One of the things that has always struck me about Canada is that whatever powers the provinces have must be respected without question and if they exercise them everyone rushes…
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In my latest column for the Ottawa Citizen and other Postmedia papers I dissect the significance of the European Court of Justice’s decision to recognise an individual’s “right to be…
In my column for the ROB’s (Globe and Mail) Economy Lab today I put under the microscope the Supreme Court of Canada’s doctrine of the Crown’s duty to consult and…
Recent events in both South Africa (successful elections) and Northern Ireland (arrest and release of Gerry Adams) provide the backdrop for this week’s column in the Ottawa Citizen and other…
“Social licence” is a concept on everyone’s lips these days as we debate pipelines, dangerous rail cargoes, appropriate forestry policies, etc. But this benign sounding term conceals a multitude of…
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled out almost all of Ottawa’s attempt at Senate reform that would skirt the need for a constitutional amendment. So be it (even though…
In my latest for the Globe’s ROB I explore the idea that what really makes Canada rich isn’t our natural resource endowment, but the nesting of that endowment within a…
Something quite close to the heart today: my reflections on the character and achievements of a man I greatly admired, Jim Flaherty. His death yesterday of a heart attack brought…
In my fortnightly column for the Globe’s Economy Lab (in the ROB) I take aim at those apostles of the status quo who claim there is nothing wrong with Canadian…
Much of the commentary I’ve read about Russia’s smash and grab of Crimea misses the point about why this kind of behaviour must engage the west’s attention. Much more is…