Jan 12 2021 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Generally speaking, Canadians take pride when their fellow countrymen and women make it big in America. And few have made it bigger than one Rafael (Ted) Cruz, the junior senator from Texas who played a key role in the failed coup against his own government. Last week, while a gang of fired-up Trump supporters was […]
Jan 7 2021 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — For months, in the face of calls for his government to do more to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has preached the virtue of personal responsibility. But it doesn’t seem like his own MLAs or staffers were listening very closely. After all, six elected representatives and a growing number of press secretaries, […]
Dec 22 2020 — Max Fawcett — You have to hand it to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. In the face of a pandemic and an unprecedented surge in government spending and economic support that has widespread public approval, the organization remains steadfast in its belief that governments ought to be doing less rather than more.
Dec 15 2020 — Max Fawcett — Globe and Mail — To say that it hasn’t been a good year for Jason Kenney’s much-touted “war room” would be like saying that 2020 has been a bit of a challenge for the rest of us. The initiative, which marked its first anniversary on Friday, has endured the embarrassment of two logo imbroglios and an ill-advised attack on […]
Dec 2 2020 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Jason Kenney may be a practising Catholic, but over the last few months he has made it clear that he worships most enthusiastically at the altar of personal responsibility. And while the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Alberta has alarmed doctors across the province, who recommended a series of decisive actions aimed at slowing […]
Oct 8 2020 — Max Fawcett — CBC — If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That appears to be the logic behind Moment of Truth: How to Think About Alberta’s Future, a new book from Jack Mintz, Ted Morton and Tom Flanagan that trades in some decidedly old ideas. Indeed, many of them were contained in Stephen Harper’s so-called “Firewall Letter,” […]
Aug 17 2020 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — For as long as Jason Kenney has been involved in public life, he’s been a passionate defender of free speech rights. When the Reform Club at the University of Calgary got into a dispute with the students’ union in the late 1990s, for example, he was there to show his support. And when Bishop Fred […]
Apr 27 2020 — Max Fawcett — Globe and Mail — One of the stranger aspects of life under the yoke of COVID-19 is how government press conferences have suddenly transformed from mundane into must-see TV. Donald Trump has obviously been the driving force behind that, but Jason Kenney gave him a run for his money on Friday. No, Mr. Kenney didn’t spend his time at […]
Mar 17 2020 — Max Fawcett — Globe and Mail — We still don’t have a good sense of how much damage the coronavirus will do in North America, but it has already reshaped our day-to-day lives in a way that was unimaginable even a week ago. Professional sports have been put on hold, cultural events have been cancelled, global financial markets have been roiled, and […]
Feb 14 2020 — Max Fawcett — Globe and Mail — Since Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party was elected to government in 2015, the Prime Minister has approved two major pipeline projects, expressed enthusiastic support for another one, invested $275-million in a major LNG project and made the completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion one of its most high-profile promises. And yet, to hear many Albertans […]
Jan 22 2020 — Max Fawcett — CBC — Jason Kenney, it turns out, is not invincible. After two years of bending the political universe to his will, that universe started to fight back in 2019. His much ballyhooed “war room” keeps finding new and exciting ways to shoot itself in the foot, small business confidence is faltering, and the cuts to health and […]
Jan 4 2020 — Max Fawcett — Globe and Mail — Alberta’s United Conservative Party government may be cutting funding for education in the province, but its new war room – sorry, “Canadian Energy Centre” – provided a whole host of teachable moments during its disastrous first week in December. First, chief executive Tom Olsen turned an interview into a PR disaster by telling the reporter […]