While both the federal and British Columbia governments are falling over themselves to hook Canada's wagon to America's star, the economy in that benighted country is set to crash. Last month, the Dow Jones Index took a precipitous dive, (the steepest since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks), following a meltdown on the Chinese market; and it's just the beginning. Lila Rajiva is a freelance journalist and the author of 'The Language of Empire: Abu Ghraib and the American Media,' and the soon to be released 'Mobs, Messiahs and Markets,' co-written with Bill Bonner. She's also a contributor to 'One of the Guys,' an anthology collection of essays regarding women as torturers, and the book, 'The Third World – Opposing Viewpoints.' Lila Rajiva and crashing markets in the first half.
And; April Fool's British Columbia! As the Free Trade Agreement, and the subsequent NAFTA deal did for Canada, the soon to be implemented TILMA deal between Alberta and B.C. promises to do for our respective provinces; that is: Eviscerate local governance, removing protections for the environment, labour, and all those other tedious restrictions placed upon the unfettered pursuit of corporate profits at the expense of the quality of life Canadians have become accustomed. April First is the day the deal signed by Premiers Campbell and Klein is set to go into effect. Murray Dobbin is a Vancouver-based journalist and political commentator whose work is featured primarily at the local B.C. web news site TheTyee.ca, and he'll be here in the second segment on T-I-L-M-A spelling the end of municipal government in British Columbia.
And; Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with all the good things to do in and around Victoria this week. But first, Lila Rajiva and charting capital's impending disaster.
