The Agenda Blogs

Agenda Insight: Fifty Shades of Angst

Wed, 30 May 12 10:55:25 GMT

As a teenager, I used to sneak into my brother’s bedroom, far and away the most interesting room in a house full of sisters, and read his copy of The Happy Hooker – the tell-all book by Dutch prostitute Xaviera Hollander. I can’t say I understood much of it, but I read my intriguing discovery in short segments over a few months, quickly hiding it when I heard approaching footsteps. The temptation wasn’t just the information the book contained – it was the forbidden element of the activity, and the potential of getting caught.

I hadn’t thought of that experience in years, until I started hearing about Fifty Shades of Grey, a romantic/erotic trilogy that occupies the first, second, and third spots on best seller lists, and has sold over 10 million copies. I really didn’t pay attention until its critical mass popularity spawned a hilarious Saturday Night Live spoof.

North American moms are stealing away to spend intimate time with the books, claiming the effect of reawakened sexual desire. Apparently, this "mommy porn" is giving them some great ideas about how to turn their "vanilla" sex lives red-hot once again.

As the story goes, a dashing but emotionally wounded millionaire invites a virginal university student into his lair, coaxing her to sign an agreement to submit to his every whim. While she’s negotiating the terms with him – a decidedly feminist thing to do – he gives her a taste of what’s to come. Of course, she wants to understand him and save him. And, slowly over 1,500 pages, she begins to break him down. Stay tuned for the sequel.

From its implausible narrative to its cringe-worthy writing, what the trilogy delivers is 50 shades of clichÃ©. Once you’ve passed the initial sex scene, which has about 50 pages of build up, the rest is, to quote journalist Katie Roiphe, "a watered-down, skinny-vanilla-latte version of sadomasochism." The language contains too many euphemisms to be considered explicit and while the jacket has a mature material warning, it’s clear the author is catering to a mass romance audience rather than an erotic one. There isn’t anything here that we don’t regularly see on TV, in films, and online. The books, however, have revived an age-old debate among women – is the story anti-feminist? Is the popularity of the series symbolic of women’s true desires – despite their advancement in the world?

In her Newsweek cover story on the topic, Katie Roiphe quotes a recent study revealing that over 50 per cent of women have rape fantasies. She concludes that equality may be something women want sometimes and in some areas but not others, like, say, the bedroom. The pop culture magazine Jezebel counters that the books have nothing to do with repressed fantasies, but instead merely prove that sex sells, especially in the 1.4 billion dollar per year romance genre.

But why does the personal always have to be political? Sexual power and independence is difficult to navigate and still remain a perfect card-carrying feminist. Even groundbreaking feminist Simone de Beauvoir knew this. When asked if her subjugation to her life-long partner Jean Paul Sartre compromised her feminist theories, she famously answered, "Well, I just don’t give a damn ... I’m sorry to disappoint all the feminists, but you can say it’s too bad so many of them live only in theory instead of in real life."

Now, I’ve read plenty of Facebook confessions about the positive effect of this book, so I don’t think the women reading Fifty Shades of Grey are conflicted about altering the future of gender equality. It’s more they’re simply looking for a shortcut to a spiced-up real-life sex life.

For The Agenda with Steve Paikin, I’m Carla Lucchetta.

From the Grand March to the Infinite Strike: On the Changing Face of Radicalism

Wodek Szemberg — Tue, 29 May 12 16:41:56 GMT

Last Saturday, the National Post published an op-ed piece written by me on the changing nature of radical politics. The article was shortened for reasons of space. Below is the original version.

"The fantasy of the Grand March … is the political kitsch joining leftists of all times and tendencies. The Grand March is the splendid march on the road to brotherhood, equality, justice, happiness; it goes on and on, obstacles notwithstanding, for obstacles there must be if the march is to be the Grand March."

— Milan Kundera

Andrew Coyne introduced his recent column about student protesters in Montreal with the above quote from Milan Kundera’s remarkable and brilliantly titled novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. The story follows the romantic and political tribulations of four characters caught up in the unforgiving consequences of 1968 Prague Spring demolished by the invading Soviet tanks.

What makes this novel a political classic is that it contains an original critique of communism and all other Leftist dreams of a Perfectable Tomorrow. Because the novel was written in 1984, when the communist system was on its last legs, and not, let’s say, in 1936 at the height of Stalinist terror, it was possible for Kundera to denounce communism not for the obvious reason that it was a mendacious and murderous totalitarian system, but because of its aesthetic shortcomings. The system that was to catapult humanity from the "realm of necessity" to the "realm of freedom" could not represent itself in any other way but as kitsch. It did so by pretending to be uniformly beautiful and good. It carried the promise of undisturbed coherence and seamlessness. Today only North Korea is still able to suppress all that would interfere with the spectacle of a nation presenting itself in complete agreement with itself.

Like Kundera, I do speak from experience. But unlike him, I experienced communist kitsch as a young boy growing up in Poland. And I loved it. I grew up surrounded by red flags and banners with sickles and hammers. The bookshelves in our home were filled with the collected volumes of Lenin and Stalin. A painting of both gentlemen hung on the wall, and there is a photograph of me as a toddler sitting in front of it. Each year, I looked forward to the annual May Day parade the way children here wait for Christmas. My world felt safe and secure in the knowledge that between the truth of dialectical materialism and the prowess of the Red Army my future was safe and full of good things to come.

I loved communist kitsch so well and deeply that half a century later I’m still moved when I listen to the Red Army Choir. The difference is that I’m no longer at one with it.

Here is another way in which Kundera describes the essence of political kitsch: “Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession. The first tear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass!”

It’s the second tear that is at issue. It’s one of our fundamental individual rights to be moved by children running on grass, or by puppies or kittens. The problem arises when predilection for all things sweet, cute, and peaceful is turned into political action.

The key to recognizing kitsch is contained in the phrase “together with all mankind.” Dreams of order, oneness and harmony are where the danger always lies. For that reason, the sin of political kitsch is by no means limited to the Left. Nothing says political kitsch as the Acadia Tea Partiers dream about when America will have found its way back to living in accord with the inviolate perfection of the Constitution. With a few Kinkade paintings thrown in for a good measure.

Why does kitsch matter? Because it’s a gage of emotional manipulation to which one is subjected or, what is more often the case, to which we readily subject ourselves because we all like a story that ends well.

And yet, the nature of political radicalism on the Left has changed in the 21st century. The new movements have no leaders, and no political party. In a world dripping with technology, the spectacle of radical luminaries like Slavoj Zizek last fall in Zuccotti Park needing the amplification of the throng surrounding them in order to be heard shows the extent to which young radicals today have deeply internalized the lessons of the past. They know just enough to sense what horrible things can happen when revolutionaries rely on general secretaries to lead the vanguard of the proletariat.

But neither do they really believe with radicals from 100 years ago that there is a just and equal society to be brought about. There has been too much serious talk about evolution, biology, and genetics for them to rely on nurture to justify faith in a possibility of a just and an egalitarian future.

And so the dream dies, but not the desire to dream, and certainly not the desire on the part of a vocal minority to be against the murky complexity of the present. And so the kitsch Kundera described so well is no longer embedded in the dreams of the world to come, but in the insistence on the purity of the revolutionary action. It‘s no longer a question of means and ends. There are only means left. It is not the future but the moment that counts.

An anarchist blog proclaimed recently that "One day of insurrection is worth a thousand centuries of normality." Not surprisingly, the author defends the actions of the so called Black Bloc, the masked demonstrators who engage in destruction of commercial property, by offering this bit of anarchist metaphysics: “In the spread of unmediated, targeted friendship among the rioters we witness the creation of a fleeting but literally timeless Event; those present during the Event are pushed into a world of infinite dimensions by the public, anonymous, criminal acts of war carried out by the rioters against the symbols of power and wealth.”

If there is no paradise to be created, at least we can experience the timeless Event.

A different blog announcing the formation of an anglophone student strike committee in Montreal last summer proposed "that the student strike become the grÃ¨ve infinie, that it overcome all barriers and spread, that it grind capitalism to a halt here and elsewhere. Which is, of course, the only chance for our survival as free human animals.” (The reference to "human animals" shows how the years of environmentalist critique of modernity have registered with young revolutionaries.)

The “The Grand March” has become the “The Infinite Strike.” It’s as if young radicals are saying there is no longer a goal to march towards. However critical of capitalism, and disdainful of the institutions of liberal democracy, the wish for a better world no longer generates new tangible visions.

Between the students in Montreal, the islands of Occupy activism elsewhere in North America, and angry demonstrators in southern Europe, what one hears most often is a demand that we return to the 1970s, when the architecture of the modern welfare society was still intact, before “neo-liberalism” took us on a ride into the unknown.

Francis Fukuyama’s 1989 essay, "The End of History" – by no means a triumphalist account of the victory of liberal democracy over Communism – ends with these words:

“I can feel in myself, and see in others around me, a powerful nostalgia for the time when history existed. Such nostalgia, in fact, will continue to fuel competition and conflict even in the post-historical world for some time to come. Even though I recognize its inevitability, I have the most ambivalent feelings for the civilization that has been created in Europe since 1945, with its north Atlantic and Asian offshoots. Perhaps this very prospect of centuries of boredom at the end of history will serve to get history started once again.”

For much of our recorded history, societies produced reasons to be hopeful. In earlier times, people hoped for salvation. Later on, we hoped for liberation from drudgery, and a belief that the children’s lives will be an improvement on the lives of their parents.

The rebellious spirit on both sides of the Atlantic is to some extent a response to a modern world having lost the ability to speak of a desirable and attainable future, this time without the sin of kitsch, which is nothing else but totalitarian temptation in the guise of egalitarian humanitarianism.

One of the many reasons for this absence has to do with the future, which is going to bring our way an ever-increasing melding of nature and technology. And we do not have the ability to turn that world into a language of common, popular, and desirable utopian images. Perhaps because we do not wish for it.

Image credits: Reuters's Olivier Jean, via the National Post, and The Village Voice.

Obama Taking Notes From Harper?

Daniel Kitts — Tue, 29 May 12 15:42:11 GMT

If you take an interest in politics and political campaigning, you might want to check out this lengthy piece in New York Magazine by John Heilemann about how U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign staff plans to get him re-elected in November.

Midway through the article, this paragraph jumped out at me (emphasis mine):

But the Obama indictment of Romney in the economic sphere will extend beyond Bain and the Bay State: It will go to character. It will drive home the idea that Romney is a skillful but self-serving plutocrat whose rÃ©sumÃ© is replete with self-enrichment but who has never cared an iota about bettering the lives of ordinary people. One tagline that the campaign is considering using—“He’s never been in it for you”—encompasses Bain, Massachusetts, and every Gordon Gekko–meets–Thurston Howell III gaffe he made during the primary season in one crisp linguistic swoop.

Remind you of anything you may have heard of before?

Our Web Chat on Lessons Learned in Love

Navin Vaswani — Tue, 29 May 12 11:26:55 GMT

On Monday night, we were joined on the broadcast by couples who'd been married for years, still in love, and young, eligible singles who are looking for love.

Producers Allison Buchan-Terrell and Navin Vaswani hosted a live chat from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and heard from people – married and unmarried – about relationships, the keys to a successful marriage, and impossible notions of romance.

You can watch a replay of our live chat below. Thanks to everyone who joined us online, and who chimed in on Twitter. We appreciate it, as always.

&amp;ampamp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href=&amp;ampamp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=76ee014ddf&amp;ampamp;amp;quot; href=&amp;ampamp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=76ee014ddf&amp;ampamp;amp;quot; &amp;ampamp;amp;gt;Lessons in the Art of Love&amp;ampamp;amp;lt;/a&amp;ampamp;amp;gt;

Learned Love Lessons

Allison Buchan-Terrell — Mon, 28 May 12 13:27:43 GMT

Tonight on The Agenda, we're talking about love and love advice. And, in the lead up to tonight's program, we decided to try something new. We put a call out on Twitter and Facebook to you, our viewers, to send us a quick video with the best love lesson you've learned so far.

Attention young folks (20-30ish), we're looking for video comments to include on next Monday's program on love lessons. ^abt

— The Agenda | TVO (@TheAgenda) May 23, 2012

What's the most important lesson you've learned about love & relationships? Make a quick video, send the link. Might be on #theagenda! ^abt

— The Agenda | TVO (@TheAgenda) May 23, 2012

We're using some clips from the submissions as part of tonight's program, but you can watch the full submissions below. And, don't be shy: if you still want to send us a video with your best love lesson, feel free, or share your thoughts on these lessons in the comments below.

You should also join us tonight at 8:00 p.m. for a live chat about love, love lessons, and advice.

First up, Dwayne Brown (@Legion_Silver).

Up next, Michael Warren (@ear2ear).

And, finally, Sarah Nicole Prickett (@snpsnpsnp).

Thanks to Dwayne, Michael, and Sarah for taking the time to record and send in their submissions. If you'd still like to share your love lessons, please do so. We'd love to hear from you.

This Week on The Agenda: Love, Polarizing Politics, and More

Navin Vaswani — Mon, 28 May 12 10:39:21 GMT

This week on The Agenda: love, polarizing politics, Ontario's role in Alberta's oil sands, and youth unemployment in Canada.

Monday: Lessons in the Art of Love

In the second of our two-part miniseries about life lessons, and life advice, couples young and old share their wisdom about dating, marriage, love and relationships. And, a reminder: We'll be live-chatting during the 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. broadcast. Join us!

Tuesday: Political Polarization

In politics, it's "us" versus "them." Psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt sits down with Steve Paikin to talk about our polarizing politics, and his new book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.

Wednesday: Surprise!

You're on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know. (Translation: We aren't sure what the topic of Wednesday's program will be yet.)

Thursday: Ontario's Manufacturing Future, the Oil Sands, and "Charter Cities"

Thursday night's program features three one-on-one interviews. We start with Alberta's oil sands, and the role Ontario has to play in their development. Jean-Michel Gires, President and CEO of Total E&P Canada, tells us what opportunities exist for Ontario manufacturing companies out west. Up next, Bombardier CEO Pierre Beaudoin sits down with Steve Paikin to talk about where the company, a staple in Ontario manufacturing for two decades, is heading, and where he sees growth in the province's manufacturing sector. Finally, economist Paul Romer explains how new "charter cities" can change the world.

Friday: Youth Unemployment in Canada

The Canadian youth unemployment rate sits at almost double the national rate for the overall labour market. What are the social and economic consequences of jobless youth?

As always, we hope you'll tune in.

Image credit: CBC.

Is the European Experiment Doomed to Failure?

Steve Paikin — Sun, 27 May 12 22:00:54 GMT

Going into last Friday’s Munk Debate, most of the 2,700 people in Roy Thomson Hall seemed to think the European experiment was failing.

Only 37 per cent indicated before the debate that Europe was succeeding, whereas 41 per cent thought it was failing.

But 90 per cent of those who voted said they were open to changing their minds, based on what a Brit, a Scot, a German, and a Frenchman had to say.

Niall Ferguson, the Scottish-born historian, began the night by pointing to Europe as having the worst equity markets in the world over the past 10 years, adding a monetary union without labour market integration equals disaster.

“The European Union has lost its political legitimacy,” Ferguson said. “Thirteen governments have fallen in the last two years.”

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the French-born German politician, didn’t mince words:

“I’ve never heard such stupid words,” he told Ferguson, his voice rising with emotion. “I was born in 1945. This Europe was the most murdering region of the world. Every bad thing happened there. Two world wars. Now we are making an economy together. There are no more wars. We fight in parliament.

“It’s a miracle. Europe is a dream. It’s the future,” he added.

Then, the German-born Josef Joffe poured cold water on Cohn-Bendit’s lofty praise.

