2017 in Review

It is a tremendous understatement to say that 2017 was an unusual year. For most people in Canada I'm sure it was a relatively normal block of time. People carried on their usual lives, marching through the seasons of their life one day at a time. However, I think current events likely intruded on people's lives more than they often did in the past.

Last year as 2016 came to an end it was hard not to feel like the world was in a bad place. It is difficult to articulate, or summarize the feelings. Thinking back I feel the word might be dangerous, or unstable. As the year went on it was easy to feel uneasy as a person paying attention to the news of the world. Any number of natural or manmade disasters were present to hurt the confidence one might have in the future. Admittedly, I am a pretty cynical person so I'm sure those who reflect on 2016 as a wonderful time.

In contrast 2017 has felt quite different to me. It has felt like a time where we have bounced from crisis to crisis. Sometimes they are relatively minor ones, little embarrassments or missteps by governments, people, or corporations, but far too often they threatened something far larger. I'm sure most people reading this would naturally draw connections to the White House and the terrible year the United States has had, but it is easy to look to Europe, Asia, and elsewhere and feel worried for the future. Good news doesn't feel like victories, more like narrow avoidance of deeper defeats. The French and German elections, as an example, raised as many doubts as they salved. The chaos going on between Catalonia and Spain is worrying.

Within Canada things continue to go on fairly well. Sometimes when I think of Canada I cannot help that we are some real-life equivalent of the Shire: a tiny protected enclave in a world being consumed in disorder. We can blissfully ignore it for the most part, though we are under threat her as well at the forces present around the world. I think some incidents and reporting indicates we have to be aware that we are not immune from extremism and violence here either.

Within the country I'm not sure if it is disingenuous to say I've been disappointed by Justin Trudeau and his government because I never had high hopes for his government. The abandonment or betrayal of key promises and general mismanagement of some files has me questioning basic competence on more than one occasion. While the Liberals continue to poll well I have real questions on whether or not the voting coalition that elected them remains held together. Canadian politics will be shaped by key decision made this year, principally I mean the election of Andrew Scheer and Jagmeet Singh to lead the Conservatives and NDP respectively. Barring unforeseen events these three men will lead the contest to form government in 2019.

Closer to home Ontario has struggled politically. Kathleen Wynne leads a tired, and unpopular Liberal government, but Ontarians have proven wary of change before. Ontarians, whether they like it or now, have spent the year in an election season. Next year is also the date for the next set of municipal elections, which will have important consequences for the people of this province. It will also provide some content for this blog.

Speaking of the blog, 2017 was not an easy year to keep writing. I addressed this directly in a post this year. I've considered hanging up my keyboard a couple of times. I know some people truly enjoy this blog and appreciate the time and effort I put into it. However, the last year (and couple of years before that) have been difficult and finding the motivation to write has been very challenging at times.

The human spirit relies on hope and a basic sense of optimism more than a cynical person like me probably naturally assumes. To have hope snuffed out is a very difficult thing, be that personal, local, national or international. With that said, I pray that 2018 is a more hopeful year. That light outshines the darkness and elevates us all as people rather than driving us into darkness in fear and despair. Individual actions make a difference, even more so when organized into group strength.

Thank you for reading in 2017 and my best wishes to you and yours for the coming year.

Worth Reading - December 21, 2017

Good evening everyone, apologies for missing the Tuesday post. I often suffer from insomnia. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I only for a few hours of sleep. Writing something on top of my schedule can often be a challenge. By the time I thought it could be done it was nearly time to write this.

Justin Trudeau violated conflict of interests rules according to the Ethics Commissioner. 

Tom Mulcair will resign from the House of Commons next year. 

What the next Ontario election could mean for commuters and transit users. 

A man who tried to save others at the Quebec mosque shooting is struggling as a result of his injuries. 

Ontario NDP leader criticizes her rivals as we enter the election season in this province. 

Toronto opened an extension on its busiest subway line. 

As we head towards next year's municipal elections, figures like John Tory are going to be under greater scrutiny. Edward Keenan offers his take on the Mayor of Toronto. 

Finally CGP Grey put out a video about how machines learn. 

Worth Reading - December 14, 2017

I wrote a review about Godless this week, here is The Atlantic's take on what the show says about America. 

An artificial intelligence helped NASA detect another exoplanet. 

Emmett Macfarlane offers his take on the newest appointment to Canada's Supreme Court. 

In a decision that defies reason and raises questions about conflicts of interests, Brampton Council voted to purchase a private, money-losing golf course. 

Kurzgesagt created a video to explain Universal Basic Income. 

The Liberals won three of four by-elections this week federally. 

There was some controversy when Patreon announced changes to its payment model. Brent Knepper writes about who Patreon benefits. 

TV Review: Godless

Netflix recently released a seven episode limited series titled Godless. The mini-series is set in the 1880s in the New Mexico Territory. The desert southwest provides a bleak, stark backdrop for the characters and drama that unfolds. The show is an ensemble cast with powerful performances being put in by many.

