Clapping For Stalin

We have all seen them. We all know some of them. Those folks who will kiss their master’s posterior without end, to curry his favour or to save their own skins. Authority has a funny way of creating its own accolades, whether deserved or definitely not.

Interprovincial and International Trade Comparison

Canada is a vast country with most of its population stretched in a long, discontinuous belt parallel to the southern border. Perhaps not surprisingly, international trade is a bigger money-maker than domestic trade. Here is some data to illustrate.

The Rise and Fall of Responsible Government

The day the feds launch the legally mandated Emergency Act inquiry is also the day, 173 years ago, that the old parliament building in Montréal was burned. In short, the day one threat to parliamentary government was defeated is also the day we start investigating another. Odd timing, and no doubt unintentional. One day, could April 25 be associated with Canadian democracy’s beginning, and the beginning of its end?

Median Hourly Wages by Industry

A ways back, this blog looked at how the labour force size per industry changed during the past two decades in Canada. This post will look a bit more in depth at how Canadian industrial labour forces have changed over 1997 to 2020, both in numbers and median wages. For starters, median wages. The following

George Brown Speaks of a Greater Good

George Brown had this to say[1] about the Great Coalition, the broad political alliance between George Brown’s liberals, John A. Macdonald’s Canada West conservatives, and George-Étienne Cartier’s Canada East bleus in the old United Province that drove Confederation: “For myself, sir, I care not who gets the credit of this scheme… the whole feeling in

Dysfunctional Health Care Politics

Health care has entered the federal election debate a few days ago, with its usual nastiness. Let’s look at some data on how the health care system in this country stacks up against others. For starters, here is some of the OECD’s data on total health expenditure (government and private)[1]. Rendered in chart form: Among

What Actually is the State? (Part 2)

Now that we have defined the state as a collection of social norms, behaviours and mass-delusions, let’s apply that analysis to the state in Canada for some cheap laughs. Starting with the parliaments. For each of them, a bunch of opinionated quarrelsome folks chosen by a popularity contest gather in a place. Using a long

What Actually is the State? (Part 1)

We have all seen, read, or heard it. Whether it is a member of the federal Cabinet declaring “Canada’s” position on any given thing, a think tank trying to gauge “Ontario’s” health care policy, or a scholar trying to interpret “France’s” foreign policy, or a police officer helpfully explaining “Manitoba’s” property laws to an oblivious

Defence Policy? Not this Election!

Elections used to be about discussing public policy and where the country’s future could be best secured. Given this, and given recent events, it is remarkable that foreign policy and security policy aren’t in the conversation. The long-running saga to replace the RCAF’s tactical fighter fleet is now more than 10 years old. Once the

Food Insecurity in Canada

There is an old saying: “A country is always only a few missed meals from revolution.” It is based on the old observation that societies that have a large and desperate underclass tend to become politically unstable. After all, if you have nothing left to lose and are faced with starvation, your loyalty to the