The critics of judicial activism tend to focus on the Supreme Court (SCC) and its individual decisions. I think that’s a mistake. There are systemic forces at work undermining the…
Read More
We all know that uncertainty is the great enemy of prosperity, but people often forget why that’s true. Uncertainty’s great cost is that most forms of investment require years to…
One of President Obama’s recent themes in his criticism of the Keystone XL pipeline is the dismissive comment that it will transport “Canadian oil”, as if that were obviously a…
Yes, there is something deeply unattractive about the scold who smugly wallows in others’ debacles because he warned that the worst might happen. On the other hand, sometimes the scold…
Canadians are so used to the economic action being in places like BC and Alberta (and once upon a time in Ontario!) that they have missed the dark horse coming…
Lost in the angst about income inequality is the fundamental point that the poor’s purchasing power is increasing all the time. Innovation is the chief explanation, as I lay out…
Energy East, TransCanada Pipeline’s proposal to bring Alberta crude to the east coast, has a lot to be said for it. Unfortunately, a lot of it is not true! Don’t…
This month we celebrate 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. That world-shaking event occurred in part in response to Ronald Reagan’s calling out of Mikhail Gorbatchev: “Mr…
Nobody loves America as Canada does, but you know how the saying goes, to get a friend, be a friend. And in this week’s column for the Globe’s Economy Lab…
In 2006 Nokia was making 40% of the smartphones in the world. Today it makes none, having sold its failing business to Microsoft. Nokia’s home country, Finland, has been reeling…