Government intervention in films and television is both expensive and unwarranted
The much-anticipated Island of Bryan (Season 3) started on HGTV a few weeks ago. The series follows well-known builder and entrepreneur Bryan Baeumler and his family as they try to rejuvenate an abandoned resort in the Bahamas. Baeumler is a successful TV personality from Ontario. And clearly, many Canadians enjoy his shows. But here’s the…
The War Crimes Section has not had a budget increase in over 20 years
By Sarah Teich and Maria Reisdorf Macdonald-Laurier Institute Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland recently delivered the country’s first federal budget in two years. As Canadians spend the coming days and weeks analyzing the country’s economic recovery plan, one department that merits particular attention is the Department of Justice’s War Crimes Section. The War Crimes Section…
Two explosive military investigations mean the dark clouds of controversy won't soon fade for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government are dealing with two major controversies involving our military. Both situations went from bad to worse in 24 hours. So did the possible fate of a minister of the Crown. The first controversy involves Gen. Jonathan Vance. He served as chief of the defence staff for the…
Follow Australia's example and take a stand against China’s bullying and human rights violations
By Andrew Pickford and Jeffrey Collins Macdonald-Laurier Institute Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden joined his Japanese, Indian, and Australian counterparts at the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (or Quad) summit. This informal grouping remains the most powerful collection of countries focused on confronting the security, economic, and geostrategic challenges posed by China. Canada may not have…
Questions again swirling around the fed's hiring processes, this time in the military
After conducting job interviews for prospective employees, private-sector employers go through a vetting process before hiring someone. Vetting an applicant involves (hopefully) a thorough background check to ensure the information provided was accurate and complete. This includes validating previous work experience, contacting references, and perhaps doing criminal record checks and requesting credit history, among other…
Federal Child Support Guidelines biased against men and need to be overhauled
If Christopher Sarlo is right, Canada’s Federal Child Support Guidelines are wrong. The economics professor at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont., made an in-depth analysis of the guidelines and found them wanting. A 100-page examination leads him to one conclusion: the guidelines are biased against men and deserve an overhaul. Fights over money are…
Leaving huge bills for future generations to pay
By Jason Clemens and Jake Fuss The Fraser Institute Since coming to power in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his finance ministers have characterized their management of federal finances as “prudent,” an adjective meaning to act with or show care and thought for the future. Acting prudently would mean being judicious about borrowing and debt.…
The Trudeau government is raiding our Covid-19 starved pockets to send $36 from each of us to rich dairy farmers
Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau chose a Saturday, hours before a long-awaited federal economic update, to offer more non-COVID-19-related compensation to Canada’s supply-managed farmers. Eighty-one per cent of dairy farmers are located in Quebec and Ontario. Compensation was expected but how it was done was a little strange. Few in the industry knew what…
Trudeau needs to explain why a possible 9-11 skeptic is his chosen candidate in Toronto Centre
Two federal by-elections, in Toronto Centre and York Centre, will be held on Oct. 26. These are both safe, urban Toronto seats for the Liberal Party and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It would be surprising if the Liberals lost either one or both of them. Even if they did, their minority government wouldn’t come crashing…
It’s not that voters are dumb, it’s just that they’re busy. And in the midst of a brutal global pandemic, it’s become even worse
Forget it. Two years ago, in a limitless and sunny August when a global pandemic seemed like an impossibility, my daughter and I knocked on doors for the Democrats in Portland, Maine. We were using a list of registered Democrats living in a tidy West Portland neighbourhood. The houses weren’t terribly big nor terribly small.…