The Crown corporation could be worth up to $30 billion if divested. But it could be worthless if it can’t realize its assets as cash
By Ian Madsen and Alexandra Burnett Frontier Centre for Public Policy Export Development Canada (EDC) is unable to convert its reported profits into cash, posing an increasing risk to Canadian taxpayers. And it has been funding ventures that are normally considered too risky for commercial banks to handle. EDC is a federal Crown corporation that…
Why should the U.S. not put barriers up against our products when we so effectively keep out some of theirs?
Sometimes political parties and the governments and oppositions they form forget that they exist to improve and enhance the lives of the Canadians who vote for them. So it made me very happy to see the federal Conservatives pressuring the Liberal government to let us know what a carbon tax would cost the average Canadian…
Decades after the ’60s Scoop, we're no closer to a successful model to help children from troubled homes
The ’60s Scoop is back in the news again. And we're no closer to a solution to a problem that has plagued the nation for generations. The federal government has set aside $875 million for Indigenous adults who were adopted into non-Indigenous homes in the 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s. Those who accept the money…
There's no evidence the tribal loyalty of the past can exist today. And today's financial limits will ultimately handicap any government
With Doug Ford’s surprisingly decisive Ontario election win, you might wonder about going back to the future. Specifically, is the Progressive Conservatives’ fabled Big Blue Machine rolling again? Younger voters may find this hard to credit, but there was a time when the Progressive Conservatives consistently dominated Ontario politics. Beginning in 1943, they won 12…
B.C. still exports coal because to do otherwise would be to kill jobs in the province. The contrast with its pipeline stance is startling
Many opponents of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion justify their opposition by citing concerns about climate change and carbon emissions, but this raises some important questions. What about coal? Vancouver is North America's largest exporter of coal, one-third of it thermal coal for generating electricity. Vancouver exports U.S. coal because Oregon and Washington have stopped…
A new survey says people are looking at journalism with new respect in these troubled times
It’s true. The 2018 survey by Cision of 1,355 journalists from across six countries discovered that perceived trust in professional journalists improved by 20 per cent this year. Cision is a global provider of media software. Yes, sadly, journalists felt underappreciated by 91 per cent of the general public up until last year. And fake…
By living lives of integrity, by doing our best despite our imperfections, we find a way to move forward
When saying goodbye to people, I’ll often add: “And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.” While I’ve always been aware this phrase was giving people something significant to ponder, I didn’t know its history. It’s actually attributed to Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher. In 1994, Jon Kabat-Zinn expanded on this idea in…
Public policy discourse needs to move away from where Indigenous issues are paramount to where they’re one set among many
Indigenous people too often seem to think that their rights are absolute or act as if their rights trump everything else. This attitude was seen clearly in a reaction from the Saskatchewan-based Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) after the Saskatchewan government changed the policy regarding when people can hunt on summer pasture lands. All…
Good performances don't happen by accident – they're a result of positive and tactical thinking. So train your thoughts
It’s officially summer! School is done. The kids are excited about sprinklers, beaches and long bike rides with friends. Your colleagues are booking time off and your work productivity might be suffering a bit. With the birds chirping and a lawn chair calling your name, it can be really challenging to muster up the motivation…
Canadian production is booming. It hardly needs more official intervention – and funding – to continue to grow
Those of you who have fled the walled garden that constitutes Canada’s regulated Can-con broadcasting system for the freedom of the Internet, beware: the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is ready to round you up. After years of news, information, education and entertainment being available unregulated from whatever source you want on a platform…
By Ian Madsen and Alexandra Burnett Frontier Centre for Public Policy Export Development Canada (EDC) is unable to convert its reported profits into cash, posing an increasing risk to Canadian taxpayers. And it has been funding ventures that are normally considered too risky for commercial banks to handle. EDC is a federal Crown corporation that…