“Europe is a wonderful idea of countries with a common currency. But it’s crumbling before our eyes. And who wants to be ruled from Brussels rather than his own capital?” he asked.

Munk Debates usually features four intellectual heavyweights who trip over each other in their praise for the other side. Not this one. Personal insults continued to be hurled by both sides throughout the night.

“It’s easy to be a historian talking about the past and looking in the rear view window,” Cohn-Bendit blasted Ferguson. “As a politician, we have to be a little more serious.”

The shouting and interruptions reached such a fever pitch, the moderator, Rudyard Griffiths, urged the audience with “Hey folks, help me out, start applauding or something.”

The audience did, but it only temporarily stopped the vitriol.

“Now you can understand why Europe won’t work,” a frustrated Joffe said after yet another insult from Cohn-Bendit. “If you’re right, you don’t have to scream.”

Lord Peter Mandelson, former U.K. cabinet minister in both Tony Blair’s and Gordon Brown’s governments and Britain’s European commissioner, praised his debate partner (Cohn-Bendit) for his passion.

“I love Dan’s talking from the heart,” he said.

“I wish he’d talk from his head,” Ferguson snapped back.

Mandelson pointed out 70 per cent of Greeks want to stay in the Eurozone, fearing their money will be worth much less and inflation will run rampant if Greece leaves and reestablishes the drachma.

Joffe wasn’t impressed: “I don’t have to listen to any Brit on this. Your country isn’t even in the Eurozone!”

“We have a single 500 million person market thanks to political will and design,” Mandelson continued. “Would you rather see it fail? There will be no such thing as a velvet divorce if this falls apart. And everyone in the world will be hurt."

After an intense, insult-filled 90 minutes, those in attendance voted again and gave the victory to the pro-Europe side (Mandelson/Cohn-Bendit).

Yes, the European experiment is failing: 45%

No, the European experiment isn’t failing: 55%

It was Niall Ferguson’s third invitation to participate in the Munk Debates and he’s now lost his last two successive contests, making some wonder whether he’ll answer the bell if he’s asked to come back.

“Peter Munk really doesn’t pay me that much to come to these things, you know,” he joked with the audience.

Agenda Insight: Guerre de Cent Jours

Fri, 25 May 12 12:54:21 GMT

This week, the student protests in Quebec passed the hundred day mark. Marches in downtown Montreal have become a nightly occurrence, often accompanied by violence. Some schools have been untouched: no walkouts, no cancelled classes. Other campuses were effectively shut down weeks ago – mostly through student votes, but also through less democratic means. Last week, classes at the UniversitÃ© du QuÃ©bec Ã MontrÃ©al, or at least those that decided to try to remain in session, were disrupted by what can only be described as goons. Their aim was to intimidate those who wished to study, and they succeeded.

Every time we have a group of people who disagree with government policy, we have protests. This is not weird or aberrant, and it isn’t necessarily even a problem: this is, as protestors love to remind us, “what democracy looks like.” For example, during the Mike Harris years in Ontario, those opposed to his government’s plans for education, health care, and the public service took to the streets, and with the McGuinty government proposing its own cutbacks on provincial paychecks, we can expect similar protests in the months to come. Which is, so far as it goes, just fine. More than fine: it’s how our system is supposed to work. I don’t think many of us would want to live in a country where airing grievances against the government was a crime, rather than a right.

But it’s important to understand what the right to protest means. What our constitution calls “freedom of peaceful assembly” is really just a right to communicate – to take to the streets, alone or with others, to try to persuade our fellow citizens, using words and images and arguments. Protesting is constitutionally protected because it’s a form of speech. It doesn’t carry with any special right to use force, or threaten violence. It is an opportunity to convince your fellow citizens, and your government, to change their minds. It is the right to carry on a kind of argument, in public. Nothing more, nothing less.

So back to Quebec. Student protestors want to see university tuition frozen. Quebec tuition is the lowest in the country, less than half what students pay in Ontario, and the protestors want the Charest government to abandon its plan to raise tuitions by $325 a year for five years – an amount that would still leave the price of university well below that in our province. So what is the right policy? A tuition freeze? Lower tuition? How about zero tuition? All are legitimate choices, and student groups are perfectly within their rights to put them forward. Students even have the right to stop attending classes in protest – though the right of peaceful assembly offers no cover for anyone who wants to prevent his neighbor, who may have different ideas about the appropriate tuition level, from going to school.

As for which policy is best – lower tuition, higher tuition, frozen tuition, or no tuition at all – that is a matter for debate. But as to how to decide the question, or any other question of policy, on that there can be no debate. If we believe in democracy, then only governments, elected by us, have the legitimacy to decide. They may legislate a policy that you disagree with but your belief, however strongly held, cannot trump the law. You can attempt to persuade the government to change its mind, or try to persuade your fellow citizens to change the government, but the decision must come back to our elected representatives. In a democracy, nothing can be settled in the streets. All of our rights, and all of our hard-won freedoms are in jeopardy if we fail to understand that.

For The Agenda with Steve Paikin, I’m Tony Keller.

Image credit: Toronto Star.

The Best Commencement Speeches

Meredith Martin — Fri, 25 May 12 12:45:36 GMT

On April 30, The Wall Street Journal published an essay, "What They Don't Tell You at Graduation: 10 Things Your Commencement Speaker Won't Tell You," by Charles Wheelan, and I knew it was ripe for an Agenda program. If you haven't read it, here's a brief excerpt:

... And I've found that the saccharine and over-optimistic words of the typical commencement address hold few of the lessons young people really need to hear about what lies ahead. Here, then, is what I wish someone had told the Class of 1988:

1. Your time in fraternity basements was well spent.

The same goes for the time you spent playing intramural sports, working on the school newspaper or just hanging with friends. Research tells us that one of the most important causal factors associated with happiness and well-being is your meaningful connections with other human beings. Look around today. Certainly one benchmark of your postgraduation success should be how many of these people are still your close friends in 10 or 20 years.

2. Some of your worst days lie ahead.Graduation is a happy day. But my job is to tell you that if you are going to do anything worthwhile, you will face periods of grinding self-doubt and failure. Be prepared to work through them. I'll spare you my personal details, other than to say that one year after college graduation I had no job, less than $500 in assets, and I was living with an elderly retired couple. The only difference between when I graduated and today is that now no one can afford to retire.

Be sure to read the entire piece. Mr. Wheelan will be a guest on tonight's program.

Producing the program got me thinking about my own commencement, and the advice I received that day, and along the way. It also led me down the rabbit hole of the best commencement speeches. I've embedded my favourites below.

Steve Jobs, Stanford University, 2005

It's been viewed over 14,500,000 times, and for good reason.

Conan O'Brien, Harvard University, 2000

Conan O'Brien's speech remains memorable because he implored Harvard graduates to "fall down, make a mess, break something occasionally."

John F. Kennedy, American University, 1963

Almost 50 years ago, and only a few months before he was assassinated, President Kennedy addressed graduates at American University in Washington, D.C. The world had different problems back then.

All three of those commencement speeches were featured in TIME's "Top 10 Commencement Speeches" special. Here's the magazine's full list.

Closer to home, David Shore, an Emmy award-winning writer and producer on the hit TV show "House," and also a University of Toronto alumnus, addressed the Faculty of Law's graduating class in 2009, and was actually quite funny in doing so. Unfortunately, I can't embed the video, but you can watch it on YouTube.

Recently, actually just a few days ago, Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt addressed Boston University's graduating class, and he offered a nugget of advice that I think we could all use:

Take one hour a day and turn that thing off. Take your eyes off that screen and look into the eyes of the person you love. Have a conversation. A real conversation.

What advice do you remember getting at your own commencement? When you were in your early 20s, and the world was seemingly at your fingertips. What do you know now that you wish you knew then? Let me know in the comments, and enjoy tonight's program.

Feature image credit: Getty Images, via The Wall Street Journal.

Guest Post: The Canadian Tamil Congress Responds to Our Sri Lanka Program

Daniel Kitts — Fri, 25 May 12 11:24:19 GMT

Reaction to our May 18 program on how to best move Sri Lanka forward (above) continues. Below is an official response to the issues discussed on the program by the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC). Given that our program featured younger Tamil and Sinhalese Canadians, people from the CTC's youth membership took the lead role in writing the following (emphasis theirs).

Thank you for reaching out to us at the Canadian Tamil Congress for comment, and for featuring more discussions on the war and aftermath in Sri Lanka. Our thoughts are many on the show’s content, however we have decided to highlight two key areas that we work on to move forward. In our experience interacting and working with the Canadian Tamil diaspora, our many connections in Sri Lanka, with NGOs, human rights groups, and the growing list of people who live in exile from Sri Lanka, there are two clear areas of interest and efforts that emerge with regards to Sri Lanka: humanitarian work and human rights advocacy.

A sizable segment of the Canadian Tamil diaspora, either through apolitical NGOs, individual giving, and remittances, are supporting the rebuilding of the North and the Eastern provinces post-war. This collective giving, by the Tamil diaspora, we estimate to be in the millions of dollars – the sign of a connected versus disconnected group who understands the ground realities.

As reassuring as that generosity and commitment to help may be, our greatest concern is that it will not come close to meeting the needs of the people on the ground, as relayed to us by NGOs working there. They speak of a massive need for everything. There are areas without any suitable housing, functioning schools, access to basic health care, stable livelihoods, and the list goes on. These areas remain as they were post-war, except for the building of new and large military settlements by the Sri Lankan government.

In our first key area of work, we advocate to the Canadian Tamil diaspora to continue such giving while we implore state actors to pressure the Sri Lankan government to do their part for their citizens; from building roofs on schools that still remain lost from the 2004 Tsunami to restoring hospitals that were damaged during the 2009 war. (We walk a fine line here in that our organization has to remain independent of such efforts while advocating for them, so that our critical stance on the actions of the Sri Lankan government does not impact the access these humanitarian institutions are given to the area’s population.)

On the matter of human rights advocacy, the starting line in a brilliant piece on Sri Lanka by the CBC’s Brian Stewart says it best:

“When victims of mass abuse are ignored they are twice victimized: first by their oppressors, secondly by the world's indifference.”

We continue to press for justice for these victims and speak out against human rights abuses currently taking place in that country. This is our second key area of work. Sri Lanka has a well-documented history of suppressing a free press and dissent that necessitates our actions. The persistence on the matter of war crimes or a need for a truth/reconciliation commission, by us and many other organizations like the International Crisis Group and Amnesty International, is also to address a broader concern: the “scorched earth” policy used by the Sri Lankan government during the 2009 war must never again be used by any other government on its people. It is also imperative to note that without these broader social, political, and human rights changes, any progress made on the humanitarian front will be temporary at best.

In a defining moment in the movie "The Matrix," Laurence Fishburne’s character, Morpheus, asks Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, to chose between a blue pill and a red one. The blue pill allows one to live in a pleasurable state of ignorance while the red pill allows one to see the painful truth. Given the privileges we have in Canada of peace, democracy, and the right to speak freely, we cannot take the blue pill and “just move on.” With our efforts on Sri Lanka, every day we choose to reach for the red pill, to face seemingly insurmountable challenges, and do what we truly know needs to be done.

Please contact us at www.canadiantamilcongress.ca for more information on this and other advocacy campaigns on issues like refugee policies, civic engagement, and mental health.

Guest Post: How to Tickle a Tamil

Daniel Kitts — Thu, 24 May 12 13:02:17 GMT

There has been a great deal of discussion both on our website and via social media regarding our May 18 discussion on how to best move Sri Lanka forward after decades of war (video above). As part of our efforts to encourage further discussion on this important topic, below is a guest post written by Kumar Ratnam, a director on the board of the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC). (While Ratnam is affiliated with the CTC, he is speaking only for himself and not the organization.) In his commentary, he takes issue with one of the themes raised during the program. Following his thoughts is a response of my own, since I feel some responsibility for raising the issue that Ratnam found to be offensive.

"How to Tickle a Tamil" by Kumar Ratnam

There are two things that are certain to tickle a Tamil.

First would be a good old joke from back home.

The joke usually carries a well exaggerated, character driven story with nostalgic connections to one’s own village, a dry but sweet land 10,000 miles away. It will linger with the recipient many days and nights until it’s told to another person or audience. Then it’ll travel on its own path with added exaggeration and fictionalized nostalgia.

Second would be when a Tamil is told to “get on with his or her life.”

This time though the tickle would not end up in a happy moment. It’ll rejuvenate forcefully hidden memories of rejection, in-your-face discrimination, ridicule, and is sure to bring sadness, anguish, and eventual anger at the persons whose ‘never mind-ness’ was as simple and pathetic as ordering fries at a fast food joint.

The second tickle is what seems to have happened during the TVO discussion “Moving Sri Lanka Forward.”

It was amazing how program guests Romesh Hettiarachchi and Natale Dankotuwage can be so ignorant and unsympathetic, and decide to erase history with simple handshakes without suggesting opportunities or forums to grieve, recall, and reconcile in constructive ways so that the construction remains firm and strong for years to come.

The Tamils in Sri Lanka – and many from the majority Sinhalese population – have suffered immensely over the past 30 years. The civil war has touched every soul of a single generation one way or another. This writer included has faced systemic discrimination in Sri Lanka in the hands of power and corruption that was and still is widespread and unrelenting. The present and past Sinhala nationalistic governments have embarked on, successfully in most cases, marginalizing a minority population by taking away its land, livelihood, human rights, and opportunities that otherwise should have been equally offered among all its citizens.

Almost all first generation Tamils living in Canada have their own horror stories to tell. They have seen or heard of many untimely deaths of their loved ones in Sri Lanka. Every time firecrackers explode in the air during Victoria or Canada Day celebrations, my wife, even after living in Canada for over 20 years, still shivers and holds my arms with sweaty palms. Her eyes would close tight to drain the pain of running away from the bombing runs of the Sri Lankan fighter jets. Her teary mind would float around a bulldozed house looking for photographs of her young life.

Now, is it okay to tell these suffered minds that “life is all well and get on with it” with a simple handshake or by pretending to provide cursory help?

The Tamils in Sri Lanka and Tamil Canadians who walked through the bloody path and vast oceans to get here need an independent forum; to consolidate and recall their pain, to ask their rightful questions at conspirators who demolished their lives and livelihoods, to seek justice for the past wrongs, to correct the present and future, and eventually reconcile and help Sri Lanka “move forward.”

For a Tamil, “getting on with life” needs tangible meanings that can be touched, sensed, and cherished.

Until then, we better hold the second tickle of a Tamil.

Producer Daniel Kitts's Response

First of all, I'd like to thank Kumar Ratnam for a very personal and heartfelt reflection on our program. Secondly, I'd like to address his complaint because I feel I'm partly responsible for the notion being expressed during the program that Tamils should "get on with their lives."

One thing we wanted to debate during the program was the different approaches that our guests took to addressing Sri Lanka's problems. On one hand, Krisna Saravanamuttu and Neethan Shan put a heavy emphasis on confronting the ethnic tensions that led to war in the first place and on addressing any human rights abuses that took place during the war as an essential starting point for reconciliation. Romesh Hettiarachchi and Natale Dankotuwage, on the other hand, put more of an emphasis on smaller-scale trust-building exercises, such as helping people in Sri Lanka improve their communities with development aid and holding various discussion forums and cultural events to build bridges between the Sinhalese and Tamils in Canada.

So what we essentially wanted to get at was: "You can't ignore the past. But some would say you also need to put the past aside, at least somewhat, to begin to work together and build trust in the present. So how do you find the balance?"

The way that came out during the program was "are you living in the past?" That's not how we meant to express it. But in any conversation, there are moments where one doesn't express oneself as clearly as one would like. This was one of those moments.

