As Pierre Trudeau famously said when disagreeing with those who thought Quebec was a distinct society, “on the contrary, CANADA is the distinct society.” At the time he was speaking of our justifiably famous reputation…
Recent Posts
Alberta’s Equalization Referendum: Meaningless but Potentially Dangerous
Jason Kenney’s latest anti-Ottawa gambit, the so-called “referendum” on equalization, is as pointless as his much-mocked war room and his $3.5 million inquiry into imaginary foreign-funded anti-Alberta activities. Even the Globe and Mail called the…
Once Again The Conservatives Champion Individual Choice over Collective Health and Safety
This is becoming a tiresome broken record. The O’Toole Conservatives – allegedly the official opposition and hence presumably responsible parliamentarians all — are champing at the bit for parliament to return as soon as possible…
A Status Quo Election? Hardly!
Many analyses of the 20 September 2021 federal election have described it as a “status quo” result. Nothing could be further from the truth. Admittedly on the surface this claim may seem self-evident. The final…
Code Red: A Death Knell for Fossil Fuels in Canada?
“It’s us. We’re certain. It’s bad. We can fix it”. [i] With those few concise and admirably clear words, Lund university professor Kimberly Nicholas summed up the findings of the most recent report by the…
The COVID-19 Border Rules Dispute: Competing Claims and the Public Good
On July 8, 2021 an imposing group of Canadian business representatives, led by Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty, demanded the Trudeau government delay a possible federal election until the Canada-U.S. border ‘issue’ was resolved…
Partisan Attack Ads Play Fast and Loose with the Truth
Ever since notorious American political strategist Karl Rove managed to save George Bush and the Republicans’ presidential hopes by successfully portraying their Democratic opponent — war hero John Kerry — as a snivelling coward, using…
The Pandemic Has Highlighted the Science vs Politics Dilemma: Now What Should We Do?
Anyone reading the title of this blog might assume it concerns the increasingly obvious divide between conservative or populist views of the world and scientific evidence. The kind of thing that has led to pandemic…
What Were They Thinking????
The past few weeks have seen an alarming number of bizarre news stories emerge that must surely have tested the average Canadian’s faith, not just in politicians but in many of our fundamental democratic institutions. …
The Court Rules: Now What Will Rebel Premiers and Other Climate Deniers Do?
The Supreme Court of Canada has handed down a decisive judgement in favour of the federal government’s carbon pricing plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plan, which sets a “floor” for carbon pricing, notably…
