of Parliament. Future governments of any political stripe that grow tired of answering questions, or don’t like what the opposition is asking questions about, may now effectively suspend democracy whenever it suits them.

There can only be one response to this from the Canadian public: Total rejection of the anti-democratic party at the ballot box. The response must be so damaging to the party trying to devalue and undermine the will of Parliament that the political lesson for future politicians to be learned from this will be clear and incontrovertible:

If you try to remove the will and representatives of the majority of Canadians and MPs from Parliament, the next time there is an election Canadians will ensure that most of your members do not return to Ottawa.

Parliament is Supreme. This is not an argument. It is a principle that forms the bedrock of our democratic system. The only way to safeguard it is to enshrine it as a permanent third rail of Canadian politics. The only people who can do that are us. The only way we can do it is demand that the political opposition presents this as an option.

Although I emailed Michelle Jean and asked her not to accept the Prime Minister’s request for prorogation, I later regretted it. Canadian democracy is not as strong as the representative of Her Majesty The Queen. It is a strong as our own will as citizens to find solutions and demand from our political parties that our options at the ballot box represent those solutions.

A united Green, Liberal, and NDP, opposition has the ability to bring about this consequence. In fact, it is the only feasible way to prevent the minority of far-right ideologues that have taken control of the levers of power from further disembowelling Canadian democracy through a majority government engineered through a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign, a gerrymandered first-past-the post system, and a discouraged and disengaged electorate. The public does not like any of their options right now and they are tuning out. The 2008 election had the worst turnout by percentage in history. Right now the response from a huge amount of Canadians is: “D: None of the above.”

A new option has to be put on the table and soon. If the personalities don’t inspire individually, then the idea that they represent will: A pro-democracy coalition that sets aside real differences for the good of the country.

More than seven million people voted for these three parties in the 2008 election, compared to just over five million for a Harper government. The ability to remove Stephen Harper as dictator is conceivable and possible in this moment, but not forever: Public financing for parties still exists, citizens are outraged that we have become an embarrassment on the international stage and at home, 62% of Canadians did not vote for Stephen Harper last time we had an election.

Like some ancient Zen riddle, the only thing stopping us from helping ourselves is ourselves.

I do not make this argument naïvely. There are many barriers and decades of animosity to overcome to make this a reality. In many urban centres the Conservatives are already so discredited that these potential partners are the only real competition to represent Canadians in those ridings. Years of competition has created real and emotional rivalries in a sustained era of mutual distrust.

The point is that all these grudges, grievances, and even significant policy differences, pale in comparison to the consequences of letting the fundamental and basic principals of our democracy be trampled in the manner they are currently, and as they will be permanently, under a Harper Majority. These sorts of statements are no longer hyperbolic or inflammatory. They are a reasonable assessment of the facts and recent events.

Step one: Defeat Stephen Harper in an election. Step two: Figure out who is going to give up what, and haggle for what, as part of the pro-democracy government that represents a majority of Canadians and MPs. Do not put the cart before the horse. If there’s one thing the Conservatives are right about, it is that Canadians don’t care about petty Beltway nonsense. They want, and will vote for, a reasonable solution that puts the good of the nation above personal gain.

The biggest barrier to this happening is, like many so many political intrigues, hubris. For prominent New Democrats it means not only admitting that in 2010 Canadians will not elect Jack Layton as PM, but that even being Leader of the Opposition with Harper as PM is irresponsible and self-serving.

For Chretien-era Liberal war room vets, it means admitting to themselves that their earlier victories were dependent on The Right being divided and unprofessional. They have to acknowledge that in the near future, they are not naturally entitled to the reins of power, but must form partnerships to obtain their fair share of it.

That’s it. A couple of honest conversations with themselves by a few prominent advisors in the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party are all it would take. The Greens would be on board in a heartbeat. For all three parties, it means admitting that they cannot solve Canada’s problems alone, but that that they CAN and WILL with their allies. Doing this now removes all of the uncomfortable consequences of being in league with the Bloc, like the coalition that arose following the 2008 November economic update. This is not a separatist coalition. 2010 can be the year of a federalist pro-democracy coalition.

