ESR spotlight on Canadian politics

Recent articles on Canadian politics that have run in Enter Stage Right

Who needs a seat on the Security Council?: Canada's foreign policy establishment is in a tizzy because PM Stephen Harper is ambivalent about a Canadian bid for the UN Security Council. John Williamson says its an honour the country doesn't need

Ten years of gas tax dishonesty: Canada's federal government levied a special gas tax ten years ago to combat a growing deficit. Adam Taylor says it's well past the time to get rid of it

Goodale's gaffe: John Williamson believes that it will be very easy for Canada's Conservative government to avoid a budget deficit. All they have to do is cut spending

A financial statement of band spending is not an audit: Adam Taylor argues that bringing financial accountability to native reserve band spending is a welcome move in the direction of knowing how public money is being spent

Business as usual at Industry Canada: The more things change, the more they stay the same at Industry Canada. Adam Taylor reports that Canada's federal government is still handing out "loans" to businesses that are rarely being paid back

Carbon tax is far from 'revenue neutral': The Liberal Party is now in support of a carbon tax on the grounds that it will reduce energy consumption. John Williamson responds that Canadians will only end up paying more for their energy

National governing perpetuity: If Canada's Liberal Party really wants to regain power, says Daniel M. Ryan with tongue firmly in cheek, they might want to consider a merger with the Conservative Party, a party which arguably isn't representative of the conservatism of old

Jim Flaherty's budget test: Canada's government has already told its citizens not to expect too much next week when the federal budget comes down but John Williamson says it doesn't have to be that way

A not so private matter: Last week was the 20th anniversary of Canada's Supreme Court striking down the nation's anti-abortion laws and we heard the familiar refrain that abortion is a "private matter". Not when taxpayers are funding it, responds John Williamson

You've heard of 'junk science.' Now consider 'junk law': Calgary lawyer Ezra Levant is facing a human rights complaint for daring to print the "Muhammad cartoons" in his now defunct magazine. Link Byfield says everyone needs to show their support

The hazards of "Living In America": Both Canadian liberals and conservatives love to intellectually "live in America" by imagining the "best" parts of the U.S. being imported in Canada. Daniel M. Ryan isn't a fan of that sort of thing

Cut taxes to strengthen the economy: According to their federal leaders, Canadians shouldn't expect another tax cut in 2008. Adam Taylor and John Williamson think the Harper government is making a mistake

Canada's teepee republic: John Williamson charges that a new treaty effectively creating a new nation within a province will be nothing less than an authoritarian state for many living within it

Parliamentarians fiddle while RCMP burns: A number of high profile controversies -- including the taser-related death of a man last month -- has shaken Canadians' faith in the RCMP, writes John Williamson

If Harper can fix the Senate he's a constitutional magician: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appears to want to reform the Senate, a situation that Link Byfield believes crowded with paradoxes

Is it just me or is there a big turn in the Canadian political tide?: Has the impossible happened? Is Canada a politically conservative nation? Link Byfield says it's not a done deal but with time it could be

Shopping for lower taxes and less government regulation: Canadians may be wondering where lower prices are thanks to a surging dollar but John Williamson argues they should also be looking at the role their government pays

Magical mystery tax cuts: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been bragging about the size of tax cuts his government has instituted but John Williamson says the reality is different

A look at Canadian toryism vs. American neoconservatism: Before the Internet, notes Mark Wegierski, dissenting ideas "outside the consensus" simply couldn't publicly appear anywhere in Canada

Regionalism and nationalism in Canada – Part Five: Mark Wegierski looks at an important question – in what sense is Canada a nation?

Three policy proposals for Stephen Harper's government: John Williamson says the Canadian government is adrift and is in danger of losing the high ground to the political left. He has a few solutions to avoid that fate

Regionalism and nationalism in Canada – Part Four: Mark Wegierski now looks at the Atlantic region, which has an ambiguous relationship with Ottawa

Regionalism and Nationalism in Canada – Part Two: Mark Wegierski examines the tensions between Ottawa and Western Canada, especially Alberta

Regionalism and nationalism in Canada – Part One: In this new series of articles, Mark Wegierski examines the tensions between different regions in Canada

Repatriating Conrad: Conrad Black may have been convicted in an American court but Daniel M. Ryan wants the ex-newspaper tycoon to come back to Canada

The Tory tradition in Canada from the 1980s to today – Part Seven: Mark Wegierski asks a big question – is there a future for conservatism in Canada – or elsewhere?

