Christopher Majka - Politics, Public Policy & Advocacy

Christopher Majka - Politics, Public Policy & Advocacy

Christopher Majka
photo: Lois Siegel
I maintain an interest and involvement in a variety of issues related to politics, electoral reform, public policy, environment, biodiversity, and arts and culture policy. Below are links to a variety of articles, guest editorial, op-ed articles, and letters to the editor that I have written on these topics. Questions or comments? Please send me an [email].

[Public Policy] [Politics and Electoral Reform] [Climate Change, Environment, & Natural Resources] [Energy Policy] [Forestry & Forest Pests] [Arts & Culture]

Public Policy

Taxpayers Deserve Better: Chronicle Herald, November 30, 2012
Convention Centre: Auditory Results: The Coast, November 29, 2012
Halifax International Security Forum: Syria - there must be some way out of here: Rabble.ca, November 22, 2012
Halifax International Security Forum: The new international normal: Rabble.ca, November 17, 2012
Today I remember my father: Rabble.ca, November 11, 2012
Islam, Iran and women: Moving from medievalism to modernity: Rabble.ca, October 6, 2012
Charmaine Borg versus James Moore: Irresistible force meets immovable object: Rabble.ca, September 13, 2012
Well-being in Canada: Are we satisfied?: Rabble.ca, August 28, 2012
Military subversion: Adventurism, seduction, and transformation on the front lines: Rabble.ca, August 2, 2012
An idiot's persistence: Asinine adventures of the Harper Conservatives: Rabble.ca, July 24, 2012
Convention Centre delirium: Politics, economics, development and hallucinations: Rabble.ca, July 20, 2012
Dumb as dirt: Bethune, Mao, Anders and the new McCarthyism: Rabble.ca, July 16, 2012
Fifty nine cents: An open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper: Rabble.ca, June 28, 2012
Abuse of process: Bill C-38 and the Harper agenda: Rabble.ca, June 5, 2012
Escalator to the bottom: Quebec students refuse the ride: Rabble.ca, May 24, 2012
The Crime Omnibus Bill: What is to be done?: Behind the Numbers, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, March 18, 2012
The Crime Omnibus Bill: What is to be done?: Facebook, March 13, 2012
Open letter to Canadian Senators on Bill C-10, the federal crime omnibus legislation: Facebook, February 29, 2012
Crime Omnibus Bill - Say no!: Facebook, December 10, 2011
Hall Dalrymple Out: The Coast, December 8, 2011
Crossed a line: The Chronicle Herald, December 7, 2011
An Inconvenient Occupation: Behind the Numbers, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, November 16, 2011
Legislate Sanity: The Coast, November 10, 2011
Occupy ... the world: The Chronicle Herald, October 20, 2011
MP Megan Lelsie reads my letter opposing the attempt to legislate an end to the lockout of postal workers: Hansard, 41st Parliament, 1st Session, June 23, 2011
Convention centre: Time to press reset: The Chronicle Herald, April 23, 2011
Convention Centre in Nova Scotia: Economic Wellspring or Bottomless Pit?: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, December 13, 2010
Conventional Wisdom: Corporate Welfare: The Coast, October 14, 2010
Centre smells rank: The Chronicle Herald, October 9, 2010
Gun Registry Flip-Flops: Mid-North Monitor, October 6, 2010
The Gun Registry: Lessons Learned: Facebook, October 5, 2010.
Sign of things to come?: The Chronicle Herald, September 12, 2010.
NSCAN's Open Letter to Tony Clement and Stephen Harper: Facebook, July 26, 2010
Case for lack of balance: The Chronicle Herald, May 26, 2010
Assults on civil society: The Chronicle Herald, March 7, 2010
Report filled with speculation: The Chronicle Herald, August 21, 2009

