Checking the various international climate performance indices for Canada’s rankings is a depressing business. Consider for example the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). The CCPI is compiled annually by three…
Many Canadians think of “the West” as one monolithic block. This concept seemed to firm up in many minds back when Preston Manning and his Reform Party stormed Ottawa proclaiming…
So the Queen is 96. A good age. Happy birthday, Your Majesty. Her birthday once again prompts the usual question. Do we want to continue with the monarchy? Or is…
A recent article in The New York Times by David Brooks, “Globalization Is Over. The Global Culture Wars Have Begun,” discusses the decline of globalization generally and Western values specifically…
Chrystia Freehand’s recent budget, although modest, did have some goodies in it for the military, including more than $8-billion in new funding over five years. While less than expected, perhaps,…
Why are Americans so much more authoritarian than Canadians? According to a survey by American business intelligence company Morning Consult, the U.S. has twice as many right-wing authoritarians as Canada…
I have lived in Alberta a long time, all but four years under conservative governments—Social Credit, then Progressive Conservative, now UCP. Only for four years did I enjoy the governance…
It’s taken a while, and the loss of a third of journalism jobs and 451 news outlets since 2008, along with the migration of billions of advertising dollars to tech…
The recent success of employees at Amazons’s New York fulfillment centre in forming a union might be the best example of David defeating Goliath since the biblical incident. The union,…
“All compatriots are informed from the date of the issuance of this decree, poppy cultivation is absolutely prohibited in the whole country and no one can try to cultivate the…
Canada’s central and eastern provinces, with the exception of Quebec, are all governed by the same two parties that date from the time of Confederation—the Liberals and the Conservatives. The…
Watching “The Plan to Overturn the Election” on American public TV’s Frontline the other evening, I was once again amazed by how many people can believe a lie that is…
Is there any issue that has had more plans and less action than global warming? Now the feds have presented us with another. And like its predecessors, it looks good…
The premier of Alberta has a mission, one that goes beyond leading the UCP and running the province. He must save his party from lunatics. At least according to a…
Spouses are not their partners. They are unique individuals and deserve to be respected accordingly. But when a U.S. Supreme Court justice’s wife, his most intimate and important advisor, advocates…
Macho men have throughout history dominated societies—kings, warlords, military leaders and assorted demagogues. Despite the advance of democracy in the past few centuries, modern societies still have their share. Three…
I was pleased indeed to read about the agreement between the Liberals and the NDP to create a stable government until 2025. This will be the first time in almost…
The polarization of political views now has many Americans rightly worried about the future of their democracy. At least those that care about democracy. Some almost seem to welcome its…
Christianity has often sucked up to power. Even in these days of generally more enlightened religion, there are still Christian leaders who will kiss the king’s ring in order to…
Occasionally I will read a book and experience an epiphany. I now see the topic from a completely new perspective. Perhaps the most memorable of these was reading Richard Dawkins’…
