Offers a first-hand view of the inner workings of the Canadian federal government, with a particular focus on the interplay between the Prime Minister's Office, the Privy Council Office, the federal cabinet, and the role of backbench MPs and parliamentary committees. Brodie argues that this interplay puts a lie to the proposition that the prime minister has evolved into the role of a dictator of sorts, with unchecked control over the levers of political power. He offers a much-needed corrective to the dominant thinking that a Canadian prime minister holds power without limits, approaching unchecked domination over party, caucus, cabinet, Parliament, the public service, and the policy agenda. In Brodie's view, there are effective checks on executive power, and the golden age of Parliament and the backbencher is probably now. 2018.

Unfounded beliefs and hateful political and social divisions that can cascade into violence are threatening to pull the world apart. Responding to fear and aggression strategically and with compassion is vital if we are to push back against the politics of hate and live in greater safety and harmony. But how to do it? Are We Done Fighting? is brimming with the latest research, practical activities, and inspirational stories of success for cultivating inner change and spreading peace at the community level and beyond.

Climate change is real but it's not the end of the world. It is not even our most serious environmental problem. Michael Shellenberger has been fighting for a greener planet for decades. He helped save the world's last unprotected redwoods. He co-created the predecessor to today's Green New Deal. And he led a successful effort by climate scientists and activists to keep nuclear plants operating, preventing a spike of emissions. But in 2019, as some claimed "billions of people are going to die," contributing to rising anxiety, including among adolescents, Shellenberger decided that, as a lifelong environmental activist, leading energy expert, and father of a teenage daughter, he needed to speak out to separate science from fiction. Despite decades of news media attention, many remain ignorant of basic facts. Carbon emissions peaked and have been declining in most developed nations for over a decade. Deaths from extreme weather, even in poor nations, declined 90 percent over the last four decades. And the risk of Earth warming to very high temperatures is increasingly unlikely thanks to slowing population growth and abundant natural gas. Curiously, the people who are the most alarmist about the problems also tend to oppose the obvious solutions. What's really behind the rise of apocalyptic environmentalism? There are powerful financial interests. There are desires for status and power. But most of all there is a desire among supposedly secular people for transcendence. This spiritual impulse can be natural and healthy. But in preaching fear without love, and guilt without redemption, the new religion is failing to satisfy our deepest psychological and existential needs

Why are measures of stress and anxiety on the rise when economists and politicians tell us we have never had it so good? While statistics tell us that the vast majority of people are getting steadily richer, the world most of us experience day in and day out feels increasingly uncertain, unfair, and ever more expensive. Eric Lonergan and Mark Blyth explore the rising tide of anger, sometimes righteous and useful, sometimes destructive and ill-targeted, and propose radical new solutions for an increasingly polarized and confusing world.

An examination of the AIDS crisis critiques the federal government for its inaction, health authorities for their greed, and scientists for their desire for prestige in the face of the AIDS pandemic, in a twentieth anniversary edition of the acclaimed exposé.

A pressing issue today is how to compensate Aboriginal peoples for the infringement of their rights. In this book, Robert Mainville examines Aboriginal and treaty rights in an historical and legal context, explaining their origins and reviewing major court decisions that have defined Aboriginal rights. The author points out that Aboriginal rights include more than Aboriginal title, and stresses the fiduciary relationship between the federal government and Aboriginal peoples. He also discusses the impact of the Canadian constitution on Aboriginal rights, and the limits to the government's ability to infringe upon Aboriginal and treaty rights. The heart of this book deals with the complex question of compensation for the infringement of Aboriginal and treaty rights. The author begins with the Canadian law of expropriation but argues that, while these principles can provide guidelines for compensation, expropriation law is inadequate to address the issue fully. He then examines American jurisprudence and concludes that the American experience, which involves complex legal maneuverings and narrowly applied principles, has not always led to justice for Native Americans. Against this background, Mr. Mainville sets out clear and practical principles for determining appropriate compensation when Aboriginal or treaty rights are breached. These principles include: considering the government's fiduciary obligation; applying uniform compensation principles across the country; adequately assessing the impact of the breach on the Aboriginal community as a whole; considering the benefits derived by the Crown and third parties; the need for structured compensation schemes that do not necessarily meet mathematically accurate tests; and assessing third party responsibility for compensation.

Barack Obama, junior senator from Illinois, first captured America’s attention with his keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Now, as presumptive Democratic candidate for President, Obama’s superb and captivating oratory style has earned him comparisons to John F. Kennedy and even Martin Luther King – and on the campaign trail Obama has achieved near rock-star status.

Obama speaks on themes of race, identity, community, and above all, his hoped-for vision of a New America. His legions of supporters gravitate towards his unblemished idealism. Still, as David Olive writes, “even the most ardent supporters of Barack Obama ... might wonder at times if the mesmerizing orator is more style than substance.” Here, interspersed with the entire text of Obama’s key speeches, Olive explores the controversies: Obama shedding his American flag lapel pin, Reverend Wright, his anti-war stance, his strong Christian faith, and his often racially charged remarks – and the victories: passage for more than 280 bills in his last two years in the Illinois state senate, his actions towards social justice, and his remarkable rise from underdog to potential future president of the United States.

Bookended with Obama’s ‘04 keynote at the Democratic National Convention and “A More Perfect Union” – called the only historic speech of this 2008 campaign – An American Story exposes politicos, voters, and fans of Obama to the speeches that gave rise to the current phenomenon.

An Action A Day Keeps Global Capitalism Away, according to Mike Hudema, describing his action guide for the 21st century. This lively, challenging, and decidedly fun book is designed for activists and concerned citizens who want to change the world. Hudema introduces readers to a variety of issues, including social action, organizing, theatrical action, civil disobedience, and using the media.The book contains fifty-two tried and tested actions, one for every week. Each action includes a rationale, what you need to pull it off, and examples of where it could be used. From Radical Cheerleading, to Fishing in the Sewers, and Gas Mask Car Shopping, there's something for everybody.

As a precocious young girl, Surekha knew very little about the details of her mother Amma's unusual past and that of Babu, her mysterious and sometimes absent father. The tense, uncertain family life created by her parents' distant and fractious marriage and their separate ambitions informs her every action and emotion. Then one evening, in a moment of uncharacteristic transparency and vulnerability, Amma tells Surekha and her older sister Didi of the family tragedy that changed the course of her life. Finally, her daughters begin to understand the source of their mother's deep commitment to the Indian nationalist movement and her seemingly unending willingness to sacrifice in the name of that pursuit. In this re-memory based on the published and unpublished work of Amma and Surekha, Meenal Shrivastava, Surekha's daughter, uncovers the history of the female foot soldiers of Gandhi's national movement in the early twentieth century. As Meenal weaves these written accounts together with archival research and family history, she gives voice and honour to the hundreds of thousands of largely forgotten or unacknowledged women who, threatened with imprisonment for treason and sedition, relentlessly and selflessly gave toward the revolution.