After seven years and billions of dollars, hope for revival of Canada’s oil industry comes down to one extremely troubled project
Canada is endowed with the third largest oil reserves in the world but lack of access to world markets means our oil is sold far below world prices. Each day, this captive market discount hands a $40-million gift to Americans. Adding insult to injury, the discount also drives tens of billions of dollars in Canadian…
Justin Trudeau has Canada headed toward another fiscal calamity, through a series of policy decisions that mimic his father’s misguided choices
Like father, like son, the old adage goes. It’s never been truer than in the case of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and his son Justin, Canada’s current prime minister. The parallels start with an ideological attraction to communism. Pierre was asked for his views on democracy and communism, and stated that a one-party…
The plight of Sears pensioners has once again ignited calls for change but the federal government seems content to sit on its hands
The demise of Sears Canada has seen 16,000 employees lose their jobs. It’s unfortunate, but inevitable, as online giants Amazon and Alibaba transform the retail universe. But what shouldn’t be inevitable is the loss of pension benefits for those employees and another 18,000 Sears retirees. If the 2009 bankruptcy of tech giant Nortel is a…
A look back at 2017 shows far too many instances in Canada where we got it all wrong
For my first column of the New Year, I’ve dipped into my collection of irrational, damaging or downright dumb happenings in 2017. The year saw major breakthroughs in the use of genetically-modified human cells to treat diseases, including retinal dystrophy and blood cancer. Human genetic re-engineering is an emerging science but there has been little…
Trudeau and his paladins remain convinced that their green energy dream will come true, if only they believe hard enough
Once upon a time in a northern dominion called Canada, a thriving oil industry provided fuel for vehicles, trains and airplanes. There was also a large natural gas industry that kept the people warm during the long, cold winters and supplied the raw material for plants that manufactured plastics, detergents, fertilizer, synthetic clothing and a…
The amount of taxes extracted from working Canadians driven by “modest deficits” spiralling out of control
The throaty growl coming from entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers and even farmers across the country in response to Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s proposed changes to small business corporation taxation presents the biggest challenge faced by the Liberal government. It’s hard to argue with the fundamental rationale for the changes: that the owner of an incorporated small…
In fact, removing prohibitions would better utilize our health care professionals and reduce the suffering of those on long waiting lists
In a recent multi-part series that included an opinion piece headlined “Double-dipping doctors defy the spirit of Canadian health-care,” the Globe and Mail alleged that physicians working in private medical clinics are billing both the public system and the patient for the same service. Shortly after, Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix announced an…
Failure to build pipelines leaves us with no choice but to sell our oil to the U.S. at cheap prices, leaving it to sell its own oil at the international price
President Donald Trump has said Canada’s energy exports are unfair to the U.S. He’s clearly oblivious that we’ve given Americans the biggest trade gift ever to flow from one country to another because of our self-inflicted inability to access offshore markets with Canadian oil. After almost a decade and more than $1 billion spent on…
As a change in government looms in British Columbia puts the Kinder Morgan expansion project in jeopardy, we need to realize just how safe oil tankers are
The expansion of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline system, to ultimately move Alberta crude oil by tanker through the Port of Vancouver, was a high-profile issue in the recent B.C. election. Liberal Premier Christy Clark agreed to support the federally-approved project in exchange for Ottawa’s commitment to a substantially upgraded emergency spill response plan…
Clinging to his current policies could prove to be the biggest mistake made by any Prime Minister in Canadian history
Donald Trump’s election victory set off a political earthquake that has deeply shaken Americans. Earthquakes are often followed by devastating tsunamis generating huge waves travelling far beyond the quake epi-centre. Yet, even as those “Trump-quake” waves threaten to sink our economic ship, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems determined to maintain his pre-quake course. Here are…
