Freedom is as Canadian as maple syrup and the Canadian Rockies. Don’t let collectivists tell you otherwise
Earlier this year, I stumbled across a framed copy of the Canadian Bill of Rights, the liberty-expanding law promulgated by then-Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and passed by Parliament in 1960. I read the document years ago but seeing it up close reminded me of Canada’s long tradition of freedom, ranging from anti-slavery efforts in the late 18th…
Rome’s influence continues to cast a light over Western life and culture
Western civilization is constantly under fire these days, accused of causing many of the ills that affect modern society. Many blame aggressive Western capitalism for generating a culture of greed and destroying the environment. Certainly, the most hurtful criticism of the West relates to imperialism. Admittedly, the West has been expansive over the past few…
The treaty land acknowledgment is part of a very sophisticated strategy to soften Canadians up for a new and radical campaign to rewrite treaties
The governing body of the Ontario Medical Association recently voted down a motion to open its meetings with the currently fashionable acknowledgment that “you are on treaty land.” They were roundly criticized for their effrontery by Indigenous spokespeople. Andre Picard wrote an article in The Globe and Mail thoroughly scolding them and saying that the…
A contributing factor to the deplorable housing conditions may be a lack of property rights on reserve
In its recent federal budget the Liberal government committed $227 million in 2016/17 to “address urgent housing needs on reserve,” noting that First Nations people living on reserve are “more likely to experience poor housing conditions and overcrowding than the general public.” In fact, according to recently released data from Statistics Canada, in every province…
B.C.'s strong reaction to First Nations' claims to private property may provide assurances to companies and private property owners
The muddy waters of aboriginal land claims and private property rights in British Columbia may have just cleared a little. On Jan. 15, the B.C. government stated its opposition to the Tk’emlups and Skeetchestn bands’ aboriginal title claim on land currently owned by private citizens and mining company KGHM- Ajax, saying it will "vigorously oppose…
We now know for certain that the collective ownership premise is false
Joseph Quesnel, in his recent column for Troy Media, has opened one of the most important discussions of our time: are property rights a salvation for First Nations or part of a sinister Conservative plot to bring them under the rule of market forces? Quesnel accurately attacks the popular myth that property rights are black…
First Nations, Canada have more in common when it comes to property rights than first thought
Opposition to the federal government’s plan to transfer title to reserve lands from the Crown to a First Nation government may be based on a misunderstanding of how property rights actually work in Canada. Under the proposed First Nations Property Ownership Act (FNPOA), once land title is transferred to a First Nation government that government…
But that is likely to end once the provincial budget fades from the news
Amid the current focus on provincial red ink, one issue has slipped off the public radar screen in Alberta: Property rights. The lack of attention is understandable given the nearness of the provincial budget and the province’s poor finances. But until recently, property rights, and more broadly land-use issues (which involve regulation of both private…