Is Canada lost?

by Catherine Swift

Average Canadians find it increasingly difficult to just to put food on the table. Pictured: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Photo Credit: Chrystia Freeland/X.  In recent months there have been many questions raised by average Canadians on social media, in the mainstream media and elsewhere asking if Canada is irreparably lost. People are understandably dismayed […]

Election dateline 2024

by Dave Redekop

The steps are clear and ordered. America has no excuse for lawlessness or ignorance regarding what happens in the weeks ahead. Pictured: U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump. Photo Credit: Donald Trump/X.  With voters in the United States having elected President-Elect Donald Trump as President Joe Biden’s successor, an election timeline can be chronicled. There are several […]

Prayer ban mars Remembrance Day

by Lee Harding

The ban on military chaplains from praying at public ceremonies is a stinging symbolic proof that freedoms our soldiers fought for have been lost. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left). Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  In 1945, the Allies won their battle against aggressive, expansive regimes that sought to subjugate everyone under their dominance. Now, almost […]

Trumped

by Catherine Swift

Trump swept all the key battleground states. Pictured: U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump. Photo Credit: Donald Trump/X.  The post-mortems on the U.S. election and exactly what happened to throw off all the pollsters, pundits, Hollywood glitterati and others will undoubtedly go on for some time. This election was, after all, pegged before the fact as the […]

Trump will soon be back in the White House thanks to the economic concerns of voters

by Josie Sabatino

  To pull off the win, Trump needed to effectively define the ballot box question on his terms. Pictured: U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump. Photo Credit: Donald Trump Jr./X.  It’s the economy, stupid.  In the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election, it really all came down to making life more affordable at the end of the […]

Making history in Election 2024 Part Two: Donald Trump

by Dave Redekop

Trump sits on the precipice of a resurgence achieved only one time. Pictured: Former President Donald Trump. Photo Credit: Donald Trump Jr./X.  The first of this two-part series examined the women’s vote and explored the history of the suffragette movement. The first installment provided a survey of some of the leading figures and the events […]

What’s going on in our schools?

by Catherine Swift

How do we put a stop to the ridiculous indoctrination of our children? Fire someone! Photo Credit: Adobe Stock Images.  The hits just keep on coming. Every time we see some outrageous event taking place in our public school system, and the overwhelmingly negative reaction to it, the vast majority of regular citizens must think […]

Making history in Election 2024: The women’s vote

by Dave Redekop

Vice President Kamala Harris has also made nods to the history of the women’s movement. Pictured: Suffragette leader Inez Milholland. Photo Credit: Library of Congress.  Vice President Kamala Harris sits on the precipice of history. The role of the women’s vote in the oncoming U.S. presidential election deserves some attention. The first female vice president […]

Justin Trudeau jumps the shark – again

by Chris George

It is as if the Trudeau Liberals believe they are able to suspend reality – and maintain Canadians’ trust and confidence. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  There was a tragicomical moment at the Justice Hogue inquiry on foreign interference this week when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau jumped the shark with his […]

A Toronto citizens group shows how to save schools

by Lee Harding

SOS TDSB continues to call out examples of activism superseding education. Photo Credit: Save our Schools TDSB/X.  Can anything be done for school boards that have fallen into wasteful spending, mediocrity and damaging ideologies? Yes, and Save our Schools TDSB is showing how. This coalition of students, parents, educators, and community members are tackling issues […]

XX day

by Catherine Swift

It’s time to fight back against a trend that will sound the death knell for women’s sports. Photo Credit: iStock.  In recent years, we have all been subjected to the spectacle of biological males competing with biological females in various sports competitions – right up to the Olympics – with the predictable outcome that the […]

The Canada we knew needs saving

by Janet Ecker

Canada’s is not a perfect history, but it is one that does not deserve to be vilified unfairly or torn down as something shameful.  Photo Credit: iStock.  A characteristic of getting older is that “the good old days” are remembered more fondly than today’s environment.  But this time, as we gaze out at our country […]

A grim anniversary – but hope too

by Catherine Swift

The hostages remain Israel’s number one priority, as they must. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock Images.  Next week we mark the one-year anniversary of the horrific October 7 unprovoked attack by the terrorist group Hamas on innocent civilians in Israel. Sadly, over the last year there have been no signs favouring resolution of the conflict in […]

Does Kamala Harris believe that peace remains the residue of strength?

by Dave Redekop

How would Harris respond to a foreign policy crisis in real time? Pictured: Kamala Harris. Photo Credit: Kamala Harris/X.  Besides the joy and vibes theme that has carried Vice President Kamala Harris the past couple of months, Harris has avoided questions about her policies, vision, or hopes for the nation she wants to lead. Former […]

Why the left calls Trump a stochastic terrorist

by Dave Redekop

If the Left wants to shut down speech they will need to fess up to the reality that it exists on both sides. Pictured: Former U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo Credit: Donald Trump Jr./X.  Former U.S. president Donald Trump recently survived a second assassination attempt. To listen to Democratic leaders and their entrenched media acolytes, […]