As the producer of the discussion on Sri Lanka, and the person who played a lead role in formulating the questions we asked during the program, I apologize for this less-than-ideal choice of words. I believe that the issue of balancing the need to address the past with the need to work together in the present is an important one. (And I would invite anyone with thoughts on the topic to comment below this blog post.) However, I never meant to suggest that I, or The Agenda, think that concerns about Sri Lanka's past are somehow illegitimate or irrelevant.

Update: Kumar Ratnam made it clear to me from the very beginning that he was speaking for himself and not as a representative of the Canadian Tamil Congress. I neglected to make this clear in my initial draft. My sincere apologies to Ratnam and the Congress for the omission.

Guest Post: A Message from "Sri Lankans Without Borders"

Daniel Kitts — Wed, 23 May 12 14:48:37 GMT

On May 18, The Agenda broadcasted a debate on how to best move Sri Lanka forward after decades of war. (To watch the full discussion, press play on the video window above.) During the debate, the organization Sri Lankans Without Borders was criticized. One of our guests, Neethan Shan, argued that the group's activities were giving a false impression of reconciliation between Tamil and Sinhalese people, and were distracting from key human rights issues in Sri Lanka. He also took issue with the group for including "Sri Lanka" in their name; as a Tamil who feels ostracized by the Sri Lankan state, he finds using the country name is exclusionary to many Tamils. Given the criticism, the board of directors of Sri Lankans Without Borders wrote a statement in response:

We watched with interest the recent episode on Sri Lanka on your show which aired on Friday, May 18. Our organization, Sri Lankans Without Borders, was mentioned several times during the interview and we feel it is important to clarify who we are and our objectives.

Sri Lankans Without Borders is a growing not-for-profit, non-partisan network based in Toronto that was founded in 2010 by students and young professionals. We provide Burgher, Muslim, Tamil, Sinhalese, and Malay Canadians of Sri Lankan origin with opportunities to connect with each other and lead initiatives that promote dialogue and engagement across cultural groups in Canada.

Sri Lankans Without Borders provides a much-needed safe and inclusive space where Canadians of Sri Lankan origin and our friends can hold critical conversations on important issues. These topics include identity, religion, gender and sexual orientation, role of the diaspora, and post-war challenges and opportunities in Sri Lanka. These conversations reflect the diversity of our communities and their myriad of perspectives. Our objective is to encourage our members to engage critically, form an understanding, and seek to find solutions as informed and engaged global, Canadian citizens.

Sri Lankans Without Borders achieves its objectives of facilitating dialogue through novel programming, which strengthens the space for dialogue and cross-community engagement on a range of topics. To this end we have organized a political panel discussion, interfaith tours, networking and mentorship events, a social media community, tree plantings, and literary readings. While seemingly simplistic, these structured events have served as a powerful vehicle for fostering dialogue and understanding.

The word “Sri Lankans” in our organizational name is merely a current, geographical reference to the country to which more than 300,000 Canadians trace their shared origins. The “Without Borders” refers specifically to the diaspora, which has moved beyond the geographical boundaries of Sri Lanka. Frankly, we could not think of a more appropriate name that better illustrates our desire to transcend the borders of our communities in Canada and break out of the cycle of learned prejudices, misunderstanding, and discrimination that has fractured the relationship between ethnic groups in the Sri Lankan diaspora community in Canada.

For more information visit us at http://www.slwb.ca.

Thank you.

Christianity with an African Flavour

Mark Brosens — Wed, 23 May 12 10:47:36 GMT

Tonight, Father Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, provincial of the East African Jesuit province, will argue that Africa is a continent of hope. When he was here, Jenny Cafiso, director of Canadian Jesuits International, shared one of Orobator’s books with me, Theology Brewed in an African Pot.

I was interested in the book because it deals with the themes discussed in the Easter Monday episode of The Agenda with Steve Paikin, “Christianity Goes Global.” That program, embedded below, looked at how Christianity’s demographic shift from the global north to the global south could change the faith (according to Pew Forum, in 1910, 82.2 per cent of Christians lived in the global north, but by 2010 that number fell to only 39.2 per cent).

Christianity’s demographic shift to the global south is most obvious in Africa. As journalist and author John Allen, Jr. wrote in The Future Church, “During the twentieth century, the Catholic population of sub-Saharan Africa went from 1.9 million to more than 130 million — a staggering growth rate of 6,708 percent.”

Pew reports that one in four Christians now live in Africa. Thus, how Africans practice Christianity will affect how the faith is practiced globally. As professor and author Philip Jenkins argued in The Next Christendom, Christianity’s character changes over time and place (Christianity as a sect of Judaism was different than the Christianity of Mediterranean gentiles in, say, the fourth century C.E.). In theology, this idea is called inculturation. Orobator describes this with an African proverb, “a person can see the sun from many different places.”

How does African Christianity differ from Western Christianity? In Theology Brewed in an African Pot, Orobator picks out many differences, but I think the differing conceptions of God’s role in everyday life is most interesting. Orobator writes:

As hinted above, African spirituality is a very practical kind of spirituality: experience is more important than theory. Religion in Africa takes place as a daily and public affair. In some other parts of the world, such as North America, it is a matter of constitutional provision to confine religion to the domestic and private realm. This is hardly the case in Africa, where a very powerful sense of the divine permeates the lives of Africans. African spirituality recognizes the presence of God even in the most basic events and experiences of everyday life. For Africans, God is a God who sees all, is present in all, and acts in all circumstances of life. When we eat in Africa, we believe that we eat with God… As Africans, whatever we do, be it work, travel, or celebrations of marriage, success, human achievement, or even death, we always believe that God is part of it. God is not introduced into this ordinary or extraordinary experience as a stranger. God makes it possible; we encounter God in it.

Can people of European and African descent reconcile these differing understandings of the appropriate place of faith in everyday life, but also in the public sphere? It will be interesting to see as Africans migrate to North America and Europe.

Inside Ontario: A Royal Visit, Northern Forest Fires, and PC Policy Papers

Allison Buchan-Terrell — Tue, 22 May 12 11:23:29 GMT

A royal visit headlines our weekly Inside Ontario blog post. But, as always, we take a look at what's making news across the province, including raging forest fires, your hydro bill, and the coming byelection in Kitchener-Waterloo.

CBC

Charles and Camilla Bring Royal Tour to Toronto

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were in the Ontario Legislature this morning to present Diamond Jubilee medals to six Ontarians. The visit is part of a full day of activities in Toronto to mark Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, the 60th year of her reign.

The event, held at the Ontario legislature, was attended by dozens of dignitaries — as well as hundreds of royal watchers who gathered on the grounds of Queen's Park to catch a glimpse of the royals.

Inside, Ontario Lt.-Gov. David Onley reminded Charles and Camilla that they were in the legislature on the anniversary of the 1939 visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. At that time the king and queen met the world-famous Dionne quintuplets.

"We celebrate a monarchy that has deep roots in Canadian history," said Onley.

Continue reading this article.

Also, our own Steve Paikin was down at Queen's Park this morning live-tweeting the ceremony.

Timmins Times

Timmins Fire No. 9 Now the Largest Fire in Ontario, 25,000 Hectares

The Ministry of Natural Resources is stretched to the limit fighting major forest fires in northeast Ontario, including the largest forest fire Timmins has seen in 25 years. Dubbed "Fire No. 9," the massive fire southwest of Timmins and north of Gogama is the largest fire in Ontario, and one of the largest in Canada at more than 25,000 hectares. It's prompted the evacuation of tourist camps and recreational areas.

The fire created a massive smoke plume that could be seen from Timmins Sunday. Those driving in the area of Highway 144 couldn’t help but notice the massive plume hovering high over the highway, thousands of feet in the air.

Motorists driving under the plume remarked that it was like a solar eclipse in that the daylight disappeared as the smoke blotted out the sun.

Continue reading this article.

Toronto Sun

300 Evacuate Forest Fire in Kirkland Lake

Timmins isn't the only northern Ontario town dealing with a forest fire. A state of emergency has been declared due to a blaze near Kirkland Lake, and over 300 people have been evacuated. Discovered Sunday morning, the fire covered over 2,700 hectares by Monday afternoon. Fire crews and water bombers from the Ministry of Natural Resources have been battling the blaze, but have not yet been able to get it under control.

Two local gold mines, KL Gold and AuRico Gold, have suspended operations due to fire damage to power lines.

Town officials said Monday there was concern winds could switch the direction of the fire, which was 3 km north of Kirkland Lake. Residents were told to be prepared in the event the fire turns back towards town.

As of Monday evening the fire, which the [Ministry of Natural Resources] says was man-made, was not under control. The [Ministry of Natural Resources] said there was concern with dry conditions in the forecast that the fire could be active for several more days.

Continue reading this article.

The Globe and Mail

McGuinty’s Penchant for Consultation Raises Questions

In The Globe and Mail, Queen's Park columnist Adam Radwanski takes premier Dalton McGuinty to task for his "borderline fetish" with appointing expert panels, writing that it doesn't seem befitting of a three-term premier who's had almost a decade to come to grips with the province's challenges.

In other instances, though, it’s not so much about help making decisions as about help avoiding them. The most egregious example is the potential sale or consolidation of local distribution companies – the 80 energy utilities, such as Toronto Hydro, that are mostly owned by municipalities. The idea has been kicking around for ages, and many Liberals were ready to embrace it as a way of making the system more efficient. But others, including Energy Minister Chris Bentley, were nervous. So the government bought time by enlisting a trio of former MPPs to study the issue.

Another panel, announced in March and aimed at better connecting newcomers with jobs, was a tacit recognition that Ontario has lagged behind other provinces in immigration policy, and is now unsure how to catch up. The summoning of former Progressive Conservative leader John Tory to figure out what to do with Ontario Place was cover for the decision to shut down the rusted jewel of Toronto’s waterfront after years of neglect. And while last week’s panel on child obesity was not a surprise, having been promised in the Liberals’ campaign platform last fall, that hardly seems an issue that should baffle the best and brightest minds in government.

Read the rest of Radwanski's column.

Toronto Star

Cohn: Playing Politics with Your Hydro Bill by Cooking the Books

In the Toronto Star, Martin Regg Cohn analyzes Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak's first white paper on energy policy – the first of a series of policy papers set for release by the party. In particular, Regg Cohn examines Hudak's shift from his campaign promises on energy to the proposals in this policy paper.

Now, the Tory leader is plotting new ways to win the next campaign — reversing the polarity of his failed energy platform with more electrifying promises.

His new plan to privatize two provincially owned utilities has generated high voltage headlines. It has also triggered unpleasant political fallout for the party, reviving memories of wildly unpopular rate hikes from a similar Tory government experiment a decade ago.

As interesting as what Hudak said, however, is what he left unsaid. His shifting rhetoric on energy is a case study in political positioning — underscoring how quickly a wobbly platform can be submerged.

By reprising privatization this week, the Tory leader conspicuously omitted two centrepieces of his 2011 campaign platform: The HST holiday and the hated debt retirement charge (the DRC is about $5.60 on most bills, but ranges as high as $12 monthly).

Read the rest of Regg Cohn's column.

For more information, read the full PC white paper, "Paths to Prosperity: Affordable Energy," and an op-ed by Tim Hudak on The Huffington Post's website, "Ontario's Ring of Fire Will Fuel Our Economy."

The Waterloo Region Record

Local Tories to Nominate Byelection Candidate on June 20

On June 20, members of the PC party's Kitchener-Waterloo riding association will nominate a candidate for the byelection to replace MPP Elizabeth Witmer, who resigned in April to become chair of Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

Alan Sakach, director of communications for the party, said the path to a more prosperous Ontario will start here in Kitchener-Waterloo with the selection of the candidate.

“It’s sending a clear signal that the government needs to focus on job creation and stop overspending.” ...

Sakach said there is a lot of energy building within the riding and that several individuals are expressing interest in the candidacy. The party expects the current membership of more than 300 to increase with the byelection.

Continue reading this article.

You can always keep track of Ontario news via social media, using the Twitter hashtag #onpoli. You can also subscribe to a list of The Agenda producers on Twitter, who tweet about Ontario news and many other topics.

This Week on The Agenda: Our Austerity Challenge, and the Hunt for Bin Laden

Navin Vaswani — Mon, 21 May 12 00:00:01 GMT

This week on The Agenda: identity, austerity, Afghanistan, and life advice.

Monday: Brand Canada

To celebrate Victoria Day, we're broadcasting a repeat of a program we aired last Thursday about Canada's national identity. There's a new vision of Canada in town -- Canada 2.0. One of monarchs, military prowess, and celebrated global accomplishments. Are we rewriting Canadian values, or returning to our roots?

Tuesday: Challenging Austerity, and Searching for Cooperation

Around the globe, citizens are using their vote to say no to austerity measures. Back home, in Quebec, the strike by students suggests some Canadians might flex their democratic muscles and challenge the impulse to cut back on government spending. What does it mean for democracy and economics when societies can no longer live beyond their means, but don't like the proposals on offer? Then: An interview with Richard Sennett, author of Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation. The modern world is complex and complicated, and Sennett argues we're losing the skills needed to cooperate with each other in this new reality.

Wednesday: A Look at Three Countries

First, Jesuit priest Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator discusses his surprising message with Steve Paikin: Despite what you've heard, Africa is a continent of hope. Then, Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico AndrÃ©s Rozental discusses relations between Canada and Mexico, visa requirements for Mexican tourists to Canada and the country’s continuing narco-war. Finally, the Brookings Institution’s Khaled Elgindy talks about Bahrain’s thwarted revolution attempt.

Thursday: The Hunt for Bin Laden

Thursday night's program features three one-on-one interviews, and we begin with Peter Bergen, who sits down with Steve to talk about his book, Manhunt: From 9/11 to Abbottabad – The Ten-Year Search for Osama Bin Laden. Next, an interview with Kathleen Martin, about her book, Kamakwie: Finding Peace, Love, and Injustice in Sierra Leone. Finally, Dave Toycen from World Vision Canada returns to our studios to talk about his recent trip to Afghanistan, one of the most dangerous places in the world for children to be born.

Friday: Life Lessons

Back on April 30, Charles Wheelan wrote an essay in The Wall Street Journal, "What They Don't Tell You At Graduation: 10 Things Your Commencement Speaker Won't Tell You." Wheelan and others will be on The Agenda on Friday to discuss life lessons you won't hear at commencement.

I hope you'll tune in next week.

Image credit: Amazon.com.

Looking Back at the G20

Daniel Kitts — Fri, 18 May 12 15:38:47 GMT

The report by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) on the actions of police during the G20 Summit in Toronto in 2010 has certainly created a great deal of discussion.

It's a reminder of the intense emotions felt in the aftermath of the G20 meeting, emotions we captured in a program the day after the summit ended:

We reached out today to some of the people who were on the above program to give their reaction to this week's report. Not all of them could be contacted before this post was published. But Ken Chan, former Peel Region police officer and policing advisor in the Mayor's Office in London, England, got back to us with this statement:

What's clear is that the Toronto Police Service has a big task ahead in rebuilding its credibility as a policing agency ready and able to conduct major security operations. Deficiencies in major incident command structure, crowd control training and large-scale security planning must be addressed to show the city and the world that Toronto's finest is capable of undertaking major security operations expected of an international city. This is especially critical in the lead up to the 2015 Pan Am Games. Furthermore, the public would be well served by a serious look at how civilian oversight of the police can be enhanced.

Someone who has had to take considerable heat over police conduct during the G20 is Toronto Chief Bill Blair. From the time of the summit to his response to OIPRD's report this week, Chief Blair has maintained that, by and large, the police performed well during the summit, while acknowledging that mistakes were made and that there were lessons to learn.

