As previous posts in this space have argued, philosophy is alive and well in Canadian public life, if you know where to look. And look you should, here, for the most thoughtful analysis of the reasons behind the federal Conservative government's recent decision to eliminate the mandatory long-form census,. Written by University of Ottawa political philosophy professor Paul Saurette, the piece se... [More]

Recently The Mark hosted a discussion with three people, myself included, on the public's engagement with our politics - where it's at and how it can be better. You can listen to the full tape here (we each speak for about 10 minutes), and I've included the highlights below. The first up was with Peter Loewen, a prof at U of T, whose articles are must-reads for anyone wanting to better understand... [More]

A few things to highlight for those inclined to things of an international or foreign policy ilk: 1. Foreign Policy Camp is scheduled for Monday, November 30th, hosted by a terrific set of Canadian organizations. If you're in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto or Montreal, you can participate by registering here. The Mark has a special page dedicated to the deliberations. 2. The second issue of ... [More]

Earlier this year, we introduced you to The Mark, an online opinion forum looking to inject more umpf into the discussion on public issues in Canada. In a similar vein, several months ago PublicVoice.tv arrived at an internet near you. Looking to "raise voices on issues that matter," PublicVoice is a bit like a video-version of The Mark, providing an opportunity for users to watch short videos o... [More]

One of my favourite elements of my job is the opportunity to meet Canadians doing innovative things to make our country a more vibrant and exciting place. A bunch of months ago I met two guys working to get an online news and opinion forum off the ground. Their project is called The Mark, and today, it launched in beta. Their premise is that there are thousands of thoughtful Canadians, living h... [More]