Portraying views opposed to those held by health experts stokes needless controversy When they launched their study, Timothy Caulfield and Marco Zenone could hardly have anticipated how the issue would capture headlines in Alberta. And yet they decided to examine how the common COVID-19 vaccination requirement for organ transplant recipients is represented in the popular…
Purchasing Twitter is a huge risk for Musk’s net worth and investments
A meme that’s been popular on social media for several years features two photos posted side-by-side. One is labelled “How it started” and the other has “How it’s going.” This meme has typically been used for light-hearted posts about relationships, marriages, children and so forth. It could be used for other purposes – maybe a…
It’s time Canadians stood up and opposed judicial interference
Two recent provincial court judgments concerning the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are deeply concerning. I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve been around them most of my political life and had the good fortune of having several legal minds in my Newfoundland cabinet to advise me regularly. And going to the Supreme Court of Canada…The government needs to rethink its heavy-handed approach to internet regulation
Rarely, in the history of Confederation, have so many, from so many points on the political spectrum, been so unified in opposition to one specific policy. Before the last election, the Trudeau government’s proposed internet regulations provoked opposition from journalists, academics, civil liberties groups, women’s advocacy organizations, librarians, privacy experts, research think tanks, concerned citizens…
Freedom of the press will diminish as long as the new culture of controlling online content persists
In November, the winner of the first Canada-United Kingdom Media Freedom Award was announced by government representatives. The prize is designed to promote free press globally and encourage other nations to improve security for reporters. It was awarded to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. The association from Minsk has won several awards for its work…
To say that Canada needs journalists is simply to state the obvious. Of course, Canada needs journalists who are free to uncover, discover and convey news from our neighbourhoods on up to the international level. Canada also needs commentators who are free to provide points of view or analysis. But how can we have good…
The Communists have issued arrest warrants for six pro-democracy advocates living outside Hong Kong
In a little noted move, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) flexed its imperial muscle – criminalizing criticism of it anywhere on the planet – by issuing an arrest warrant for U.S. citizen Samuel Chu, a pro-democracy advocate for Hong Kong. In fact, by publishing this op-ed, this media outlet and I are breaking CCP laws…
Pushing back against emboldened righteousness isn’t a task for the timid. J.K. Rowling is not timid
J.K. Rowling – the British author who created the stunningly successful Harry Potter series – is a political liberal. In 2008, she donated £1 million to the U.K. Labour Party. In 2016, she campaigned for Remain in the Brexit referendum. She’s a professed admirer of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And so on. Despite these…
How could I not be grateful that I have the freedom to question the practices of my government through direct contact with politicians and through the press?
I always get very excited at election time. This is the moment when we can freely choose who will represent us, the moment when we play a vital role in the direction of our government. As I read statistics on voter turnout, however, I’m confused as to why others don’t share my enthusiasm. Perhaps I…
Freedom of speech, freedom of the press and academic freedom are core principles in the functioning of a democracy. Yet today those who embrace these ideals are seen as anti-American
Jewish-American songwriter Bob Dylan tells us, “Patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings.” We put democracy in peril when we equate questioning government policy with being unpatriotic or even racist. This is why the current situation in the United States is so puzzling. They actually established the international standard for good government…