By now, everyone has seen the memes of Dr. Evil ordering up a change of focus in his campaign to maintain global fear: “Fear of [last crisis] is no longer working; Release the murder hornets!” Well, to judge from recent news articles, the meme should read: “Fear of...
For many years, there has been debate about equalization and other transfer programs and their impact on Atlantic Canada and other regions. Much of this discussion has been technical and difficult to follow. The debate has also been misleading because it focused on...
On Monday, April 12, Alberta’s premier posted on social media his reaction to the protests that visited the steps of the Legislature and surrounded the proscribed ground of GraceLife Church (the premier’s words are posted here). Estimates put the crowd at the...
The “Great Reset” is often labelled a conspiracy theory, but it is real. This is a difficult statement to make because it is precisely what every conspiracy theorist says. In this scenario, however, all it takes is a cursory Google search to see that the World...
The federal government has made misguided mortgage policies in recent years. The first, in 2015, was to raise the amount that Canadian Mortgage and Housing Company (CMHC) mortgages required for a down payment. The second, in 2016, was to increase the stress test. The...
Canada must demonstrate federal leadership and all provinces and territories must come together as a country to support our energy economy, given its relative importance to Canada’s entire economy. If it does not, Canada will continue to see its energy sector fall...
Last November, Minister of Employment and Social Development Jason Kenney made headlines when he urged Canadian provinces to dump antiquated apprenticeship ratios. Apprenticeship ratios refer to the number of apprentices in training that can be employed relative to...
Winnipeg's taxi business represents a textbook case of what economists call "regulatory capture" -- the Taxicab Board pays more attention to protecting cab owners' capital gains than the needs of their customers, who want more cabs, better service and lower prices. In...
The StarPhoenix editorial Think tank lacks thought (SP, Jan. 27) about the Frontier Centre's Responsible Budgeting project explained that trying to compare the amount of money that a provincial government spends on health care or housing to the amount spent by the...
Environmentalists frequently raise alarms about fracking, and Canadians should be given more information about the process. There are naturally-occurring fractures, but often rock formations are too impermeable to allow oil and gas to be extracted. A fracking fluid is...
“Every student deserves a personalized learning experience that matches his or her unique learning style.” This summarizes the obsession many schools have with individualized instruction. Heaven forbid that a teacher should prepare a lesson without considering the...
As the next election approaches, Manitoba's NDP government will likely try to scare the public by trotting out its favourite hoary old political chestnut -- privatization. The NDP will increasingly accuse the opposition of "dark plans" to privatize Manitoba Hydro,...
Canada’s Arctic claims continue to be a prominent aspect of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s policy agenda. Recent announcements, further technological investment, and emphasis on Arctic affairs in the government’s Throne Speech all speak to the fact that, since taking...
After more than 100 years, we now know that imposed solutions rarely work on First Nations. It is time to try voluntary solutions because they empower people. Surely we know that First Nations people need empowering. The Idle No More movement was a...
Finance Minister Jennifer Howard seeks advice for the 2014-15 provincial budget. Does she truly want advice, or is the offer made to provide the illusion that government listens to taxpayers? In the 2011 election, the NDP pledged no tax increases. Then it extended the...