Oct 20 2018 — Andrew Coyne — National Post — Monday may in time come to be seen as the day electoral reform came to Canada. A year from now the country that, alone among those still using “first past the post” system of casting and counting votes, does so at every level of government, could have very different systems in place in several jurisdictions, […]
Oct 19 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The Economist this week warns policy makers to “start preparing for the next recession” while they still can. The release of the government of Canada’s annual financial report for the 2017-18 fiscal year, however suggests the Trudeau Liberals have no notion of foregoing that most enjoyable of all entitlements: spending other people’s money.
Oct 18 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — A column last week made the mistake of saying that Leo Gerard, the Canadian-born international president of the United Steelworkers union attended a ceremony in the Oval Office last March with Donald Trump, where the president signed off on steel and aluminum tariffs. In fact, the pictures of Gerard shaking hands with Trump, and receiving […]
Oct 17 2018 — Andrew Coyne — National Post — Never mind whether we can strike a free trade deal with China: should we? Ever since the text of the renegotiated NAFTA was released, attention has focused on its notorious Article 32.10, and whether it precludes Canada from entering into a free trade agreement with an unnamed “non-market country.” Critics claim Canada has been pressed […]
Oct 17 2018 — Chris Selley — National Post — An Abacus Data poll released this week suggests Canadians are ready for marijuana legalization even if their governments might not be: Strong majorities of respondents in every age group and in every region said they could support or at least “accept” the framework that goes into effect Oct. 17. Even 54 per cent of Conservative […]
Oct 16 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — In Parliament, falsehood often flies and truth comes limping after it, to quote Jonathan Swift. It is now the received wisdom that Scott Brison, the Treasury Board president, tried to block approval for the contract for a naval supply ship being built at the Davie yard in Quebec because he was lobbied to do so […]
Oct 16 2018 — Joseph Brean — National Post — Far-right Toronto mayoral candidate Faith Goldy cannot force Bell Media to sell her ads on its CP24 television news station, an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday. The main problem is that Goldy, represented by prominent civil rights lawyer Clayton Ruby, brought her complaint to the wrong court.
Oct 16 2018 — Andrew Coyne — National Post — Attempting to soften up public opinion for the fall economic update, the finance minister has been furiously signalling two contradictory messages. On the one hand, the government will address business concerns at the sudden deterioration of Canada’s position in the competition for international capital in the wake of sweeping U.S. tax reforms put into effect […]
Oct 16 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Accused in the House of Commons Monday of lobbying on behalf of the powerful Irving family, Scott Brison was defiant. The Treasury Board president responded to questions about the case of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman by saying his role is to ensure there is due diligence in the expenditure of public funds. When the Liberals came […]
Oct 15 2018 — Kelly McParland — National Post — If you haven’t been reading the business pages, you might not know that Canadian ingenuity has developed a stunning new business model: producing expensive oil and giving it away cheap. The gap between Canadian and U.S. oil is nudging US$50 a barrel. Alberta gets around US$26 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate is in the […]
Oct 15 2018 — National Post — Canadian oil companies continue to face a near-record discount for their products, tingeing the political climate around the Trans Mountain pipeline just as the national energy regulator laid out plans to push ahead with the project. The gap between Canadian and U.S. oil prices last week widened to as much as US$52 per barrel, with […]
Oct 13 2018 — National Post — Lawyers for Vice-Admiral Mark Norman have served notice they intend to probe the actions of one of the Liberal government’s top cabinet ministers as they try to clear the name of the naval officer accused of leaking confidential information.
Oct 12 2018 — Andrew Coyne — National Post — When the revamped, Trumpified NAFTA was first announced, the general reaction here was relief. Disaster had been averted. The agreement had been saved. Maclean’s magazine featured Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on its cover by the headine, “You’re Welcome, Canada.” This was probably overstated. The worst-case scenario for the talks was never that Donald Trump […]
Oct 11 2018 — Don Braid — National Post — The candidate is gone, Odin be praised, but the aroma lingers on. On Thursday the United Conservative Party disqualified nomination candidate Lance Coulter, who had a cheery chat with Soldiers of Odin at an Edmonton nomination event. This is just the latest, and the most serious, of UCP run-ins with candidate hopefuls who appear untroubled […]
Oct 11 2018 — National Post — It isn’t the first time the fighting with the Americans has continued after the peace was signed. Two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812, the Americans were victorious in the Battle of New Orleans. In less dramatic fashion, the U.S. is continuing hostilities on the trade front with Canada nearly […]