Truth must precede reconciliation

by Lee Harding

The truth only prevails if people want it, find it, and tell it. Pictured: Toppled and vandalized statue of Sir John A. Macdonald. Photo Credit: Joey Coleman via Flickr (Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)).  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report that inspired Orange Shirt Day was a worthy endeavor with substantial flaws. Some would […]

Few factor the compound effect of the carbon tax

by Chris George

A regular reader of the Niagara Independent who contacted me insisted that Canadians need to better understand how devastating the Liberals carbon tax is to our way of life. Photo Credit: iStock.  On Tuesday morning in the House of Commons, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a fiery appeal for support of a motion of non-confidence […]

Small businesses on the ropes

by Catherine Swift

These federal Liberals have never been friends of SMEs. Photo Credit: iStock.  Small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses (SMEs) have been having a pretty rough time of it lately, and we should all be concerned about that. The pandemic was hard on everyone and a full recovery from that terrible time has not yet taken place, […]

Union bosses show naked contempt for parents

by Lee Harding

Too many union leaders want to disciple school children with Cultural Marxist values. Photo Credit: Shutterstock.  It’s September and children are back to school. Fall has also renewed parental and citizen concerns over the sexualization of children in teaching and books with values contrary to those taught in their homes. Another 1 Million March for […]

The Carney factor

by Catherine Swift

Given the abysmal state of the Liberals’ popularity in Canada right now, it’s hard to see why Carney would want this hair shirt of an appointment. Pictured: Mark Carney. Photo Credit: Mark Carney/X.  News media has been full of discussion about Justin Trudeau’s appointment of Mark Carney, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England […]

The energy transition that isn’t

by Catherine Swift

Politicians promoting fairy tales should be ashamed of themselves. Pictured: Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Photo Credit: Steven Guilbeault/X. We are constantly barraged with messages from governments, corporations, third-party groups and others about how we are in the process of a massive transformation away from fossil fuels to sources of energy that are supposedly more climate-friendly. […]

The intolerant left

by Catherine Swift

We continue to tolerate groups that work to restrict our freedoms, large corporations that kowtow to this absurdity, and fund unions that support organizations that most Canadians would vigorously oppose. Pictured: CUPE’s Fred Hahn. Photo Credit: Fred Hahn/X.  This Labour Day weekend is a good time to contemplate the immense shifts we have seen in […]

Disgruntled staff would do well to remember that public service is a privilege

by Josie Sabatino

 If government staffers are so disenchanted with the Liberal Party and the policy decisions enacted by the Prime Minister, they would do well to quit. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  This week, CBC News reported that dozens of Liberal staffers would not lend their support to the government in pursuit of […]

Will America fall for a 2008 reboot?

by Dave Redekop

In about 10 weeks we will know the result of this bold plan to reboot the era of hope and change. Pictured: Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo Credit: Kamala Harris/X.  At the end of the Democratic Convention on Aug. 22, Matthew Continetti, founding editor of the Washington Free Beacon, member of the American Enterprise Institute, […]

Trudeau government’s policy record speaks volumes (part three)

by Chris George

Eleven more Trudeau government failures. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  Here is the current state of 11 Trudeau government programs that indicate nothing less than mismanagement, sheer incompetence, or calculated deceit – or a combination thereof.  TREES: In 2019 the Liberals promised to plant two billion trees by 2030. It took […]

Rocky Mountain High

by Catherine Swift

Photo Credit: Catherine Swift Now for something completely different.  This column is being written as I ride on the Rocky Mountaineer, a train that runs many different routes throughout Canada and the US, notably through the beautiful Rocky Mountains at various locations. This had been a bucket list type of trip for me for some […]

Trudeau government’s policy record speaks volumes (part two)

by Chris George

It appears with the Trudeau government Canadians will never know of the ties that bind us to China and the undue influence applied by the CCP. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  The greatest impact on the policies of the Trudeau government, unquestionably, has been the Liberals’ personal and business relationships with […]

Trudeau government’s policy record speaks volumes (part one)

by Chris George

In the past nine years, perhaps no policy has proven to be as harmful for the Canadian society and its economy than the Trudeau government’s immigration policy. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  Conventional wisdom suggests that governments defeat themselves. There is a shelf life of every administration because sooner or later […]

Canadians deserve answers regarding threats of terrorism

by Chris George

When a country can no longer guarantee it has dutifully guarded against the threat of terrorism, it becomes a threat itself. Pictured: Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Photo Credit: Dominic LeBlanc/X.  It is unnerving to hear that two individuals were arrested this week for plotting a terrorist act in Toronto. This news comes as Canadians […]

Fiftieth Anniversary of Watergate – Part 6 – Nixon’s Legacy

by Dave Redekop

Twenty years after Watergate and upon his death, Nixon seemed to have found a place where he would be judged on his entire life and career. Pictured: Former US presidents and first ladies at President Richard Nixon’s funeral.  After President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974, there were several issues to address. The Imperial presidency, as […]

Another nail in the UBI coffin

by Catherine Swift

  The major overall impact of this UBI pilot was that recipients worked less and replaced time working with leisure, not upgrading skills or looking for a better job. Photo Credit: Depositphotos.  The Universal Basic Income (UBI) debate has raged for decades, with proponents arguing that it would be a boon to an economy by […]

