Back to Normal

Rob Attrell

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مذكرات شخصية

A small podcast about life in quarantine.

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A Normal Week

On the show this week, I talk about my most normal week yet in COVID times, a sure sign things are getting back to normal and I will have to start seeing people again. Click the icon below to listen.

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Is COVID Endemic in Ottawa?

This week I discuss my first week at the new job, my changing feelings on COVID now that we're almost all vaccinated (adults) and we move in to the fall, as well as looking back on my son's first year. Click the icon below to listen.

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Back to the Normal

As my parental leave comes to an end, I discuss the results of the Canadian federal election, some talk on electoral systems, and then my thoughts on parental leave and Ontario's new vaccine passport system. Click the icon below to listen.

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Vote Compass 2021 | Part 5 (Q26-30)

Go and Vote on Monday! Q25. How much should Canada do to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions? There is a lot the country can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it has to start from the top, either via redistributing subsidies, incentivizing green tech, or one of many other progressive climate agenda items. Q26. How much should the Canadian government spend on police services? Do the RCMP really do all that much anymore? Why are they still called the RCMP? Defund the Mounties? Q27. How high should the federal minimum wage be? Yes, it should be higher, but more importantly, it should be tied to inflation rather than changed piecemeal. Q28. How much should wealthier people pay in taxes? Oh so much more, with progressive taxation there's not reason not to have a ridiculously high 'wealth tax' rate. Q29. Canada’s human rights laws should require that transgender people be referred to by their chosen gender pronouns. I think this definitely shouldn't be a thing, but I'm far from convinced that being a dick should be punishable by law. Q30. Quebec should become an independent state. I think this is for Quebec to decide, but if you're all letting me decide, then sure, go for it! Click the icon below to listen.

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Vote Compass 2021 | Part 4 (Q19-25)

Q19. How much control should the federal government have over what Canadians say online? I don't know what the laws for online speech and related protections are now, but my gut feeling is they're OK. Q20. How much money should the federal government give to Canadians whose employment was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic? At this point, it feels like pandemic cash if you can't work because your business was closed is done, but I do still feel like Canadians should get employment insurance if they're working but can't work for an isolation period because they test positive for COVID (although maybe not if you're not vaccinated?). Q21. People should be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to attend public events. Vaccine passports make sense. Not all services will be able to offer this requirement, but I think as many as possible should. Q22. How much should the federal government make individual Canadians pay for every tonne of greenhouse gas they emit through fossil fuel consumption? Whether a carbon tax is levied on the individual or at the corporate level, cost increases will be passed on to the consumer. This is a good thing. Q23. The federal government should guarantee a minimum income for all Canadian adults regardless of whether or not they have a job. Yes. I love the idea of basic income. I am sharing a version of my idea for basic income here, with a 36% basic income tax and a basic income of $19,789. It's radical but it does work to accomplish what it sets out to (lift every single Canadian out of poverty). Q24. Quebec should be formally recognized as a nation in the Constitution. Quebec needs to make up its mind and decide whether it wants to be part of Canada or not. If you want to be 'a nation', doesn't that mean you want to be your own country? I don't know how these things work... Click the icon below to listen.

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Vote Compass 2021 | Part 3 (Q13-18)

