Nov 1 2019 — Ed Broadbent — National Newswatch — It was inspiring last week to see the government of British Columbia become the first jurisdiction in Canada to move to enshrine in law the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This was the culmination of a process that began in 1981 with the inclusion in the Canadian Constitution of a […]
Jun 4 2018 — Ed Broadbent — National Newswatch — It’s an unfortunate reality of our current electoral system that political parties regularly form majority governments with only forty percent or less of the popular vote. This means Doug Ford could become Premier of Ontario on Thursday while receiving fewer votes than Andrea Horwath’s NDP. How is this perverse outcome possible, you might ask? It’s […]
Nov 13 2017 — Ed Broadbent — Toronto Star — Unless Federal Minister of Finance Bill Morneau introduces comprehensive tax reform he will face a massive loss of faith in a tax system that continues to allow the top 1 per cent to avoid paying anything like their fair share. Tax avoidance and evasion by the rich ultimately undermines democracy: it starves social programs and […]
Mar 13 2017 — Ed Broadbent — Toronto Star — Social democracy transformed politics in Canada and most other advanced economies in the 20th century, especially in the aftermath of the Great Depression and the Second World War. Governments guided by this political philosophy delivered virtually full employment, rising wages and access to social programs and public services based upon citizenship rather than the market-based […]
Mar 2 2017 — Ed Broadbent — Globe and Mail — The federal NDP leadership race has started to ramp up. The vote isn’t for seven months, so it’s still early days. But three candidates are now declared, and more will come forward. I have no doubt that the final lineup will be impressive. Over the summer, they will have the opportunity to meet Canadians in […]
Jun 4 2015 — Ed Broadbent — Toronto Star — We are at a disheartening moment in federal politics. Despite all the powerful and thoughtful critiques of the government’s anti-terrorism bill, it is on the verge of becoming law. The legislation undermines our rights and liberties and does a disservice to every citizen and to the free society we all cherish. Long before the pending […]
Mar 6 2014 — Ed Broadbent — Toronto Star — For many months the Conservative government has blatantly taken away by fiat the right to strike of union members within federal jurisdiction. They are now threatening to shut down environmental charities that are talking about climate change. And they are ramming through Parliament changes to the elections act that will almost certainly mean that many thousands of […]
Dec 19 2013 — Ed Broadbent — Globe and Mail — Apart from scandal, Parliament didn’t produce much in the just completed fall session – a grand total of three bills. But there was one ray of light, a Finance Committee report last week on one of our most serious problems, the growth of income inequality. The Committee was mandated to study the problem and propose […]