Favouring unions costs taxpayers dearly

by Jay Goldberg

  Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow should implement common-sense construction contracting reforms to head off a massive property tax increase in 2025. Pictured: Mayor Olivia Chow. Photo Credit: Olivia Chow/X.  They say less is more, especially when it comes to budgeting. Apparently, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow never got the memo.  Canada’s largest city keeps overpaying on […]

This ideological Liberal government is failing Canadians

by Chris George

Truly, in the Trudeau Liberals’ Canada, Hersh’s question has become a central one: “Is there anything more dangerous than an ideologue who doesn’t know he’s wrong?” Pictured: Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Photo Credit: Steven Guilbeault/X.   Seymour Hersh, the American Pulitzer Prize investigative journalist, observed, “Is there anything more dangerous than an ideologue who doesn’t know […]

Kamala Harris will be President by Labour Day

by Dave Redekop

  At the minimum, Democrats will say this gives them a chance down ballot to have a House or Senate that will keep Trump and his polices in check. Pictured: US Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo Credit: Kamala Harris/X.  The historical events of the past few weeks should not diminish our understanding of what the […]

OPSEU disgraces itself again

by Catherine Swift

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) adopted a motion last month supporting the so-called BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) efforts in an attempt to harm Israel. Pictured: OPSEU President JP Hornick. Photo Credit: OPSEU.  What will it take for Canada to crack down on its appalling public sector unions? It was just discovered that […]

Fifitieth Anniversary of Watergate – Part 3 – Cover-up & Investigation

by Dave Redekop

  If Richard Nixon had decided to come clean about the burglary, apologized for his underlings, taken responsibility and withstood some withering criticism, he would have never faced resignation. Pictured: Nixon White House Counsel John Dean.  The two articles that preceded this one included coverage of Richard Nixon’s early career until his re-election as president […]

News and notes from south of the border

by Dave Redekop

News and notes from the American Presidential election campaign. Pictured: GOP Vice Presidential Nominee J.D. Vance. Photo Credit: J.D. Vance/X.   With the GOP convention behind us and Labour Day a few weeks away, here are some of the latest tidbits surrounding the endless 2024 campaign for the White House.  VICE PRESIDENTS A lot has been […]

American politics has changed the channel from Canada’s crises

by Chris George

  Treason. Immigration. Housing. These are real-time Canadian crises that we must not allow to be trumped. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  The all-consuming “breaking new” chaos that has resulted from the assassination attempt of former president Donald Trump this past weekend and the ongoing coverage surrounding the intrigue of the […]

It’s all the rage

by Catherine Swift

  Populations around the world are currently in a state of anger about many aspects of their lives. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock Images.  In the wake of the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump and very disruptive recent elections in the UK and France, it seems appropriate to discuss the growing amount of […]

The NDP has regularly defended, propped up, and even partnered with Liberal governments which many people believe represent globalist and elitist interests rather than those of everyday working families. Photo Credit: iStock.  Meet Joe, a life-long resident of Beaumont, a small town near Edmonton, Alberta. Joe works for a major Canadian oil production company and […]

US President Joe Biden fumbled the ball and it’s anyone’s guess as to whether he can weather the storm of public opinion and the naysayers in his party who are scrambling to find an alternative. Pictured: US President Joe Biden. Photo Credit: Joe Biden/X.  Heavy is the head that wears the crown. If you need […]

The Canada Day blues

by Catherine Swift

Despite the gloomy mood of many Canadians at present, things can change for the better with a new government. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  This Canada Day, it seems a majority of Canadians have the blues. A number of different public opinion polls have been conducted to coincide with Canada Day, […]

Welcome to North Korea

by Catherine Swift

In Trudeau’s Canada, heaven forbid we should be proud of an industry that contributes immensely to our economy and is also a very responsible corporate citizen. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.  Despite all the serious problems plaguing Canada and reducing the standard of living of Canadians, the federal Liberals are determined […]

The disgrace in our schools

by Catherine Swift

Our public school system loves to pretend it opposes bullying, yet has been totally AWOL when bullying of Jewish students occurs. Photo Credit: Shutterstock. In recent weeks we have seen a number of disgraceful anti-Semitic incidents in our public school system. The sentiments behind these abhorrent views had been simmering for years, but perversely the […]

Are you taking your crazy pills?

by Dave Redekop

Those who diminish the rise of working people, middle-class Americans, and minority families expect us to take our crazy pills. Pictured: US President and First Lady Joe and Jill Biden. Photo Credit: Joe Biden/X.  On the award-winning podcast Commentary, an outgrowth of the eponymous publication, host and editor John Podhoretz will comment on a news […]

East meets West

by Catherine Swift

  Moe and Higgs have shown steadfast courage in opposing many of the federal Liberal government’s bad policies that are hurting Canadians and our national economy and have achieved success in doing so. Pictured: (left to right) Mark Borkowski, Premier Blaine Highs, Christine Van Geyn, Premier Scott Moe, Catherine Swift & Jocelyn Bamford. Photo Supplied […]