Politics and Electoral Reform

Postcards from the 2012 by-elections: Rabble.ca, November 27, 2012
Ballistic steal: Armoured Harper in India: Rabble.ca, November 6, 2012
What's wrong with Rand: Objection to Objectivism: Rabble.ca, September 24, 2012
Voter suppression revealed: The stealth attack on Canadian democracy: Rabble.ca, September 20, 2012
Hurricane Leslie: We're going to be all right: Rabble.ca, September 12, 2012
Canadian political calculus: Zero-sum or win-win?: Rabble.ca, June 27, 2012
13 Heroes Day of Action Against Bill C-38: Facebook, June 14, 2012.
The NDP leadership race by the numbers: Rabble.ca, March 28, 2012
Why I'm supporting Nathan Cullen: Facebook, March 23, 2012
Vox Populi: The NDP Leadership Contest: Project Democracy, March 22, 2012
The case for NDP, Liberal, Green Cooperation?: Editorial: Project Democracy, February 23, 2012.
Get fraud out of Parliament: Facebook, March 11, 2012
Racknine Robocalls: Voter suppression a stain on Canadian democracy: Facebook, February 24, 2012
Do Canadians want political cooperation?: Editorial: Project Democracy, February 5, 2012.
Leaning Left: Harping: The Coast, January 19, 2012
Voters, polling, and Canadian democracy: where have all the flowers gone?: Editorial: Project Democracy, June 28, 2011
Let's try for a rational approach: Moncton Times & Transcript, August 9, 2011
Let's cheer: Quebecois are supporting a nationalist party: Vancouver Sun, August 6, 2011
Lack of political leadership, bad electoral system preventing public policy changes: The Hill Times, August 23, 2010
We're with you, Jack: The Chronicle Herald, July 28, 2011
Standing with Jack: Family from Coast to Coast: Facebook, July 27, 2011
Fifty-eight hours: Facebook, June 27, 2011
One Month Later: Lessons for Canadian Democracy: Facebook, June 3, 2011
Project Democracy: 2011 Electoral Analysis - Part 1: Final Report: Project Democracy, May 31, 2011.
What to do about those 6,201 frustrations: Facebook, May 5, 2011.
Political frustration: In 2011 the electoral pot boils over: Editorial: Project Democracy, April 26, 2011
Pundits Guide to Elections: red herrings, errors, and misinformation: Facebook, April 25, 2011
Project Democracy - the 2011 election game changer: Facebook, April 11, 2011
A debate not worth having: The Chronicle Herald, March 31, 2011
All viewpoints deserve place at cabinet table: The Chronicle Herald, January 27, 2011
Who's influencing whom?: The Chronicle Herald, June 6, 2009
No bearing on character: The Chronicle Herald, April 11, 2009
Liberal leader Ignatieff can't have it both ways: The Hill Times, February 26, 2009
Social democratic debut: The Chronicle Herald, February 26, 2009
Prime Minister Harper will have to face music sooner or later: The Hill Times, December 8, 2008
Traditional voting system out of tune with the times: The Chronicle Herald, November 5, 2008

Climate Change, Environment, & Natural Resources

Foreign aid and natural resources: Allies or enemies? - Part 6: Rabble.ca, November 28, 2012
Superpower or Supermarket? The folly of foreign investment - Part 5: Rabble.ca, November 9, 2012
Resource capitulation: FIPPA, fibs, and Canadian sellouts - Part 4: Rabble.ca, November 2, 2012
Carbon attacks: The Harper Conservatives and the Canadian resource economy - Part 3: Rabble.ca, October 30, 2012
Raw deal: The Canadian resource economy - Part 2: Rabble.ca, October 18, 2012
Failing grades: The Canadian resource economy - Part 1: Rabble.ca, October 16, 2012
Passing gas: Peter Kent and Canada's bogus GHG emission targets: Rabble.ca, August 13, 2012
Passing gas: Peter Kent and Canada's bogus GHG emission targets: New Brunswick Media Co-op, August 13, 2012
Loaded dice in the climate change casino: Rabble.ca, August 11, 2012
Loaded dice in the climate change casino: New Brunswick Media Co-op, August 12, 2012
In the valley of the shadow of peak oil: Rabble.ca, July 5, 2012
In the valley of the shadow of peak oil: Ecology Global Network, September 4, 2012
Empty rhetoric, empty oceans: Will Rio +20 change the tide?: Rabble.ca, June 22, 2012
Acid bath: Evil twin of climate change: Rabble.ca, June 20, 2012
Acid bath: Evil twin of climate change: Ecology Global Network, August 6, 2012
Pestilence, famine and climate change: Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Rabble.ca, June 12, 2012
Thermometer rising: Ice, methane, and climate change: Ecology Global Network, June 14, 2012
Thermometer rising: Ice, methane, and climate change: Rabble.ca, May 16, 2012
Head in the Sand, Tar in Every Orifice: Climate Change Policy in Canada: Rabble.ca, May 10, 2012
Head in the Sand, Tar in Every Orifice: Climate Change Policy in Canada: Ecology Global Network, June 7, 2012
Quiet Spring: Fifty years since Rachel Carson: Ecology Global Network, April 30, 2012
Quiet Spring: Fifty years since Rachel Carson: Rabble.ca, April 25, 2012
Where is Canadian Leadership on climate change?: Facebook, December 13, 2011
Too much slash and burn: Toronto Star, August 6, 2011
Creating Change: What to do when the sky is falling: Facebook, August 5, 2010
Climate Change Accountability Act: Facebook, April 14, 2010
Climate Change and Parliamentary Democracy: both on the rocks?: The Hill Times, October 27, 2009
Disgraceful record: The Chronicle Herald, December 16, 2008
Poor climate change record: Toronto Star, December 16, 2008
Canada's disgraceful climate change record on display: Vancouver Sun, December 13, 2008
Overkill: Mysterious East. March/April 1971: 21-22.

