/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/opinion/star-columnists/2019/05/08/fords-deficit-hype-conceals-ontarios-dirty-secret/rl_veoneer_04.jpg)
By Linda McQuaig Columnist Wed., May 8, 2019 We can see Doug Ford is a man who is comfortable swinging an axe through some of our most cherished social programs. But to truly understand Ontario’s smiling premier — to look deep into his soul, as it were — we must consider why he is being so brutal. He insists he has no choice, that the Ontario’s mounting deficits force him to cut the province’s budgets for health care, education, child care, libraries, legal aid, student loans, flood control, tree planting and anything else that moves, grows or matters in our lives. (A similar claim of necessity was made by the debt-plagued New Zealand government in the 1990s when it ordered the shooting of a newborn hippo at the zoo, explaining it couldn’t afford to expand the pen.) Nevertheless, preventing debt from spiralling out of control sounds like a plausible explanation for Ford’s spending cuts — until one notices his tax … [Read more...] about Ford’s deficit hype conceals Ontario’s dirty secret
Op ed
Press freedom — Buhay pa ba yan?
Press freedom — Buhay pa ba yan? Like a bereaved family refusing to accept the reality of a member having died, we the so-called Fourth Estate gathered ourselves and our thoughts last Friday under a bold headline declaring that freedom of the press is an inalienable right, is crucial to democracy, and must flourish. The occasion on May 3 was World Press Freedom Day as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993. That day, we the surviving members paused to remember and honor our colleagues who have been “killed in action,” and proceeded to chronicle the ongoing attacks of the present regime on that fundamental freedom enshrined in the Constitution. Many of us have been provoked by the blast of a top official asking his minions: “Buhay pa ba yan?” (Why is he/she still alive?) It is a dire hint of what might happen to the target, knowing that in the uniformed service, a superior’s mere … [Read more...] about Press freedom — Buhay pa ba yan?
Rep. Ilhan Omar responds to barbs from Ted Cruz, Meghan McCain after synagogue shooting: ‘Shame on you’
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/2019/04/29/ilhan-omar-pushes-back-at-criticism-after-synagogue-shooting/ilhan_omar.jpg)
By Allyson Chiu The Washington Post Mon., April 29, 2019 As the country reeled after Saturday’s deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Meghan McCain and other prominent conservatives turned a critical eye toward Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who has been accused by critics of anti-Semitism. “The anti-Semitic Left . . . is getting worse,” Cruz tweeted Sunday afternoon, tagging Omar and writing that she “repeated anti-Israel slurs.” He added: “Responsible Dems need to say Enough is Enough.” Hours earlier, McCain called out Omar during a discussion of the shooting on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” “When we’re having conversations about anti-Semitism, we should be looking at the most extreme on both sides,” McCain said. “I would bring up Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and some of her comments that got so much attention.” Over the weekend, … [Read more...] about Rep. Ilhan Omar responds to barbs from Ted Cruz, Meghan McCain after synagogue shooting: ‘Shame on you’
UN chief tells China to uphold human rights in Xinjiang
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the plight of ethnic Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang region during talks with Chinese leaders and stressed that China must fully respect human rights, his spokesman said on Monday (Apr 29).Guterres faced calls to speak out on human rights during his visit to Beijing where he attended a summit on Saturday of China's prized Belt and Road Initiative and held talks with President Xi Jinping.The UN chief delivered a three-point message that stressed that human rights must be upheld in the fight against extremism, while recognising China's sovereignty and condemning terrorism."Human rights must be fully respected in the fight against terrorism and in the prevention of violent extremism," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters."Each community must feel that its identity is respected and that if fully belongs to the nation as a whole."As many as one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are being held in internment … [Read more...] about UN chief tells China to uphold human rights in Xinjiang
Ilhan Omar pushes back at criticism after synagogue shooting
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/2019/04/29/ilhan-omar-pushes-back-at-criticism-after-synagogue-shooting/ilhanomar.jpg)
By Allyson Chiu The Washington Post Mon., April 29, 2019 As the country reeled after Saturday’s deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Meghan McCain and other prominent conservatives turned a critical eye toward Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who has been accused by critics of anti-Semitism. “The anti-Semitic Left . . . is getting worse,” Cruz tweeted Sunday afternoon, tagging Omar and writing that she “repeated anti-Israel slurs.” He added: “Responsible Dems need to say Enough is Enough.” Hours earlier, McCain called out Omar during a discussion of the shooting on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” “When we’re having conversations about anti-Semitism, we should be looking at the most extreme on both sides,” McCain said. “I would bring up Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and some of her comments that got so much attention.” Over the weekend, … [Read more...] about Ilhan Omar pushes back at criticism after synagogue shooting