Minimum wage strikes again

by Catherine Swift

Unions and their supporters like to believe in the fantasy that all businesses have giant pots of money they are hoarding and dipping into them will not affect anything else. Pictured: California Governor Gavin Newsom. Photo Credit: CAgovernor/X.  A new development in the long-simmering debate over the impacts of minimum wage took place recently south […]

Another foolish court decision

by Catherine Swift

This decision cannot possibly stand as is. Photo Credit: iStock.  A court case that has been hanging around for about eight years finally saw a decision by Federal Court Judge Yvan Roy earlier this week. The case had been brought by Blacklock’s Reporter, an independent news service that refuses to take government money and has […]

Woe Canada!

by Catherine Swift

The Trudeau government has paid over $800,000 to create a number of new logos for Canada Day. Photo Credit: Blacklock’s Reporter. We discovered this week that, as reported by Blacklock’s Reporter news service, the Trudeau government has paid over $800,000 to create a number of new logos for Canada Day. This preposterous project was undertaken […]

School choice a proven winner

by Catherine Swift

In addition to providing competition to the public system, the presence of a network of independent schools also produced tax savings for government. Photo Credit: iStock.  More and more evidence points to the many advantages of parents having viable choices in educating their children. Two different studies came out this week that pertained to Canadians’ […]

If conservative politicians wait until public opinion opposes the climate scare before they take a sensible approach to the issue, they will for wait a very long time indeed. Pictured: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Photo Credit: Pierre Poilievre/X.  Most conservative leaders in Canada, including federal opposition leader Pierre Poilievre and Alberta premier Danielle Smith, support […]

Boomers ruin everything for everyone

by Catherine Swift

Different generations throughout history have always liked to insult each other and blame others for their problems. Photo Credit: iStock.  Listening to talk radio the other day, there was a stream of younger callers who were criticizing the baby boom generation for ruining everything. That generation was blamed for the high cost of housing, massive […]

How Robert Kennedy Jr could impact the Presidential Race

by Dave Redekop

Photo Credit: Facebook/Robert Kenndy Jr The battle for the White House will be determined in less than six months. While presidential campaigns once kicked off on Labour Day, the advent of social media, ceaseless news cycles, and talk radio have contributed to longer campaigns and more intense efforts to get news coverage. In 2024, there […]

What is the fuss about the Electoral College

by Dave Redekop

Robert F. Kennedy’s name on the ballot in several swing states could alter the contest for Donald Trump even though he draws votes from both candidates. Photo Credit: Facebook/Robert F. Kennedy   As the US election approaches, more news, opinions, and information will be discussed about America’s electoral college and whether or not it has […]

Balanced Budget Hopes Meet Toronto Maple Leaf Frustrations

by Lee Harding

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) accepting a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from former Mayor of Toronto John Tory (right). Photo Credit: Reddit/the-one-who_knocks   Sometimes a little meme can say so much. Take the one where Justin Trudeau becomes the new coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Alas, the team ended their season with disappointment again […]

Canadian competitiveness under threat

by Catherine Swift

 It’s time Canada took stock of the very negative impact the so-called climate policies have imposed on our economy and Canadians. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X.    Some time ago, this author wrote about the efforts of various international regulatory bodies to promote a regime to harmonize global reporting standards for […]

The unpopular truth about these Toronto Maple Leafs

by Nick Redekop

  The Maple Leafs Management Team is scheduled to hold a press conference today. This briefing will give a sense of direction regarding where the team is headed. Pictured: Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. Photo Credit: Mitch Marner/X.    The calendar may be approaching mid-May, but in spite of the sights and signs of spring, […]

Democrats’ fears could drive Sotomayor off the Supreme Court

by Dave Redekop

The madness of asking for the justice to step down, because her health may falter, blazes a new trail for political machinations, even in Washington. Pictured: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Photo Credit: U.S. Supreme Court. Despite the bravado that many Democratic leaders display regularly, the internal party discussion reveals panic about their chances […]

Why would anyone want to be a landlord?

by Catherine Swift

Canada’s housing crisis is truly a home-grown problem to which all governments have contributed. Photo Credit: iStock.  It’s no secret that Canada is in dire need of housing – both for purchase and for rental. There are a number of reasons why we got here. For starters, an immense amount of red tape and added […]

UN descends on Ottawa to ban plastic

by Catherine Swift

The bottom line is that plastics are irreplaceable in so many essential applications. Photo Credit: Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada In the next few days, thousands of UN bureaucrats are descending on our nation’s capital to participate in what is called INC-4 UNEP. Translated, this means the fourth meeting of the United […]

MSNBC – The Ronna McDaniel saga

by Dave Redekop

America would benefit from a journalist class more intent on doing their job reporting the news and letting citizens determine how to respond. Pictured: Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel. Photo Credit: Ronna McDaniel/X.  On the evening of the Iowa caucus in January, a triumphant Donald Trump delivered a speech celebrating his victory, congratulating his opponents, […]

