Catch-44
Let me tell you a harrowing story. It’s not a story for the faint of heart. You may want to sit next to a loved one, turn on all the…
Government
What If We Had A Different Non-Political Form of Representative Government
I have been thinking about what a non-political from of representative government might look like and whether it could be considered democratic or not. One model came to mind, a…
What If We Had A Different Non-Political Form of Representative Government
I have been thinking about what a non-political from of representative government might look like and whether it could be considered democratic or not. One model came to mind, a…
Bring Out Yer Band! *clang* Bring Out Yer Band! *clang*
When you learn music, your hemispheres fire off together, and since you’re not just sitting there listening to a lecture, you’re also doing some fine motor function (and/or gross motor…
COVID-19 Pandemic Reflections and The Next Pandemic
Well the pandemic is over, at least according to most governments, science and medicine not so much. So now it is time to look back, and to look forward. Perhaps…
Left, Right or Centre – Explainer
In today’s age of populism, with ideology apparently dead, how do you now if you are on the left or right or in the centre. There are indeed some basic…
School’s Out
I was going to make this big ranty post about the SK provincial government’s attitude toward education, citing the absolute farce of our premier scolding school divisions for instituting or…
Intuitive Lessons from The Pandemic – A Fantasy
This post is not based on comprehensive research or particular expertise on my part. Rather it is more what we would have called “common sense” before Mike Harris completely destroyed…
Quebec’s Bill 21 Has It All Wrong
I am writing this, not because Quebec’s “An Act respecting the laicity of the State”, commonly referred to as Bill 21, goes against Canadian values and violates the Canadian Charter…
Ban Campaign Promises and other Electoral Rants
Campaign promises. What are they good for. Absolutely nothing. I wish we could get rid of campaign promises. If you are in government then a campaign promise is just something…
Wilson Blames Council for Hospital Debacle, Brushes Off Saunderson
“I blame somewhat the local council,” said MPP Jim Wilson in this recent interview from the Peak FM about the continuing debacle of the hospital redevelopment. Well, so does most…
Does Canada Need a Head of State
From Twitter Adrian Harewood @CBCAdrianH 23 Jan Why in 2021 is a Canadian Prime Minister, the leader of a #G7 nation, still reporting to a #Queen who doesn’t live in…
Six Founding Principles Of Good Government
Or, Public Policy 101: Tax “Bads”, Not Goods Public policy, or government policy, should reflect certain basic principles. Let’s set out a few. Not everyone will agree, but polls repeatedly…
On Inequality, Democracy and Taxing the Rich – A Modest Proposal
No doubt many raised in our capitalist society, where inequality rules and excessive incomes and wealth are seen as a right (and where even the NDP only proposes a measly…
The state, not the private sector, invented the modern economy
I read an article in The Economist a while ago that insisted the state should constrain itself to providing basic services and otherwise stay out of the economy. That is,…
Well-being as National Security
When the term “national security” crops up, our thoughts usually turn to things military. Indeed the dictionary on my Mac defines national security as “the safety of a nation against…
Strategic Voting in Ontario: An Ineffective Project
This post contends that current, relevant research does not support an argument that strategic voting is an effective way to counter an undesirable election outcome. Two papers — one…
Keep ’em separated
Recently the Government of Canada included on its summer student funding program a check box that asks whether the business (non-profit/agency/charity/etc.) applying for federal tax funding complies with Canadian law.…
Alouette
Way back in the nineteen somethings, Canada was going through the sort of identity crisis we all go through when we’re about fifteen. Québec was all stomping around the place,…