The Vatican’s Lady Problem
The Vatican just doesn’t seem able to get past its misogyny. Once again it is debating whether or not to allow women some role in the Church hierarchy. The Pope…
Bill Longstaff
So Long Bernie, It’s Been Good to Know Ya
So Bernie Sanders has packed it in. As someone whose views commonly fall within the ambit of social democracy, I could have easily voted for Bernie—if I was a citizen…
I’m Becoming an Oil Baron
For those who complain there’s nothing in the news but COVID these days, try the Alberta section. Lots going on. For example, our government just laid off 26,000 school support…
How Do You Wash Your Hands When There’s No Water?
Handwashing is a lifesaver. As we are being reminded constantly in these days of pandemic, thorough handwashing with soap and water is one of the most effective barriers to the…
Back to the 30s?
“We are facing a period of profound adversity unlike any we have since the 1930s,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said last week. The premier was referring to the province’s economy…
Democracy’s "Island of Contentment"
The 2020 version of the Global Satisfaction with Democracy report, issued annually by the University of Cambridge, concludes that “democracy is in a state of deep malaise.” The researchers found…
A Silver Lining to COVID-19?
As an optimist I tend to look for silver linings in the darker clouds. The other day I read an article saying some Italians remarked that they could finally hear…
Oil Capitals Hunker Down
To Calgarians, the city is starting to feel like a punching bag. Its primary industry suffers one body blow after another. Oil prices crashed at the end of 2014 as…
From Emperors to Emperors and Tsars to Tsars—Plus ça change
The French proverb plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same) most aptly describes what has been happening at the…
The Baby Boosters
According to the Worldometer (the world population clock), at 12:22 p.m. today the planet’s population of Homo sapiens was 7,769,974,138 with a net gain (births over deaths) of 114,862 so…
The Cartel Still Rules … Sort of
It isn’t easy to convince nominally free-market Albertans that monopoly and government interference in the market made us rich, but of course they did. Nothing has contributed more to the…
On the Subject of Pandemics
The illness and death toll from the coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it is now known, steadily advances. As I write, the bug has sickened over 95,000 people and killed over…
Is Kenney Coming After Our Pensions?
Premier Jason Kenney, ardent free market conservative, has started sounding a little like Peter Lougheed, a former premier with more progressive conservative leanings. Indeed Lougheed was once labelled “Peter the…
Are the Blockades Backfiring?
If the objective of those protesting the construction of the Coastal Gaslink pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory was to bring attention to the issue, they have certainly done that. If their…
The Iranian Pseudo-election
Last week, Iran held an election for members of its Islamic Consultative Assembly, the country’s Parliament or Majlis. The Majlis is something less than a ruling body. To begin with,…
Wet’suwet’en—A Divided Nation
I have on a number of occasions sat with fingers poised over my keyboard attempting to write something about the Wet’suwet’en/pipeline issue. Too many issues keep cropping up in my…
The Price Ain’t Right
Back in August of 2018 our federal government bought us a pipeline. Not exactly a bargain, it set us back $4.5-billion. The pipeline, the Trans Mountain, carries oil from Edmonton…
Why Would the UN General Assembly Elect Canada to the Security Council?
Prime Minister Trudeau has been hustling around the world, attempting to round up votes for Canada when the UN General Assembly elects members of the Security Council in June. Two…
A Letter from an Albertan to His Prime Minister About the Tech Mine
Over the weekend I wrote a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau about the proposed Teck Frontier tar sands mine and cc’d appropriate parties. The letter is below. I felt it…
Peter MacKay—Another Made in Alberta Climate Policy?
With Peter MacKay as front-runner in the Conservative leadership race, I dared hope that finally with a leader who wasn’t from the Prairies the party might have a responsible climate…