The Death of John Beattie and the Waste of a Life Devoted to Hate
I started this blog in November of 2007, not long after I turned 31.This month I will be celebrating my 50th birthday.I think when you get to a certain age…
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Honest Conservative is an Oxymoron in Canada
Way back in the 90s, Preston Manning admonished Reform party candidates as follows: "Don't tell voters what you really believe, get yourself elected first" (this is a paraphrase). That has…
Calgary-Shaw By-Election: Don’t Get Too Confident
First, congratulations to newly-elected MLA Kyle Campbell. The win was decisive enough to not need a judicial recount, and to some degree sent a message to the United Conservative Party…
The Shambolic Nature Of Government
Government, at the best of times is a chaotic creature, it's even more so when the party in power is driven not by a coherent philosophy, but rather by whatever…
Pieces Falling Into Place For Canada’s Air Force
I have suspected for some time that the decision around which direction Canada was going to go in terms of its next generation Air Force has been made, if not…
Of Trade Deals, Foreign Interference, and Conservative Leadership In Canada
We talk a lot about "foreign interference" in Canadian politics, but we don't very often talk about the single biggest source of interference in Canada's political discourse: the United States.…
Conservative Desperation?
So, the last week have been quite a whirlwind of activity from conservative circles in Canada, and much of it looks concerningly desperate:1. MP Dean Allison is creating a "panel"…
The SCC Ruling In Democracy Watch
At the end of July, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its ruling in Democracy Watch v. Canada (Attorney General). This ruling has enormous implications for governments across Canada.One of…
Poilievre’s Plummeting Polling
The CPC is polling just a hair below 30%, and Pierre Poilievre's "favourability" as next PM is now tied with "Undecided" at 18%. Add to that, another CPC MP just…
Journalists Missing The Picture
I woke up this morning to CBC's Jason Markusoff and The Toronto Star's Richard Warnica talking about Alberta separatism on the Front Burner podcast. As I listened to the discussion,…
Video: Transiting (half of) the Panama Canal
When I decided to visit Panama for the first time for a beach vacation I knew I would not only be sipping rum and cokes by the pool. I couldn't…
Anti-Transgender Hate Arguments
So, the other day, I ran across a new anti-trans group here in Alberta (shocker, I know). This one calls itself "Women and Girls Alberta". As you might expect, they…
Video: Dinner boat cruise on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok
I took a few water taxis/ferries while in Bangkok, but also wanted to do a proper tour on the river to see the sites and learn the history. Apparently, there's…
Video room tour: Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel in Bangkok
In August of 2025 I stayed on Bonvoy points at the Marriott Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel in Bangkok. It's an older property, but well-appointed rooms all with amazing river…
Alberta, BC, and Ottawa All Walk Into A Bar …
This is mostly going to be me processing yesterday's announcements in Alberta and BC. I haven't quite worked out what I think of it all yet, and maybe by the…
Charter Challenges Of An Anti-Transgender Law
This is part of a series on potential paths of legal challenge for anti-transgender laws in Canada: Anti-Transgender Laws Are Jim Crow LawsLegal Challenges of an Anti-Transgender LawIn the first…
Anti-Transgender Laws Are "Jim Crow" Laws
This is part of a series of posts sketching out legal paths for challenging anti-transgender laws in Canada.Anti-Transgender Laws Are Jim Crow LawsCharter Challenges of an Anti-Transgender LawLaws do not…
The Smith Referenda In October
Albertans face a daunting prospect on October 19 - not one, but 10 referendum questions that they will vote on. On the agenda are a passel of manufactured issues ranging…
The Formation of The UCP Sowed The Seeds of Its Failure
When Jason Kenney created the UCP he set up the preconditions for the party to get to where it is today, and its eventual demise. What do I mean by…
The Clarity Act and Alberta’s Tricksy Question
This October, Albertans will vote on a referendum question that arguably rivals the word salad that René Levesque imposed on Quebeckers in 1980 for obfuscation and confusing wording: “Should Alberta…