Upbeat conservatives in Ottawa

by Catherine Swift

Canada’s Conservatives are looking more and more as a competent, well-informed and prepared government-in-waiting. Pictured: Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. Photo Credit: Pierre Poilievre/X.  Over the last few days, this writer has spent the last few days at the Canada Strong and Free Network’s (CSFN) annual conference. The CSFN is the successor to the Manning Centre […]

Eclipsing common sense

by Catherine Swift

The leftist perspective on many issues is often one of fear and paranoia. Today it often seems like everyone needs to be protected from everything. Pictured: Niagara Region Chair Jim Bradley. Photo Credit: Niagara Region. Many centuries ago, people were afraid of solar eclipses because they didn’t understand their origins and feared that the sun […]

They can’t help themselves

by Catherine Swift

One of Canada’s perennial problems is jurisdictional creep and the fact that all levels of government are tempted to invade another’s turf. Pictured: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: Justin Trudeau/X. It seems it would be a good thing to give all of our Canadian politicians a refresher course on the Canadian Constitution as so […]

Robert Hur testimony hard to discount

by Dave Redekop

Whether a Biden defender or not, there can be no mistake that President Joe Biden retained classified materials at the end of his Vice-Presidency. Pictured: Special Counsel Robert Hur. Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Justice.    The Maryland Board of Regents introduces member Robert Kyoung Hur on its website with the following final paragraph to […]

From America to Canada: Battle brews over real estate commission reform

by Daniel Perry

At the heart of the case and the settlement revolves around the elimination of traditional commission structures and rules that have long governed real estate transactions. Photo Credit: Pexels.    In a ground breaking decision last week, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in the United States settled a class-action lawsuit and agreed to changes […]

The impossible EV dream

by Catherine Swift

The promotion of EVs by governments should become a case study in how not to promote a given product to citizens. Photo Credit: Pexels For the last decade or so, Canadians have been inundated by the message from governments and industry representatives that we must all eventually be drivers of Electric Vehicles (EVs). These wondrous […]

Good for Del Duca

by Catherine Swift

Del Duca’s approach will surely rile up the marchers to some extent, but if it succeeds in reducing the impact and incidence of these events it may well be taken up by other municipalities and be a positive first step in stopping these most un-Canadian of “protests.” Pictured: Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca. Photo Credit: […]

The unfolding World Cup 2026 debacle in Toronto

by Jay Goldberg

  The reality is no politician – Tory, Chow, or anyone else – should have saddled Toronto taxpayers with this burden. Pictured: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. Photo Credit: Olivia Chow/X. Toronto taxpayers recently received news as predictable as the sun rising in the east: the price tag for hosting a handful of 2026 World Cup […]

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell set to step down from post

by Dave Redekop

Whoever replaces McConnell may reflect the Trump Party more doggedly, but acquiring the unique skills of the seven-term senator will be back-breaking. Pictured: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Photo Credit: Getty Images.    In the myriad of words written about Mitch McConnell’s tenure as Republican leader, the term effective will most usefully describe his […]

A threat to democracy comes in all forms and from both sides

by Dave Redekop

In a sweeping rejection of a Supreme Court ruling, President Joe Biden continued his effort to ignore the Constitution and proceed with his student-debt-forgiveness scheme last week. Pictured: President Joe Biden. Photo Credit: AFP/Mandel Ngan via Getty Images.    In campaign ads running across the United States and in think tank sessions held on most […]

Women on the frontlines

by Catherine Swift

Without trying to be overly dramatic, what is happening right now is a clash of civilizations, values, systems of government and freedoms. It’s vitally important to us all that we come out of this with these essential elements of our society intact. Pictured: Raheel Raza, Founder of the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism. Photo Credit: […]

Access to primary care is a priority concern for Canadians

by Chris George

The federal government must step up to provide its fair share of money to resuscitate Canada’s public health care system. The provinces must make best use of the money to increase Canadians’ access to primary care and to ensure family physicians are given the respect they deserve at the centre of the health care system. […]

The media worm turns

by Catherine Swift

Perhaps this is taking place because the public opinion polls that show Trudeau losing the next election are finally causing much of the media that is being currently subsidized to consider how they will survive in a post-Trudeau world. Photo Credit: The Hill Times.    Ever since the Trudeau government started spending hundreds of millions […]

Donald Trump’s policy platform – just the facts

by Robert Lyman

Readers deserve fact-based analysis and decisions, not prejudice and speculation, so this article sets out in value-neutral terms what the Trump platform is, so that people may judge more fairly what they agree or disagree with. People of course are free to decide whether they like Trump as a person, believe what he says, or […]

Chow must call for pay freeze in future contract negotiations

by Jay Goldberg

If Toronto really is broke, as Chow keeps telling taxpayers, she should insist the salaries of city employees are frozen in all future contract negotiations until the city gets back on sound financial footing. Pictured: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. Photo Credit: The Canadian Press/Tjana Martin.   Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the city is broke. […]

Who will be Trump’s vice-presidential pick?

by Dave Redekop

Trump will likely not wait until the convention to make his choice. In a year where all the suspense has disappeared from the campaign, the former president’s vice-presidential pick will hold the drama in the electoral side of a contest that will go sideways more times than a tractor-trailer on an icy Interstate in January. […]

