“Why can’t Al Gore be right?” asked my friend as we suffered another bitter Canadian winter. Intolerable Januaries aside, global warming alarmists suggest we should be happy if global warming does not occur. But that may not be the case, especially so for Canadians. A...
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Toxic Feminism
Feminism began as a challenge to male domination and female subordination. It could have become a champion of equality and the dignity of individual human beings. Unfortunately, contemporary feminism is not a liberation from sexism. It is true that feminism rejects...
Among the silliest of current left-wing demands is that white people cease “cultural appropriation”, that is, the borrowing of styles, foods, dress, or art of other cultures. A Latina student in California insisted that hoop earrings were an invention of her people...
Our History-Warts and All
The modern fashion of attempting to rewrite history appears to be gaining ground. Hector Langevin’s name no longer adorns his building in Ottawa, Cornwallis’s statue has been toppled, and the history rewriters are busily taking dead aim at our most famous Canadian of...
Featured News
Strike Before the Crumble
COVID-19 has left a gaping hole in Quebec’s healthcare system. Lack of nursing personnel, testing shortages, overflooding hospitals and postponed surgeries have turned Quebec’s healthcare into complete chaos. "We must invest in the health-care system, which is in the...
Let a Thousand Capital Markets Bloom
Alarm bells ought to be ringing in Canada. Business, industrial and foreign direct investment have performed pitifully over the past decade, with no reason to believe there will be a turnaround any time soon. As noted by Steven Globerman of Western Washington...
Rent control and affordable housing in Alberta
Bill 202, which has passed second reading, is officially titled the Alberta Affordable Housing Review Committee Act. Under this bill, the government will establish a committee of no fewer than three members to report on five areas. Four of the five areas listed in the...
Liberals and federal NDP policies restrict Alberta oil to U.S. market
During the 1988 Free Trade debate, the Liberals and NDP fought a provision that required Canada to maintain its oil export volumes to the U.S. at historical levels. So it is a remarkable irony that these two parties are now fighting against pipelines that would allow...
Canada’s New Federal Mortgage Rules: Right Diagnosis, Wrong Medicine?
For some time , the Bank of Canada, international organizations and financial analysts have expressed concern at Canada’s rising house prices and related household debt levels. Some have even suggested risks similar to that of the housing bust that devastated...
Supply and Demand in Alberta’s Housing Market
It is well known that the Alberta economy is largely driven by the oil and gas sector. One unfortunate consequence of this is that Alberta is subject to the boom and bust cycle that is pervasive in all resource-‐based economies. In boom periods, the demand for...
Oil Prices and the Canadian Economy
Back in 2010, soaring oil prices and the accompanying appreciation of the Canadian dollar was perceived by some to be a major problem for the Canadian manufacturing sector. People argued that our economy suffered from a “resource curse”- a phenomenon where...
Growth Management: Focusing on Priorities
The Notley government promises a new Municipal Government Act in the fall, following a consultive process. In its September announcement, the Government said that new Growth Management Boards would be established in the Calgary and Edmonton areas. “Growth...
Recent Mortgage Rule Changes Not Well Thought Out
Starting in 2008, the federal government has made changes to the manner in which mortgages can be financed through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). For instance, the maximum amortization period has been reduced from 40 years to 25 years; the maximum...
Let’s stop pretending ‘social licence’ is an actual thing
Alberta’s premier has, one hopes, learned the hard way. Margaret Thatcher famously said “There is no such thing as society.” Today she might have added the corollary that “There is no such thing as social licence.” There is such a thing...
Canada’s war on ISIS: Why declaring genocide without ramifications is dangerous
In his speech at the University of Ottawa on March 29, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion noted that Canada’s foreign policy strategy under the Trudeau government will be guided by the principle of ‘Responsible Conviction.’ Few...