Canada achieved it’s now-waning state of greatness through the application in its governance of over a century of classic liberal social, economic and political principles. Liberalism, (not to be confused with the illiberal dogmatism practised by the Liberal Party of...
Commentary
Portland Police Service – Rapid Response Team: A Case for Service, Support, and Accountability
Recently, a grand jury indicted Corey Budworth, a member of the Portland Police Rapid Response Team (RRT), on one count of fourth-degree assault. The indictment stems from an incident on August 18, 2020, when the officer used his baton to push a woman to the ground...
Climate Pandering is Self-Defeating for Canadian Banks
Canada’s national policy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 necessitates divesting from fossil fuels. There is just one problem: massive outstanding loans from banks to the oil and gas industries. The oil and gas sector makes up more than 10 per cent of the...
Manitoba Needs to Up its Mining Game
There is some good news for mining in Manitoba, but the province needs to reform its mining policies for the sector to thrive. Despite some progress over the years, this province still has a hostile climate for investment and this needs to change. Vale recently...
Featured News
The Dirt on Democracy
If the majority of the electorate has not already been disillusioned and alienated by the extreme partisanship of politics, the upcoming elections in the United States, the so-called beacon of democracy, will likely push another generation of voters over the precipice...
Defund the Police? No, Defund Sociologists!
The demand currently on the lips of youthful mobs and their academic enablers is “Defund the Police”, a catchy phrase that encapsulates both the innocence and ignorance of the young and the sinister intent of those who will use any crisis to bring down capitalism and...
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...
Green Energy Poverty Week
A week dedicated to topics that underscore impacts environmentalists don’t want to discuss April 22 was Earth Day, the March for Science and Lenin’s birthday (which many say is appropriate, since environmentalism is now green on the outside and red, anti-free...
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...