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Canada and the World Backgrounder articles from January 1999
A bimonthly magazine that provides background information on current events. Written specifically for high school students, as well as teachers and librarians. Individual issues are devoted to one political or social issue, which is considered both as an
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Canada and the World Backgrounder archives from January 1999
Power of the PM.
January 1, 1999... With a majority government, a Canadian prime minister or premier faces very few checks on his or her power. The 1997 debate over hepatitis C compensation is a good example of how the system works.
About 60,000 Canadians were infected,...
Bilderberg Council.
January 1, 1999... If you wanted to make people believe there is a conspiracy of wealthy right-wingers ruling the world you'd create something like the Bilderberg Council. This little-known group was formed in the early 1950s, and its first meeting was at the...
Natural rate of unemployment.
January 1, 1999... When a government uses tight money policies, as Canada has, there are side effects. One of the most noticeable for average people is a rise in unemployment. This happens because tight money slows down the economy and reduces demand for goods...
Access to Information (Act).
January 1, 1999... The Access to Information Act became law in 1983. Its purpose is to allow the general public to get information about what the government is doing. It costs $5 to file a request for information and the form needed can be found in most libraries...
Going private.
January 1, 1999... There's an old saying that governments should "steer not row." In other words, politicians and bureaucrats should set policy - the direction in which they want to go on an issue. Then, a non-governmental body should step in and translate the...
Dumber and dumber (mass media more and more concerned about trivial issues).
January 1, 1999... "The news is not a product like any other." This is the view of the respected British magazine The Economist. "People learn about how they are governed," The Economist wrote in 1998, "from what they read in the newspapers and what they see on...
One view.
January 1, 1999... There are 106 daily newspapers in Canada, and all but ten of them are owned by large corporations. Aside from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation network stations, most television broadcasters are owned by big companies. These media sources are...
You're fired! (recalling politicians).
January 1, 1999... What can you do if the person you elect turns out to be a total dud? The answer, unless you live in British Columbia, is not much until the next election. B.C. is the only province to have a law that allows voters to fire politicians before...