The Ideal MP for the Cariboo-Chilcotin
{The following article was also published in the November 2012 issue of the Anahim-Nimpo Lake Messenger–MC} Have you ever thought about what the ideal political representative for the Cariboo-Chilcotin would…
Mark Crawford
Remembering Billy McIntyre–and a Suggestion
I remember my father saying that he and a few other boys from the Prince Albert -Paddockwood area of Northern Saskatchewan had decided to sign up in 1941 , event…
Harper and Conservatives’ "Pedal to the metal" with new FIPPA Treaty
Prime Minister Harper spoke to a friendly crowd at last summer’s Calgary Stampede when he said that this period of majority government was not a time to relax, but to…
REVIEW: Prof. Smeaton’s Analysis of the Great Recession
I must confess: I have half a dozen good books sitting on my shelf that haven’t quite gotten around to reading yet. It is probably no accident that most of…
Obama’s Tepid Incremental Housing Policy
Andrew Leonard has written an excellent article on the role that housing policy has played in the U.S. economy and politics: http://www.salon.com/2012/10/10/obamas_hard_housing_lesson/ . The disappointment in Obama's performance can be…
Who Manages the U.S. Economy Better – Republicans or Democrats?
By Arthur I. Blaustein, Professor Community and Economic Development and Public Policy at the University of California, BerkeleyMost Americans have one eye on the nation’s economic crises and the other…
Christy Clark Disaster Update : I told Ya so!
When someone yearns for the spotlight and dreams of becoming premier, yet shows little interest in policy ideas and little patience or ability for the details of public administration, they…
How Liberals and Conservatives Conspired to Bring You a Tainted Meat Crisis
In 1997, the Chretien Liberal government bowed to pressure from a combination of provincial government and business interests to transfer the responsibility for meat inspection from Health Canada to Agriculture…
Let’s Consider a Street Nursing Program For British Columbia
When Athabasca University alumnus Tracey Collins walked across the stage to receive her Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, she brought attention to her pioneering work in street nursing--and made…
Let’s Consider Having Two Thorium-Fuelled Nuclear Reactors in Northern Alberta and Sakatchewan
Mention the words "nuclear power" , and you're likely to get a knee-jerk reaction against them, particularly from people on the left who assume that "nuclear" means "uranium" or "plutonium",…
The Real Problem with Margaret Wente
Margaret Wente's partial apology for her partially plagiarized July 18, 2009 column titled "Enviro-romanticism Is Hurting Africa," is further proof that she is above all, a stylist who specializes in…
Why NHL Owners Should Budge
NHL President Gary Bettman is no doubt correct when he says that financial health for all 30 NHL franchises requires a bigger share of revenue for owners. But notice that…
Lougheed’s Legacy
{A version of this posting appeared as a letter to the Editor in the Edmonton Journal on September 18, 2012 }Last year I had the good fortune of meeting Peter…
REVIEW: Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry
Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation by Frances Widdowson and Albert Howard (McGIl University Press 2008).I don't have time to write a detailed review of this…
A DNC Speakers’ List I Would Like to See
1. Bill Gates: "Why We Should Spend More Money On Public Education"2. Warren Buffett: "Why I Should Pay More in Taxes"3. Ted Turner: "Why We Should Pull Our Weight at…
Three Reasons Why Tuition Fees Should Not Be Abolished or Frozen
1. According to Statistics Canada, there are about 1.9 million post-secondary students in Canada, including about 1.4 million full-time university and college students. On average, they paid $5,366 in tuition…
It bears repeating, bluntly: Adrian Dix Is Being Rewarded For His Bad Behaviour–and Encouraged to Repeat It
{When I saw a TV clip of Adrian Dix receiving a standing ovation at last February's NDP Convention, I felt an eerie sense of deja vu---viz. the final scene of…
Co-ordination of Communications and Policy Functions in B.C.’s NDP Government 1996-1999
{This paper, written way back in 2000, discusses both the formal and informal co-ordination of communications and policy functions in the B.C. NDP governments, focusing on how this co-ordination changed…
The Bank of Canada Warns Canadians over the Threat of ‘Euro Crisis’ Spill Over
{This is a guest column by freelance writer Joanna Hayward. It provides a very good concise description of the euro crisis and what it means for Canadians--MC}Last week, in the…
Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement –Small Story, Big Impact?
{The following is a guest piece written by Imogen Reed, a freelance writer. Later this summer I'll have more to say about CETA, once I have studied more of the…