Energy Policy

Energy dominates Council of the Federation meetings: Rabble.ca, November 26, 2012
Short circuit Liberal leader's power proposals: The Chronicle Herald, August 22, 2012
Berlin wallet: Merkel invests, Harper divests: Rabble.ca, August 19, 2012
Canada's energy future: Wise strategy or rapacious sellout?: Rabble.ca, July 27, 2012
The turning tide: Canadians and our energy future: Rabble.ca, July 27, 2012
Stuffing Solar City where the sun don't shine?: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, July 9, 2012
Stuffing Solar City where the sun don't shine?: Halifax Media Co-op, July 9, 2012
Fast Facts: Power to the People?: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, June 14, 2012
Dutch disease denial: Inflation, politics and tar: Rabble.ca, May 31, 2012
Submission to the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Project Review Panel: Facebook, January 18, 2012

Forestry & Forest Pests

Sugar Shack Bugs: The Island Magazine 68: 16-21, December 2010.
Beetles, forests, and climate change: Exchanging old mistakes for new?: Behind the Numbers, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, April 25, 2012
Worrisome beetle found in New Brunswick - BSLB advances: citizens are no further ahead: Rural Delivery 36(7) [January/February, 2012]: 49-52.
Worrisome beetle found in New Brunswick: Atlantic Forestry Review, November 2011, pp. 34.
The brown spruce longhorn beetle in Cape Breton: the good, the bad and the ugly: Victoria Standard, November 2, 2009
Beetlemania: Reader's Corner: The Chronicle Herald, October 21, 2009
Is the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle the threat its made out to be?: CBC Radio, Maritime Noon, October 17, 2009
Please Remain Calm: The Globe and Mail, October 17, 2009
A pest of trees or just of taxpayers? Mystery surrounds the Brown spruce longhorn beetle.: Atlantic Forestry Review, March 2009, pp. 19.
Pest or not? The Brown spruce longhorn beetle.: Atlantic Forestry Review, Guest editorial, January 2009, pp. 7.
The Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle: Is it a problem?: Shunpiking Magazine, March 2007
Beetlemania or invading borers?: The National Post, July 11, 2000

Arts and Culture Policy

New Nova Scotia arts council established: Arts Nova Scotia: The Coast, December 1, 2011
Stephen Harper's attack on the arts: does arts funding lead to terrorism?: Facebook, June 29, 2011
Arts Nova Scotia: Do it right: The Chronicle Herald, May 21, 2011
Nova Scotia Cultural Action Network congratulates government on progressive arts & culture initiatives: Facebook, February 15, 2011
Levels of Provincial Cultural Funding: Facebook, April 13, 2010
Nova Scotia 2010-11 Culture Division budget: Facebook, April 13, 2010
Dance Story in sharp step: The Coast, February 26, 2009
Arts do matter, but do reporters have to get it wrong every time?: ArtsNova Bulletin, October 13, 2008
Unifying force: The Chronicle Herald, October 1, 2008