On carbon pricing, Trudeau risks repeating Obama’s mistakes

In politics, compromise and cool-headedness are usually virtues, especially when facing a bitterly divided electorate. Occasionally though, a time or challenge calls for bold action that ruffles a few feathers in the short term, but pays big dividends in the long term and resounds in history. Examples of such bold action from the past century…

Endorsing integrity in government

-The Expat- The Beginning I remember Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s first day in office. It was almost a decade ago, in what seemed to be an entirely different country than the one we live in today. It was a country where foul play could literally bring down a government; Paul Martin’s Liberals had just succumbed to…

Harper is only making things worse for pipelines

-Jared Milne- Pipelines are a major political issue in Canada. Getting oil to market is seen as critical to Alberta’s economy. They are a high priority for Stephen Harper’s government, so why has there been so little progress on pipelines? Unfortunately, many of Ottawa’s actions have only damaged the oilsands’ image, and weakened public support…

Election 2015 Discussion 3: Who should Canadians vote for?

We’ve debated the 2015 budget; we’ve debated the policies and platforms. With one week remaining in the campaign, it’s time to decide who we will be voting for. Several news outlets have already made endorsements: The Toronto Star and La Presse for the Liberals; The National Post for the Conservatives on the economy (they are…

Policy proposal: Create a Crown corporation for telecom

-Chris Logel- According to a 2013 OECD Report, Canadians pay some of the highest prices for some of the worst telecom services in the industrialized world. For example, for most data-only plans (used by iPads and tablets) Canada is one of the most expensive countries in the OECD; we’re lagging in 32nd place out of…

We should admire compromise and the ‘mushy middle’

-Jared Milne- In commentaries about politics, the idea of the “mushy middle” is often used as an insult. It’s depicted as a weakness, as the person who straddles it is unable to decide on a firm set of beliefs, or who tries to please everyone instead of taking a strong stand. Similarly, compromise is seen…

Discussion: Budget and Election 2015 (Canada)

On April 21, Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver tabled his Conservative government’s 2015 budget. This budget was highly anticipated because 2015 is an election year in Canada, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservatives had long promised that they would return to balance before the election. Despite the recent drop in oil prices, the government…