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1. Notwithstanding Kavanaugh, review of judicial nominees is good

   Many Canadian commentators looked on this week’s hearings of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh with a vinegary combination of smugness and ...

2. There are 9% fewer atheists in foxholes

   According to an old military saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” The idea is that when you live with death close by, you think a lot about your mortality, its possible abrupt end, and the meaning and value of it all. Winston ...

3. Will tapping finally kill cash?

   I was at the local big-box hardware store the other day, making that very 21st-century purchase, compost bags. I tendered my $20 bill and as I received my change and receipt I briefly looked back at the two or three people waiting ...

4. The Formosa Triangle—where did $20 billion of Chinese imports to Canada come from?

   The Formosa Triangle (which I just invented) is the reverse of the Bermuda Triangle. It doesn’t mysteriously devour shipping. It does just the opposite. Shipping mysteriously appears out of it. Lots of shipping. Enough shipping to ...

5. Ottawa’s going to fight poverty—good! (though they could fight better)

   In what amounts to a new federal white paper on poverty, Opportunity for All, the federal government has announced it will try to cut Canada’s poverty rate in half by 2030. We in the column-writing business spend so much of our time ...

6. Sixty-something Canadian men—married to their work, literally!

   You hear a lot these days about the declining labour force participation rates of males, especially males in their 40s and 50s, especially in the United States where their withdrawal from the labour force is a big part of the opioid ...

7. The Saudi-Canada rights/engagement trade-off

   I’m of at least two minds on the sudden diplomatic blow-up between Canada and Saudi Arabia. More like four or five. As a general matter, our Canadian eagerness to preach to the world about “Canadian values” is one of our least admirable ...

8. Economists almost unanimous—rising trade barriers not good

   Trade with China may actually have increased manufacturing employment in the United States. ...

9. Equalization isn’t meant to help with economic downturns

   A lot of recent discussion about equalization —which may be moot since the program has just been renewed for five years—has focused on how it hasn’t helped Alberta through its recent difficult patch and also hasn’t helped other regions ...

10. Changing equalization won’t be easy—partly for good reason

    You hear a lot these days about reforming equalization. If Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party wins the next Alberta election, you’ll likely hear more. As it is, Saskatchewan has already put a reform proposal on the table: keep ...