But don’t bet on seeing a balanced budget, let alone one in surplus
For the first time in more than two years, the federal government is bringing down a budget today (April 19). So let’s look at what the budget should do to best serve Canada, its people and our economy. The first function of any budget is to compare expected income and expenditures. In a balanced budget,…
An eerie silence has met Ottawa’s plan to regulate the Internet and outlaw hurtful – not just hateful – expression
Canada’s long march towards violating Charter rights to free expression continues without any sign of political or media opposition. Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault’s campaign to suppress the Internet has now opened up on three fronts. It is no longer limited to hate speech, which is already illegal. He now promises action against words or ideas…
And is accelerating the process with disturbing speed
Although euthanasia was illegal in Canada until five years ago, our country is on the verge of having the most liberal euthanasia laws in the world. Canada has shifted gears from a culture of life to one of death and is putting its foot to the pedal to accelerate the process with disturbing speed. How…
Will she put Canada back on the road to fiscal reality or double-down on sky-high spending?
As Canadians wait to see just what will be in the first federal budget in more than two years, this much is certain: that the amount of red ink will surge past any other deficit records in Canada’s modern history. What’s less certain is whether Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland plans to put Canada on a…
It’s time Canada had a prime minister who won’t fall for China’s lies. Build jobs at home, not in China
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole’s speech at the party’s convention was an opportunity to attract Canadians wanting change. Unfortunately, as John Ivison reported in his March 24 National Post column, six in 10 Canadian voters remain politically homeless after the speech. Here’s my version of a speech that would have resonated with many of those politically…
COVID-19 has exacerbated the problem but it’s not the primary cause of our wait-time crisis
By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua The Fraser Institute With a full year of life with COVID-19 behind us, and the hope of mass vaccination on the horizon, it’s time for policy-makers to refocus some of their attention on our other health-care crisis – long wait times for medical care. Although the number of patients…
Job losses and economic contraction will be substantial
By Alex Whalen and Elmira Aliakbari The Fraser Institute As the New Brunswick economy emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, the federal government’s new plan to raise its carbon tax will have major economic consequences for the province. Under the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, the original plan was to raise the carbon…
When the fire gets too hot in the political kitchen, the Trudeau government always looks for an escape hatch
On Monday afternoon, Global News’s Mercedes Stephenson tweeted out the following: “Liberal motion to shut down the defence committee hearings into sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces passes with BQ support.” Did you do a double-take? You weren’t alone. The controversy surrounding retired general Jonathan Vance, the former chief of the defence staff for…
A serious blow to our delusion we are better than Americans
When it comes to health care, Canadians only seem to care about one thing: Are we better than the United States? As long as we “beat” the U.S., we remain smug about our performance, although this attitude can be hard to square with the tens of thousands of Canadians who get quick access to top-level…
Think you can avoid the carbon tax by riding your bike? Think again
British Columbians are now paying even more to heat, eat and drive to work. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's most recent carbon tax hike has found a willing follower in British Columbia Premier John Horgan. When Team Trudeau was fighting against several provinces at the Supreme Court of Canada, saying he should be able to impose…