Will it ever end?

by Catherine Swift

Will this unfair and unsustainable overcompensation of government employees ever end? It only will when Canadians decide they are sufficiently fed up to insist that governments deal with it and introduce a more reasonable pay scheme in which private and public sector are roughly equivalent and things like very generous pensions are factored into overall […]

Bossy boots goes to Davos

by Catherine Swift

Despite its own lack of knowledge about the operation of the Canadian economy and its various business sectors, this Liberal government does not undertake meaningful consultations with manufacturers and other businesses. Instead, it pursues foolish and unachievable ideological goals that have proven to be devastating for the economy and average Canadians. Pictured: Chrystia Freeland. Photo […]

The WEF casts a long shadow across Canada

by Chris George

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is regularly feted by the WEF as a vanguard global leader of progressive initiatives. And the Trudeau government is seen as a favourite of Klaus Schwab, who boasted at a Harvard interview in 2017 that he has “penetrated” many of Trudeau’s cabinet ministers. Pictured: Klaus Schwab. Photo Credit: EPA/Salvatore Di Nolfi.  […]

Professional associations go woke

by Catherine Swift

  The last couple of years have seen growing opposition to “wokeness” as more and more people realize how ridiculous it is and that they have no interest in this affecting our freedoms and our lives. Photo Credit: National Post/Jordan Peterson.    Jordan Peterson’s current travails with the College of Psychologists of Ontario have hit […]

Trudeau may have no other option than to pay the ransom fee the city of Toronto is demanding if his MPs in the GTA have any chance of holding onto their seats come the next election. Pictured: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo Credit: The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn.   It’s been […]

Toronto isn’t broke and tax hikes don’t have to be inevitable

by Jay Goldberg

When Chow was asked if she was prepared to commit to Carroll’s property tax hike plans, Chow responded by saying she needed to consult with and hear from Toronto taxpayers first. Toronto taxpayers need to give Chow exactly what she’s asked for. Photo Credit: Twitter/Olivia Chow.    Toronto taxpayers were barely given time to enjoy […]

Trump could be on his way to the GOP nomination with a big win in Iowa

by Dave Redekop

Political junkies would like to see a horserace. But we’re more likely to see what a gust of wind does to a house of cards. In 2024’s GOP presidential race, Iowa may be the starting gate and the finish line. Photo Credit: Reuters/Octavio Jones.   On Monday, expect voters in Iowa to confirm what polls […]

A Trump-Biden rematch appears inevitable as 2024 begins

by Dave Redekop

As 2024 opens, the odds-on favourite nominees for the Republican and Democratic parties are President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. For the first time since the 1892 election, the incumbent president will face a previous occupant of the White House. Photo Credit: AP News.   As 2024 opens, the odds-on favourite nominees for […]

Trudeau’s and Poilievre’s mudslinging to be caked on in 2024

by Chris George

Through 2024 Canadians are sure to hear countless fighting words from both Poilievre and Trudeau in anticipation of their forthcoming election contest – a date that is seemingly set for a full 21 months from now. Until then, it will be constant mudslinging to see what sticks. Pictured is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and official […]

Five fearless forecasts for 2024

by Catherine Swift

Here are five fearless forecasts for 2024, which will be revisited at the end of this year to see how right or wrong they turned out to be. Photo Credit: Getty Images.    As 2024 begins, it’s worth taking a shot at making predictions for the coming year and looking at some of the major […]

The Ivory Towers Crumble

by Dave Redekop

Harvard University President Claudine Gay testifies before a House committee hearing in Washington on Dec. 5. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)   Exactly a year ago, I wrote about Claudine Gay, the newly appointed President of Harvard University. Ms. Gay represents the new frontier of university administrators. She is intersectional, a person of colour, and determined to advance the […]

The Reckoning: Revisiting Predictions for 2023

by Catherine Swift

Examining hits and misses for 2023 encompassing economic, immigration, healthcare, political, and global aspects, offering insights into future trends. Photo credit: Unsplash As I have done in previous years, I am once again looking back at what I expected to happen in 2023 to see how right or off-base I was.  I have always had […]

Canada’s global reputation takes a hit as critics point to Trudeau’s leadership, citing diplomatic missteps and wavering foreign policy decisions that have left the nation’s international standing in disarray. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick   Canada has seemingly become a personification of its Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. It is insufferably egotistical with its virtual […]

State of the Republican Race – Destiny or Detour

by Dave Redekop

As the Iowa caucus nears, Trump leads polls but speculation arises on potential upsets by DeSantis or Haley, suggesting twists in the Republican nomination race. Photo Credit: Wikipedia   With the Iowa Caucus about a month away, all the polls indicate the Trump juggernaut steaming to victory. In the latest 538 poll, Trump leads DeSantis […]

Trudeau’s degradation of Parliament: Deconstructing Canada (part 4)

by Chris George

An Angus Reid poll reveals growing disillusionment among Canadians towards parliamentary proceedings, with 54% viewing MPs’ work as ‘posturing’ and 46% deeming it ‘useless’. The Trudeau government faces accusations of eroding accountability within Parliament and weakening the country’s sovereignty over its eight-year tenure. Photo credit: Reuters/Patrick Doyle   Through eight years, the governing Liberals have […]

