A few weeks ago, Albertans voted to reduce the inequities in the federal equalization program. The deficit between the dollars that leave to and come back from Ottawa has recently been as high as $27 billion in one year. During times of crisis, it feels like salt in...
Commentary
Inflation: They Win, You Lose: Politicos, Cronies Fleece Canadians with Monetary Expansion
One of the most widespread economic myths is that inflation—the reduced purchasing power of a currency—is a win for a nation, a sign of a booming economy. For the privileged classes in government and with initial access to monetary expansion, it is a win. For everyone...
COVID-19 Emergency Powers Nearly Limitless
The war against the invisible enemy of COVID-19 has unfortunately made normal rights and freedoms invisible as well. Another example manifested on September 13 when Saskatchewan’s premier renewed emergency orders for his province. The list of powers he claimed were so...
What Must Be Done to Curb Canada’s Household Debt
Canada is struggling economically. From inflation and deficits to investment and employment, everything that should be up is down, and everything that should be down is up. One striking symptom of economic rot is household debt, which is rising faster than incomes....
Featured News
Why Indigenous Land Acknowledgments are Harmful to the Public Interest
“... if it was not so serious Espanola’s declaration or whatever it is would be laughable, but it is not alone … So few realize if this .. continues some years from now it will be used in some claim.” -Retired Supreme Court Justice Jack Major. The...
Alberta’s Rising Crime Begs More Policing, Not Less
The year is not yet over, and Calgary has already recorded 26 homicides, six more than in 2019. Edmonton has witnessed a 90 percent spike in assaults with weapons or causing bodily harm. Unbelievably, rather than tackling this escalating violence head-on, officials...
Indian Cities
In 2013, the small outport community of Little Bay Islands, Newfoundland, had to make a very emotional decision. The local economy had completely dried up. The crab processing plant had closed, and the community was far away from government public services. Looking at...
Powerful Government Unions Make the Economy Weaker
American taxpayers and workers won a big victory recently, with the United States Supreme Court ruling 5-4 in June in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) that government employees not part of a union could not be forced to...
Bill C-46: Breathalyzer Testing on Demand
Marjorie LeBreton is a former leader of the Conservatives in the Senate. She has a family tragedy in her past: her daughter and grandson were killed by a drunk driver. Ms. LeBreton is unhappy that her former senate colleagues have voted to gut Bill C-46 which gives...
High-Speed Rail Cost Blowout in England?
The Sunday Times (London) reports that it has obtained a secret Cabinet report indicating that “The HS2 high-speed rail project is “highly likely” to go as much as 60% over budget and cost “more than £80 billion.” HS2 refers to the high speed rail project intended to...
You are on Home Land of the Metis Nation
I have recently been paying attention to public event openings announcing that we are now on treaty land. Perhaps the most unusual is the one advising people that they are now on the home land of the Metis Nation. Consider this: Does an acknowledgement that one is on...
Government Should Stay off the Bus
Western Canadian bus riders got an early Halloween scare. As from October 31, 2018, Greyhound passengers won’t travel west of Ontario. For the company, it means 415 fewer employees and two million fewer passenger rides each year. For bus riders in remote areas, a...
The Gandharan Golden Age
Ancient Gandhara was a fabulous land where many different cultures and religions mixed and flourished. It was located in what is now northern Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan. Persian, Greek, Scythian, Mauryan, and many other peoples influenced the civilization,...
Lessons From The Oakland/San Francisco Dismissal
Federal District Court Judge William Alsup dismissed the "global warming" lawsuits of the cities of Oakland and San Francisco against large oil and gas companies, In so doing, the Judge provided important lessons in history, logic and public policy. The cities had...
The Dumbing-Down of Public Symbology
When I was a younger man, back when Lester Pearson was Prime Minister and Pluto was still a planet, I attended the University of Saskatchewan. It had a very simple coat of arms: three wheat sheaves and an open book whose pages displayed the motto “Deo et Patriae” --...