Given that infections don’t by a long shot equal hospitalizations, civil libertarians are rightly sounding warning bells
On Sept. 18, Israel became the first developed country to launch a second COVID-19 lockdown. It came four months after the first lockdown – instituted in March – ended. How Israeli citizens have reacted to the unsustainable nature of renewed lockdowns is instructive for the Canadian jurisdictions that have increased a rhetoric of fear about…
Be skeptical when claims indiscriminately vilify an entire community of scholars and workers
The University of Calgary has admitted to being a systemically racist institution against Blacks, Indigenous people and other people of colour. The revelation by its executive team has hardly received any attention. The shocking admission was made on June 24, which coincidentally is when John Cabot landed in Newfoundland in 1497. Only three weeks earlier,…
The image of the hip and virtuous leader that some media and voters hold of our prime minister is not what leaders of other nations see
After boastfully declaring that he would enhance Canada’s place on the international scene, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed in his bid to secure a United Nations Security Council seat. Canada’s place in the world has been effectively eroded under his watch. Foreign policy matters, so Trudeau is right in drawing attention to it in his…
We trampled, in fear, over memory and institutions, obsessively protective and morally dismissive of dignity and human life
The schizophrenic aspects of Canadian culture and their influence on governments’ behaviour are increasingly evident. The most palpable example lies in how we trampled, in fear, over memory and institutions, obsessively protective and morally dismissive of dignity and human life simultaneously. The COVID-19 lockdown has been a strange time for people who are struggling to…
Political spin to distract from the disaster in senior care centres will solve nothing. The industrial warehousing model must be questioned
The COVID-19 lockdown sought to protect the health-care system and the most vulnerable. Health authorities quite early identified that the elderly and those with chronic conditions were most vulnerable. Various leaders reminded us that among those most at risk were members of the Greatest Generation, the Canadian men and women who defeated the Nazi scourge.…
The Swedish achievement in the face of international panic lies in remaining true to political traditions and democracy
Much attention has been given to Sweden for its distinct approach to COVID-19 among Western nations. As more jurisdictions wrestle with lifting economic restrictions, Sweden is praised and condemned. People readily condemn Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s Social Democrat (Sweden’s NDP equivalent) government for not emulating China and for violating what Swedish academicians called the “lockdown…
The authors of a letter to Trudeau say most aid should be expedited but for oil companies, which need to be trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare
When professors around the country were busy figuring ways to deliver their classes online, two faculty members at the University of Alberta wrote a letter and enlisted the endorsement of 200-plus of their leisured colleagues at 33 universities in Canada. A crisis must not be wasted. From the privileged positions of publicly-paid jobs, the Alberta…
Province struggles to deal with a devastating drop in oil prices, the impact of COVID-19 and the federal agenda to kill the industry
Three concurrent and independent elements are preventing Alberta from realizing the full potential of its energy resources. It’s generally said that good things come in threes. The Latin expression ‘omne trium perfectum’ conveys the idea that things that come in threes are more complete. The expression has an optimistic ring – but not for Alberta’s…
The federal government has tried to extort political gain from Alberta in exchange for approval of projects, while pushing job-killing policies
Albertans didn’t need to hold their breath for Ottawa’s approval of the Frontier oil sands mine. Reports of massive opposition within the Liberal Party caucus and rumours of an appeasing economic aid package for the province were strong indicators that the federal cabinet had no intention of approving the Frontier mine in northern Alberta. In…
Quebec and B.C. are committing constitutional mutiny, preventing Alberta from developing solutions to being landlocked. It’s time for independence
When it comes to trading in markets beyond its boundaries, Alberta would have better options as an independent state than under the status quo currently blocking some of its resources. Alberta is landlocked and landlocked states depend on their neighbours for access to trading seaports. It’s the reason some people quip that an independent Alberta…
The principal issue is that Harry and his wife are not interested in, nor apparently have the resilience for, performing public duties
Personal autonomy and the exercise of individual conscience are cornerstones of western civilization. We expect mature individuals to accept that personal autonomy includes embracing the consequences of independent decisions. We have entrenched these values in the canon, from Magna Carta to Canada’s Constitution Act. So when Harry and Meghan, the duke and duchess of Sussex,…
Quebec’s experience should offer a roadmap – and a cautionary tale – for Albertans intent on quickly divorcing from Canada
Whether they endorse or oppose the notion of an independent Alberta, Albertans would do well to proceed with caution. While Quebec went through two referendums in 15 years, it took decades for that province's sovereignty movement to develop. After the near-victory in 1995, the Bloc Québécois leader spoke about the need for “winning conditions” before…
Blocking Prairie oil is not about the environment. And neither is it about safety. It's all about politics and control
In mocking response to those wishing to separate, some quip that Alberta would remain landlocked the day after it becomes independent. With a more respectful tone, Alberta’s premier used similar words in his recent “fair deal for Alberta” speech. Those endorsing and those opposing Alberta’s separation from Canada would benefit from a clear statement of…
Ultimately, they want nothing short of a transfer of democratic power to oligarchies of frantic enviro-zealots
Cults obey a logic of their own rather than following the parameters of mainstream logic. Climate zealots who concertedly blockaded bridges and important public roads in order to help the planet against climate change defy common logic. Blockading traffic and at times endangering tens of thousands of commuters to pressure governments to listen to their…
We discourage skilled and experienced people from entering elected public life, since seeking office means forgoing significant income and often involves significant sacrifice to their families
Recently-announced pay cuts to members of Alberta’s legislature raise the important question of whether our elected representatives get paid too much or even enough. Outside of political considerations, the question of salaries is important because we link attracting talent to pay. With the new cuts, the Alberta premier will make around $167,000, cabinet ministers about…
On Sept. 18, Israel became the first developed country to launch a second COVID-19 lockdown. It came four months after the first lockdown – instituted in March – ended. How Israeli citizens have reacted to the unsustainable nature of renewed lockdowns is instructive for the Canadian jurisdictions that have increased a rhetoric of fear about…
