Regulatory bodies should stick to their core purpose and stay out of politics
The Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) serves as the regulatory body for public school teachers in Ontario. When a complaint comes in, the OCT is obligated to investigate and, if the teacher is found guilty, decide on an appropriate consequence. By investigating complaints against teachers in that province, regulatory bodies such as the OCT play…
We have to be able to engage respectfully with those who hold different opinions
The constant quest for truth is a fascinating journey. One of the most powerful truths ever stated was made by Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, who explained that there are only two races of people, the decent and the indecent, and they’re found in every group. I tend to lean to the left of the political…
Unfortunately, the extremists are taking over
Not a day goes by without seeing a group, or even a government, changing rules for farmers. In the name of the planet, animal welfare and our health, rules are changing despite our farmers’ knowledge and experience. It’s an interesting phenomenon, and it’s happening around the world. Farmers have long been regarded as the best…
Why an academic theory that dates back to the 1970s has become a political lightning rod today
In April of this year, Georgia became the latest of 15 American states to ban the teaching of critical race theory in schools. In celebrating a similar ban in Mississippi, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves recorded a video in which he claimed, without evidence, that school children had been “dragged to the front of the classroom and coerced…
Patients suffer if society reshapes the medical mind and how doctors process information
A medical mind is precious and fragile: hard to create, easy to corrupt. Doctors invest over 10,000 hours learning how to diagnose and treat. The medical mind exists to help patients and should serve no other purpose. But it is easily corrupted and distracted from its primary purpose. If patient care matters, we must protect…
A cash grab by cable and satellite providers?
The federal government is on the verge of further empowering the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as our regulator of Internet content, including as it pertains to streaming companies. To really appreciate the all-encompassing grasp of Canada’s soon-to-be online regulator, look no further than its history of managing religion and pornography. It all goes…
There is no evidence to support Jordan Peterson’s criticism of the Canadian education system
Public intellectuals offer valuable insights into understanding the world around us. They may not always be right but evaluating the validity of their arguments is a valuable exercise for any self-reflective citizen. Two of the most popular public intellectuals today are Noam Chomsky and Jordan Peterson. Chomsky leans to the left and Peterson leans to…
He wants to broaden the party’s base – not narrow it
The Conservative Party of Canada has formally approved six candidates for its Sept. 10 leadership vote: Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis and Pierre Poilievre. The clear frontrunner is Poilievre – by a country mile in most polls. The 42-year-old longtime member of Parliament and former cabinet minister has captured the…
Instead of embracing its liberating capabilities, the government is opting for woke conformity
Who should police the internet? The big tech platforms – Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, etc. – or is this a role for government? Our right to free expression on the internet is being challenged by both the tech platforms and governments that want to control not only activities that are already illegal, but any news…
Cancel culture plays right into the wheelhouse of those who are angry, fearful and manipulative
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘cancel culture’ as “the practice or tendency of engaging in mass cancelling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.” This is nothing new; we see numerous examples of what we now call cancel culture in history. Society cancelled people it disapproved of during witch hunts. The aristocracy was…