Ford’s five-year report card

by Jay Goldberg

Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   It’s time to grade Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s record after half a decade in office.  No matter how you slice it, Ford isn’t coming anywhere close to the taxpayer honour roll.  Ford deserves a failing grade on taxes, deficits and debt.   But with more than two years left in his […]

Houston Must Cut Up Taxpayer Credit Card

by Jay Goldberg

Photo credit: Twitter/Tim Houston   Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is driving his province towards a fiscal cliff. If he doesn’t change course soon, taxpayers will be in for a world of hurt. Houston didn’t inherit a rosy financial situation. In the previous Liberal government’s final budget before Houston won the 2021 election, former premier […]

Robbing From Future Canadians: Deconstructing Canada (part 2)

by Chris George

As Justin Trudeau’s eight-year tenure draws scrutiny, the stark reality emerges – a legacy marred by fiscal missteps and burgeoning debt that threatens the future of Canadians. Photo: The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld Perhaps there is no greater harm done by Justin Trudeau and his eight years as Prime Minister than robbing future generations of Canadians […]

Justin Trudeau’s eight-year record: Deconstructing Canada (part 1)

by Chris George

Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld   Another miserable, embarrassing week for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  There was another poll, this one by Leger, that shows two in three Canadians have a negative impression of Trudeau and his government, and one in two Canadians want him to resign before the next election. One in five […]

Ford emulating Trudeau?

by Jay Goldberg

Fiscal update highlights shifts in debt, corporate aid, and government size. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug FordPhoto credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   The Ford government tabled its fall economic update earlier this month. If anyone doubted that Ford and Trudeau were cut from the same cloth, the numbers extinguish that doubt.   It’s become clear that Ford has adopted […]

No, Toronto isn’t undertaxed

by Jay Goldberg

Those who argue for higher taxes to solve Toronto’s budget woes continuously claim Torontonians are undertaxed, because property tax rates are lower than in neighbouring municipalities. That argument deserves two separate responses. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons   It’s time to finally bust a myth: Torontonians do not have a lower tax burden than taxpayers in […]

Thanksgiving tragedy in Israel

by Catherine Swift

While most Canadians reacted with justified horror to Hamas’ sadistic assault on Israel, there were many others in Canada who inexplicably supported the Palestinians’ actions. Academics, other leftists and some unions went public with messages of support for Hamas’ attacks. Photo credit: AP/Tsafrir Abayov   After this weekend’s horrific events in Israel, I find it […]

New York City’s migrant nightmare

by Dave Redekop

The free-flowing border policies of the Democratic Party, haunting New York today, serve as a warning and a threat to the political dynasties that exist. Photo credit: AFP/Timothy A. Clary via Getty Images   Just a year ago, Governor Kathy Hochul of New York, involved in a tighter-than-expected race to keep her recently secured promotion, […]

Democrats ignore the Constitution

by Dave Redekop

Modern-day Democrats, such as Governor Michelle Grisham of New Mexico (pictured), have little interest in following the Constitution unless they can use it as a cudgel to prove Donald Trump and all Republicans who voted for him are insurrectionists, fascists, or authoritarians. Photo credit: AFP/Saul Loeb via Getty Images   In two recent events, a […]

Obama will deliver Biden the news

by Dave Redekop

When the current president is told his services are no longer necessary, it’ll most likely be Barack Obama who taps Biden on the shoulder. The die has been cast, only the timing remains in question. Photo credit: Getty Images via New York Post   In a recent column in The Niagara Independent, fellow writer Chris […]

How the major players performed in the last Republican presidential debate

by Dave Redekop

And a quick look ahead to the next round later this month. Photo credit: AP/Morry Gash   With the first Republican debate in the can, most are turning their attention to the next contest slated for September 27 at the Reagan Library in Simi, California. Before prospects for the second debate are considered, an analysis […]

Brace yourself for surging heating bills

by Jay Goldberg

Thanks to Trudeau’s carbon tax, if you heat your home with furnace oil, propane, or natural gas, you will be paying a lot more just to stay warm this winter. Photo credit: Getty Images/iStock   As Ontarians continue to struggle with soaring living costs, taxpayers better brace themselves for the bruising impact of the Trudeau […]

Back to school, and back to basics

by Dave Redekop

The benefits of a classical education. Photo credit: Capstone Classical Academy   As students return to school, the growing number of issues in public education mount. In Canada and the United States, students, parents, and teachers face challenges that previous generations never anticipated. The introduction of technology, the ideological battles, and the changing nature of […]

Riley Gaines’ fight for women’s sports

by Dave Redekop

The former All-American competitive swimmer at the University of Kentucky (pictured right) has become a spokesperson for what she terms the fight against the movement ‘to erase women and destroy women’s sports.’ She first garnered attention in 2022 when she spoke out against having to compete with trans swimmer Lia Thomas (left). Photo credit: Icon […]