The Tory tradition in Canada from the 1980s to today – Part Six: Mark Wegierski looks at what a reflective conservatism and more thoughtful social democratic ideas may have in common

The Tory tradition in Canada from the 1980s to today – Part Five: Mark Wegierski looks further at the thought of Gad Horowitz, and compares “British” to “WASP” identities

The Tory tradition in Canada from the 1980s to today – Part Four: Mark Wegierski looks at the thought of Gad Horowitz, a social democrat who criticizes multiculturalism and defends English-Canadian nationalism

The Tory tradition in Canada from the 1980s to today – Part Three: Mark Wegierski argues that until the 1960s, Canada was a more substantively conservative society than America

The Tory tradition in Canada from the 1980s to today – Part Two: Mark Wegierski looks especially at the various factions in the Progressive Conservative party of the 1980s

The Tory tradition in Canada from the 1980s to today – Part One: Mark Wegierski begins a series of articles looking at the "Centre-Right Opposition" over the last three decades

In search of a long-range education policy and strategy for Ontario: Some traditionalist remnants in education will be of vital importance to the future of society, argues Mark Wegierski

Shane Doan fights for freedom: The political attacks on hockey player Shane Doan point to both Quebec Liberal mischief and the increasing incoherence of Quebecois nationalism, argues Mark Wegierski

Federal spending: Only one in 10 dollars going to defence budget: Apologists for Canada's Conservative government argue that spending hikes are largely going to the nation's military. John Williamson says that's not the case at all

Québec!: Part Five: In this fifth piece, Mark Wegierski looks at different scenarios for the future of Canada and Québec

Québec!: Part Four: In this fourth piece in the series, Mark Wegierski looks especially at the 1990s, and the 1995 Québec sovereignty referendum

Québec!: Part Three: Québec has long defined itself in opposition to what is referred to as "TROC" – the rest of Canada – and Mark Wegierski says that has to ensure its survival

Vimy Ridge: Standing on guard for a more traditional Canada: Considering the recent events in France and Afghanistan, Mark Wegierski turns to address the most pressing issues of the moment

Medicare's socialist weeds vs. capitalist wheat: British Columbia's government may not be pleased about the re-opening of a private health care clinic but John Williamson says it is a victory for Canadians

Québec!: Part Two: In the second piece of the series, Mark Wegierski looks at different definitions of Canada and nationalism, and concludes that the ADQ today, although non-separatist, is more substantively Quebec-nationalist than the PQ

Québec!: Part One: Beginning a new series of articles, Mark Wegierski lays the groundwork towards demonstrating that the recent events in Quebec are finally some good news for conservatives

Fight the future! The next federal election will be one of the most important in Canadian history: With virtually all trends working against conservatives in Canada today, the next federal election is probably their last-ditch chance, argues Mark Wegierski

Thank Manning and Chrétien for today's prosperity: Canadians will learn what the Conservatives have in store for them with their second budget to be delivered today. John Williamson believes that Jim Flaherty should thank Preston Manning and Jean Chrétien for the opportunities he has

 In search of new "cadres" for a Canadian renewal: Whether one calls them infrastructures or cadres, conservatives in Canada are greatly in need of them, argues Mark Wegierski

The Canada – U.S. Free Trade Agreement: The be-all and end-all of Brian Mulroney’s achievements: Brian Mulroney won two elections and should have a sizable complement of accomplishments to his name. That unfortunately isn't true, says Mark Wegierski

Education really is the key to society and the future - Part Two: Towards "normative" totalitarianism?: Mark Wegierski continues his look at the philosophical ramifications of the Canadian education system

Education really is the key to society and the future - Part One: A crisis from ECE to post-grad: If a nation can be characterized by the values that inform its educational systems, writes Mark Wegierski, then Canada is in dire circumstances

Where are Tory tax promises?: Canada's Conservatives were elected partly because they were perceived to be financially responsible. Unfortunately that hasn't come to pass, writes John Williamson

Canada's identity crisis: Looking back to the mid-1990s: Although Canada has always seemed to suffer a crisis of identity Mark Wegierski believes that the nation did indeed have one until fairly recently

A tale of two wounds: If Daniel M. Ryan complains about the Canadian health care system it's because he knows how broken it is from firsthand experience