Here's what Blair had to say to The Agenda about police tactics during the G20 in an October, 2010 interview:

We welcome any of your thoughts on the G20 in light of OIPRD's report.

Where Politics and Marketing Meet

Mark Brosens — Thu, 17 May 12 13:45:17 GMT

Canada’s scribbling class has been wondering if Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government are trying to reframe the Canadian national identity. For instance, John Ibbitson, columnist with The Globe and Mail, itemized what he sees as the principal characteristics of the Conservative brand of nationalism.

Richard Nimijean, instructor in the School of Canadian Studies at Carleton University, joined The Agenda with Steve Paikin for a web-exclusive interview on the politicization of Canada’s national identity.

Watch last night's debate.

A Live Chat About Gay Marriage: Thursday at Noon

Navin Vaswani — Wed, 16 May 12 14:03:51 GMT

Over the years, The Agenda has focused on issues relating to the gay community, especially the "It Gets Better" project.

Today, May 17, 2012, is the International Day Against Homophobia, and in light of President Obama officially voicing his support for gay marriage, we want to talk to, and hear from, you: we're hosting a live chat from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Thursday afternoon, right here on the Inside Agenda blog. What did you think of President Obama's announcement? How will it play in a U.S. election year? More closer to home, have your views on gay marriage shifted over the years? How? Should Gay-Straight Alliance clubs be allowed in Catholic schools? These are some of the issues we're hoping to discuss.

I hope you'll join the conversation at noon.

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Below, you can watch two Agenda programs on the issue. In November 2010, we explored the trials and triumphs of growing up gay:

In November 2011, The Agenda examined whether gay public figures becoming role models would actually, in fact, make it better:

Image credit: Newsweek Magazine cover courtesy of The Huffington Post.

Hanging Ernie Eves

Steve Paikin — Tue, 15 May 12 12:28:54 GMT

It's one of those traditions at Queen's Park where everybody is supposed to put his or her knives away and a spirit of non-partisanship fills the air.

For example, Premier Dalton McGuinty saw Mike Harris in the audience and warmly recognized him, despite the fact the two were bitter foes from 1996-2002, when Harris was premier, and McGuinty opposition leader.

Premier Dalton McGuinty welcomes everyone, including former Premier Mike Harris, to Queen's Park.

And then there's Ernie Eves, Ontario's 23rd premier, who never quite learned how to play by those informal rules.

Eves was at the Ontario Legislature last week, nearly 10 years after leaving the premier's office, to have his portrait unveiled and officially hung, as tradition dictates. And he used the occasion to roast nearly everyone sight.

Ontario's 23rd premier has a laugh, while waiting to see the unveiling of his portrait.

Eves replaced Harris as Ontario PC leader, but before that, he was a loyal second-in-command as Harris' finance minister. That didn't stop him from taking a friendly shot at his former boss, who at various times over the past decade, has worked at the same law firm as other ex-premiers David Peterson and Bob Rae.

"For a guy who cursed Liberals at virtually every cabinet meeting we attended, it sure is strange to see who his law partners have been," Eves cracked.

Ernie Eves didn't spare anyone from his barbs, including the current premier, sitting just a few feet away.

Then, after listening to a generous introduction from the current premier, and with the current opposition leader (Tim Hudak) in the audience, Eves continued to let 'er rip.

"That last budget that was brought in was one of the most tepid I've ever seen," he started, with McGuinty sitting three feet away from him. "Then my party voted against it without even reading it. And the NDP didn't even show up to vote for it even though they negotiated 'improvements' to it. Things sure have changed since I left here."

Lots of nervous laughter and people staring at their shoes after that one.

He took a long walk down memory lane, including sharing a story about attending former U.S. President Gerald Ford's annual golf tournament. "And I paid my own way to get there," Eves clarified. "We didn't fly down in any orange helicopters." Another zinger, and suddenly the smile was completely gone from Dalton McGuinty's face.

Queen's Park was awash in former ministers, including 87-year-old Bette Stephenson, one of Ontario's strongest education ministers.

But all jokes aside, Eves did remind the audience that even though his tenure as premier was short (April 2002 to October 2003), his government did face some challenges of epic proportions.

SARS (which killed 44 people), Ontario's first case of Mad Cow Disease, and the worst electricity blackout in history all happened on Eves' watch. Also, the province's finances were in desperate condition when Eves was finance minister. "And yet, Mike Harris trusted me to get the job done. He also knew I didn't want his job. Not every first minister and finance minister can say that," he added, with a not so thinly veiled reference to Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.

In 1990, Mike Harris and Dianne Cunningham vied for the Ontario PC Party leadership. Today, they're all smiles.

Eves met Queen Elizabeth II three times and cherished every get together. He met Pope John Paul II and was told he could bring 12 others to the meeting. Despite intense lobbying from numerous Tory backroom donors, Eves says he told his social services minister to find 12 underprivileged children who would enjoy the visit. He says he took a lot of flack for that decision, but it was the right one.

Eves' time in public life, which started with a six-vote victory in 1981 in Parry Sound-Muskoka, will always be remembered for the time when he got the news of the tragic death of his son Justin, who perished in a car crash.

Justin was learning disabled, so Eves created a foundation in his son's name, to raise funds for other learning disabled kids.

Ontario's Lieutenant-Governor, David Onley, watches from the right, as Ernie Eves' portrait is unveiled.

Eventually, the key moment arrived when artist Bernard Poulin's work would be unveiled. Every former premier's portrait tells something important about the office holder. Bob Rae was captured with a laptop computer open on his desk, to remind everyone that Ontario moved into the digital age under his watch. David Peterson was the first premier ever painted without a jacket on, his tie loosened, to indicate his more casual style, and the end of a stolid, 42-year Tory dynasty. The background in William Davis' portrait shows beautiful Georgian Bay, where Ontario's 18th premier could get away from the stresses of the job at his cottage.

Ernie Eves' portrait shows him in the chamber of the legislature itself, where he said he always enjoyed the cut and thrust of question period. There are 10 documents on his desk with him, each reflecting an important moment in his political life.

While Eves admitted "getting hung in front of 300 people isn't my idea of a good time," leave it to the current premier to sum up the reality of the job.

"Every day, I walk out of my office and see portraits of my predecessors," Dalton McGuinty said. "And it's a constant reminder that we'll all be hanged some day."

This Week on The Agenda: Big Macs, Martin Short, and More

Navin Vaswani — Mon, 14 May 12 12:58:50 GMT

After five nights of programming devoted to mental health, and nightly live chats, The Agenda resumes its regularly scheduled programming this week, exploring many different topics in a way only The Agenda can. And it all gets started with everyone's favourite burger: the Big Mac.

Monday: Owe Canada & Big Macroeconomics

Canadians have high levels of personal debt, high enough that Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney has sent out a warning. But how much debt -- if any -- is good debt? And, after the debate, Princeton's Orley Ashenfelter sits down with Steve Paikin to talk Big Macs and economics; Big Macroeconomics. Ashenfelter explains why McDonald's Big Macs are a benchmark for comparing wages around the globe.

Tuesday: After the Arab Spring

The Agenda examines what the Arab Spring revolution -- one year later -- means for Egypt, Libya, and Syria. Three countries, three different outcomes.

Wednesdsay: The Business of Show Business

We've got three one-on-one interviews on tap for Wednesday night, headlined by comedian and actor Martin Short, who will share his thoughts on American politics. Also: Karen Thorne-Stone, Ontario Media Development Corporation's President and CEO, on the Ontario's film and television industry's banner year in 2011. Finally, Jeffrey Steiner, the man behind Toronto's Pinewood Studios, will sit down for a chat on adapting the works of bestselling author Jeffrey Archer to the screen.

Thursday: A New Canadian Identity?

With stronger ties to the British monarchy, and an emboldened sense of military tradition thanks to years of combat in Afghanistan, is a new idea of Canada beginning to take hold?

Friday: Moving Ahead in Sri Lanka

As Sri Lanka emerges from a war that spanned three decades, The Agenda takes a look at what young Canadians who have ties to the island are doing here to help their families' homeland recover from the conflict.

Image credit: McDonald's.

Inside Ontario: The Province Has a Case of âThe Mondaysâ

Mark Brosens — Mon, 14 May 12 10:06:34 GMT

This week's headlines capture Ontario's angst. Thanks to anti-Semitic teaching materials found at a Toronto Islamic school, the disappointment of Northwestern Ontario in not getting a new processing plant (it went to Capreol, Ontario, near Sudbury), and angry Northern Ontario mayors, I'm reminded of the old saying: "Can't we all just get along?"

Toronto Sun

Islamic School Apologizes but Jewish Group says they Need to do More

York Regional Police are investigating after anti-Semitic teaching materials were found on the East End Madrassah’s (EEM) website. The EEM is operated by the Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat in Thornhill, and its classes are conducted on the weekends in a Toronto high school. The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre of Toronto filed the complaint after discovering the school’s curriculum “was teaching young Muslim students that Jews are ‘crafty,’ ‘treacherous,’ comparable to Nazis and allegedly plotted to kill the Prophet Mohammed.”

The chief Imam of the Islamic Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat of Toronto, the EEM school’s parent organization, said late Tuesday that the offensive content came from information taken from two websites without the permission of the “scholars” designing the school’s lesson plans.

“There has been a lack of scrutiny and communication between the people who update the curriculum,” said Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi. “When we express our (religious) differences, it has to be done in a civilized way ... (and) this was unacceptable.”

Rizvi could not immediately say what websites the offensive language came from, and refused to identify who at the EEM was responsible for adding it to the school’s lesson plan, adding only that he’ll let the police investigation take its course.

Continue reading this article.

Northern Life

Cliffs Chooses Sudbury for $1.8B Smelter

On Wednesday, Cliffs Natural Resources of Cleveland, Ohio announced that a processing plant for the "Ring of Fire" will be built in Capreol, Ontario, near Sudbury. The "Ring of Fire" is North America’s largest chromite deposit (chromite is used to make stainless steel). The plant is expected to cost $1.8 billion to build, and is projected to create 900 jobs (450 jobs during construction and 450 jobs once the plant is operational).

While there were several municipalities in Ontario vying for the smelter, the real fight, “the dramatic and aggressive battle,” was to ensure Cliffs chose Ontario as the location for its smelter, [Northern Development Minister Rick] Bartolucci said. Choosing Capreol was entirely Cliffs' decision, he said.

“Outside jurisdictions really wanted this smelter, and so we are happy Cliffs decided to locate in Ontario,” he said.

Continue reading this article.

More on the plant: The news disappointed many in Northwestern Ontario, who wanted it built in their region.

Also, Adam Radwanski, columnist for The Globe and Mail, observed that development in the "Ring of Fire" still faces challenges that can be lumped into three categories: "a lack of necessary infrastructure, dissent from first nations, and a cumbersome process to get environment approvals."

North Bay Nugget

Northern Mayors Fed Up

Many of Northern Ontario’s mayors used last week’s conference of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities to criticize the provincial government’s plan to privatize the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (which operates train, bus, and ferry routes in Northern Ontario). The Ontario government announced in March that it will sell much of the crown corporation as part of it austerity program. Some are so worried about this decision that Northern Ontario municipalities are being encouraged to fly Ontario’s flag at half-mast.

“You have ignored the North for too long. You have taken us for granted. And we won’t stand for it any longer,” said North Bay Mayor Al McDonald ...

“We will not allow Northern Ontario to be annexed and we demand to meet not only with (Northern Development) Minister (Rick) Bartolucci but for (Premier) Dalton McGuinty to answer the Northern mayors,” said North Bay chamber of commerce president John Strang, calling the pair arrogant for refusing requests for meetings. ...

Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren pointed to a backdrop emblazoned with the words new deal for Ontario Northland, saying “it’s a God darn shame that we have to be spending money on advertising that we want a new deal when we’ve been saying that from Day 1.”

Continue reading this article.

The Sault Star

Does the Ontario Government Poop in the North?

Beginning this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) will stop trapping and relocating nuisance bears. MNR has been relocating bears through the Bear Wise program since 2004. Minister of Natural Resources Michael Gravelle says this change reflects research showing bears simply return to where they were trapped. He also said the rest of the Bear Wise program will remain in place (i.e., education programs and a 24-hour hotline), and it is uncertain if this change will reduce the program’s overall budget.

However, Tom Mills, columnist with The Sault Star, took offence.

Of course, southern Ontario, where too many MNR decisions seem to be made, also used to be the black bear’s natural habitat, with Toronto’s Bay Street once known as Bear Street because of the animals that frequented it, not as reflection of investor confidence in the stock market.

Our eco-sensitive southern friends, who did away with their own bear problems by relentlessly trapping, shooting and poisoning the bruins -- I understand that until 1961 there was a bounty on black bears in Ontario -- now want us to suck it up and stop pestering woodland critters that can be up to six feet tall and weigh 600 pounds and peer in our patio doors, smacking their lips over our shih tzus.

Southerners can be as careless as they want with garbage, feeders and barbecues, having blasted the bears into regional extinction.

Continue reading this article.

London Free Press

Slots Loss an Attack on Rural Ontario

Some rural Ontarians continue to express frustration at the provincial government’s plan to end a 14-year-old slot machine revenue sharing program with racetrack owners and municipalities. There is concern that the decision will remove money and jobs from the rural economy. The change was recommended by the Drummond Report as part of an effort to increase gambling revenues to reduce the provincial deficit.

Jim Merriam, a retired newspaper editor and columnist, wrote an article for the QMI Agency on the program ending.

Rural Ontario continues to be abuzz over the provincial decision to remove slots from race tracks, threatening thousands of jobs in the horse race industry.

As usual, no one at Queen's Park is paying attention, reinforcing the truism that this government couldn't care less about the small towns and rural areas of the province. ...

Last month Hugh Mitchell of London, CEO for Western Fair District, suggested to a racing publication that 15,000 jobs in his immediate area are related to racing.

Speaking of the loss of 475 jobs in London when Caterpillar pulled out, Mitchell said, "We know you guys (politicians) were outraged at the Caterpillar fiasco, now it's time to be outraged at the McGuinty/Duncan fiasco."

Continue reading this article.

Managing A Minority Parliament

Steve Paikin — Mon, 14 May 12 06:44:33 GMT

Ontario has been into some relatively uncharted territory since last October's provincial election.

For the first time in a quarter century, Ontarians elected a minority parliament. It's led to some strange goings-on at Queen's Park: a new tax on the super rich, attempts by the McGuinty Liberals to poach members off the opposition benches in hopes of getting closer to a majority government, and now possibly cozying up to the PCs to implement a wage freeze on public servants.

Marcel Wieder and John Mykytyshyn have decades of experience in politics behind the scenes. Wieder has worked for Liberal candidates and the Working Families group that was instrumental in keeping the PCs out of government. Mykytyshyn has worked for Conservative candidates and was a founding member of the group of Common Sense Revolutionaries that helped elect Mike Harris premier back in 1995.

Watch them candidly cross swords here:

Mental Health Q&A: Three Questions for Catherine Pringle

Steve Paikin — Fri, 11 May 12 16:26:08 GMT

Steve Paikin: I first met Catherine Pringle when she was former Ontario PC Leader John Tory’s press secretary. She was so competent at her job, I never had an inkling that she’d had a history with mental illness, until I saw her mother Valerie, the broadcaster, talk about it on television. So Catherine, tell us, when did you first notice something was amiss?

Catherine Pringle, with former Ontario PC Party Leader John Tory.

