- Agri-food and Food Security (2)
- Barry Cooper (3)
- Book (3)
- Column (116)
- Dave McLellan (2)
- Douglas Farrow (2)
- Economy and Economic Development (12)
- Education and Training (6)
- Elections and Partisan Politics (3)
- Energy, Environment and Natural Resources (7)
- Fergus Hodgson (1)
- Foreign Policy and Diplomacy (6)
- Gerard A. Lucyshyn (9)
- Health and Social Policy (13)
- Immigration and Labour (1)
- Marco Navarro-Génie (124)
- Media Announcement (1)
- Municipalities and Public Lands (3)
- Podcast (1)
- Property and Civil Rights (21)
- Provincial Rights (16)
- Public Finance and Fiscal Federalism (8)
- Public Presentation (3)
- Research Paper (2)
- Sara MacIntyre (2)
- Travis Smith (3)
- Uncategorized (4)
- Video (1)
-
Continue Reading →: Back to 1977: Carney Turning Back the Clock on Free Expression
Back to 1977: Carney Turning Back the Clock on Free Expression
The speech was a signal. It reframed online speech regulation not as civil protection, but as patriotic duty. The villain was not abusive content, but the United States. The logic is as straightforward as it is cynical: use anti-American rhetoric to justify the revival of laws that target the fundamental rights of Canadians. By casting…
-
Continue Reading →: Veto Nation: Carney’s Vision Is a Curse on Unity
Veto Nation: Carney’s Vision Is a Curse on Unity
Unity isn’t built by handing out vetoes like Halloween candy. But that’s precisely what Prime Minister Mark Carney proposes for Canada: a governance structure for major projects so Balkanized, so suffocatingly fractured, that it makes the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth’s liberum veto look like an efficient bureaucracy (more on this below). Carney wants every Premier and…
-
Continue Reading →: Canada’s New Thin-Skinned Saviour?
Canada’s New Thin-Skinned Saviour?
New Prime Minister Mark Carney’s awkward debut with Canada’s press corps reveals a man unready for the rigours of political life. Accustomed to elite deference, Carney bristled at even friendly media questions, displaying arrogance, condescension, and a sense that Canada owes him. If he struggles with CBC softball, how will he handle Question Period? As…
-
Continue Reading →: The Fraud of “Settler Colonialism”
The Fraud of “Settler Colonialism”
One of the most bizarre and ill-informed symbols employed by the activist and progressivist left is “settler colonialism.” Fortunately, Adam Kirsch, a poet and an editor of the Weekend Review section of the Wall Street Journal, has recently published a brief but incisive analysis of what the phrase means and of the political reality referred to…
-
Continue Reading →: Why the Canada Pension Plan Is a Ponzi Scheme
Why the Canada Pension Plan Is a Ponzi Scheme
The following is an abridgement of chapter 4 in the recently published book Financial Sovereignty for Canadians (March 2024), authored by Fergus Hodgson. It is published here with the author’s kind permission. There is a silver lining to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s pursuit of a provincial pension system. Alberta’s potential departure from the Canada Pension…
-
Continue Reading →: Voting for Non-Citizens: Inclusion or Manipulation?
Voting for Non-Citizens: Inclusion or Manipulation?
Granting the vote to non-citizens can be a tactical electoral subterfuge disguised as “inclusion.” The idea of permanent residents voting before (or without) becoming citizens has existed for several years. But does the idea have merit? The Canadian Civil Liberties Union virtually says Canada should do it because countries like Sweden are doing it. In 2018, the Edmonton Journal published…
-
Continue Reading →: Incompetence, Crises, and Responsibility
Incompetence, Crises, and Responsibility
“You don’t care which government does what…” —Seamus O’Regan The government Justin Trudeau heads, even following the support of the New Democrats, has been in a cycle of crises to fix things they break or make worse. Most of these crises are born out of neglect and incompetence, compounded by consistent attempts to cover up…
-
Continue Reading →: Must we like the people we elect?
Must we like the people we elect?
Charisma without substance is a dangerous thing.–Kim Campbell, Canada’s first and only female prime minister. Justin Trudeau’s popularity won him power in 2015. The popularity Trudeau enjoyed has steadily declined and has vastly dissipated. In the last couple of months, a strong wave of unpopularity has forced the PM to begin grappling with his political…
-
Continue Reading →: Remembering Brian Mulroney (1939-2024)
Remembering Brian Mulroney (1939-2024)
The 18th prime minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney, passed away on February 29, weeks short of his 85th birthday. He is being buried today. Consequential? “One of the most consequential Prime Ministers” is the expression you may have seen about Brian Mulroney half a dozen times since yesterday. It is a formula empty of substance to…
-
Continue Reading →: It’s Procurement, Stupid!
