Blogs are opinion pieces and reflect their author’s views
With the election of Justin Trudeau and the Liberals much of the policy framework that has defined the last decade or so of Stephen Harper’s government will be subjected to close scrutiny, none more so than Canada’s China policy. Despite the presence in Toronto of two (now four) pandas happily munching their way through half […]
A good and responsive regulatory system must consider the needs of all of the stakeholders. In the case of energy regulation in Alberta, there are a host of stakeholders involved, including the private sector companies wishing to undertake energy development, landowners, neighbours, First Nations, special interest groups, governments at various levels (including those acting on […]
Although no one would ever mistake me for a Liberal, I’m in favour of Justin Trudeau’s proposal to legalize the possession and sale of marijuana. I follow the lead of distinguished libertarian-conservative thinkers such as Milton Friedman and Michael Walker, who have argued that the state has no business penalizing people for their preference in […]
In an earlier SPP post, I paid tribute to Walter Berns and Harry Jaffa on the occasion of their almost simultaneous passing in January 2015. Subsequently, I was privileged to participate in a roundtable on the work and legacy of Walter Berns organized by the Claremont Institute for the annual meeting of the American Political […]
I've been working closely for a couple of years now on the regulation of Canadian financial institutions and financial markets. However, I learned a few things recently when I attended a panel on payday lending. A payday loan in Alberta is a short-term loan of up to two months to a maximum amount of $1500. […]