Catherine Pringle: Now that I look back on it, I think the signs had always been there, but it wasn't until I was in my first "real" job at age 23 that I had a really bad episode of anxiety and depression and decided to seek help. I had experienced many panic attacks over the years and as I got older they seemed to get progressively worse. For a long time I had no idea what it was. The episodes were usually in and around periods of high stress, such as exams. My parents thought that it was just "nerves," as did I, I suppose, and would try and calm my with comments like, "you'll be fine," and, "what's the worst that can happen?" While the "rational" side of my brain knew they were probably right, the side of my brain that was in control of my body at the time did not care. The episode I experienced during my first job was paralyzing. I would cry all day, every day, and experience panic attack after panic attack until I could not get out of bed. That was when my mum looked at me and said, "I think we should speak to a doctor about this."

SP: So that began your interaction with the “mental health care system.” How well did it react to your situation?

CP: I was certainly one of the lucky ones. I have a lovely, caring family doctor who really took the time to talk to me about treatment options - talk therapy and medication. In the beginning I was dead set against taking medication, but she really took the time to go over different options with me and make sure that I understood how the medication would affect me and that I didn't have to take it forever if I didn't want to. I was also able to speak with a psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, who suggested that I do Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, a type of treatment for anxiety disorders. The combination of the right medication and the right talk therapy made all the difference for me and has helped me to better manage my anxiety. Unfortunately, I know from having spoken to many, many Ontarians that navigating the "mental health care system" is not nearly as easy as this for most. That is why increased funding and greater accessibility is so important.

SP: Finally, Catherine, how much stigma have you had to deal with in your travels through the world of mental health? Any employers, friends, family, acquaintances who look at you differently, now that you’ve gone public with this?

CP: To be honest, I have tried my best not to think about what others might think. When I returned to my job after taking some time off for treatment I was really worried about what I should say to people. When I asked my dad what he thought he simply said, “tell the truth,” and so I did, although I was very nervous about it. The first person I told was the campaign manager (my boss), who told me that his wife had dealt with the same thing. From that moment I decided to be open about it because mental illness is something that touches everyone in one way or another. I decided that I wanted to work to get rid of the sigma that still surrounds mental illness and addiction, and I tried to do that by being open and honest about what I had gone through. The more I spoke about it, the more other people would open up to me about their struggles. There is no shame in it.

Guest Post: Overcoming Schizophrenia

Thu, 10 May 12 12:07:46 GMT

As part of TVO's Mental Health Matters special, below you'll find a blog post written by Marie Asuncion about being diagnosed with schizophrenia, living with her illness, and overcoming it. A hearty thank you to Marie for sharing her story.

Being diagnosed with schizophrenia at 15 was by far one of the most challenging events of my life. A few months before my first episode, I dealt with insomnia. I would stay up all night listening to the voices in my head, a hallucination many people experience with mental illness. The clock would keep ticking, until 4:00 a.m., and beyond, and I’d still be awake. I'd pray, hoping for my paranoia to settle, but I was as anxious as ever, all the time, day and night.

On the night of my first schizophrenic episode, I had locked myself in my family room. A voice was telling me l was going to hurt my mother, and then myself. My mother noticed that there was something wrong with me. She remembers me telling her that night that I was able to hear ghosts, and that I could smell something burning. She called my father, who came home from his night shift with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). I was taken to emergency at SickKids hospital in Toronto. Within a week, I was transferred to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and saw a psychiatrist and occupational therapist. I was diagnosed with First Episode Psychosis, put on medicine, and began therapy.

It was a rocky period in my life. I'd relapse from time to time. But my mom was always there. When she sensed that it was getting too much, she would ask, "Do you want to go to emergency? Would it help make the voices go away?" For the first six years of my illness, I ended up in the emergency room once or twice a year.

I’ve always written about my experiences in a notebook. I have several, some with just scribbles, others with Bible quotes, and some with words of wisdom I'd heard in my head. A lot of them were things I'd have to remember every time I'd slip away, and have to get a reality check. I used my notebook, and even napkins and newspapers around the house, every time a good thought came to my mind. I'd have to write it down, because my obsessive thinking would get the best of me. A few things I wrote in my notebook were: “Be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication, make your requests made known to God." And: "Be strong, you know God has set a straight path for you, it'll just take time. Don't give up." And: "You're a fighter. You've been through worse before, you can get through this."

I'd pray every day, sometimes kneeling by my bedside with my mom, and say the rosary, so God would fill my head with good thoughts, and not voices, or anxiety. I kept up with my faith from the beginning. I'd say God is the main reason I am doing so well today. His strength and the prayers I would send to Him every night were what got me through. I knew it had to be my faith that would let me enjoy life the way I used to, before I was ill.

Now, today, it's like I never got sick. I have a wonderful boyfriend, who also has schizophrenia. We thrive together, always reassuring one another that there are better days, and we often teach one another about wellness, and recovery, whenever there are ups and downs in our mental health. I have a stable teaching job, and a fulfilling life ahead of me. I enjoy sharing my story. I know that if I could get through all that I’ve been through, and write this today, recovery is possible. I am proof.

Mental Health Q&A: Three Questions for Michael Landsberg

Steve Paikin — Wed, 09 May 12 16:21:47 GMT

Steve Paikin: Michael, you and I have been friends for more than 30 years, and last year, you were kind enough to appear on The Agenda to talk about your own struggles with mental health issues. At that time, you told us that, after years of sort of living under a black cloud, you were finally able to identify and treat the problems you were having. Update us. How are you doing now?

Michael Landsberg: I'm doing great. I say it nine times. Then, once, I say, "I'm doing okay." I'm good nine out of 10 days. Which – considering where I was – is a huge blessing. You seldom "beat" depression. In my case I have tamed it into submission.

I've known Michael Landsberg since we were students at the University of Toronto in 1978. We then worked together at CHFI-FM.

During it all, I never knew he suffered from depression. As he told me, "I was good at hiding it."

We're pictured here with fellow former CHFI'ers Rob Davidson, Landsberg, Paul Cook, and yours truly.

SP: You spend much of your time, of course, in the world of sports, being the host of TSN's Off The Record. And the past couple of years have been tragic. Your friend Wade Belak, the former Maple Leaf, committed suicide. So did Rick Rypien, formerly of the Canucks and Jets. The suspicion is, both deaths were related to mental health issues. What impact do you think those tragedies have had on raising awareness about mental health in the pro sports world?

ML: Sadly, it takes tragedy to shake people's views out of their heads. The single biggest roadblock for mental illness is that people see it as weakness not illness. So when strong, tough, successful people suffer from it, it sends the message. People need to know depression is a serious – sometimes fatal – illness and, tragically, it takes the deaths of well known people to hammer that point home.

SP: One last thing: Tell us where you think stigmatizing people with mental health issues is these days. So many won't get help because of fears they'll be seen as unreliable at work, or dangerous at home, or in friendships. Where are we on this part of the story?

ML: We're still living in a world that sees mental illness somehow falling between physical illness and fantasy. Part of the problem is that few will admit they feel that way. It's like saying "I'm a bigot." Truth: The majority of Canadians believe that depression is a weakness and not an illness. Did you know Hippocrates wrote 2,500 years ago that "melancholia" was an imbalance? Yet all this time later, we still fall back on lines like "snap out of it," and "what do you have to be depressed about?" Have we made progress? Yes. Especially in the last few years. But are we near the end? Not a chance. We still live in a world where people will take their own lives before they will share their illness. Sad. Tragic. Avoidable.

Our Q&A with Psychologist Dr. Katy Kamkar

Navin Vaswani — Wed, 09 May 12 16:16:43 GMT

First and foremost, I'd like to thank Dr. Katy Kamkar from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) for joining us from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. We had a very lively Q&A session, with numerous readers posting questions. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get to all the questions that came in, and I'm sorry about that, as our queue filled up rather quickly, but I'm hopeful we can do something like this again.

Click the play button below to watch a replay of the Q&A.

&amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href=&amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=042f9dd1e4&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=042f9dd1e4&amp;quot; &amp;gt;Mental Health Q&amp;amp;A with Dr. Katy Kamkar&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Mental Health Q&A: Three Questions for Elaine Flis

Steve Paikin — Tue, 08 May 12 17:22:40 GMT

I've known Elaine Flis for probably 20 years. Her father Jesse was a respected member of Parliament for Parkdale-High Park from 1979 to 1984, and again from 1988 to 1997. And Elaine always had plans to run some day herself – until some devastating mental health issues presented themselves in her life and made those plans impossible.

Steve Paikin: Elaine, when did you first notice something was amiss?

Elaine Flis: Thinking back, I've always felt something was wrong but didn't know what it was, and was afraid to talk about it because I didn't know what was happening with me. When I was 15, I tried to commit suicide but never sought help; I was just thankful I didn't succeed. In university, doctors queried clinical depression but I refused to believe it. I was first diagnosed with severe clinical depression after university. About five years ago, the medications stopped working and I was referred to a psychiatrist. After a few visits, she diagnosed me with bipolar disorder and it really was an "a-ha" moment for me. It finally all made sense.

Elaine Flis, flanked by former Prime Minister Paul Martin on the left, and her father, former MP Jesse Flis on the right.

SP: Did you feel the so-called "mental health system" treated you well?

EF: When I finally received treatment, yes. Although it took about six months to get in to see a psychiatrist, and over a year to get in to see a psychotherapist. The only reason I was able to find a psychotherapist is because I opened up to a friend who in turn referred me to someone he knew. I am still trying to find the right medications, and have tried numerous types of medication, but now I am lucky to have a great health care team in place, supporting me every step of the way.

SP: Glad to hear it. Elaine, your dream was to go into politics. Is that still an option?

EF: One thing my father taught me is "never say never" and "keep your options open" so for now, that's what I'll do. At this point, I am enjoying being an advocate for mental health.

TVO's Mental Health Archive

Daniel Kitts — Tue, 08 May 12 14:02:05 GMT

As part of Mental Health Matters Week here at TVO, the folks at our online archive have put together a playlist of past programs where we have looked at issues of the mind and mental health. Here's an example of what you can find on that playlist: a Gemini Award-winning documentary produced by my TVO colleague David Hawkins on Edmond Yu, a man suffering from schizophrenia whose tragic death raised a host of issues on how we deal with people facing serious mental health issues.

A Q&A with Dr. Katy Kamkar: Wednesday at 12:00 p.m.

Navin Vaswani — Tue, 08 May 12 11:24:03 GMT

Dr. Katy Kamkar is a Clinical Psychologist in the Work, Stress, and Health Program, at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and was most recently on The Agenda as a panelist on April 17, for our discussion about mental health at work. Dr. Kamkar has kindly agreed to join us for an hour on Wednesday, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., for a live, online Q&A, and this is where you come in: we want your questions for her.

We'd looking, in particular, for questions about depression and anxiety: questions about different types of therapies and medications, and questions about the mental health care system. While Dr. Kamkar won't be able to answer specific questions about your particular case, she can also answer general questions about various mental illnesses, and mental health-related issues, and is also able to comment on current mental health research.

Please use the comments section below to ask your questions, and we'll be sure to get them to Dr. Kamkar off the top of tomorrow's Q&A. If you're able to join us live from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., even better: we'll be hosting the online Q&A on The Agenda's Mental Health Matters special page.

You can also send us your question and/or comment on Twitter. Tweet at us – @TheAgenda – and be sure to use the hashtags #theagenda and #mentalhealth.

We'll see you tomorrow at noon.

Image credit: The Globe and Mail Inc.

This Week on The Agenda: Mental Health Matters

Daniel Kitts — Mon, 07 May 12 09:56:58 GMT

This week, TVO, in association with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), presents Mental Health Matters—an in-depth exploration of the state of mental health in our society. And The Agenda is doing its part: All five programs this week deal with various contentious debates in mental health. You can watch all of our programs streamed live on the web, as always, and, this week, join a live chat hosted by our producers from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at our Agenda Mental Health Matters page.

Monday: Disturbed Minds or Manuals?

The upcoming fifth edition of the DSM is causing major debate in the psychiatric community. The Agenda examines how changes to the psychiatric "Bible" will create opportunities to diagnose people with mental disorders.

Tuesday: A Mental Health Strategy for Canada

The Mental Health Commission of Canada has announced its new strategy. Will it help those dealing with mental illness get the treatment they need?

Wednesday: Putting Depression on the Couch

It is one of the most common mental health issues: depression. The Agenda looks at the latest in treatments for depression.

Thursday: Schizophrenia: A Sentence or a Diagnosis?

Schizophrenia is one of the most feared and misunderstood mental illnesses. Is it a disease of the brain or a condition caused by social circumstances?

Friday: Speaking of the “Mentally Ill”

When diagnosing mental illness, words matter. Some words empower, while others stigmatize. How do those with mental illness want to be regarded? The Agenda has a conversation about language, labels, and identity.

A Tough Few Weeks for Tim Hudak

Steve Paikin — Fri, 04 May 12 15:26:59 GMT

It's been a tough few weeks for Ontario's Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

Then again, it is the worst job in politics. It requires the office's occupant to be resolutely negative, which runs the risk of having you portrayed as "Doctor No," as William Davis so skillfully did to opposition leader Stuart Smith 30 years ago.

Politicians like to sell hope – hard to do when day after day, you remind people how awful things are and how we're going to hell in a handcart with the other guys in charge.

So Tim Hudak and his team had a difficult challenge, when the PC leader took to the stage of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre earlier this week. In the audience were 1,400 interested onlookers, all curious to see how Hudak would bounce back from what's been a particularly challenging last few weeks.

And since tickets were going for $1,200 to $1,500 a pop, you could say expectations were high.

Hudak hasn't been able to catch a break lately. Sometimes, it's been his fault, but sometimes it hasn't.

He took a hammering over his immediate rejection of the Liberal government's budget. Critics noted NDP Leader Andrea Horwath played hard to get, negotiated with the premier over a few weeks (thereby keeping her name in the headlines), and, ultimately, got some significant changes to the budget which many of her supporters no doubt liked.

And all the while, Tim Hudak was seen as not a "player," because he was waiting on the sidelines for the McGuinty-Horwath show to be over.

And remember: all of this comes less than a year after Tories became convinced they were moving back onto the government side of the legislature. Team Hudak had a 15-point lead on the Liberals last summer, and the conventional wisdom was, the public couldn't wait to get rid of Dalton McGuinty.

But it didn't turn out that way. The election of 2011 was Hudak's to lose, and he lost it, albeit improving the Tories' fortunes significantly.

Then this week, the coup de grace: 22-year veteran and former deputy premier Elizabeth Witmer announced out of the blue that she was quitting to become the new chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. People asked: is that something you do if you think you're going to be back on the government side of the House soon? Answer: no.

So all of that was percolating through the hall this week as Hudak gave the keynote speech at the Leader's Dinner.

In fairness, Hudak's team took some risks which made the presentation more interesting to watch. The leader spoke without a lectern and copy of the speech in his hands. He paced a large stage, glancing occasionally at the teleprompter on the floor in front of him, while flanked by a backdrop of "ordinary Ontarians."

And Hudak got through the speech just fine. If he wanted to convey an air of steely calm – that none of the pitfalls of the past year have got to him – then he succeeded.

But I spoke to dozens of Tory supporters in the hall that night and asked for their feedback, and, to a person, they were underwhelmed.

Some wanted more fire and brimstone, some red meat they could sink their teeth into, that would have brought the crowd to its feet. That never happened.

Others wanted to hear something fresh and original on why the PCs deserve to be back in government. They were left disappointed. Much of the optimism that was in the air when Hudak was elected Tory leader almost three years ago seems to have dissipated.

I would merely observe the following:

1. In the summer of 1984, David Peterson's career looked sunk. Four important members of his caucus quit on him, so they could run federally. Politically, he was a dead man walking. A year later, Peterson was sworn in as Ontario's 20th premier.

2. In the summer of 1990, NDP Leader Bob Rae pondered what he was going to do in the fall, after he lost his third consecutive election. However, in October, Rae was sworn in as Ontario's 21st premier.

