Jan 24 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — As we approach the one-year anniversary of the anti-vaccine mandate occupation of Ottawa and nearly three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest, most Canadians are busy getting on with their lives. But there’s a tiny minority of the public that seems determined to spend the rest of their lives re-litigating the pandemic and […]
Jan 20 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — It’s one of the immutable tropes of Canadian politics: conservative parties are better for the business community than their more progressive counterparts. But in her ongoing war against the reality of the federal government’s “just transition” legislation, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith seems determined to prove that wrong. After all, her province is in the midst […]
Jan 18 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Brace yourselves, folks. If you thought the conversation about the federal government’s so-called “just transition” couldn’t get any dumber, you’re about to be proven wrong. That’s because Alberta’s premier, her senior staffers and most of the province’s pundit class are pretending an internal federal government document from last June contains its plan for the imminent […]
Jan 13 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — As Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP prepare for a spring election campaign, they have their sights trained squarely on Danielle Smith and her UCP government. But they ought to keep an eye on Justin Trudeau’s Liberals as well because they seem determined to play a role in May’s provincial election outcome — and not […]
Jan 10 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — I’m sorry. I really am. But we have to talk about Jordan Peterson. The controversial author and former University of Toronto professor is back in the news, this time for disciplinary action meted out by the College of Psychologists of Ontario and his predictably furious response to it. The college, which governs his activities as […]
Jan 7 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — For a party that won control of the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections, the Republicans are doing an awful lot of losing these days. For the first time in more than a century, they’ve been unable to elect a Speaker of the House as the Trumpist wing of their party continues to torpedo […]
Jan 4 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — If you’re like millions of holidayed-out Canadians, you’re probably planning to cut back on your alcohol consumption this month. This is an unalloyed good given the numerous health benefits associated with reducing or eliminating the consumption of alcohol. But if you’re not among those who have resolved to cut back, fear not: the Canadian Taxpayers […]
Dec 23 2022 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Alberta is a lot of things: wealthy, proud, indignant and endlessly controversial. But a nation? That’s the argument Danielle Smith and her allies in the local pundit class are trying to make in their quest to defend her Alberta Sovereignty Act. It fits within her overarching strategy of poking Ottawa directly in the eye with […]
Dec 20 2022 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — The Christmas season is usually a time for giving, warmth and cheer. But that message doesn’t seem to have gotten through to Canada’s leader of the official Opposition, who is doing his best imitation of the Grinch. Canada, according to Pierre Poilievre, is “broken” — and apparently only he can fix it. Whether it’s inflation, […]
Dec 14 2022 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — It’s not often that Pierre Poilievre is at a loss for words. But on the morning after his first federal byelection as Conservative Party of Canada leader, one that saw his candidate in Mississauga-Lakeshore get shellacked by Liberal Charles Sousa, Poilievre’s social feeds were uncharacteristically quiet. Clearly, this was not the first impression with the […]
Dec 10 2022 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — The human mind is, for the most part, a wonderful and miraculous thing. But when it comes to storing and processing memories, it leaves something to be desired. “Remembering is an act of storytelling, after all,” Robert Nash, a psychologist with the U.K.’s Aston University, wrote in a piece for The Conversation in 2018. “And […]
Dec 6 2022 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — There’s corruption, and then there’s what Doug Ford’s government is doing with the Greenbelt. After promising (and promising, and promising — as many as 18 times between 2018 and 2021) Ontario voters that “we won’t touch the Greenbelt,” his government did just that with a recently announced land swap, one that will see parcels of […]
Dec 1 2022 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — When it comes to Alberta politics, always bet on chaos. That’s been the lesson of the last decade, and it’s clearly going to be the overriding theme of Danielle Smith’s tenure as premier. After winning the leadership of the United Conservative Party on the back of a promise to assert Alberta’s “sovereignty” more aggressively, many […]
Nov 30 2022 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — You have to feel for Paul Rouleau, the Ontario Superior Court justice tasked with chairing the Public Order Emergency Commission. While the rest of the country gets to spend the next few weeks enjoying the holiday season with friends and family, he’ll be buried under the mountain of evidence his inquiry just spent six weeks […]
Nov 25 2022 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — For better or worse, Pierre Poilievre has turned the YouTube video into a key piece of his political brand. He’s used them to do everything from launch his leadership campaign to opine on subjects like inflation and cryptocurrencies, and they’ve allowed him to largely bypass the mainstream media and get his message directly to voters. […]