Our policymakers must start reflecting on the consequences of their actions
The more time that passes, the more the restrictions on our lives seem to have run their course in the eyes of the population. At least that’s what a February 1st Angus Reid poll indicates: Fifty-four per cent of Canadians believe it’s time to lift the restrictions and let people who have COVID, or who…
Rather than a belief in science, believe in the scientific method
“Experts Ought to Be On Tap and Not On Top.” – George William Russell, 1910 This quote, which is possibly from a certain George William Russell from Ireland and first seen publicly in an Irish newspaper in 1910, puts forward a crucial insight and piece of wisdom that way too many policymakers seem to have…
A sensible government would immediately recognize that it is playing with fire
On October 15, I penned an opinion piece on Bill 96. It remains clear to me that this bill needlessly sows confusion regarding the eligibility of hundreds of thousands of anglophone Quebecers to receive health care in English, and would also prove a major hindrance to Quebec companies seeking to tap into the vast potential…
Quebec companies that do business abroad will have an incentive to base some of their more vital operations outside the province
Representing barely two per cent of the North American population, Quebecers have always had good reason to feel sensitive when it comes to the vitality of French. Concerns about linguistic and cultural assimilation have led to several waves of government intervention aiming to protect the language of Molière. Bill 96 is only the latest manifestation…
The conflation of state and individual has long been popular among those who crave power over others
Last spring, Trent University Professor Christopher Dummitt took us all to task for our insufficient dedication to the collective – which, he worries, leaves those who “call for national sacrifice” on behalf of “the collective will” in a bind, bereft of the obedience they deserve. Dummitt’s alleged “collective action problem” betrays a fundamentally illiberal misunderstanding…
Diversity helps prevent groupthink
Late last year, Nasdaq filed a proposal with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to “require most Nasdaq-listed companies to have, or explain why they do not have, at least two diverse directors, including one who self-identifies as female and one who self-identifies as either an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+.” Failure to meet these new…