Thoughts on BC Politics and More

Why were our forebears more adventurous than we are today? Was it just that they had more empty space to explore, no GPS or instant communications to keep them safe, no social welfare state to protect them?  It’s all that and more, writes Murray Lytle. The derring-do of days past, he argues, sprang from a value system that admired courage and saw risk-taking as a social virtue – even a duty – that could expand knowledge and build a better world as well as protect the nation. Lytle urges our society to shake off its smothering safety culture and rediscover a sense of adventure ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The biggest comprehensive literature review to date has confirmed that Indigenous stewardship bolsters conservation goals. The literature review was published recently in People and Nature and found “a clear, positive relationship” between conservation and Indigenous stewardship, said lead author William Nikolakis, associate professor at the University of British Columbia faculty of forestry and environmental stewardship. “The evidence is clear that Indigenous Peoples’ lands do deliver conservation outcomes that are superior to, or at least equal to, state-run protected areas,” he told The Tyee. This is despite Indigenous lands largely not being protected by or formally recognized by their country, and Indigenous Peoples around the world largely not being paid for their stewardship by the state ... CLICK HERE for the full story

This summer could mark the final season for the Canadian Forces Snowbirds in their current form, as the Department of National Defence prepares to unveil a plan critics warn could ground the aerobatic team for years. Defence Minister David McGuinty is expected to announce changes Tuesday to the future of the Snowbirds, the iconic aerobatic squadron based in Moose Jaw, Sask. Critics fear the retirement of the CT-114 Tutor jets after the 2026 flying season — combined with what is typically a lengthy procurement process — could sideline the team for years, interrupting a tradition of more than five decades of aerial performance ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Canada is grappling with debates over national identity and security as well as international trade. Ottawa is navigating U.S. tariffs and Donald Trump’s threats of higher trade duties ahead of this July’s review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, while also managing populist and separatist movements, hate crimes, and broader pressures on national cohesion ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of Mark Carney’s second political honeymoon? Although the federal Liberals continue to lead their Conservative rivals in public support, new data from Liaison Strategies suggest the government’s approval ratings have taken a hit in recent weeks. Naturally, nuance is key here: net approval remains comfortably in positive territory, but the recent movement in the numbers can hardly be dismissed as mere statistical noise. According to the latest Liaison update — a two-week rolling poll fielded from May 4 to 16, 2026 — 56% of respondents approve of Mark Carney’s performance as Prime Minister of Canada, against 36% who expressed disapproval ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The U.S. undersecretary of defence said Monday that the United States is pausing a long-standing military board, claiming “Canada has failed to make credible progress on its defense commitments" ... ...  Colby said the United States can “can no longer avoid the gaps between rhetoric and reality” in the post, where he shared a link to a transcript of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. Carney never mentioned U.S. President Donald Trump during the widely applauded speech where he described a “rupture in the world order.” The address did garner the president’s attention and following the speech Trump referred to Carney as “governor.” But Canada has not been the main target of Trump’s ire in recent weeks ... CLICK HERE for the full story

When The Bureau published its analysis of Bill C-2 last fall, the diagnosis was unsparing. Ottawa had confused expansion of state power over ordinary Canadians with the enforcement tools Canada actually needs to confront the Chinese Triads, Mexican cartels, and hostile-state networks that have turned Canadian cities into operational platforms for the hemisphere’s most dangerous criminal organizations. The government has now repackaged that same flawed instinct under a new number. Bill C-22, the so-called Lawful Access Act, deserves the same verdict. The critics arriving at that conclusion now span an extraordinary coalition ... CLICK HERE for the full story

IMAGE CREDIT :  CBC News   Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a landmark agreement today committing Ottawa to designate a new pipeline to BC's west coast as a project of national interest by October 1, 2026, with construction approval targeted for September 1, 2027. The deal pairs the pipeline with a new industrial carbon pricing framework and a fall 2027 construction start. British Columbia, the province where the pipeline ends, where the jobs would land, and where the export terminal would be built, was nowhere at the table. "This is a nation-building deal, and the BC NDP have been locked out of the room," said Trevor Halford, Interim Leader of the Official Opposition.  "While the Prime Minister and the Premier of Alberta were doing the hard work of growing the Canadian economy, the NDP is on the sidelines calling this pipeline a 'fiction' and an 'energy vampire.'  He chose petulance over partnership, and now BC ...

The federal government says it is committed to supporting BC's struggling forestry sector in the face of U.S. import fees, and has announced a new $12-million fund to do so. But for those struggling, the help offered so far does not go far enough. "This is an insult," said John Brink, whose workforce at a trio of wood manufacturing plants in and around Prince George has dwindled from roughly 400 to about 30 people over the past year ... CLICK HERE for the full story