History will judge this moment with intense scrutiny regardless of the strategy chosen to respond to the suspension of democracy for partisan and personal gain. Whether Ignatieff, Layton and May are remembered as the champions of our democratic system, or ineffectual, bickering pawns that facilitated its demise, remains to be seen. In either scenario we will only have ourselves to blame as citizens if we don’t demand a pro-democracy option at the ballot box.

Michael Wheeler is Co-Artistic Director of Praxis Theatre and a founding member of Department of Culture.

We wanted to tell you about an important initiative to increase municipal arts funding in Toronto that needs citizen action to be realized.

It really is possible to dramatically increase Toronto Arts Council funding with action this week. See the plan from beautifulcity.ca below.

DoC

PS - Stay tuned for new DoC initiatives in the new year!

Beautifulcity.ca’s tax on billboards to fund art is finally coming to a vote at City Council. This proposed new sign by-law may offer the single greatest opportunity to increase municipal arts funding in the next decade.

The premise of the campaign is that billboard advertising, unlike all other forms of advertising, provides no content to the public in exchange for taking up public space (editorial to advertising ratios for TV is 75/25, for print is usually 50/50 but for billboards is 0 to 100).

The sign by-law going before city council on November 30/December 1 recommends regulating billboards in Toronto, removing illegal billboards as well as taxing and properly regulating the remainder.

The tax will help to create ‘editorial’ by increasing the city’s arts funding and ensuring greater public access to art in exchange for use of public space.

“Advertising is increasingly infringing on our public spaces, and the privilege of leveraging public space for commercial ends should come with a responsibility to keep them healthy. The billboard tax is a fair and just means for private advertisers to take responsibility for their impact on the city.”

1. Sign the petition: Click here.
2. Call and write your councillor: Click here for info and key asks.
3. Show your support at City Hall on Nov 30th/Dec 1st: RSVP here.
4. Spread the word: Join the facebook group here.

Watch below: Beautifulcity.ca takes over Toronto City Hall!

Beautifulcity.ca Town Hall - 1st Cut from BeautifulCity.ca on Vimeo.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD HIGH-RESOLUTION VERSION OF THE DOC SENATE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A LEGEND TO IDENTIFY THE PICTURED SENATORS

The Department of Culture Senate represents the support of Canadians for a broad range of national artistic programs and practices, and the essential role that citizens must play in their own governance.

Department of Culture announced today that it has appointed 30 distinguished Canadians to serve in its Senate. The incoming Senators either worked closely with the Department during its inception and throughout the 2008 election campaign, or are allies by virtue of the work they do in the community. Their activities will continue to play an integral role in pushing to move all Canadian politics in a direction that support progressive ideas and governance.

The incoming appointees reflect the multifaceted and widespread opposition that exists in to neo-Conservative governance in Canada, with representatives from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland. Appointees are artists and activists. Like the Canadian Senate, this honorary position has few responsibilities. Unlike the recent Conservative appointees to the Canadian Senate, terms are for one year only, renewable, and incur no cost to taxpayers.

Jim Flaherty’s disastrous November 2008 financial statement, and the political maneuvering that ensued, served to illustrate the importance of a confluence of progressive interests and their representation beyond the realm of government. Department of Culture Senators, along with the organization’s of nation-wide network of spontaneous volunteers, reaffirm that you do not have to be a politician to be involved in politics, and that culture and positive social change are symbiotic forces.

Department of Culture aims to continue to harness and celebrate these forces. Stay tuned for more actions and events in 2009.

