During the 2015 federal election, the Prime Minister promised that the Liberals would have temporary deficits not exceeding $10 B per year and would return to balanced budgets by 2019. The Canadian voters drank this kool aid. However things have turned out to be even...
British Columbia has become the first province to adopt the United Nations Declaration on Aboriginal Peoples (UNDRIP). Except for the opposition of a determined group of Conservative senators, the federal government would have adopted UNDRIP as actionable law before...
The origin of a potentially groundbreaking step towards meaningful reconciliation between Canada’s first people and settlers can be laid at the feet of Métis leader Louis Riel. Literally. In 1994, Métis activist Jean Allard had lots of time to think after he chained...
Canada has a bipolar history with cryptocurrencies. In 2013, she saw both the world’s first bitcoin ATM and the federal government rushing to tax crypto-assets. Now, Canadian accountants (CPAs) have issued a warning that onerous tax rules will scare away...
For the past 14 years, Vancouver surgeon Dr. Brian Day has led the charge for health-care reform, pushing for the right of patients to pay for private care if their health and well-being are threatened as a result of waiting in a stagnant and overburdened public...
The path to net zero, based on the much disputed belief that carbon dioxide is a pollution, is more steep and impractical than most people realize. Replacing fossil fuels with clean electricity will require much more power generation and a greatly upgraded grid to...
Winnipeg’s police Chief Smyth has the typical police challenge on his hands - the ones seen over and over again: crime is up, resources are stretched, and more money is needed. Behind the scenes and out of the public’s eye, he must also be seen as preserving the...
Mixed Martial Arts fighter Tamika Brents had never felt anyone or anything like the blows that sent her to the hospital in 2014. Fallon Fox hit Brents so hard that she suffered a broken skull. Despite the brutal loss, observers didn’t wonder whether Brents should be...
Recently, the Alberta Premier opportunistically and sarcastically suggested to the government of Quebec that if they had, or would, allow pipelines to be built in the latter province, their current propane shortage, caused by the ongoing CN Rail strike, would not be a...
If you are an activist who wants to persuade your fellow citizens of the correctness of your views, the first thing you should do is take control of the English language. Change the meanings of words so that your enemies can be accused of any crime and your side can...
“Canada needs to be in a position to defend itself and defend its values,” U.S. National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien told delegates at the Halifax International Security Summit. He urged America’s northern neighbour to keep its NATO commitments and increase...
Canada’s recent federal election result exposes intractable challenges dating from confederation in 1867. Wexit could allow Alberta to escape from a burden somewhat resembling the maladministration that afflicted Argentina, once the world’s equal richest country. For...
Whether one endorses or opposes the option of an independent Alberta, Albertans would do well to consider the option carefully. While Quebec went through two referendums in 15 years, it took decades for their sovereignty movement to develop. After the near-victory in...
After years of political debate and public frustration, it seems that the future of Canadian healthcare may now depend on the outcome of a decade-long legal battle in the BC Supreme Court. The plaintiffs are Dr. Brian Day, the private Cambie Surgery Centre and four...
Ontario has a problem. It’s awash in red tape. For example, hairdressers need to collect customers’ contact info just like tattoo parlours. Soup kitchens have to follow the same rules that apply to major restaurant chains and face hefty fines or can even get shuttered...