It’s Procurement, Stupid!
We should not be surprised but it rarely fails that in this country the proposed solution to every problem in government and every problem in the bureaucracy seems to be to hire more bureaucrats (or spend more money, which in most cases amounts to the same thing).
-
Continue Reading →: A Case Against COVID-19 Amnesty in Canada
A Case Against COVID-19 Amnesty in Canada
But there should be no amnesty without determining the facts, without identifying those responsible for all the blunders and the culpable for deliberate deception resulting in possibly criminal decisions. To determine the facts, all databases related to COVID, medical, legal, social, and economic impacts should be open for all to see and study. The data…
-
Continue Reading →: Remembering Roger Gibbins (1947-2024)
Remembering Roger Gibbins (1947-2024)
When I was transitioning out of the Academy into the world of policy think tanks, I ran into Peter Stockland one afternoon. I could not pass up the opportunity to ask him what the art of writing good newspaper opinion columns was. His advice was as wise as it was easy to remember: “Don’t write…
-
Continue Reading →: Reflections on the Freedom Convoy: Podcast
Reflections on the Freedom Convoy: Podcast
Two years after the Justin Trudeau government illegitimately invoked the Emergencies (War Measures) Act against the Freedom Convoy protesting draconian COVID restrictions, the record is slowly beginning to be corrected. This episode of Thought Farming hosts Dr. Jodi Bruhn. Dr. Jodi Bruhn is a policy consultant specializing in governance and indigenous/Crown relations. She is a…
-
Continue Reading →: Boissonnault’s “NATO Moment” is Dangerously Hypocritical.
Boissonnault’s “NATO Moment” is Dangerously Hypocritical.
No human rights have been stripped, no individual has been persecuted, no law has even been drafted, and no one has been attacked, but that is no barrier to Danielle Smith’s detractors. The Alberta premier is drawing wild reactions from progressives. Her sin? Smith announced plans for policies to curtail surgical alterations for minors identifying…
-
Continue Reading →: Campus and Government Diversity Offices Failed Jewish Communities
Campus and Government Diversity Offices Failed Jewish Communities
Recently, Canadian universities and municipal governments have become large stages for the failure of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) branches to protect the most historically persecuted of communities: the Jews. Hamas and Palestinian advocates have exposed a concerning flaw within DEI offices. When differing minority perspectives collide, DEI workers struggle to understand the conflict and remain…
-
Continue Reading →: Judicial Independence is Crucial to the Rule of Law
Judicial Independence is Crucial to the Rule of Law
From our Economic History textbooks, we learn that the independence and fairness of the British Courts made it attractive for investors to place their money into British ventures during the Industrial Revolution. Foreigners investing in British ventures felt sufficiently confident to bring a cause before a British Court and receive an impartial and fair hearing.…
-
Continue Reading →: On the Right Path With New Gender Reassignment Restrictions
On the Right Path With New Gender Reassignment Restrictions
Jan. 31 was a significant day for parents, children, and women in Alberta. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith introduced thoughtful and promising policies to bridge partially the legal, medical, and moral divide that grips Western societies on gender identity and gender transformations. Smith’s solutions will reduce the short- and long-term harms to children and women athletes…
-
Continue Reading →: Assault on Rebel News Journalist Is an Assault on Journalism
Assault on Rebel News Journalist Is an Assault on Journalism
“We categorically condemn anyone who in any way intimidates and harasses journalists working in defence of the truth.” — Chrystia Freeland on May 3, 2018 The assault of David Menzies at the hands of a member of an RCMP security detail as Mr. Menzies was asking questions to an elected official has a few lessons for…
-
Continue Reading →: Antisemitic Trends in Canada Strengthen Case for Israel’s Existence
Antisemitic Trends in Canada Strengthen Case for Israel’s Existence
A week ago, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek boycotted an event marking Hannukah, a Jewish religious celebration. The mayor crassly blamed the local Jewish leadership for supposedly being political and divisive, which is in fact what Gondek did in rejecting their invitation. Few states have been established with as profound a moral imperative as the State…
-
Continue Reading →: Jyoti Gondek Is Unfit To Be Mayor
Jyoti Gondek Is Unfit To Be Mayor
Thursday night, I attended my first Menorah Lighting ever. Had Jyoti Gondek, the Mayor of Calgary not announced her boycott of the event, I would have not taken the time to go. But I am glad I did. It was a great celebration, a reminder that light always prevails over darkness, and the only political…
-
Continue Reading →: From Peronismo to Libertarianism: Milei’s Climate Change in Argentina, Part 2.
