In 1970 Milton Friedman, a Nobel Laureate, in his article to the New York Times (The Social Responsibility of Business Is To Increase Its Profits) proposed that an enterprise’s primary and sole responsibility was to the shareholder through the maximization of profits....
If Canadians believe the threat of a Communist superpower expired decades ago, they’re wrong. The Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (USSR) may be long dead, but the Chinese dragon is alive and well. In 1970, KGB disinformation agent Yuri Bezmenov defected from the...
Brian Pallister likely knows that his time as Premier of Manitoba, now still leading a solid majority government, is coming to an end. Fortunately for Pallister, his party and Manitoba, if he retires soon, by bringing in a new PC leader he could be remembered for...
Of late, the dollar value of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and others, have hit new record highs, in the thousands of dollars per unit. The price escalation has attracted more speculators, which have further boosted the price over the past several...
On July 2nd, 2020, a rather sad milestone or marker of Canada’s misplaced energy and environmental policies – not to mention its handling of federal-provincial relations – occurred. On that day, the first cargo of Western Canadian oil left Burrard Inlet on the Pacific...
The University of Calgary (UC) has admitted to being a systemically racist institution against Blacks, Indigenous people, and other people of colour. The revelation by its Senior Leaders University Team has hardly received any attention. The shocking admission was...
Tinkering with a system in clear need of an overhaul is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. In March, the Winnipeg lab of Intertek, a global commodities testing firm, received an unusual request. Manitoba farmer Paul Orsak brought in wheat samples from...
A recent report issued by the Fraser Institute makes it clear that transporting oil by pipelines is far safer than by railcars. One need look no further than the tragic deaths and destruction in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec and the fiery derailment of a train carrying...
Once again, minority government seems like a possible outcome of a federal election, so let’s look at some scenarios. They all involve a double helix of constitutional rules and political calculations. Start with the constitutional parameters. A sitting prime...
Vancouver — along with Melbourne and Vienna — ranks at or near the top of The Economist and Mercer lists of the world’s most livable cities almost every year. These ratings are of justifiable pride to public officials and residents. It may be less...
Leaders of the Assembly of First Nations are urging their people to defeat the Conservatives on Oct. 19. Vote Liberal or NDP, is the message, but not Conservative. “We can mitigate the damages by voting for a different government in this upcoming...
Resource-revenue sharing has emerged as the next Big Idea for First Nations. Like most Big Ideas, it seems simple, but in reality is full of legal difficulties and unintended economic consequences. Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations...
Make the scofflaws pay. And if they won’t pay, punish ’em. There’s an understandable lack of public sympathy for deadbeats such as parents who skip out on family support payments or drivers who rack up huge parking ticket fines. And one of the...
Forcing rail carriers to ship a competitor’s cars harms profitability and distorts the investment market The winter before last, Canadians endured their coldest-ever winter. On the rail lines, deliveries were slowed significantly, creating a backlog of grain and...
There are some things money can buy, but when there’s no money to go around, something has to give. In Ontario’s education sector, there isn’t enough money to go around anymore, and unions clearly aren’t happy. How did we get here? After years...