This is week 3 of my Vote Compass 2021 series, and I encourage you (if you haven't already) to take the 'quiz' and see where you line up. Q13. How much should be done to accommodate religious minorities in Canada? Being a non-religious person, I feel I can say in a relatively unbiased way that religious minorities are pretty well accommodated here in Canada, but it's very possible I'm not in a good position to judge this and obviously being 'accommodated' has a pretty subjective meaning depending on who's being accommodated. Q14. All semi-automatic firearms should be banned in Canada. This question to me is very straightforward and to-the-point, and I totally agree with it. There's no reason to own a gun outside of defending yourself from wildlife on a farm or in rural areas, and even then, it's tenuous. In a city, there's literally no compelling reason you can give me to own a gun (that doesn't involve other people also owning guns). It's not worth it. Q15. Some provinces pay more than their fair share to support the rest of the country. Equalization payments will always be disputed by provinces who feel they're putting in more than is fair, but the equalization formula is pretty straightforward, and though I have no idea how much is actually paid/received by which provinces, I believe Ontario pays these payments, and I have no problem with it. Q16. How much tax should large corporations pay? Large corporations, especially those providing essential services (power/communications/utilities, etc.) should have a cap on profits they can make, and if that's not feasible, their taxes should certainly increase such that their remaining profits shrink. Q17. All Canadians should have access to government-funded prescription drugs. Obviously a national Pharmacare plan is a good idea, and seems to have overwhelming support. I'd be curious to know popularity stats on this, if there are polls on the subject. Q18. How many immigrants should Canada admit? I strongly feel Canada should admit more immigrants until nobody tells us they want to be here anymore, or until we start to run out of resources (haha). We have lots of room and should be welcoming people of all cultures with open arms. Click the icon below to listen.

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Vote Compass 2021 | Part 2 (Q7-12)

This week, we'll be delving in to the next set of Vote Compass questions. Some pretty strong opinions in this episode, and most of the questions here are reasonable without additional context. Q7. Canada should decriminalize possession of illicit drugs for personal use. This is a pretty clear question and evidence I've seen clearly shows rehabilitation is a better answer for possession of illicit drugs than criminal punishment. Q8. Canada's laws against hate speech place too many limits on freedom of expression. Canada doesn't have a particularly restrictive set of laws against hate speech, I see no reason why they should be removed or lessened. Q9. No new oil pipelines should be built in Canada. I strongly believe there is no reason why we should be extracting more oil from the ground in Canada than we currently are, and in fact I believe we should extract much less, and definitely stop subsidizing big oil. Q10. The federal government should give priority to visible minorities when hiring. This question as written seems to indicate that visible minorities would be prioritized over everything else (which I don't agree with), but I think a system in the federal that chooses qualified members of employment equity groups before those who don't is perfectly reasonable (and what is happening now in more general hiring pools). Q11. The federal budget deficit should be reduced, even if it leads to fewer public services. This one is simple and very close to my heart. I think there are many other things we should do to reduce the deficit other than cutting public services. Q12. Canada should rename public spaces which are currently named after historical figures accused of racism. Obviously there is no reason aside from propping up old, white supremacist systems to continue to let public spaces be named after anyone who was a part of such a system (and in every case it's much more than "accused of racism"). Click the icon below to listen.

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Vote Compass 2021 | Part 1 (Q1-6)

This week, I give a quick life update (a lot has happened, I'm on leave, etc.) and then delve in to my 5 part series on the 2021 CBC Vote Compass. Q1. Only those who speak both English and French should be considered for top jobs in the federal government. In a Canada without any historical context, as somebody not from Quebec, I would much rather English be Canada's only official language. However, given that's not the current reality, I somewhat agree with this. Lots of context could be really useful here. Q2. How much should the Canadian government do to make amends for its past treatment of Indigenous peoples? This question could use a lot of context, and a little 'More info' button could go a long way towards providing a little more about the current state of the amends being made. Q3. How much say should Indigenous peoples have over how Canada's natural resources are used? This question is also lacking in context for how much of a say Indigenous peoples have now, which is necessary when asking how much of a say they *should* have. Q4. How much of a role should the private sector have in health care? I don't particularly know the specifics of the private sector's role in health care, one that presumably differs between provinces, but my gut feeling is that I'd rather it be less than more. Q5. How accessible should abortion services be across Canada? This question is very tough for me to answer as a male, but having some context I think 'abortion services' is a blanket term and people's minds immediately go to early elective abortions, but that is not all that abortion services are used for. Q6. Canada should end its ties to the British monarchy. I'm not strongly against the monarchy, but I don't think the government should need to go to the Governor General for assent to make or change laws, and I think we can maintain diplomatic ties to the British government without being subjects of the monarchy. Click the icon below to listen.

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A small podcast about life in quarantine.

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Rob Attrell
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Back to Normal