Matthew Burkholder

Several days after the Conservatives won their majority government this election I lambasted the results as undemocratic and outdated. With facebook status updates I vented my frustration with the winner take all Canadian system, calling out the voters to be prepared for a Prime Minister that shows no consideration for the democratic process. With my family members being approached to see if I was "alright" by people who don't know me well enough to understand I (mostly) can separate politics from reality, not letting my at times, passionate political views interrupt my day to day life, I felt I needed a break from my minuscule public reach (you know, the handful of people who actually care about my thoughts). I also received emails putting the global perspective of democracy into view, and had to halt my social media sites and collect my thoughts. There is something disturbing happening in this country. As many of you know, I try to spend massive ...

Ottawa, Ontario: As Stephen Harper pushes through his new crime bill, critics are claiming that it is a step in the wrong direction. The bill, according to Corrections Canada will almost double the costs of the current system from 1.6 Billion to 3 Billion dollars, and potentially see crime prevention programs slashed. In a country that is seeing our lowest crime rate since 1973, one must ask the question, is this necessary? While some of the aspects of the bill are reasonable, it will be vital for watchdogs to make sure this bill doesn't have a negative impact on a system which seems to be working. Some of the more troubling aspects of the bill are hard time for crimes usually committed by young people, and mandatory prison periods of six months for people owning six marijuana plants. While I do not condone the use of marijuana, it is clear that this part of the bill is completely at odds with the will of the public. It's subtle, but borderlines on an infringement of...