Thoughts on BC Politics and More

If Team Canada brings the same gimmicky craftiness to the World Cup that the NDP government displayed in disclosing the costs of hosting it, then by God, we could win this thing! The BC government’s own betting parlour (PlayNow) is currently offering a $150 return on every dollar bet on that outcome. Those government odds makers don’t seem to recognize home-field advantage. But if Team Canada learns ball-handling skills from the way the BC government juggled the hot-potato cost issue, it might be worth taking a flyer on Canada to win ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Premier David Eby and federal minister Dominic LeBlanc are in Vancouver today for a high-profile forestry summit, promising support for workers and businesses struggling under the weight of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty.   We welcome any real relief for forestry workers and their families, but let’s not pretend this summit is anything more than damage control for a crisis the NDP helped create.   The annual allowable cut (AAC) in BC is approximately 63 million cubic metres; however, last year, before Trump’s new tariffs, we only harvested 32 million.   This year? We’ll likely fall below 30.   That’s not because of international trade. That’s because of years of provincial mismanagement, red tape, and policy paralysis.   David Eby’s government has tied the forestry sector in knots with broken permitting systems, ideological land-use policies, and a stumpage model that has left us uncompetitive, undercut, and exposed. Now, with tariff...

Canada’s labour movement dodged a bullet in April’s federal election. The bullet from the right was deflected slightly off course by the collective decision of Canadian voters to consolidate the centre-left vote behind Marc Carney’s Liberals. But it was a very close call after surging and ebbing political waves saw a late shift of working class voters back towards the Conservatives—the presumptive winners until the new American imperialism threatened Canadian sovereignty and fundamentally shifted the dynamic and direction of federal politics. Canadian unions welcomed the result with relief and are now searching for points of influence and collaboration with the Carney government to hold the line on past gains and defend worker interests in the ongoing trade war and the coming program of “nation-building” projects. There are a few seats for labour at several of the new government’s tables, but unions are one of many interest groups in the ever-widening ‘Team Canada’ camp. Moreover, Cana...

Alberta Premier, Danielle Smith, the darling of billionaire Texas oil men, recently told far-right media voice Breitbart that the US should pause its tariffs against Canada because it is benefiting the Liberals. Trump should want the CPC to win because "the perspective that Pierre would bring would be very much in sync with, I think…the new direction in America." Premier Smith is now the darling of the American far-right, addressing gatherings of American oil interests, speaking on popular right wing media, and appearing as a guest at a high profile fund raiser event with a noted MAGA mouthpiece. Meanwhile, she's been refusing to support Team Canada, actively promoting Poilievre, attacking Prime Minister Carney and trying to threaten and extort the federal government with a host of political demands that she claims must be met in 6 months to "avoid an unprecedented nation unity crisis." That's right, she's using this critical moment in Canada's histo...

The COVID-19 response has changed the boundaries between the public and the private sectors. Post-pandemic Canada will have to function differently than pre-pandemic Canada. The report from May 2020, prepared for Resource Works by Karen Graham of KMG Strategy, argues that Canadian decision-makers should take the opportunity of this enforced pause to consider appropriate public policy to strengthen Canada’s advantages while repairing the structural impediments that have held back the country’s progress in recent years. The rebuild phase offers the opportunity to strengthen Canada’s advantages, including ways to unleash the potential of Canada’s critical resource sectors – including energy, mining, forestry and agriculture – and the infrastructure and mechanisms needed to get them to internal and external markets. Establishing this “Next Normal” requires a Team Canada approach where many actors in policy development work together more intensely than in ...