Category: Canada’s Bolsheviks

Define “Everything”

Well, maybe everything except for an end to supply mismanagement and the US booze ban. It never occurs to our political masters that concessions on those items would actually be a win/win for everyone. David Eby needs to be reminded that Canada is like the guy at the poker table holding deuce-seven off suit. An all-in bet probably wouldn’t be a wise choice.

Ford called for tit-for-tat tariffs on Tuesday and suggested the provinces could “dismantle the U.S. if we wanted to” by exerting pressure through energy exports.

“If you need cards to get the agreement that we need on softwood lumber, to get the agreement that we need on growing prosperity for Americans and for Canadians again … then British Columbia will be there,” Eby said.

Manitoba Grifters

What’s the phrase “I’m willing to entertain…” supposed to mean anyway? That he’s going to hold the project ransom at some point? It would be nice to hear “I enthusiastically endorse…” instead, but that would probably land him in hot water with the greenies.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says he’s open to a west-east pipeline being pitched by his counterparts in Alberta and Ontario.

But he says major projects like pipelines need to be built the right way, by addressing environmental concerns and bringing Indigenous governments on board.

Is Canada A Suicide Pact?

Apparently most provincial premiers cannot grasp that these tactics have the same chance of success as an economy sedan playing chicken with a bus. Wiser leaders would know enough to concede before it’s too late.

British Columbia Premier David Eby delivered ​the ​starkest message: “There is not a chance in hell that U.S. alcohol is going back on the ​shelves in British Columbia.”

Canadian Exceptionalism

If opposition to concrete buildings full of computers is this intense, that leads me to believe that a pipeline from Alberta to Sarnia is never going to happen. It beggars belief that Wab Kinew would kill the idea of a data center in Manitoba, yet propose a pipeline to Churchill. The bad economics of that aside, does he think that the greenies will sign off on a pipeline crossing the tundra?

Olds residents have been rallying against a proposal for a 10-building campus with a total of 1.4 gigawatts of gas-fired power generation. In June, opponents held a protest in Vancouver to demonstrate against the opening of AI data centres. In Hamilton, a proposal to put a data centre campus on the harbourfront has sparked fierce pushback.

 

Strangled Assets

I can identify another problem with supply mismanagement: if it were to end, your assets may suddenly be worth a lot less than they used to be, maybe even less than your debts.

A company that earns guaranteed margins because a regulation, exclusive contract or closed market keeps competitors out tends to stop doing the things that keep a business sharp. It stops scrutinizing its cost structure, investing in efficiency or asking how it would cope or what it would charge if its customers had somewhere else to go. The protection may feel like a moat. In practice, it is closer to an anaesthetic.

False Alarm!

I see the court economists are at it again, carrying water as they do for the new PM. They need to understand that massive spending on money losing, capital consuming circuses like FIFA does not add to GDP; that should actually be counted as a subtraction.

While CIBC was already expecting a “healthy rebound” in the second quarter, Grantham said the period was also “flattered somewhat by a rebound in mining, oil and gas, as well as potentially a boost from FIFA World Cup spending and preparations.”

Hard Pass On The Low Hanging Fruit

The Liberals could make some easy, win/win concessions to the US on trade if they really wanted to. They are the only party that could afford to dismantle supply mismanagement, electorally speaking. And Blubber Dougie would fold like a cheap tent on the booze ban if Carney insisted. But Canadians seem to prefer the passive aggressive route instead.

The U.S. has also complained about Canada’s administration of dairy import quotas created under USMCA and raised concerns over milk pricing policies and market ‌access for U.S. dairy products. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government ⁠has said previously supply management will not be on the negotiating table.

The Extremist Boogeyman

If you follow the mainstream media, ever notice how conservatives seem to be the only group that is ever criticized for being “divisive”? Margaret Thatcher had a great label for politicians like Amelia Boultbee: wets.

She said in a social media post that Findlay’s election had left a void in the political landscape for those who are looking for an alternative to “NDP incompetence.”

