Dec 6 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — John F. Kennedy once explained that America’s founding fathers sacrificed efficiency for liberty, dividing power as a guarantee against ill-considered action. Canada has been similarly hamstrung by its constitution when it comes to getting anything done. Trying to explain to a Chinese diplomat this week why this country cannot build an oil pipeline to saltwater […]
Dec 5 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The late Christopher Hitchens called conspiracy theories the “exhaust fumes of democracy” — the unavoidable result of large amounts of information circulating among a large number of people. The latest conjectural haze drifting in from the fringes of the political spectrum is that the United Nations’ agreement on migration, which Canada is set to sign […]
Dec 4 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — One passage of the new report on Justin Trudeau’s trip to India deals with the public testimony given by Daniel Jean, the former national security adviser, before the parliamentary oversight committee on national security last April. It reads: “As the NSIA (Jean) stated during his testimony: ‘***’.” The words of the statement that the now-retired […]
Dec 3 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — We’ve all been there — on the sofa, watching a charity concert, when the celebrity host urges you to dial in and make a donation toward the worthy cause in question. You reach for the phone or computer and make a pledge. The problem in this case: the commitment was for $50 million of other […]
Nov 29 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — While a politician may wish something to be true, simply saying it in the House of Commons does not make it so. Bill Blair, the newly-minted minister for border security, made a claim about the refugee system in question period Thursday that cannot be supported by the available facts. “The system is working,” he said.
Nov 28 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Rachel Notley came out of the West with all guns blazing. At a lunch-time speech in Ottawa, the normally affable Alberta premier said the Canadian government is “wilfully” holding Alberta’s economy hostage because of its inability to follow through on its constitutional responsibility to transport resources across provincial boundaries. The lack of a pipeline to […]
Nov 27 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Trying to keep track of every dollar Ottawa spends is a pseudo-science like the one practised by crypto-zoologists looking for Bigfoot — only the gullible would ever believe in a happy outcome. Take last week’s fiscal update. To much fanfare, it announced $16.4 billion in new spending measures, principally the $14 billion on accelerated investment […]
Nov 26 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Liberal government was telling Canadians the economy is strong and the middle class is making progress. That’s because it was last Wednesday, in the fall fiscal update. Bill Morneau, the finance minister, was remarkably upbeat, claiming the government had struck the “appropriate balance” between prudence and spending; […]
Nov 24 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — When Andrew Scheer was elected leader of the Conservative Party 18 months ago, I suggested it was a fair bet he would one day be prime minister. “Short of a meltdown,” I suggested the odds were with him — of 22 Conservative leaders since Confederation, 13 went on to become prime minister. Scheer will only […]
Nov 22 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Bill Morneau is a Micawber-like figure, unshakeable in his optimism that the worst won’t happen. Neither snow nor rain nor recession nor the gloom of adverse court decisions on key pipeline infrastructure can stay the finance minister’s sunny view of the Canadian economy. Not even the prospect of the engine of the country’s economic growth […]
Nov 21 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The Liberal government released its fall fiscal update Wednesday, making the bold pre-election claim that the land is strong — even if it may not feel that way if you’re trying to sell a house or work in the oilpatch. In fairness things are going pretty well, on the back of surging demand from the […]
Nov 20 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Let’s hope the Russians have not read the Auditor General’s latest report into the crisis facing Canada’s fighter jet fleet. If they have, perhaps they would be good enough to refrain from invading anywhere else until around 2032, when the air force will take delivery of its new planes.
Nov 17 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Justin Trudeau promised to restore Canadian leadership in the world. He pledged that the “proud tradition” that saw Canada help create the United Nations and champion the international treaty to ban land-mines would be revived on his watch. The reality has been underwhelming. Trudeau’s crusade to change the world has been more symbolic than substantive. […]
Nov 14 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — You wonder if Liberal ministers believe the balderdash they spin or whether it’s so deeply programmed that it is instinctive, like the mammalian diving reflex or blushing. Ottawa is on a big trade diversification push in Asia, with the prime minister talking to leaders at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Singapore, while […]
Nov 13 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The personal pronoun is best avoided, even by opinion columnists. In this instance it is necessary, to provide some context. I was in a sombre mood on Remembrance Day, having posted a tribute on Twitter to three generations of my family who wore a uniform so I didn’t have to.