3. In the summer of 1995, Liberals were licking their chops at the prospect of returning to government, so sure were they that the NDP was finished, and the third place PCs were out of the game. The Liberals had a 20-point lead going into the election that year. In June, PC Leader Mike Harris became Ontario's 22nd premier.

There is a tendency in politics to assume that a week, a month, even a year's worth of bad headlines means "Game Over."

It just isn't so.

Stay tuned ...

Guest Post: Children's Mental Health: A Call to Action, A Message of Hope

Fri, 04 May 12 11:13:02 GMT

The following post was written by Gordon Floyd, President and CEO of Children's Mental Health Ontario. You can follow him on Twitter: @GordonFloyd.

The mental health of our children and youth is being talked about more and more every day. As it should be. Gone are the days when we thought that mental health issues were limited to adults facing adult challenges.

We have the numbers: One in five kids in Ontario struggles with their mental health. Less than 20 per cent of them will get the treatment they need.

Shame is one of the most challenging feelings we battle when we have a mental illness. Whether valid or not, the fear that we may be judged for being different, or for not being able to "snap out of it," can be paralyzing.

How do we empower our young people to open up about their struggles, and, in turn, get them the help they need?

We need to be open and we need to be educated. Let’s remove the stigma from mental health and start talking about it.

Bill Wilkerson, founder of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, has some advice for parents:

Rid yourself of the false perceptions and stereotypes of mental illness that may blind you to the needs of your own kids. Establish the mental health of your children as a necessary part of parenting and protection.
Approach the subject of mental health openly with your child. Explain why it is important. Have your child understand that his or her brain works with every part of them, and that it changes through life.

Wilkerson approaches the topic of anti-stigma through advice to parents, although it can also be tackled effectively in the context of peer relationships among kids.

Youth supporting youth in a non-stigmatizing way is of critical importance.

Today’s kids often communicate with one another through media, as much as through words. Youth are harnessing the power of social media to express themselves and make statements around serious issues like mental health.

Children’s Mental Health Ontario is hosting Change The View 2012, an anti-stigma YouTube video contest open to youth across Ontario. The level of participation has been outstanding. There is a hunger among youth to reduce the stigma around mental health issues like depression, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. Join us on Friday, May 11 as we celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week, and the participants of Change The View 2012.

Event Details:

Friday, May 11, 2012
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; event runs from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Masonic Temple Toronto (888 Yonge Street)
RSVP here

Come on out for free food, live music from Nicholas Doubleyou, door prizes, games, art, and more as we celebrate the winners of Change the View. Judges will announce the winner of the $2,000 cash prize!

For more details visit www.kidsmentalhealth.ca or contact christine@cmho.org.

The Insiders: David Herle

Steve Paikin — Thu, 03 May 12 11:29:42 GMT

David Herle's worst political nightmare was coming true.

It was 2004, and the expectations for Paul Martin's first campaign as the new Liberal leader were sky high. Predictions of 200 seats will buzzing around Ottawa. But the campaign got off to a disastrous start, and as national co-chair, that made it David Herle's problem.

All the focus groups and polling were coming back with the same message: it's time for a change. It's time to punish the Liberals for the sponsorship scandal. (And a new health care levy brought in by Martin's provincial cousins in Ontario wasn't helping.)

Liberal insider David Herle, speaking about his role on the 2004 federal Liberal election campaign.

Liberal votes were bleeding to the Conservatives' Stephen Harper on a daily basis.

Then the Liberal brain trust was presented with an ad simply called "The Multi-scene Manifesto." It was tough. Really tough. It described a Canada that Canadians wouldn't recognize if Harper were to become prime minister.

"The reaction from focus groups was strong and clear," Herle told the Canadian Club on Monday. "People thought the ad was aggressive and shocking. They told us if we had any integrity, we'd focus on our positives, not on the negatives about the Conservatives." But Herle also noticed that these voters all suddenly indicated they wouldn't vote Conservative anymore. The ad made them concerned about Harper's agenda. They were switching back to the Liberals.

"I felt we needed to run that ad and that it would change the campaign," Herle recalled. "Others strongly advised against it. We warned our candidates it was coming, then released it."

The effect? Support for the Conservatives stopped. Concerns about what Harper might do to health care rose. Concerns about the sponsorship scandal fell. Voters moved away from their flirtation with the Conservatives. "Certain defeat became kind of a win," is how Herle put the election result – a Paul Martin minority government.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my political career," Herle said. "I've learned a lot. But on this one, I was on the inside and I was right."

Our Web Chat on Mental Illness in the Family

Navin Vaswani — Wed, 02 May 12 15:41:02 GMT

As The Agenda has done every other Tuesday night since March 6, we devoted an hour of programming to mental health last night, this time discussing how family members are affected when a loved one suffers from mental illness.

Producer Sandra Gionas hosted a live chat from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and was joined by Natasha and Karna from ConnexOntario's Mental Health Helpline, and Maria, a councillor with Kids Help Phone. The chat was lively, and we were joined by people who shared their own stories of mental illness, and how their families coped. Thanks to all who took part, and we're looking forward to upcoming live chats on the weekend, during our TVO in the Community event, and all throughout Mental Health Week next week.

You can view a transcript of the chat below:

&lta data-cke-saved-href=&quothttp://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=990fd7a96e&quot href=&quothttp://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=990fd7a96e&quot &gtMental Illness in the Family&lt/a&gt

Agenda Insight: Beyond Gender?

Wed, 02 May 12 13:14:20 GMT

In 2010, Sweden was voted "most gender-equal society" by the World Economic Forum. A group of Swedish activists nonetheless concluded that this was not good enough. Instead, they aim to erase gender differences, altogether, and bring about "gender neutrality." A new genderless pronoun, "hen," has recently entered the Swedish language. A new children’s book employs this pronoun. Some clothing and toy stores have done away with separate girl and boy sections. "Social critic" Ingemar Gens has stated, publicly, that natural free play among children is wrong, because it is where "gender stereotypes are born and cemented," while the Swedish Green Party has suggested placing gender pedagogues in preschools to act as gender behaviour watchdogs. Who could possibly think that this would be anything but horrible?

Here’s a counter-idea to consider: What if gender roles, themselves, are virtuous? What if they represent ideals to aspire to? Consider these words: ambitious, self-reliant, tough – and some others: loving, unselfish, kind. The former are masculine virtues, traditionally and statistically; the latter, feminine. In the world of ideological theorizing, these qualities exist as arbitrarily imposed cultural prejudices. In the natural world, shaped by billions of years of evolution, gender differences are real and deep.

What if it’s too much to ask each child to be a good girl and a good boy at the same time? What if such virtues cannot be initially developed, without specialization? After all, real expertise at something requires 10,000 hours of practice.

Consider this, too: What if truly satisfying sex requires a certain male boldness and female acceptance? Is it really culture that drives the common romance fantasy of the dominant, aggressive male (billionaire, doctor, pirate, vampire), who can only be tamed by the love of the right woman? What if the interaction between well-integrated men and women in long-term, monogamous relationships allows male and female virtues to flourish, equally, while limiting their exaggeration (so men don’t become pushy, aggressive and arrogant, and women don’t become indecisive, dependent and resentful)? What if this promotes the broadening of already established gender identity – not early, but later in life, when it is appropriate?

Finally, and most ominously: What if the hypothetically well-meaning rejection of sexual differences produces a kickback, the reactionary overdevelopment of masculine and feminine features, instead of mere uniformity? We already know that boys in a fatherless family tend to develop hyper-masculine traits, that girls in fatherless families hit puberty earlier, and that preteen girls are dressing in an increasingly provocative fashion. Here’s another idea: No Clint Eastwood, more Freddy Krueger. No Marilyn Monroe, more Abercrombie & Fitch "Feeling Lucky" thong underpants for 10-year-olds.

Only fools think that planned radical social changes necessarily produce the desired result. Who would have ever imagined an explosion of teenage pregnancies 30 years after the birth control pill? As Tom Waits says, you can drive out nature with a pitchfork, but it always comes roaring back again.

For The Agenda with Steve Paikin, I’m Jordan Peterson.

The Insiders: Kathleen Monk

Steve Paikin — Wed, 02 May 12 12:44:07 GMT

Kathleen Monk had a huge problem.

It was just after the 2011 federal election and the late Jack Layton, the former NDP leader, had just handed her a huge pile of lemons and told her to make lemonade out of them.

The problem: the sharks were out for the blood of a new NDP Member of Parliament named Ruth Ellen Brosseau, better known as "Vegas."

She got that nickname because in the middle of the campaign, she went to Las Vegas for a previously planned vacation. But it was worse. She was running in an overwhelmingly Francophone riding, and her French was lousy. And if that weren't insulting enough, she didn't spend one day in the riding during the campaign. She didn't knock on a single door.

And she won by 6,000 votes and promises to run again in 2015.

Official Ottawa was in a tizzy. They said she was illegitimate. They wanted her to resign. The media staked out NDP headquarters looking for her. They staked out her parents' home. They wanted at this rookie who had the temerity to win on Layton's coattails.

Layton's challenge to Monk: make sure Brosseau was treated fairly. And make this story go away.

Kathleen Monk, NDP Insider, speaks to the Canadian Club about a task Jack Layton gave her a year ago.

"I knew it was wrong for Ruth Ellen to resign," Monk told the Canadian Club on Monday. "It would only fuel calls for others to resign. And it would lead to a feeding frenzy. So we had to fight back and not let them cannibalize this woman."

So Monk sat the new MP down and got her story. And it was a good one. Somewhat sympathetic in fact. The party had asked her to run in that riding, knowing she had no particular connection to it. She was a single mother. She represented a demographc that had very little representation in Parliament.

Monk had to work with her and on her. She needed to get Brosseau to improve her French. She had to get her to dress more appropriately and get her hair done just so. And most important, "we had to keep her under wraps until she could make a great first impression."

The national media desperately wanted the story. Monk said forget it. After awhile, Brosseau gave interviews to local media, but only local media.

"Now she's an MP worth watching," Monk said. "She's deputy agriculture critic. She's got a strong riding association. She asks solid questions in the House. The local mayors love her. And we need people with diverse backgrounds, in diverse stages of their lives, in Parliament. Now she is really un vrai vedette.

"She's gone from crisis and controversy, to confidence," Monk said.

Tomorrow: David Herle's biggest challenge, during the 2004 federal election campaign.

Guest Post: Bipolar Disorder, My Family, and Me

Tue, 01 May 12 13:19:55 GMT

The following post has been graciously written for us by Marianne Andaloro. This is the first time she's written about her experience with bipolar disorder, and how it affected not only her, but her family.

In the spring of 2005, at 32-years-old, I faced my absolute worst fear and received a diagnosis of “high functioning” bipolar disorder type I, while experiencing a serious psychotic break. Despite a dramatic and traumatic hospital submission to a psychiatric crisis ward, I could not believe the news I had received. Prior to this, I had tortured my parents with my outlandish behaviour off and on for years.

Not being diagnosed until I was 32 came at a steep price of failed relationships, walking out of my loving parents’ home at 17-years-old, and barely even speaking with my family for several years after. Within three months of leaving home, I lost 80 pounds, dropped out of high school, and was trying to subsist on a minimum wage job, thinking there was nothing really wrong with me. I blamed my parents, accused them of emotional abuse, and took all of my angst, agitation, and frustration out on them. My mother and father were deeply wounded by my actions, and my mother would cry for days in my absence. I had little patience or use for my younger sister, and this hurt her deeply, as she had always looked up to me. My sister felt protective of my parents, as they were so hurt by me, and eventually she became very angry with me. My father was at a loss as to how to get me to come home, and how to ease his own, my mother’s, and my sister's suffering. They just saw their generally loving and obedient daughter behaving in ways that were totally out of character, and chalked it up to normal teenage angst. I simply could not see the problem was inside of me, and truly believed my family was the cause of my emotional torture. What was working against me was the fact I was “high functioning;” I was able to hide my emotional outbursts from everyone but my parents, whom I saw as the root of all my issues.

As a young girl, my mother described me as a “sensitive child” who was emotional, my grandmother claimed I was prone to “histrionics,” and doctors claimed I was a hypochondriac. Upon reaching puberty, I was able to maintain relative stability, so my parents really never saw a problem. When I was 13, things changed quickly. I began to rebel, became confrontational and argumentative, and increasingly blamed my parents for the discomfort I was unable to articulate other than through physical symptoms such as upset stomachs, migraines, and muscular tension.

Fast forward to 2005: I had separated from my husband (now blaming him for my angst, instead of my parents), moved homes, changed jobs, and was unknowingly becoming psychotic from a manic episode induced by both a prescription of antidepressants and the huge amount of stress brought on by so much change in my life. My parents and family doctor began to realize something was seriously wrong, but it was too late. Within days of their realization, I was fired from my job, and then walked into a local coffee shop and proceeded to start screaming nonsense until the police were called. My recollection is spotty due to the nature of psychosis, but I do recall the police arriving, trying to restrain me, and me fighting them with all my might. But I'd lost considerable weight and was no match for the officers. I was handcuffed and taken to my local hospital, screaming the entire trip. The next time my parents saw me, I was strapped to a gurney in straitjacket, drooling from the large doses of Haldol (Haloperidol) I was injected with to try and break the psychotic episode. I will never forget the look on my parents’ faces when they walked into that locked room to see me in such a state. At that moment, they were so gentle, so loving, so kind, and I was relieved they had come for me. I was released into my parents' care.

My family doctor recommended my parents leave me in hospital to be diagnosed. I was referred to a psychiatrist, and I literally threw a temper tantrum at my mother and walked out. My doctor then advised my mother to take me immediately to Emergency. Once there, I was admitted under Form 3 of the Ontario Mental Health Act, allowing me to be held involuntarily for two weeks, for observation, as I was a potential risk to myself. When I realized my parents weren't going to be taking me home, and were going to leave me in that awful place, I again turned on them and threw them out. They were asked to leave by the clinicians in the ward, as being further upset was not good for my state. In the end, I was detained in a psychiatric crisis ward for three days. Each day my father tried to visit me, but I refused him admittance.

After three days of observation and medication, it was quickly determined that I was a very "classical" case of bipolar disorder I, and was experiencing a psychotic break. Once I acknowledged that I was ill, I was again released to my parents, and was now convinced that I really did have a problem. I left the hospital with appropriate medication and recommendations for lifestyle changes and psychotherapy. I was wracked with guilt, finally realizing what I had done, and terrified at the burden I would be to my parents and sister.

Within a few months, my parents, and a very special family friend I refer to as my “second mother,” attended an eight-week family education group at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), where they received the information they needed to provide me with the support I will need for the rest of my life. This was our turning point together. My mother and I made a deal of total honesty that has been honoured to this day. Whether I am in need or not, my parents and second mother, my sister, and my best friend are available to me without question, regardless of the issue, and they are all well equipped to listen, support, encourage, and direct me to the right tools and resources I have available to me. When I have a bad day, I always call my mom.

I know it's hard for them to see me struggle when I am in an episode, whether it’s depression or mania. I still struggle with feeling like a burden, but I am richly blessed with five people who are equipped and happy to support me, and talk me down from my tears, anxiety, or fear. My family wants to help me the best way they can, regardless of what illness I may have. The fact that my illness is a mental illness is irrelevant to them. This has required a tremendous amount of forgiveness for all the wounds during my teenage years, but we as a family agreed in 2005 that we could not change the past, so we were going to leave it behind and move forward. I credit the education received at CAMH for giving my family the tools they would need to support me. They can’t fix it for me, they can’t make it go away, but they can help ease the suffering, and they help me make decisions when I can’t think clearly. With medication, and significant lifestyle changes that I've come to embrace, we support each other, and share what we learn on this journey.

