-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…
Links have a new look! Starting this week, we will be posting our links as separate posts in order to keep each one digestibly short and a bit less eclectic (this makes it easier to have focused discussions in the comments too). Ten ideas to save the economy. Robert Reich, UC Berkeley professor and former Secretary of…
Prime Minister Stephen Harper likes to tell Canadians that his Conservatives are the only to party to be trusted with the economy. If you’ve watched Question Period, a speech by the PM or his finance Minister, Joe Oliver, or one of the ‘Economic Action Plan’ ads, you’re probably familiar with some of the talking points:…
From Matt: ‘A triumph of tax madness’. The federal Conservatives are announcing an election-year budget containing a large number of bad economic policies, as well as balanced-budget legislation – rightly called ‘bonehead economics’ by The Globe and Mail Editorial Board. Jeffrey Simpson surveys the wreckage. Simpson draws parallels between Harper’s fiscal policy to that of George W. Bush – politically-targeted but expensive and economically-distortionary…
From Matt: What’s the deal with the oil spill off the coast of Vancouver? What began as a small bunker fuel spill last Wednesday in English Bay, near Vancouver, is quickly becoming a fiasco. The Mayor of Vancouver and the B.C. Provincial government both allege that the response from the Coast Guard was too slow, and that…
From Matt: Eight million tons of plastic dumped in ocean every year (Laura Parker, National Geographic): A new landmark study has estimated how much plastic we are dumping in the ocean each year, and it’s a lot. Most of it is coming from east and southeast Asia, but what’s interesting is that it’s not all coming…
The Tête-à-Tête 