Undisciplined spending by successive governments is responsible for Alberta’s fiscal problems
By Ben Eisen and Steve Lafleur The Fraser Institute In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, one of the conspirators encourages his ally not to blame fate for his misfortunes, but rather to recognize his own responsibility. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves,” says Cassius. When it comes to the state…
The more the government spends on servicing its debt, the less is left over for priorities that Albertans value such as health care
By Steve Lafleur and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute When people think of the long lost “Alberta Advantage,” they often think first about the province’s tax advantage over other provinces. Specifically, the 10 per cent single rate personal and corporate income taxes that prevailed until 2015. But Alberta enjoyed another fiscal advantage – all other…
Our erstwhile hero is roused from an almost-35-year slumber to find that much has changed – and some things never change
“It’s a friggin’ miracle … you woke up uncle Willy! I bet your old doc never seen this coming. Who would’a guessed you'd sleep for almost 35 years? How do ya feel?” “Where am I … is this heaven?” “No siree uncle, you're in the Heart of the New West!” “Whoa,where else would I be,…
We need a way to drill down to the science and legality related to Trans Mountain. We need to replace cacophony with compromise
The last few months have illustrated how we now argue in public in Canada and the picture is not encouraging. I’m referring to what many think of as the great pipeline debate: the pros and cons of the Kinder Morgan diluted bitumen Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from the Alberta oilsands to tidewater in Vancouver. We…
Uncompetitive policies and regulatory uncertainty are largely to blame
By Elmira Aliakbari and Ashley Stedman The Fraser Institute Canada’s investment climate for the energy sector can be described as unfavourable, at best. Clearly, investors have reached their breaking point with Canada’s uncompetitive policies and regulatory uncertainty and are steering clear. The result is fewer Canadian jobs and lower economic growth. According to the most…
First Nations support pipelines, including Trans Mountain. Abandoning the project will be a severe blow to those communities
By Joseph Quesnel and Kenneth Green The Fraser Institute Alberta Premier Rachel Notley forgot one group of Canadians when she cheered a recent court ruling relating to the $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. “It wasn’t that we won the decision, it was the court wouldn’t even hear it. So, it was a pretty definitive…
Alberta’s Bill 24 ignores the fact that predators thrive in an environment where secrets are kept from parents
It would seem like obvious common sense that secrets should not be kept from parents about what their children are doing. Especially when it comes to other adults talking to children about sex. Child abuse, sexual or otherwise, occurs most often when parents are absent and unaware. Countless Canadian criminal cases demonstrate that predators, abusers…
Trudeau faces the fight of his life but he needs to build a national energy strategy that fulfils today’s needs and tomorrow's dreams
Justin Trudeau flew back to Ottawa on Sunday to do what he does best: smile, shake hands and get his picture taken. What he didn't do was clear a pathway for the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, and deal with a gathering storm that’s shaking Confederation to its foundations. The summit was a high-profile showdown between…Kinder Morgan's acknowledgement that doing business in Canada may not be worth the trouble represents a watershed moment in Canadian economic history
Earlier this month, pipeline company Kinder Morgan announced it will suspend all “non-essential” activities and “related spending” on the federally-approved Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. In unusually clear language, Kinder Morgan explained that it can’t invest more money into a project that it can’t ensure will see completion. Kinder Morgan chief executive officer Steven Kean said…
Rachel Notley seems intent on duplicating the deep-diving debt performance of former Ontario NDP leader Bob Rae
By Ben Eisen and Steve Lafleur The Fraser Institute When Rachel Notley’s NDP shook Alberta’s political landscape by winning a majority government in 2015, the similarities to the Ontario’s Bob Rae-led NDP government in the 1990s were striking. Both cases marked the first NDP government in provincial history, and both brought an end to Progressive…