Nearly eight in 10 Canadians want the G-G entitlement policy scrapped
Julie Payette must feel like she won the lottery. Despite resigning in shame from her posting as governor general amidst allegations of creating a toxic workplace, she is still entitled to the Cadillac of all retirement packages, courtesy of all of us taxpayers. First off, there’s the pension. At $150,000 per year, it’s generous enough…
Canada, among other Western nations, was culpable for his murder
Malcolm X called Patrice Lumumba “The greatest black man ever to walk the continent of Africa.” Lumumba was a very principled man – and one who’s still revered 61 years after his murder. Lumumba was the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He brought people together because he embraced the highest…
Supply management is a racket to protect vested interests
Canadians’ love for dairy products is about to be put to the test since the prices of most of those products are about to rise significantly. It goes without saying that milk and cream are important parts of our diet. And cheese, yogurt and butter are cherished by many people. But the average household will…
It’s time to take the cake away from Ontario’s politicians. It’s time to end political welfare
Ontario’s political parties have a bad spending habit, but they don’t have to pay for it because taxpayers get stuck with their political welfare scheme. In Ontario, political parties are given millions from the pockets of hardworking taxpayers through a system referred to as the per-vote subsidy. This money does not go toward funding their…
In the midst of institutional confusion and ineptness, individual journalists are still holding the powerful to account
Honesty demands acknowledgement. In recent weeks I’ve written sharp criticism of journalistic performance on a variety of issues. It’s true that at the institutional level, corporate providers of the ceaseless information that floods our waking hours too often resemble a pooch begging for table scraps while running in ever diminishing circles going yip-yip-yip. It would…
When a new governor general takes the controls as head of state, the routine waste of money at that office needs to stop
It’s a rare event when the stars align in the cosmos of Ottawa to create the perfect opportunity for politicians to save taxpayers some money. That phenomenon is happening now. Ottawa is facing a black hole of debt. It needs to save money, and that signal needs to come from the top. When a new…
Using taxpayers’ money for partisan purposes is wrong
If cheating taxpayers out of their money were a card game, politicians would beat the house every time. Politicians in British Columbia have taken around $30 million of your money over the past few years. They’re spending it on attack ads, lawn signs and junk mail. This money taken from taxpayers is officially called the…
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…