John Ibitson, writing in the Globe and Mail, says what I suspect many are thinking: "The lacklustre race for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is further evidence of the impossibility of conservatism in our time." It's not that conservatism is dead, he says, but, he explains, and I agree that "in this century, … Continue reading Is Conservatism Dead?
Category: Jean Chretien
Tribes
So, a few years ago Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking at New York University, talked about tribes and tribalism and the perils of both. It wasn't a bad speech ... the points about belonging versus exclusivity and exclusion are still good. But the prime minister may have ignored the tribe to which he belongs ... … Continue reading Tribes
A new front in Cold War 2.0
I remarked, albeit only in passing, on the media's role in the campaign to persuade Canada that it should do a prisoner exchange: Meng Wanzhou for the “Two Michals,” Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. My comment was that the Globe and Mail's front page was devoted ~ item after item ~ to that issue. It … Continue reading A new front in Cold War 2.0
The Argentina of the North
Almost three weeks ago, I quoted Professor Jack Mintz who said "Creditors eventually will want Canadian governments to have sustainable fiscal plans. If not, they will downgrade our debt, leading to higher interest rates. This has already happened to Alberta, which has the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of all the provinces but also the second highest … Continue reading The Argentina of the North
Failure after failure after failure after …
... well, you get the picture. Justin Trudeau came into office in 2015 proclaiming that Canada is Back! Of course, as recent events have shown, nothing could be further from the truth. By almost every measure Canada has fallen in wealth, power and international stature since Justin Trudeau replaced Stephen Harper at the head of … Continue reading Failure after failure after failure after …
Boring, but vital
There are few things more boring than discussions of tax reform. Once a year, or so, most of us grumble about how complicated the tax system is ~ I have commented on Rita Trichur's idea about that, by the way ~ but then we forget it. Jack Mintz, writing in the Financial Post, says that … Continue reading Boring, but vital
Relationships
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, whose insights into China have caused me to comment before, writes, in an article in Foreign Affairs, that "despite the best efforts of ideological warriors in Beijing and Washington, the uncomfortable truth is that China and the United States are both likely to emerge from this [global pandemic] crisis … Continue reading Relationships
And this, too …
David Mulroney, a former very senior official who was, during a career and included many important posts, Canada's Ambassador to China said this on social media: The "this" to which he was referring was the latest scandal to engulf the Liberals, in this case, according to the Globe and Mail, Joyce Murray, the Trudeau minister … Continue reading And this, too …
I don’t believe …
... that Justin Trudeau is an idiot who cannot manage to sit through a briefing. There are global leaders like that, but Mr Trudau is not amongst them. He can understand the points being made by senior officials, he can discuss, rationally, the policy options presented by his political advisors. He may not be the … Continue reading I don’t believe …
China is a bully
"China is a bully," says Scottish journalist Stephen Daisley, writing in The Spectator, and "the sooner the West understands that, the sooner we can begin to push back." I think that much, even most of the West does understand that. The evidence has been mounting for years, starting with China's push into the contested waters … Continue reading China is a bully
