Category Archives: Politics

For an Elected Governor General

No, not me – Michael Bliss.

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. He’ll [...]

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 up: [...]

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 have focused [...]

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 to [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Thought For the Day

Texas is a distinct society within the United States.

Galloway

I’ve just read the Federal Court’s decision in the Galloway case. It’s as odd and interesting as the controversy itself. Here’s why: Media reports have suggested that Galloway was ruled inadmissible under Section 34(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which allows immigration officers to exclude a foreign national on security grounds if the [...]

On Subsidizing the Press

Apropos my previous post, I note that David Akin is highlighting the Conservative Government’s decision to subsidize a politically conservative regional news magazine. Says Akin: This, of course, was the day after CBC announced about 800 layoffs because of a budget shortfall it hoped Canada’s government, on behalf of all taxpayers, might cover. For better [...]