Within months of my psychotic break, and with the support of my family, I realized that being diagnosed with bipolar disorder was the best thing that could ever have happened to me. It allowed me to receive the treatment I so desperately needed, and has given me the ability to have a considerably more stable, happy, and successful life. I am now 38-years-old, and the last seven years of family support, excellent medical care, lifestyle changes, experience, and education have changed the course of my entire life. They've allowed me stability, the means to maintain the same employment, and even the ability to have my own home.

Sorry To Ruin A Good Story, But K-W Won't Mean A McGuinty Majority

Steve Paikin — Tue, 01 May 12 12:25:22 GMT

Rarely has the resignation of one member of the Ontario Legislature been watched with such fascination.

Elizabeth Witmer, in the Legislature, where she's served since 1990. Thornhill MPP Peter Shurman sits beside her in this shot.

But such is the case with Elizabeth Witmer's surprising announcement last week that she's leaving her job as MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo after 22 years, making her the longest-serving female member of the legislature ever.

From the Progressive Conservative Party's standpoint, the resignation is hugely problematic. Witmer was one of the increasingly fewer voices on the progressive side of the party. Her departure also suggests (although everyone's denying it) a lack of confidence that leader Tim Hudak can get the PCs back on the other side of the House.

Witmer's departure is tough news for PC Leader Tim Hudak

Furthermore, Witmer's seat really was Witmer's seat --- it wasn't a conservative seat. So it's possible with her gone, that constituency is up for grabs.

Queen's Park watchers are salivating at the possibility that if the Liberals win back K-W, they'll effectively have a majority government. Here's how they come to that conclusion:

The Liberals currently have 52 seats, but the combined forces of the PC and NDP opposition have 53. So, if the Liberals win the ensuing byelection, it's a tie, with the Speaker of the Legislature voting with the government, essentially giving it a majority. Right?

Wrong.

Former speaker Chris Stockwell and I have been emailing back and forth on this. He knows the rules as well as anyone. And he says even if the Grits win, it's no majority:

"The Speaker will always vote in favour of a bill at first and second reading, to continue debate. But when it gets to third reading the Speaker will vote against any bill by precedent," Stockwell clarifies. "The Speaker will never make laws, so he will vote nay."

Bottom line: the Liberals will still need cooperation from the opposition to get their programs through the House, even if they do win the K-W byelection.

Even with one more MPP in the Liberal caucus, it won't be a majority government

How about a vote of confidence? The Speaker would vote to keep the current government alive under those circumstances, right?

Stockwell answers: "Correct, but the speaker will not allow the government to claim all votes are confidence votes. Because the speaker would believe he is being co-oped into being a de facto member of the Liberals."

So what's the conclusion Chris?

"All this blather they will have a majority is just blather."

So there you have it. Yes, this upcoming byelection will be important because it will get the McGuinty Liberals one step closer to a majority. But that's all it is.

The Insiders: Jaime Watt

Steve Paikin — Mon, 30 Apr 12 21:42:40 GMT

"What do you call someone who predicted the Alberta Progressive Conservatives would win 61 seats on election day?" Jaime Watt, the PC "Insider" asked the audience at the Canadian Club.

Answer: "A liar."

Many so called "experts" were asking this question after Alison Redford won the Alberta election on April 23, 2012.

Watt, and many others, have been trying to figure out how so many of the "experts" got the Alberta election story so wrong. For days leading up to E-day, it looked as if Wildrose was going to run away with a victory, ending 41 consecutive years of PC reign. In fact, the exact opposite happened, and the Tory dynasty continues.

How come, Watt asks? A few reasons.

"Too many commentators wanted to tell the great 'end of a dynasty' story," he says. They also failed to realize that the face of Alberta today isn't Ralph Klein, the former good-old-boy redneck mayor of Calgary, but rather Naheed Nenshi, the new urbane, Muslim mayor of Calgary.

Polling companies also let the public down. On April 17, the Wildrose Party was way ahead. On April 19, both main parties were essentially tied. On April 21, the PCs were up by 5 points. Too many public opinion agencies had already stopped polling, but the voters hadn't stopped moving.

"It's like having cameras at a busy intersection," Watt said. "If you're only taking pictures every 20 minutes, you can get the impression nothing dramatic is happening. But in fact, a serious accident may have happened and been moved aside while the cameras weren't watching. The same thing happened here. It's so true that polling is only a snapshot of a moment in time."

Progressive Conservative "Insider" Jaime Watt

"Finally, money is incredibly smart," Watt added. "Money poured into the PC campaign on their website, unsolicited."

"All media organizations want polling but they have no money to pay for it," added David Herle, who ran campaigns for former prime minister Paul Martin. "So it's all superficial. You don't pick up any of the internal dynamics."

Add it all up, and far too many experts missed the story badly. Ultimately, it was a contest between the Wildrose's "firewall" and the PCs' "bridge" campaigns.

Most Albertans opted for the bridge.

Next time, we'll focus on one of former NDP strategist Kathleen Monk's most challenging moments in political life.

Inside Ontario: A Disturbing Downgrade and Witmer Walks

Daniel Kitts — Mon, 30 Apr 12 18:40:16 GMT

The most significant piece of news for the province this week was negative signals by two bond rating agencies, S&P and Moody's, on the government's ability to pay its debts. Queen's Park was also shaken by the sudden departure of Elizabeth Witmer, a veteran Progressive Conservative MPP.

The Globe and Mail

Flaherty Takes Another Swipe at Ontario's Fiscal Outlook

On Wednesday, bond rating agency S&P downgraded the provincial government's fiscal outlook. Thursday, a second bond agency, Moody's, issued a downgrade of the Ontario government's actual credit rating. Friday, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty decided to air his concerns about the province's books to The Globe and Mail's editorial board.

“They’ve said this sort of thing before,” he said of the promise to dramatically rein in spending, “and then it hasn’t come to pass.”

Mr. Flaherty’s musings are likely to further shake confidence in the stability of Ontario’s finances, at a time when Mr. McGuinty's government is trying to play down the relevance of the credit-rating reactions.

Continue reading this article.

For more analysis of what the signals by S&P and Moody's mean, check out another Globe and Mail article, "Ontario's Math: Why S&P and Moody's Are So Dubious."

Waterloo Region Record

Witmer Resigns as MPP

Elizabeth Witmer, MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo, and a veteran cabinet minister from the Progressive Conservative governments of the late 1990s and early 2000s, surprised many around Queen's Park by announcing her resignation in order to accept an appointment by Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty to become chair of the Workplace Safety Insurance Board.

Given the suddeness of the departure, and the fact that every seat counts in this closely-divided Ontario legislature, speculation abounded as to the political motivations behind Witmer's move.

Witmer, 65, insisted her decision had nothing to do with dissatisfaction with Tim Hudak's leadership, but rather said “it's just a challenge and exciting opportunity” for her at this stage of her life and career. ...

Sources at Queen's Park suggested Witmer's departure caught Hudak flat-footed, with his office not knowing about her appointment until she called him Friday morning in northern Ontario to deliver the news. Nor did she mention Hudak in her own statement announcing her resignation.

Continue reading this article.

The Toronto Star

Catholic Trustee Wants Gay-Straight Clubs in Waterloo Schools

The tense debate over gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools is back in the news with one Waterloo area Catholic trustee calling for his board to give the green light to such clubs.

Trustee Anthony Piscitelli has called on the Waterloo Catholic District School Board to “support the creation of gay-straight alliance clubs in our schools.” And while he doesn’t care what they’re called, he said they must let students discuss homosexuality and homophobia if they are to help make students feel safe.

What the Waterloo board decides when the motion comes up on Monday could have implications for Catholic schools across the province, including Mississauga, where students at one Catholic high school fought for the right to form an anti-homophobia club, but lost their battle to call it a gay-straight alliance (GSA).

Continue reading this article.

ORNGE: Proposed Bill Would Block Ombudsman Oversight

Also in the Toronto Star, the latest coverage of the scandal at ORNGE, Ontario's air ambulance service.

New legislation to rein in ORNGE would block Ontario’s ombudsman from using his watchdog powers over the scandal-plagued air ambulance agency, the Star has learned.

The minority Liberal government’s proposed Bill 50 also prevents citizens from making freedom-of-information requests about the inner workings at ORNGE, where disgraced former chief executive Dr. Chris Mazza once earned $1.4 million a year.

Opposition parties said Thursday the exclusions make a mockery of talk about bringing more transparency to the air ambulance service, which gets $150 million a year from taxpayers and is under police investigation for financial irregularities.

Continue reading this article.

The Windsor Star

Dakkota Strike Idles Windsor's Chrysler Assembly Plant

A city that counts auto manufacturing as its dominant industry is facing a strike at one of its plants.

CAW Local 444 third vice-president Dave Larue said 62 per cent of employees turned down a company contract offer during a ratification vote at the CAW Local 444/200 hall on Turner Road.

The 190 employees who work at Dakkota, located in Lakeshore, assemble instrument panels on a just-in-time basis for the Chrysler minivan.

“It’s safe to say within hours it will have some type of impact on the minivan plant,” said Gord Gray, Local 444’s public relations officer.

Continue reading this article.

This Week on The Agenda: Mental Health, the Occupy Movement and More

Daniel Kitts — Mon, 30 Apr 12 18:02:06 GMT

We are gearing up for five programs on mental health the week of May 7. As such, we'll also be devoting some of our programming this week to that important issue. But we'll discuss a variety of other issues as well. For example, our week will begin with a status update on the Occupy Movement.

Occupy Bay Street protest (Credit: Chris Young/CP)

Monday: Occupy – Take Two

After a fall and winter of some discontent, the Occupy movement promises to take to the streets of North America in a show of force on May 1. Steve Paikin talks to activists from Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Toronto to find out what they’ve been doing since the encampments were cleared, and what their aims are for tomorrow and beyond.

Tuesday: Mental Illness in the Family

What happens when a family member has a mental illness? It can be a time of isolation and frustration for many families as they try to help their loved one. As part of The Agenda’s Mental Health Matters series, we examine mental illness in the family.

Wednesday: Jeff Greenfield & What Makes History

What if John Kennedy had not been assassinated? What if Pearl Harbour had not been bombed? Author Jeff Greenfield thinks about these questions and wonders how the world would look now, had key historic events not happened. He joins Steve Paikin. Afterward: do people make history, or do events make the people? The Agenda examines how history is made.

Thursday: Canada’s Best Premiers

When Canadians think of political leadership, they often look to the Prime Minister’s Office. However, Canada’s premiers have built our social services, provided the conditions for the economy to grow and, for the most part, governed us well. We count down the five best premiers of the past 40 years and recount how they made this country a better place.

Friday: Investing in Children’s Mental Health

Child advocate and philanthropist Hon. Margaret McCain sits with Steve Paikin to discuss her latest $10 million mental health initiative for children and youth.

Photo of Occupy Bay Street protest courtesy of Chris Young/Canadian Press.

Cautiously Optimistic About Sierra Leone's Future

Craig Desson — Mon, 30 Apr 12 17:18:53 GMT

For seven months, from the fall of 2008 until the spring of 2009, I lived in Sierra Leone while Charles Taylor was standing trial in The Hague, and while a series of other war crime trials were underway in the capital city, Freetown. I lived in the small city of Makeni, which had been the headquarters of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a demonic rebel group supported by Taylor, and behind the 11-year Sierra Leone civil war (1991-2002). Peace had come to Sierra Leone six years before I arrived, but the history of the war lingered like the smell of gasoline after a car accident.

In Makeni, the trials were welcomed but never celebrated. Charles Taylor and the leaders of the RUF issued orders during the civil war, but the atrocities were committed by regular Sierra Leoneans who, after the war ended, simply rejoined regular society. For example, somebody who I knew – I found out later – had allegedly been a field commander for the RUF. The story I was told was that he was fluent in Arabic (Sierra Leone is a predominantly Muslim country), and so, during the war, he would dress like a Sheikh and go town to town delivering impressive sermons in mosques. In actual fact, these were reconnaissance missions. He would return later to the town with rebel soldiers to loot and kill. His past was an open secret, but these allegations would never be aired in a court, because the war crime trials were only after, in the words of the prosecutors, "the most responsible." The trials struggled to bring a sense of justice to the people of Makeni, because those who carried out much of the killing would not be punished.

Meanwhile, a war reparation program set up by the government had been underway for more than a year, although not a single cheque had been issued. I visited the site of one of the war reparation offices for a story and found a Sierra Leone civil servant dutifully assessing if a one-armed man had lost his arm by an RUF cutlass. As you'll hear in this clip from a story produced by local reporter Betty Sesay about the office, the paperwork-heavy process does not give you a sense that money was forthcoming.

War Amputee Reparations by TVO

According to news reports, Sierra Leoneans are jubilant that Charles Taylor has been found guilty of war crimes. However, the trial of Taylor and other civil war military officials was expensive; The Guardian reports the total cost is estimated at $200 million, little of which helped the thousands of Sierra Leoneans whose lives were destroyed by the war. That being said, it would unfair to be cynical about the money spent by the international community on trials. Sierra Leone has had two peaceful elections, Freetown is a safe capital, and large infrastructure projects are slowly taking shape. This is hard to imagine if rebel leaders were free and attempting to participate in the political process. The Charles Taylor guilty verdict then is one more reason to be cautiously optimistic about the future of Sierra Leone.

Guest Post: Higher Education Funding and the Strain Posed by Tuition Fees

Daniel Kitts — Fri, 27 Apr 12 17:32:21 GMT

On Wednesday, The Agenda produced a discussion (which can be watched above) on whether the money being spent on university education in this province was being used as effectively as it could to deliver the highest quality education possible. In the introduction to that night's program, Steve Paikin introduced the topic in the following way:

Ontario universities on a per capita basis receive less government funding than any other province. But if you add up tuitions, donations, and yes, billions in government funding, our post-secondary institutions are indeed getting a lot of money. How are they stretching those dollars, and what do we get in return? We'll debate that tonight.

The participants in that discussion were: David Naylor, President of the University of Toronto; Alicia Ali of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA); Harvey Weingarten of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), and David Trick, co-author of two books on postsecondary education in Ontario.

Sandy Hudson, Chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, thinks the program framed the issue in the wrong way and failed to include some important perspectives. Her thoughts are below.

The Language of "Worth"

How do we measure the value of our public services? If you break a leg and receive hosptial care, was the public funding that paid for it, "worth it?" Is broad scale literacy learned through school "worth it?"

Wednesday, The Agenda tried to assess higher education through the language of "worth" and, as a result, missed an opportunity to better examine the issues that plague our system.

Asking what Ontario gets for “pouring” money into higher education is a highly political way to frame a discussion about university funding that ignores the student experience.

Ontario “pours” significantly less money into higher education than ever before, less than all other provinces per student.

Underfunding and the Student Experience

The results of underfunding have been larger classes and band-aid solutions like the promotion of cheaper online learning. High tuition fees and student debt are another result, and both have totally rearranged the student experience.

Most students must work throughout the school year to offset some of the costs of university. Students who work have less time to focus on their studies and generally do worse academically. Failing a class means the loss of nearly one thousand dollars. Constrained funding has stopped growth of the professoriate, while student spaces have risen by the thousands. Instead, untenured instructors with little to no job security have proliferated the sector.

High tuition fees are the fundamental threat to quality. Despite this, there was no discussion about tuition fees on Wednesday night’s show.

Other voices needed

University presidents and the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario constantly ignore the impact that high tuition fees have on students and educational quality. But for students, there is no conversation about university education that is complete without examining how tuition fees have perverted their experience, if they were able to get in and persist in the first place.

Students and faculty cannot be a sidebar to a discussion about the purpose, quality and funding of higher education. University presidents to not have the authority or experience to speak on behalf of the stakeholders within their institutions. When their voices carry the weight of the sector, the experiences of students and faculty are ignored.

