Privatization, Government Downsizing Are Talk of the Town in Quebec City By Yaël Ossowski – 6. May, 2014, PanAmerican Post Unbeknownst to most political observers and voters in Quebec, Phillippe Couillard and his Liberal Party may be the most ambitious band of reformers to get themselves voted into office in the last several decades. Though […]
If Not the Parti Québécois, Who Is Today’s Quebec Secessionist?
A Reset Button for the Quebec Independence Movement is Due By Yaël Ossowski | PanAm Post After a whopping defeat in the last provincial election, Quebec secessionists are doing of bit of soul-searching, and with good reason. The Parti Québécois (PQ), the province’s progressive separatist party, held the reins of a minority government when it […]
When Expatriation Is the Only Option
In Times of Repression, Leaving Your Country May Be Best By YAËL OSSOWSKI | PanAm Post Usually, individuals look for ways to be freer. Among individuals already aware of the mounting problems of ever-repressive tax, police, and social policies of Western governments, the focus is on practical fixes more than philosophical questions. Though many may turn to political […]
The Parti Québécois Electoral Ploy of “Secularism” Will Weaken Quebec
Provincial Leader Debate Shows PQ’s Turn to Irreverent Populism By Yaël Ossowski | PanAm Post In 1995, Quebec premier and Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Jacques Parizeau declared in his speech following the province’s failed referendum on secession that the battle was lost due to the “ethnic vote.” Almost 20 years later, his party has taken that message […]
Bitcoin: Responding to the Pessimists
By Yaël Ossowski | PanAm Post Worthless, invisible, and impractical. Impossible for the poor to use. A fantasy of the privileged. For devotees of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, these pessimistic criticisms are ceremoniously raised in conversations and articles invoked by skeptics. In the viral YouTube video “Shit Bitcoin Fanatics Say,” the rudimentary objections to the digital currency are laughingly […]
Latin-American Countries Should Ditch the Dollar for Bitcoin
By Yaël Ossowski | PanAm Post In Ukraine, the citizen uprising is beyond bloody. In Venezuela, it’s a full blown crisis. All across the world, people are rising up against their governments and demanding a change to the status quo. In several Latin-American countries, the anger against government is just as strong; citizens are frustrated with corrupt politicians, deteriorating security, […]
Stephen Harper’s New Election Law Not Worth the Outrage
Canada’s Electoral Reform Answers Critics and Shapes Up System By Yaël Ossowski | PanAm Post As per usual in Canadian federal politics, a genuine reform bill is tabled in the House of Commons and an onslaught of doom-and-gloom scenarios are painted by opponents to the Conservative government of Stephen Harper. When Minister of State for Democratic Reform […]
Rejecting Natural Gas Wealth: Quebec’s Missed Opportunity
Government Thwarting Potential to Be Energy Powerhouse By Yaël Ossowski | PanAmerican Post As a progressive party with green tendencies, the Parti Québécois minority currently at the head of the Quebec provincial government is no friend of the natural gas industry. And that’s to the detriment of ordinary Quebecois. It was made self-evident from the moment of […]
One Million Canadians to Cuba Every Year. Why Not US Citizens?
American Embargo Impedes the Means for Bottom-Up Change By Yaël Ossowski | PanAm Post (En Español) In the freezing slush and rain of winter, the vacation posters represent total serenity and warmth. “Check out Cuba’s glamorous vacations deals,” reads one. “Glorious beaches, ocean, and relaxation,” reads another. In the frigid arctic shelf nation of Canada, […]
Want a better NAFTA? The Economist Says Endorse Free Movement of People
The Newspaper Talks Sense on Free and Open Migration Across the Americas By Yaël Ossowski | The Canal Blog of PanAm Post Last month I invoked the 21st anniversary of the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement by arguing that a Schengen-type agreement allowing free movement of people, now reigning in Europe, would be the best way […]