Environment

Canadian Economy
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a good chart can explain billions. With just a few simple lines, a chart can bring complicated economic facts into sharp focus – revealing, for example, the growing gap in living standards between Canada and the U.S. since 2015. Or the $127 billion in excess spending by the federal Liberals even before the pandemic hit. Or the impact of the recent spike in inflation. Using seven custom-created charts, Matthew Lau illustrates and explains the financial devastation wrought by the Trudeau government’s fiscal policies throughout the Canadian economy. Troublingly, Lau’s final three charts suggest the worst is yet to come.
Energy Politics
Perhaps the Liberal Party of Canada’s new tagline could become a play on an old song, something like “Up, up and awaaaaay, in our magical, our magical balloon.” As they waft ever-higher, the rest of us will be left behind to deal with the remains. The Liberals’ magical thinking, notes Gwyn Morgan, largely revolves around the fantasy that Canada’s transition to “net zero” can simply be declared, demanded and decreed while Canada’s oil and natural gas sector is regulated out of existence. This is worse than naïve, Morgan argues, it is colossally irresponsible, already doing real damage by indirectly enriching Russia’s war machine. And if not reversed soon it portends even worse for Canadians and others around the world. Morgan offers a bracing list of facts to puncture the Liberal airship.
Environmental Politics
Are dandelions a blight on the landscape, or a lovely splash of yellow in an otherwise monotonous green landscape? In most parts of the country, this backyard debate was settled years ago – in favour of the weeds. With cosmetic pesticide bans in effect across a majority of provinces, it has become impossible for homeowners and local parks departments to defend their once-verdant lawns and outdoor spaces against weedy and unsightly invaders. Now, however, one province is bucking environmental fashion after taking heed of homeowners, municipalities and the federal agency charged with the safe regulation of chemical pesticides. Peter Shawn Taylor talks to advocates on both sides of the issue and wonders what it will take for all of Canada to enjoy a greener future.
Environmental Policy
Calling environmentalism an ersatz religion may be overdone these days. But only because it’s such an accurate observation about a movement that demands absolute faith, expounds ineffable mysteries and warns of a terrifying Apocalypse. Given its recent success in spreading the message, what are the origins of this modern-day crusade? Going back four decades to the Amazon rainforests, Martin Grünn charts the early stirrings of the environmental movement as an irresistible political and social force in Canada and around the world. Then as now, money and power are the keys to imposing a new global dogma.
Land-Use Politics
Officious municipal bureaucrats are nothing new, Kafkaesque permitting processes are routine, and nosy bylaw officers interfering with property owners, home-business operators or pet owners are a familiar sight. But what is going on in British Columbia’s Gulf Islands is on a whole different level. There, many long-time island residents and business owners fear that an out-of-control environmental “trust” stands to ruin their livelihoods, lifestyles and properties. Doug Firby investigates and finds ideology running roughshod over common sense, planning overriding practicality and panic over climate change crowding out the accommodation of human needs.
Campaign 2021
As the federal election campaign degenerates from vicious name-calling to literal sticks and stones, the idea of governing the country by balancing competing visions, policies, regions and demands seems quaint, if not antique. But perhaps this absence of equilibrium only serves to highlight its value. Preston Manning makes the case for bringing greater balance to a wide range of topics, including economic policies, Covid-19 restrictions, the environment, federal-provincial relations and even identity politics. What’s required to get there are political leaders committed to hearing both sides of the issues – and an electorate that demands it.
Metropolitan Hypocrisy
Do you ever feel that “progressive” politics is mainly about denying basic realities? Cities are great economic engines, but their dynamism rests on a foundation of natural advantages that, writes James R. Coggins, we would be fools to ignore and self-destructive to deny. Vancouver’s left-leaning political establishment, however, seems hell-bent on constructing a utopia of parallel realities that, Coggins argues, spit in the eye of Vancouver’s economic drivers and, if not confronted, can only lead to a great city’s decline.
Common Sense Climate Action
Raising Canada’s carbon emissions could be a good thing – if it drove far bigger cuts to emissions elsewhere in the world. Rather than fixating on forcing domestic emissions reductions and thereby beggaring Canadian industries, Michael Binnion wants Canadian climate change policy to look at the big picture. Doing so, he explains, could not only generate jobs and wealth at home but maximize the worldwide environmental benefits.
Common Sense Climate Action
Earth Day triggered the usual round of apocalyptic warnings and crazed publicity stunts, this time accompanied by the sad sight of schoolchildren warning adults that the world is doomed and today’s kids are destined for an early death. The facts, however, speak powerfully in the opposite direction, writes Josh Dehaas. He too endured eco-brainwashing as a schoolkid but eventually grew out of it, living proof the affliction is survivable.
Canada & LNG
As billions of people in developing countries demand more of everything, especially cheap energy, Canada can help meet the need and improve the global environment by exporting liquefied natural gas. So why are some Canadians trying to thwart the idea, insisting we fight climate change all by ourselves? Not only would this further hobble our economy but, Steve Larke and Adam LeDain contend, exporting LNG represents the much stronger environmental and moral case.

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