“I feel strongly that British Columbian is best served, when it is represented by a government that values broad perspectives and stays away from polarizing extremes,” the post said. “I believe that the majority of British Columbians feel the same.”

 

Small Victories

I’d rather that the Supreme Court ruled that aboriginal title doesn’t apply to government land either, since the acceptance of that precedent has already saddled taxpayers with billions of dollars in undeserved payouts, but at least someone finally drew a line in the sand.

The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld a ruling that Aboriginal title cannot be declared over private land, in a decision the federal government says will have an impact on the Cowichan Tribes case in British Columbia.

 

Falling On Deaf Ears

It’s not just the federal government that isn’t that interested in Balsillie’s advice. Most provincial governments couldn’t care less either.

Balsillie said those who thrive in today’s economy own and control intangible assets such as data, AI and IP, and the U.S. has “turbocharged their capture,” but Canada’s economic game plan has stayed stuck in the decades-old “tangible production economy era,” while the new assets of the new economy require different strategies.

What’s In A Name?

Changing place names isn’t cheap, and it’s not made any better when the new names are often jibberish. But all levels of government in Canada seem to be happy to accept this new millstone around their necks.

The replacement of Powell River is already occurring, piece by piece and without public consultation. Powell River General Hospital was renamed in 2022, followed by the school board, both replacing “Powell River” with the name “qathet,” which means “working together.” Furthermore, the regional Vancouver Island University satellite campus was renamed to “tiwšɛmawtxʷ,” meaning “house of learning,” to eliminate references to Israel Powell, a controversial colonial official.

Ransom Demands

I’m aware of the arguments that colonialists stole land from indigenous folks, but I didn’t know that they deserve some form of reparations for the ocean winds that we are apparently stealing as well. Can anyone make this make sense?

“We’ve seen a lot of positive momentum in advancing economic reconciliation in renewable energy projects as well as other sectors,” congress co-chair Bob Gloade, chief of the Millbrook First Nation in Nova Scotia, said in a statement.

“However, there is a lot of work left to be done. There needs to be committed focus on integration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses in the offshore wind energy sector.”

Stranded Assets

Ownership without the right to sell an asset means that you aren’t actually the owner of that asset; you’re a serf.

There’s a case to indefinitely keep the Trans Mountain pipeline in government hands, possibly alongside Indigenous partners, say the leaders of its operator and financial overseer.

“It has incredible value,” said Wademan. “There’s absolutely a case to be a long term holder … I personally would love to see it owned by Canadians.”

The Sinking Blowhard

I’ve got a better idea as to how the Ontario Tories can regain their lead: get Dougie to resign. If he still wants a career in politics, he can run federally for the Liberals. Somehow I doubt they’d want him.

Now Ontarians have both a prime minister who speaks like a Conservative (sometimes) but spends like a Liberal, and a premier who speaks like a Conservative (until recently) and also spends like a Liberal. What can Doug Ford do to reverse his drop in the polls? Maybe he could try talking — and more importantly, spending and governing — like a real Conservative.

Circling The Drain

Unaffordable housing creates a lot more problems than declining provincial education funding as families move to cheaper abodes. But then again, the same people bemoaning this problem are likely the same ones who cheered for zero percent interest rates that sparked the housing bubble to begin with.

Families aren’t just moving to a different neighbourhood; they’re leaving the region entirely. Driven by a cost of living that has become unsustainable for many young parents, the “Surrey dream” is being packed into moving trucks and headed further east — out of the valley and, in many cases, out of the province.

Paleolithic Justice

Comments about raping those you dislike would normally get political leaders fired, but then again, this is Canada, and certain racially defined “elders” can say whatever they like.

During the session, Belleau recounted comments she said she directed at Frances Widdowson at a campus encounter in late 2025. “I told her: ‘I wish our people could grab you, drag you over to the Kamloops residential school, put you into the basement, speak our language to you — nothing but Secwepemctsín — beat you, rape you, hurt you,’” she recalled at the UBC event.

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