The major provisions of the Multilateral Agreement of Investment need no defence. They are simply common sense rules of fairness.
Year: 1998
CRTC Powerless To Regulate Internet
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, has carved out a contentious niche for itself as the protector of Canadian culture. It is now turning its attention to the Internet. An attempt to impose such controls on the Internet has a zero chance of success.
Riding The Rails – Via Rail
Passenger train service in Canada, delivered almost exclusively by Via Rail, has reached a “crossroads”, declared a newspaper headline early in September.
Fish Story – The Federal Fish Marketing Corporation
The reasoning behind “single-desk” marketing has always seemed fishy, but the latest follies at the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation confirm that the enterprise has more to worry about than foul odors.
Featured News
Weaponizing the Law
The indictment of former U.S. president Donald Trump for crimes invented by his political opponents is the most egregious example yet seen of the weaponizing of the law. The United States is now full of examples. However, in Canada, we also see the law being...
“Looking At” Seizing Control Over Western Canada’s Natural Resources
OTTAWA, REGINA - Last week, two things happened that could have profound impacts on natural resources development in Saskatchewan. One is a hint the federal government might want to take control of natural resources away from the provinces, and the other is the...
Poverty Falling Dramatically In Canada
Christopher Sarlo, a professor at Nipissing University, has carved out an interesting academic niche by measuring living standards in Canada. His most recent research confirms that Canadians are doing very well in improving their material well being.
Winnipeg Looks at Indianapolis Model
On a sleepy summer day two weeks ago, Winnipeg’s City Council quietly instructed its staff to prepare a report on the “Indianapolis Model” of managed competition. Can our elected officials break out of the box of old thinking?
Commanding Heights – The Problem With Central Planning
Not that long ago, centralized economies were all the rage. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, said it best: “The idea of planning and a planned society is accepted now in varying degrees by everyone.” He then led his country through a generation of economic stagnation
Sunny Lessons from Sunnyvale
From top to bottom, Sunnyvale’s high-performance government has learned to evaluate every service its 750 employees perform. The results speak for themselves: high-quality services delivered at low cost to customers, financial stability and a satisfied electorate. All of this without cutting programs or eliminating staff.
Sweet And Sour Public Investments
Imaginative ideas often emerge from the messy system we call democracy, and it is sometimes politicians who provide the initial impulse for the creation of works of great public value. The problem is sustaining these projects after they take shape.
Making Cities Safe
The recent experience of some cities in reducing crime can reveal a lot about better ways to fight it. In New York, for instance, crime rates have fallen by half in just a few years. What accomplished this feat was aggressive community policing.
The Sky Is Not Falling
This spring, in New Delhi, a group called the Global Environment Facility, whose mandate is to “protect the earth”, told a gathering of environmentalists from 161 member countries that its mission cannot be accomplished without more money. We don’t take such issues seriously enough, they said.
Will foreigners drink Canada dry?
Paranoia about Canadian water exports is unwarranted and premature..
A New Golden Age?
Are we in a Golden Age right now? A recent spate of “good news” statistics points to an affirmative answer.