The Media Co-op

Will Canadian politics be simply a continuation of the feudal and class struggles of the past, or have globalisation and the global Internet brought about a political sea change that will result in a radically transformed and more polarised political landscape?

Two recently-published books offer diametrically opposed insights into the nature of Canadian politics and the current state of our democracy. University of Toronto associate professor of political science Nelson Wiseman retraces the well-worn historical path In Search of Canadian Political Culture, while writer and feminist Judy Rebick believes that only by Transforming Power will environmental and social justice be achieved.

The contrast between them is rooted in the unique tensions of this time. The traditional view held by politicians, pundits, the media and much of the voting public, is that politics will continue to be an unpleasant but important, mostly boring but occasionally amusing activity that requires its loyal citizens only hold to their nose and vote once every few years.

Petition to Dr. Harvey Weingarten, President of The University of Calgary:

The University of Calgary has announced that it has invited former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be the keynote speaker at the opening gala of its new school of public policy. The director of the public policy school, Dr. John Mintz, celebrates Dr. Rice as “a good example of what a school of public policy can achieve.”

We, the undersigned, are a group of academics, activists and concerned persons who stand with global human rights organizations and the International Criminal Court to condemn the atrocities that were committed under the Bush administration's Iraq invasion and occupation. The evidence is overwhelming that Dr. Rice was a principal participant in the planning and propaganda efforts of an aggressive occupational war waged in violation of international law.

Multiple estimates indicate that over 1.2 million Iraqi people have died as a result of the war. According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, over 4 million Iraqis have been displaced from their homes. The invasion and occupation of Iraq has devastated the lives of people across America. Along with those who have lost family and friends, all suffer from the trillions of dollars spent on an illegal war, which is now resulting in drastic budget cuts to fundamental domestic policy sectors, infrastructure, and essential services.

The outcomes of Dr. Rice’s policies should be held up and identified as an example of the horrors that result when policy is made at the service of the military industrial complex, oil cartels, and geopolitical gain. These policies should not be honored at an institution of higher learning. Dr Rice's participation will not only undermine the credible standing of the new school of public policy, but tarnish the reputation of the University of Calgary as a whole.