2009 Department of Culture Senate:

• Tara Beagan, storyteller, Toronto, Ontario
• Rick Chafe, playwright, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Robert Chafe, playwright, St. John’s, Newfoundland
• Desmond Cole, activist, Toronto, Ontario
• Jason Collett, preening dandy, Toronto, Ontario
• Kim Collier, artistic producer, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Josephine Grey, educator/organizer, Toronto, Ontario
• Koby Rogers Hall, theatre creator, Montreal, Quebec
• Sarah Harmer, musical citizen, Kingston, Ontario
• Michael Healey, playwright, Toronto, Ontario
• David Jansen, actor/director, Toronto, Ontario
• Jillian Keiley, director, St. John’s, Newfoundland
• Lisa Kiss, graphic designer, Toronto, Ontario
• Alice Klein, NOW editor/CEO, Toronto, Ontario
• Naomi Klein, journalist/author, Toronto, Ontario
• Daniel MacIvor, writer/director, Toronto, Ontario
• Simon Mallett, artistic producer, Calgary, Alberta
• Ava Jane Markus, producer/artist, Edmonton, Alberta
• Dave Meslin, community organiser, Toronto, Ontario
• Heather Nicol, visual artist, Toronto, Ontario
• Ricken Patel, global advocate, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Matthew Payne, artistic producer, Victoria, British Columbia
• Judi Pearl, producer, Ottawa, Ontario
• Milena Placentile, curator, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Paul Quarrington, author/musician, Toronto, Ontario
• Lara Robinson, writer/director, Toronto, Ontario
• Michael Rubenfeld, theatre practitioner, Toronto, Ontario
• Richard Sanger, writer, Toronto, Ontario
• Michele Sereda, theatre artist, Regina, Saskatchewan
• Jonathon Young, actor/writer, Vancouver, British Columbia
  

“The problem wasn’t just the bathwater; the baby itself is rotten to the core.”

“Wall Street got drunk,” he says. Maybe so, but who made the last 8 years Happy Hour, and kept serving up the drinks?”

“In a private memo explaining the think tank, RNC chairman Mike Duncan wrote: “We must show how our ideology can be applied to solve problems.” But, of course, it’s that very ideology that’s causing the problems. It’s like the old horror movie cliché: “We’ve traced the call — it’s coming from inside the house!”

Click here to read Laissez-Faire Capitalism Should Be as Dead as Soviet Communism

The media has been full of looping images of shoes flying at President Bush’s head and gloomy economic forecasts.  Maybe the solution to our economic woes lies somewhere between the two: 

“Ramazan Baydan, owner of the Istanbul-based Baydan Shoe Company, has been swamped with orders from across the world, after insisting that his company produced the black leather shoes which the Iraqi journalist Muntazar al-Zaidi threw at Bush during a press conference in Baghdad last Sunday.

Baydan has recruited an extra 100 staff to meet orders for 300,000 pairs of Model 271 - more than four times the shoe’s normal annual sale - following an outpouring of support for Zaidi’s act, which was intended as a protest, but led to his arrest by Iraqi security forces.”

While every other manufacturer is cutting back on inventory and workforce, Mr.Baydan has just hired 100 more workers!  There seems to be potential for huge growth and return for investors on items that celebrate the end of super-right wing heads of state.  I wonder what sorts of object will become associated with the inevitable heave-ho that is coming up here?  Prorogation snow globes?  Tainted meat 10-packs of cold cuts?  Environmentally retro-fitted homes that you spent your child’s tuition on?

Just don’t invest in Stephane Dion limited edition Coalition Videos.  The orders always ship late and the production values are so terrible you’ll finish wondering how someone could ever make a such good idea seem so bad.

The Canadian Blog Awards have announced the winners in the final round of voting for Best Cultural/Entertainment Blog.  Department of Culture came 2nd!

Thanks to:

A:  The folks who organized the awards.

B:  The people who voted for us. 

C:  The many different artists from across the country that have made or submitted work to be included on the site.

The strength of this website comes from presenting work by many artistic disciplines from across the country.  Certainly there is a strong political motivation that informs what is curated, but the hundreds of different videos, essays, projects and concepts that the DoC site serves as a hub to disseminate is what makes this page an interesting page to visit on the internet.  

Cheers to everyone who submitted a project or a post.  You made DoC’s web presence go from an idea in August to an award-winner in December.

Above reflects the proposed Canadian government made up of coalition partners Liberal and New Democrat parties, with the Bloc Quebecois party, which has agreed to support the coalition in Parliament.

Whereas the above reflects the current composition of the Canadian Parliament resulting from the 44th general election held in October, 2008.

Legend

The above diagrams are .svg files, adapted from the original found on Wikipedia.

Other seating arrangement diagrams:
the Government of Canada’s, in .pdf format

an adaptation of that on Wikipedia

Generally, the results as reported on CBC

This post originally published on Never Never Mind.