Government policy can aid society and the economy, but frequently it does the opposite. Lately there has been a lot of concern raised, and quite rightly, about Canada’s dismal productivity growth record and growth prospects. Several multilateral organizations expect...
When Parliament unanimously passed its motion declaring that residential schools were genocide, it was probably inevitable that municipal and provincial elected bodies would follow. City councillors in Brandon, Man. are currently debating the following motion: “The...
Brownstone Institute
A popular quote asserts, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” Schooling has never been a neutral enterprise. Disputes over the control of education and what children should learn have been with us for...
The staid and venerable television program 60 Minutes aired a segment last Sunday night that focused on a topic that has been examined before, but not with the same widespread receptivity and credibility. It had to do with ‘UAPs’, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, what...
“For better than a century many historians have found it useful to employ a Fabian tactic against critics in related fields of intellectual endeavor. The tactic works like this: when criticized by social scientists for the softness of his method, the crudity of his...
What would be better-- children conceived by random intercourse and raised by the state, or children raised by their parents in the same household? Plato, the Greek philosopher from ancient times, said the former; and whether we realize it or not, his philosophy has...
Are there any successes in negotiations for land by Indigenous bands? Yes, one bright spot in the long history of resolving Indigenous land claims came 30 years ago in Saskatchewan. The framework for Treaty Land Entitlement enacted then was the culmination of a rocky...
People have been asking for thoughts on the recently announced federal climate plan. I shrug. I ask them what their thoughts are on the Iowa State Fair Hog Calling Regulations. I am indifferent. I know I should care, but what’s the point? The feds throw something at...
Since last September, experts have testified at a tribunal hearing for an Alberta chiropractor on how well masks do, or don’t, slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Unfortunately, the chiropractor’s college, YouTube, and LinkedIn did not want...
The fight over the COVID vaccines has become an epic struggle. It’s not just about who should get the shot and how many shots. The fight ever more centers on issues of effectiveness and safety of the product itself. One group is convinced they are very dangerous for...
Before a NDP government and it’s politically appointed Manitoba Hydro board faded out after the Pallister Conservatives won in 2016, it was generally accepted by all political parties, and the media, that Hydro’s then ultra-low electricity rates were “Manitoba’s...
The war in Ukraine is now a month old. It is not over, nor does it show serious signs of ending anytime soon, despite attempts at peace talks. We, as a nation, have had a month to determine our response. Even if the shooting stops, Russia’s oil and gas exports must be...
'They justify their existence by dreaming up new processes and systems that have nothing to do with patient care but that significantly adds to our workload' Judging from the amount of mail I received from front-line health-care workers following my weekend...
In November 2021, B.C. suffered the wrath of a Pineapple Express. Extreme rain from an atmospheric river dumped a month’s worth of rain within a few days causing rivers to overflow, farmlands to flood, and mudslides that wiped out nearly all major highways connecting...