From Peronismo to Libertarianism: Milei’s Climate Change in Argentina, Part 2.
Here we are, continuing in Part 2 of our report on Argentina’s freshly-elected president, Javier Milei who will be sworn in on December 10. In Part 1, we delved into some media characterizations and the dominant ideological shift in Argentina. Now, we’re zooming in on the crux of the matter – Milei’s economic and political…
-
Continue Reading →: The Darkness Within: Moncton Mayor Rejects a Menorah
The Darkness Within: Moncton Mayor Rejects a Menorah
News that Dawn Arnold, the Mayor of Moncton, New Brunswick, has refused to display a menorah on city property this year, for the first time in two decades, has half the country shaking their heads in disbelief. Arnold claims that a menorah would violate the state’s neutrality toward religious faiths. But evidence shows plenty of Christian religious…
-
Continue Reading →: The Price of Privilege Meets Ideological Disconnect
The Price of Privilege Meets Ideological Disconnect
They all rose and applauded simultaneously, just as they always do, much like when then-Speaker Rota introduced former Nazi Yaroslav Hunka to the House of Commons on September 22. It’s a reflex, but one that can be resisted. Rising to clap after the leader gives a spirited retort seems natural for front and backbenchers alike.…
-
Continue Reading →: From Peronismo to Libertarianism: Javier Milei’s Argentine Climate Change, Part 1.
From Peronismo to Libertarianism: Javier Milei’s Argentine Climate Change, Part 1.
The climate has radically changed in Argentina; the political and economic climate of ideas, that is. Argentina has a new president, who promises to usher in a new era for the country’s beleaguered economy and its political culture. His name is Javier Gerardo Milei, and he was elected on November 19, 2023. He is practically unknown…
-
Continue Reading →: Risks in Trade Talk Shutdown: India’s Economy and Saskatchewan’s Prosperity
Risks in Trade Talk Shutdown: India’s Economy and Saskatchewan’s Prosperity
Ottawa’s announcement that it is shutting down trade talks with India until India cooperates with the investigation into the murder of a Khalistani terrorist on Canadian soil last June is about much more than it appears. Prime Minister Trudeau is putting the Canada-India trade relationship in greater jeopardy for reasons that are unrelated to trade: First, Trudeau…
-
Continue Reading →: Celebrating Freedom with Responsibility
Celebrating Freedom with Responsibility
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech. The principle of free speech is a vital component of any democratic society that values individual liberty and open discourse. However, in this fostering of free speech, it is crucial to recognize that with this absolute right comes a responsibility to ensure…
-
Continue Reading →: Why does a post-national state need a national broadcaster?
Why does a post-national state need a national broadcaster?
Over 630 nations inhabit Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claims that it is a “post-national” state, not a nation. If Canada isn’t a nation, what nation does the “national” broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) serve?
-
Haultain Research Welcomes David A. McLellan as Senior Fellow
CALGARY, ALBERTA – 10 November 2023 The Haultain Research Institute, a leading independent educational organization dedicated to addressing structural inequities affecting landlocked Canadian provinces, is thrilled to announce the newest addition to its team, Mr. David A. McLellan, who joins as a Senior Fellow and will co-host the Institute’s podcast, “Thought Farming.” Haultain President, Dr.…
Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Marco Navarro-Génie Media Announcement Public Finance and Fiscal FederalismContinue Reading →: Haultain Research Welcomes David A. McLellan as Senior Fellow -
Continue Reading →: A Time for Clarity: “Never Again” Must Truly Mean Never Again.
A Time for Clarity: “Never Again” Must Truly Mean Never Again.
On September 13, 2001, the front page of the French newspaper Le Monde, one of the most widely read newspapers in that country, read: “Nous sommes tous américains,” (We are all Americans).1 It remains a grateful and moving piece, which I encourage everyone to read or re-read. Despite France’s troubled history with Jews and a sizeable Muslim…
