Category Archives: Politics

Blog Update

So I haven’t been blogging much, clearly; the job really doesn’t leave much time for it. But I’ve set myself a target of one column-length piece of writing a week. I’ve been submitting to The Mark, which I really recommend as a general matter—they have a really interesting mix of contributors, and you’ll [...]

For an Elected Governor General

No, not me – Michael Bliss.

American Diplomacy

Monday, March 29:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a rare public rebuke to close ally Canada on Monday, criticizing it for excluding key nations from a meeting to discuss the resource-rich Arctic. . . .
“Significant international discussions on Arctic issues should include those who have legitimate interests in the region,” Clinton said in a [...]

On David Frum

If you think David Frum’s departure from AEI was some sort of travesty of small-minded conservative extremism, read this and this, and then consider that Frum’s separation from the intellectual heart of American conservatism is both (a) completely in line with his career trajectory and (b) a boon to his career prospects going forward. [...]

For, and Against, an Elected GG

In light of my brief post calling for an elected governor general, Catelli over at Not Quite Unhinged asked if I’d be interested in expanding on my idea in the context of a debate with ‘Sir Francis’ of Dred Tory. Never one to shy from a debate, I agreed; the first round is now [...]

Want to Re-Empower Parliament?

Return executive power to the Governor General, and elect her.

Two Speeches

President Obama and former Vice President Cheney both gave speeches today on the same topic: America’s response to terrorism. The two speeches—whose back-to-back timing was apparently coincidental—constitute a rare and important thing: a thoughtful, lengthy, and well-articulated statement of two contrasting policy approaches to one of the major issues of our time. Others [...]

Why Not Intra-Riding STV?

I’m swamped with work at the moment and haven’t had a chance to do any real (non-work) writing, but yesterday’s BC election–and particularly the rejectiond of a single-transferable vote system of quasi-proportional representation–has me thinking. I must confess to not having followed the BC (or earlier BC and Ontario) PR debates closely with respect [...]

That’s Not the Final Answer

Jason Kenney:
Mr. Galloway received a preliminary notice of determination by the Canadian Border Services Agency that he might be inadmissible to Canada, I gather based in large part on his public admission that he provided funds to Hamas, a banned illegal terrorist organization, which would seem–on the face of it–to constitute grounds for inadmissibility under [...]

Khadr and The Prime Minister

[Note: I have to tread lightly here, so forgive me if this is a little opaque.]
The Federal Court issued an opinion today ordering the Canadian government to request Omar Khadr’s repatriation from Guantanamo Bay. Two thoughts:
First, the opinion’s logic strikes me as flawed. The fundamental holding is that Khadr’s Section 7 Charter rights [...]