As I prepare for a trip to Europe, I am relieved to know that Canada’s image there is one I can be proud of.
After all, not that long ago most Europeans were celebrating the Chrétien government’s decision not to join George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, and, more recently, Paul Martin’s decision not to participate in his highly questionable Ballistic Missile Defence scheme.
As a Canadian, therefore, I can hold my head high on the other side of the Atlantic. I might even wear a maple leaf pin on my lapel.
Environment and sustainability
A new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says it is time there was a serious public debate in Saskatchewan about resource royalties.
The report shows that resource royalties in Saskatchewan are among the lowest in the world. The report also documents trends around the world which show that governments in most other jurisdictions are increasing royalty rates and control over resource industries.
Inside this issue:
BC Budget 2005: A Missed Opportunity
Who Benefits? Revisiting BC’s Income Tax Cuts
The $150 Million Question: What Does New K-12 Funding Mean For BC’s Schools?
Is the Province Equipped to Tackle the Pine Beetle’s Long-term Impact?
BC’s Economic Recovery: The Role of Commodity Prices
As many British Columbians know, the province is witnessing one of its biggest logging booms in decades. More trees are falling than ever in the Interior, and will for years to come. But today’s boom presages a dark future wherein resource-dependent communities and the provincial treasury both will be hit hard.
In his speech to the Western Silvicultural Contractors Association in Prince George, Ben Parfitt shows that British Columbia must:
In law enforcement, appearance is everything. When you wear a uniform, when you have a badge, when you carry a gun, people pay attention.
Now that Ralph Klein has won his fourth term as Alberta premier, Canadians ought to let him enjoy the party, financed as it is by Alberta’s massive oil, gas, and coal reserves along with high oil prices and a rising Canadian dollar. But, as with any party, there comes a time to clean up. The consequences of Klein’s party include massive greenhouse gas emissions from extracting, refining, and using fossil fuels.
It looks as though Paul Martin is leaning toward supporting B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s campaign to lift the federal ban on drilling for oil in the Pacific Coast sea bed.
In his pre-election cabinet shuffle, Martin dumped David Anderson as Minister of the Environment. Anderson had wavered between fence-sitting and environmental protection. On the green side of his personality, he was—and remains—a strong defender of the federal moratorium on Pacific Coast offshore oil drilling.