The show concerns several different characters as their stories dive and intertwine with another. Primarily the story is about Roy Goode (Jack O'Connell) and Frank Griffin (Jeff Daniels). Griffin is a brutal outlaw, beautifully and complexly portrayed by Daniels as a

disturbing religious figure. He masks his villain in false piety and presents himself as a preacher to gain the trust and acceptance of the people he encounters. Goode was his protégé, companion and a member of his gang until the two had a falling out. Now Griffin hunts for Goode across the Territory leaving bloodshed and terror wherever he goes.

The other major component of the story is the village of La Belle. This tiny community is centred around a silver mine. Two years before the start of the series a massive mining accident killed 83 men leaving the overwhelming majority of the women widows and the community nearly devoid of men. This premise alone presents something interesting. The trailers would make it seem as though the series is going directly for a confrontation between these two forces but there is a great deal that unfolds between that is both gripping and entertaining.

Godless is firmly rooted in the Western genre's traditions. Even my limited exposure to the genre I could feel very clear homage to other films and entries into the genre. The series is both a romanticized and deeply ugly look at the time period. Disease, death, injury, violence and general unpleasantness pervade the show. It oscillates between perhaps going too far and grounded. Given my general ignorance of the West it is difficult to say. Life generally feels quite precarious in the show and that death stalks the land with a greedy hand. The beautiful side of the Western is all present as well from incredible sharpshooting, to incredible vistas and romance.

In this review I do not wish to spoil specific details or elements of the story. What I will say is that Frank Griffin is a truly terrifying villain. He and his gang appear suddenly and without warning and wreck havoc wherever they go. The different characters and communities that we meet are interesting and play at the diversity of the West that has often been overlooked.

I would be remiss if I didn't comment upon the gender aspects of the show. The idea of a town of only women is clearly one of the selling points of the series. Not a great deal comes of that. The story focuses much more on Alice Fletcher (Michelle Dockery), Roy Goode and Frank Griffin. Fletcher lives on a ranch outside of La Belle and her fate is tied to the town's, but in many way the town becomes secondary. That said, the lack of men plays out in interesting ways. The West is notorious for women forging their own paths. So is the same here. The town hardly seems to struggle with the absence of the men, just the fact that the mine has ceased operation. Some women are eager to see a return of men and normalcy while others seem to dread their return. Sexual violence and exploitation of women factor into the story as well, and I cannot claim that the handling of it was particularly satisfying.

I may dedicate more thinking on this at a later date, but it is my opinion that we are primed for a resurgence of the Western genre. Godless, among other programs and films, can demonstrate the way to make relevant commentary on the present with these projects. Godless is a gorgeous piece of television with exceptional performances. While the opening episodes may be slow to develop I urge interested parties to push to the conclusion, for the thing ends in a powerful fashion.  

Worth Reading - December 7, 2017

Short list this week as I didn't spent a lot of time reading any fresh news. Apologies.

My local newspaper visited my barber to talk politics. I am sad my dad and I didn't go in for a trim that day. 

I spoke about this in my Tuesday post. Chantal Hebert writes that the Conservatives risk turning their attack into Finance Minister Morneau into character assassination. 

This is from a couple of months ago, but Strong Towns brought it into circulation again. The difficulty in labour mobility is hampering the economy. 

Andray Domise writes that the middle in politics is collapsing. 

There have been rumours and whispers that President Trump might be unwell. I think that's unlikely to be the case except for his clear narcissism.

Liberal Tax Reform Mire

The Liberal tax reform introduced months ago has been a communications disaster for the government. Closing certain tax provisions will increase the amount paid by high income Canadians. The Trudeau Liberals seem to have stumbled blindly into this issue. They seemed entirely unprepared for the resistance to these changes.

The Prime Minister and his team seemed to believe that relying on their tired rhetoric of "strengthening the middle class and those working to join them" would be enough. When you repeat the same thing over and over again to justify everything from tax cuts to road construction to opening a hockey arena don't be surprised if its effectiveness dulls.

There are strong, well-financed forces to push to keep the status quo. Doctors and small business owners will be limited in their tools to save on taxes. A number of wealthy individuals use the existing law to avoid taxes. While perfectly legal there are questions whether it was the intent of the government, or ethical for some parties to pay less in a progressive tax system.

While progressives are generally in favour of changing the tax code the failure of the Liberals to articulate these reforms successfully is putting them at risk. Opponents in advocacy groups and the Conservative Party have painted this as a massive tax increase on small business and an attack on doctor. The attacks have been, to this point, successful on raising doubts about the wisdom of the changes. In reality, it seems offering some sort of transition period would have done a great deal to dissuade modest critics, but the Liberals did not see reason to see that far ahead.

In politics communications often matters more than the policy itself, to my eternal grief. In some parallel universe the Liberals sold these policies to enough Canadians to ensure their passage, now it will cost Trudeau significant political capital. Part of the explanation is who the messengers are.

Justin Trudeau was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and his finance minister, Bill Morneau is a very wealthy man. Men who have taken advantage of the same system the seek to right. Morneau has been dogged by questions about his finances and personal business dealings and whether or not the meet the rigour of disclosure and freedom of conflict of interest. Chantal Hebert warns that the Conservatives, by pursuing Morneau will lose sight on the defeating these reforms.

It would be fitting for the Liberals to stumble forward into success. It would join a questionable list of policy accomplishments for the Trudeau government. It leads me to wonder how many more lucky breaks they may have in them.