Ontarians owe $7 billion to the federal government and $2 billion to the Ontario government in student debt, and billions more to banks or credit card companies in education-related expenses. This money represents government funding that was once there.

Like education and health care, there is value to having a public higher education system. But this value is eroded by provincial government divestment. We must examine the side effects that are brought on by an increase of user fees of up to 71 per cent since 2006, and ask if the byproducts of such cost downloading are worth the money saved.

Related reading: University of Toronto President David Naylor also had some additional thoughts on Wednesday's discussion, including thoughts on Ontario's higher than average tuition fees and lower government funding relative to other provinces.

Some Days, It's Tough to Be the Mayor

Steve Paikin — Thu, 26 Apr 12 15:57:27 GMT

An interview with Haldimand County Mayor Ken Hewitt, whose very full plate includes the standoff with Aboriginal-Canadians in Caledonia, the shuttering of the coal-fired generating station in Nanticoke, and soon-to-arrive windmills which many residents oppose.

Guest Post: Ontario Universities Are Well Worth the Money

Daniel Kitts — Thu, 26 Apr 12 14:14:45 GMT

David Naylor, President of the University of Toronto, and a guest on Wednesday's discussion (seen above) on whether Ontario universities are delivering the highest quality education possible, wanted to present some charts during the program to back up his arguments. Unfortunately, we weren't able to convert his files into the format we needed to share them properly with our viewers. So I'm presenting them now, with some additional comments by Naylor on the performance of the province's universities.

In his comments, Naylor touches on a few themes raised during Wednesday's discussion: How much research vs. teaching universities should be doing; whether Ontario universities should all try to be research-intensive; how to measure the quality of education in universities; and the key question of the debate: are we getting good value for money in terms of the quality of education in Ontario's universities?

Ontario Universities: A Great Value

My bottom line is simple: Ontario’s per student funding is low compared to other provinces – and our relatively higher tuitions reflect those missing dollars. Our provincial participation rate in post-secondary education is the highest in Canada, and our graduation rates are excellent. We also have some universities that are very competitive in the research game globally. All of which tells you that, in value for money terms, we are doing fine.

On Trying to Measure the Quality of University Education

I do understand those who say that measuring learning outcomes is part of quality control. I just don’t think those measures have been adequately validated. More importantly, in a jurisdiction that already underfunds universities compared to every other province, do we really want to spend millions of dollars on a testing bureaucracy? If we were flush, I’d think about it carefully. In the current fiscal circumstances, it seems almost wilfully irrelevant.

Two Observations on Universities Conducting Research

First: In terms of value for money, Ontario students and taxpayers are underwriting research way more than makes sense, because the federal government oversees the major research granting councils but does not provide funding for the full costs of research. As I said to Steve Paikin, at U of T we’ve found that the average cost for a research grant is at least 53 cents for every $1.00 of direct operating support. Sounds like a lot, but these are basic operating costs that the government doesn’t cover—like heating, lighting, and cleaning laboratories, or maintaining the accounts according to federal regulations, or making sure human research meets ethical guidelines, or supporting the commercialization of research.

Turns out 53 cents is less than most US institutions receive, and their costs are fully audited. So this is not some fantasy or cash grab. It’s a real set of costs for every big university. Unfortunately, we currently get only 17 cents from the federal government for every $1.00 of direct operating support. Result: Federal research is heavily subsidized by tuition fees from students and families, as well as tax dollars in the form of direct provincial grants to universities in Ontario. I think this is a big value-for-money question. How does it make sense to penalize universities for having great researchers on their faculty?

Second: Given the previous observation, it’s almost paradoxical that so many institutions want to be more research intensive and add graduate capacity. The attraction is clear. Many of the best-known institutions in the world are highly research-intensive. However, the paradox is that research is a money-losing venture, partly for the reason above (poor coverage of all the ‘overhead’ or indirect costs of research) and the still-limited number of scholarships and fellowships for graduate students. It’s more than a little confusing that our political leaders sincerely want Canadian universities to compete with the best in the world, but then don’t cover the real costs of research and graduate education.

Charts provided by David Naylor.

Related reading: Sandy Hudson, Chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, was critical of Wednesday's program on universities. She has contributed her own guest blog post.

S&P Downgrades Ontario's Outlook to "Negative"

Daniel Kitts — Wed, 25 Apr 12 17:35:13 GMT

As I write this, news is just breaking that S&P, one of the world's major bond rating agencies, has downgraded Ontario's outlook to "negative" from stable. The "outlook" is not the same thing as the province's credit rating. For now, that remains unchanged. The Globe and Mail has more details on the downgrade.

S&P seems to be making a bit of a habit of putting the media and other people in a tizzy about the credit worthiness of various places around the world. In August, it issued a statement downgrading the United States' credit rating. And in January it announced credit downgrades to France and eight other Eurozone countries. Again, Ontario isn't quite part of that dubious club because only its outlook has been downgraded, whereas its credit has not. At least not yet.

A note about tonight's program in relation to this piece of news: Our interview with Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath will not make reference to the downgrade, because we recorded our interview with Ms. Horwath shortly before this piece of news broke. So keep that in mind if you watch the interview, which focused on the decision made by the NDP to not oppose the Liberal government's budget and allow it to pass. There is no indication that S&P chose to issue the outlook downgrade as a result of anything in the budget deal agreed to by the Liberals and NDP.

If we had gotten the opportunity to ask Horwath about S&P's move, I'm sure she would have said something along the lines of the statement issued by NDP Finance Critic Michael Prue:

"Moving towards a balanced budget requires a balanced approach. That means taking a look at revenues as well as expenses. Trying to cut our way out of fiscal challenges will leave families falling behind. This is why we put forward a set of proposals that protect families' priorities and get us closer to balance."

Guest Post: A Dissenter's View on the Constitution At 30

Steve Paikin — Wed, 25 Apr 12 17:08:33 GMT

By William Gairdner, author of "The Trouble With Canada...Still!"

The invention of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms was a backward step that returned Canadians to the kind of political condition they endured under their British masters during the colonial period.

Let me explain. At that time those who governed the separate colonies in what was to become Canada were officials of the British Crown and were not responsible to the people but to the legislators, judges, and courts of Great Britain. So for decades Canadians fought hard to bring about “responsible government” - a term which in Canadian political history came to mean that government must be responsible to the elected representatives of the people. They were granted bits of this by the mid-1840s, and by Confederation in 1867 the principle of fully responsible government was institutionalized in Canada.

Accordingly, the laws made by their representatives in Canada’s Parliament were considered an expression of the will of the people and hence the supreme law of the land. (It bears noting, however, that the founders both of Canada and the United States of America considered even the will of their elected representatives supreme only with respect to new statute laws; to their minds, even statute laws were subordinate to the inherited legal rights, customs and traditions of the English speaking people since Magna Carta).

But this happy 115-year tradition was radically altered in 1982 with the introduction of a Charter that was declared “the supreme law of Canada,” and thus a law over and above the laws of Parliament and all other inherited and customary forms of law . The result has been that since then the will of the Canadian people as expressed in Parliament has been subordinated to and must now conform to interpretations of the law of the Charter. In short, the ultimate authority over the meaning of all existing laws and especially over any new laws made by Canada’s legislators is once again, as in colonial times, held by officials the people did not elect, who cannot be removed by the people, and who are not responsible to the people in any direct way.

In response to this charge, Canada’s judges maintain that parliamentarians still hold the ultimate authority because they can make and re-make laws. However, any balanced scrutiny of the record since 1982 will show an abdication, if not a judicial suppression of legislative freedom and responsibility: Parliamentarians are so fettered by the threat of actual or potential Charter scrutiny that they repeatedly defer to past court decisions or to anticipated Charter rulings prior to creating new legislation. The emphasis since 1982 has shifted from the question of what laws the people wish their elected representatives to make, to the question of what laws their judges will allow them to make.

Agenda Insight: By Virtue of Their Gender

Wed, 25 Apr 12 14:12:04 GMT

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

This plea came from British journalist Samantha Brick in an article in the Daily Mail last month. Boasting about how her beauty has gained her plenty of attention and generous gifts from men, she lamented that women’s jealousy has meant she’s passed over for job promotions and has no female friends.

I admire her confidence, but many others didn’t. The Daily Mail website received over a million hits and her name trended globally on Twitter for three days. The strongest arguments against her seemed to distill into, "she’s not all that!" The Daily Mail published her defence the next day where she easily proclaimed that the backlash proved her point: women especially hate beautiful women.

This might seem like a benign example of the cruelty women can sometimes show one another. But a recent study by two Israeli economists showed that attractive women have a harder time getting hired if they're being interviewed by other women. Why? Well, jealousy of course. I had to laugh at first, but then I remember my mother’s first question to me whenever I had a job interview: "Is a woman interviewing you?"

Things get a little more serious in the political arena, the holy grail of feminism. In the U.S. Republican leadership race, a female Democratic strategist commented that Mitt Romney shouldn’t be taking advice on women’s issues from his wife, who "has never worked a day in her life." Ann Romney fired back that she raised five boys without domestic help. She is now considered a huge political asset to her husband, since she proved that she can give as good as she gets. Not that she should have to.

Julia Gillard is Australia’s first female Prime Minister. She has never been married and has no children. At the time of her election, people wondered if it was proper that she move into the official residence with her male companion. Instead of being celebrated for her success, she is questioned as to whether her personal status negatively affects her policies.

Closer to home, an Alberta Progessive Conservative staffer used Twitter to try to discredit Wildrose leader Danielle Smith’s family-friendly policies, saying they rang false since she had no children of her own. This display of unsolicited loyalty by the staffer and misuse of social media forced Smith to reveal what has likely been a painful personal journey with infertility.

I have to agree with Toronto Star columnist Heather Mallick when she says "In the war on women men may be the generals but women are the foot soldiers." Albertans have now elected women to their first and second most powerful government positions. These women should be assessed only on their leadership skills, integrity, and loyalty to the issues and policies voters endorsed.

Working moms versus stay-at-home moms. Beauty vs mousiness. Women with children versus childless women. This infighting has always threatened to dilute the overall message of equality and it has to stop.

I'm not suggesting blanket endorsements of women in the public eye just by virtue of their gender, but I hope we can agree on the ultimate prize and keep our collective eye on it.

For The Agenda with Steve Paikin, I’m Carla Lucchetta.

Should The McGuinty Government Have Been Defeated?

Steve Paikin — Wed, 25 Apr 12 10:27:56 GMT

The conventional wisdom is, Ontarians and their politicians are breathing a sigh of relief today, thanks to a budget deal between the Liberals and New Democrats.

What if conventional wisdom is wrong? Is there another argument out there that suggests the McGuinty government should have been defeated?

Some very bullish Liberals think, yes. They were licking their chops at the possibility that a budget deal might not be reached and we'd be back to the polls for the second time in six months.

For example, Warren Kinsella, who's run the Liberal war room in previous elections, was quite gung-ho on going back to the polls. Here's what he sent in an email to some friends:

"Speaking for me, myself and I, an election would’ve been quite acceptable. We would have won a majority, and the Ontario PCs would have been reduced to third-party status. Also, I enjoy elections. I think they’re fun. The Premier, however, is more sensible than me. He did what people are always calling for: leaders who put principles before politics. And so we will all live to fight another day."

Another political backroom type emailed me the following:

"Who says it [an election] is 'unnecessary'? Myself, ad agencies, television stations, newspapers, pollsters, printers and many others could all use the work. The economic stimulus of an election is very significant and since all the money is spent in the province this would create jobs and help the economy."

While the coffers of all the political parties are empty right now, the Liberals, I'm told, were absolutely ready to go back to the polls if necessary. In fact, they had a leader's tour all planned and ready to go.

And what about the new "tax the rich" provision that, at the end of the day, solidified a Liberal-NDP deal on the budget?

I've been in touch with one of this province's most successful businessmen, who for obvious reasons, didn't want his name mentioned. While the politics of adding another surtax on those earning more than half a million dollars a year is irresistable, what in fact will be the likely outcome of said tax?

Here's what he told me:

"... for these evil creators of jobs — they will now be paying $49,200 in tax instead of $46,000 in taxes on each extra $100,000 of income over $500,000 — which is not an insignificant increase — a person earning $1 million will pay an extra $17,000 dollars in tax. The real problem is the key victims here are not the super evil rich people — but the charities they support — I have talked to a number of people — and they all intend to do two things — find new legal ways of avoiding tax and reducing pledges to charities — at the end of the day — it was just a PR ploy for Liberals and NDP — they needed a scapegoat."

The Liberals hope the new surtax will bring in more than $300 million. Today, the government said the budget deal would result in the deficit declining from $15.3 billion to $15 billion because of the surtax. The above comment suggests that's unlikely to happen, or if it does, others (namely charities) will feel the loss.

It's the other side of the story we tend not to hear too much about.

Celebrating 100 Years of Fenway Park: Part II

Steve Paikin — Mon, 23 Apr 12 22:25:21 GMT

Last Friday, on the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, I posted this history of America's most beloved ball park.

Larry and Steve Paikin, on their first trip to Fenway Park, July 1978.

We continue the celebration of Fenway's 100th today by pulling out some of my old scrap books. My love for this ball park goes back three-and-a-half decades.

When I graduated from high school, my father offered to take me on a road trip. Without a second's hesitation, I said: "Let's go to Fenway Park."

Sox catcher Carlton Fisk returns to the dugout. He and Yankees' catcher Thurman Munson were great rivals.

And so we did. It was July 1978. The Red Sox swept the Baltimore Orioles. What kind of team did the Sox have that year? Unstoppable, or so I thought. Every single player in the starting nine was hitting over .300, and when we left Boston, the Sox had a 14-game lead over the second place (hated) New York Yankees.

Pitcher Luis Tiant and centre fielder Fred Lynn coming off the field. Lynn was sensational, winning MVP and Rookie of the Year in his first season in the majors in 1975.

We felt confident the Sox were well on their way to ending The Curse of the Bambino, the excuse New Englanders gave to explain why the team had come oh so close but had never won a championship since they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees, after winning the World Series in 1918.

We bumped into the Orioles at our hotel, here with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer ...

... and again with another Hall of Famer, first baseman Eddie Murray.

A return trip to Fenway Park in the mid-1980s.

Baseball fans will remember 1978 as the year the Sox collapsed, the Yanks found their mojo, and both teams were tied after 162 games. A 163rd sudden death playoff game was played at Fenway Park to see who would go on to post-season play. In that game, "Bucky F-----g Dent" (as he's now referred to by Red Sox Nation) hit an improbable homer over the Green Monster to give the Yanks the win.

Standing outside the stadium beside the statue of Ted Williams, my favourite player ever. I'm wearing his #9 jersey, and named one of my kids "Teddy" after him.

It was a good lesson for yours truly that much more suffering would be required before we Sox fans could celebrate a championship.

That happened in 2004 --- the club's first in 86 years --- and again in 2007.

The most popular Red Sox player today: designated hitter "Big Papi" David Ortiz.

With my son Henry, the third generation of Paikin Red Sox fans, in the summer of 2007.

My most recent trip to Fenway: June 2010, celebrating my 50th birthday with my mom Marnie.

We saw Daniel Nava hit a grand slam homer on the first pitch he ever saw in the majors. That had only happened once before in Major League history.

Red Sox Captain, catcher Jason Varitek, who has caught four no-hitters during his career. No one else has ever done that.

Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, on whom the Sox spent $50 million just so he'd leave Japan.

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia, another of the Sox most popular (and best) players.

Can there possibly be a more beautiful place to watch baseball than 100-year-old Fenway Park? I say no.

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