Monday Morning Quick Hits

Tories abandon non-whites: Alberta base puts kibosh on ethnic outreach.

And:

NDP abandons cities: gun registry cowardice will hurt candidates in T.O. and Vancouver.

MP Maurice Vellacott: Saskatoon Doctors Should Be Commended For Reducing The Availability of Abortion Services

“The bottom line is that the decline in the availability of abortion services is directly linked to a growing commitment to the medical evidence of what abortion does and how abortion negatively impacts the lives of women. Saskatoon’s doctors should be commended for the leadership they are showing by reducing the availability of abortion in our city...."

From a news release posted to his website last evening. I guess this begs the question: are Saskatoon Doctors inappropriately imposing their moral values on their patients? Both the original Star Phoenix article and Vellacott's congratulatory press release suggest that this is the case.

And another nice quote:

Pro-life feminists have also come to see abortion as part of a male agenda to have women more sexually available.

Just three points off a majority, folks.

Do They Hate Gays, Or Just Torontonians, Or Just Gay Torontonians?

But in his criticism of his colleague, [Brad Trost] did not mention his government funds Saskatoon's Pride parade. The Saskatoon Diversity Network received $9,000 from Canadian Heritage this year for last June's Pride Festival.

h/t Roy in comments.

Anyone know if Trost appeared at this?

Tories Court Media

[Stephen Maher] said that he's heard that 'vicious, scandalous rumours' are being spread about him, and he believes the source is a Tory staffer. Mr. Maher said he doesn't think the rumours, which he declined to elaborate on, only saying they were in reference to his 'personal conduct,' have attained wide currency, though he was obviously rattled by them.

I'd make a wager on the staffer in question but, given the nature of the Tory beast, I suppose it could almost be any of them.

Campaign To Save Lit Mags

As I've written here, changes to the Canada Magazine Fund and Publishing Assistance Program threaten almost all of Canada's literary magazines. Specifically

...eligibility for funding could potentially be restricted to those magazines with an annual circulation above 5000. With notable exceptions, the circulation of virtually every Canadian literary and arts magazine, large and small, is below 5000.

...which means that large circulation magazines like Macleans and Flare would keep their funding, while publications like The Malahat Review might simply disappear. The Coalition to Keep Canadian Heritage Support for Literary and Arts Magazines has published a handy and very complete looking list of MP emails if you feel like dropping yours a line on the topic (or just want a complete looking list of MP emails).

As it turns out, one of the magazine's threatened, On Spec, was the place my first published short-story appeared.

Changes To PAP Program Would Kill Canadian Lit Mags, Subsidize Macleans And Mark Steyn

No shit. There's a Facebook Page (Natch) to fight the changes:

On February 17, 2009, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore announced in a speech he made in Montreal (see here) that the Canada Magazine Fund and Publishing Assistance Program will be merged to create the Canada Periodical Fund. Initiatives from this new body will come on stream in 2010.

Departing from his prepared remarks, James Moore indicated that eligibility for funding could potentially be restricted to those magazines with an annual circulation above 5000. With notable exceptions, the circulation of virtually every Canadian literary and arts magazine, large and small, is below 5000.

Lots of background, here for example, but the bottom line appears to be that the Tory government will de-fund Canada's literary magazines while continuing to shovel $2,500,000 per annum at Macleans so Kenneth Whyte can keep publishing slop that "resembles hate speech". Talk about Robin Hood in reverse.