Lessons from the past: Brian Mulroney and the failure of Canadian conservatism in the 1980s: Mark Wegierski continues his two-part series on the missed opportunity for Canadian conservatives that were the Mulroney Years

Lessons from the past: Brian Mulroney and the failure of Canadian conservatism in the 1980s: In the first of a series, Mark Wegierski traces the failure of Canadian conservatism today to former prime minister Brian Mulroney, a conservative in name only

Canadian media bias: A sketch from the 1980s to today (Part Two): Mark Wegierski continues his look at the liberal bias which has Canada's media unable to truly allow intellectual diversity in its reporting

Canadian media bias: A sketch from the 1980s to today (Part One): American conservatives aren't the only ones that have to deal with media bias. In Canada, writes Mark Wegierski, the Fifth Estate works against the movement as well

Canadian conservatism at the dawn of 2007: Where is the infrastructure?: New Year, same problem. Mark Wegierski reports that Canada still lacks an eco-system for conservatives and that the movement can't thrive until one exists

There is a diversity of people in Canada -- but what unites them?: Canadian intellectuals and politicians have succeeded in their goal of diversifying the formerly British/French nation but Mark Wegierski wonders what ties the new country together

Shades of fading blue: Canadian conservatives' quest for a "National Review North" publication has mostly failed: In the United States the National Review helped spark the modern conservative movement. Up north, writes Mark Wegierski, Canadian conservatives are still waiting for a national, enduring conservative magazine

Private drive?: Daniel M. Ryan recently went on a road trip -- one that included a visit to the hometown of ESR -- and was reminded by an old Mike Harris promise of privatized roads in the province of Ontario

A return to the national question in Canada and Quebec: As predictable as snow in November "the question" as returned in Canadian politics, namely Quebec sovereignty and whether Canada is really a coherent nation, writes Mark Wegierski

The debate is not yet over: Gun control seems a permanent reality in Canada but Clive Edwards argues that a court fight being led by Bruce Montague may change the landscape considerably

Income trust changes more light than heat: A storm of controversy was unleashed when Canada's conservative government announced the taxation of income trusts. John Williamson says a close look at the changes reveals that they aren't quite as bad as most people think

'Til debt do us part? - With a plan Ottawa's debt can be eliminated: Adam Taylor praises Canada's federal government for its surpluses and debt repayment but he believes that it could work even faster

Will the Accountability Act be hijacked by the unaccountable?: Adam Taylor and John Williamson argue that if Senate Liberals refuse to pass the Conservative government's Federal Accountability Act, Stephen Harper should take his case directly to the Canadian people

Lost: The exit strategy of The Jack Layton Show: It's not only America's Democrats that aren't serious about the War on Terror. Jackson Murphy examines recent statements made by Canada's top socialist, Jack Layton

Corporate welfare rears its ugly head -- Again!: Canada's Conservative Party was elected partly as a backlash to the 'politics as usual' approach of the Liberal Party but John Williamson says it didn't take long for things to go back to the old ways

The beginning of the end: If Canada's Conservative government lives up to its election promises, says Steven Martinovich, the Canada Wheat Board will eventually be little more than history

Rogue male: North Korea's test of its Taepodong-2 missile last week may have been a failure but it nonetheless should signal to Canadians that they too face a threat from the communist regime, argues Steven Martinovich

Investigate the gun registry: Canada's national gun registry has been plagued by cost overruns and fraud and John Williamson says Canadians deserve to know why

An alternate Canada: The high and the low: In a thought experiment, Daniel Ryan pens some hypothetical newspaper reports from the near future describing a Canada that may yet still evolve

Conservative military spending promises may be too little, too late: Canada's Conservative Party is promising to pump billions into the nation's military. While Steve Martinovich welcomes the money, he thinks it might be too late

The wall comes (slowly) tumbling down: Steve Martinovich doesn't usually offer praise to Quebec politicians but an announcement last week on health care gave him reason to do so

Conservatives win only a slim minority government in Canada: The recent victory by the Conservative Party in Canada likely won't mean much for the future of conservatism in Canada, argues Mark Wegierski

The end of Canadian conservatism?: Is conservatism in Canada on its last legs? Mark Wegierski believes that all the signs are pointing to its eventual death

Paul Martin ignores reality (again): Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's recent pledge to ban handguns shows will do nothing to combat the rising tide of violence on Canadian streets, argues Christopher di Armani

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