Chow must end Tory’s secret FIFA deal

by Jay Goldberg

Based on the limited financial information the city has released, Toronto taxpayers are facing a raw deal. City bureaucrats estimate taxpayers will be on the hook for $290 million to bring five World Cup games to Toronto in 2026. Pictured is former mayor John Tory. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov   Toronto is out […]

Stop the mayors!

by Catherine Swift

Most Canadians don’t realize that it is the municipal level of government that has been most active in embedding the foundation for the “woke” agenda we are seeing influencing government policies and corporate initiatives around the world. Pictured: Big City Mayors Caucus meets in Toronto, May 25, 2023. Photo credit: Twitter/FCM   Local politics typically […]

How Representative Laurie Schlegel is changing lives

by Dave Redekop

Many have wanted to regulate pornography, but determining a legal method seemed elusive. Being a sex addiction therapist gave Schlegel (pictured, left) added insight into the problem and a chance to have thought about ways to address its relentless march into the minds of young men. Photo credit: Facebook/Louisiana House of Representatives   Laurie Schlegel, […]

Despite the man’s flaws and failings, Trump’s appeal is understandable

by Dave Redekop

Photo credit: AP/Andrew Harnik   No one has superseded Donald Trump’s impact and influence on American politics since he came down the famous escalator in 2015 to announce his improbable presidential run. Following his 2016 campaign, upset win, presidency, impeachments, leadership during COVID, campaign of 2020, claims of election fraud, January 6 activities, subsequent role […]

Trump in 2028

by Dave Redekop

Win or lose next year, the former president could well return for another kick at the can as an octogenarian in 2028. Photo credit: Reuters/Al Drago   A former pastor of mine would often say, “I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet,” just before he would make a prediction. I will […]

The Washington press corps picks sides

by Dave Redekop

The mainstream media’s reluctance to cover the President Biden corruption story reveals how committed it is to the proposition that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to democracy and the nation. Photo credit: AFB/Saul Loeb   In mid-July, while credible IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler testified of corrupt Biden family practices, including those […]

Playing with political fire

by Dave Redekop

Both the Republican Party and the dominate media appear willing to play with fire and see to it that Donald Trump wins the 2024 nomination. Photo credit: AP/Evan Vucci   As the 2024 presidential campaign shifts into a new gear, those in the Republican Party appear determined once again to nominate Donald Trump as their […]

Yes, Toronto can pull the plug on co-hosting next FIFA World Cup

by Jay Goldberg

If the Australian state of Victoria can withdraw from being the sole host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Toronto can pull out from hosting less than 10 per cent of the 2026 World Cup games. Pictured is an artist rendering of a FIFA-ready expanded BMO Field. Photo credit: BMO Field   It’s time for the […]

Who is more authentic: Obama or Scott?

by The Hamilton Independent

Pictured are former President Barack Obama and Senator Tim Scott (right), who is currently running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Photo credit: Getty Images/Spencer Platt and Getty Images/Allison Joyce   A recent dust-up in the media between former President Barack Obama and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, running for the 2024 Republican presidential […]

Here’s how Chow can confront Toronto’s budget challenges

by Jay Goldberg

There’s plenty the newly elected mayor can do, from pulling the plug on the city’s costly privilege of hosting a handful of FIFA World Cup games in 2026 to opening up the tendering process. Photo credit: Twitter/Olivia Chow   Olivia Chow won Toronto’s mayoral by-election promising to spend hundreds of millions of dollars the city […]

U.S. Supreme Court rules affirmative action unconstitutional

by Dave Redekop

The decision ends several decades of what many in America consider to be race-based discrimination in the college admissions process. Photo credit: AP/Jose Luis Magana   Last week’s Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, ended affirmative action as public policy in the United States. The […]

Olivia Chow’s Toronto

by Catherine Swift

Both history and our current reality suggest this likely won’t end well. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Chris Young   Well, this is going to be interesting. Not especially good, but definitely interesting, as a test of a far-left Mayor of Toronto in Olivia Chow. Chow is being thrust into the largest city in Canada which […]

Olivia Chow’s by-election win tells us personality still rules the ballot box

by Josie Sabatino

Whether at the municipal or federal level, during good times or bad, it seems a candidate’s personality (and last name) continues to drive votes like nothing else. Photo credit: Twitter/Olivia Chow In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis and impending recession, is there still a chance for a cult of personality to sweep an election […]

It’s time for Toronto City Council to stand up to big unions

by Jay Goldberg

Toronto has what’s called a closed tendering approach to awarding contracts for some of the city’s most expensive construction projects. That means that only certain construction companies affiliated with a handful of unions can bid to take on those jobs. Photo credit: Archinect   Canada’s largest city has been overpaying on construction projects to the […]

Toronto mayoral race close to the finish line

by Catherine Swift

In a field of over 100 contenders, Olivia Chow (pictured) is the current front-runner, with Mark Saunders, Ana Bailao, Anthony Furey, and Josh Matlow jostling for second and third position. Photo credit: Twitter/Olivia Chow   There’s just a week left before we see who will succeed John Tory following his shocking departure from the Toronto […]

Who should lead America into its next epoch?

by Dave Redekop

Outside of the four leading candidates to be President of the United States come January 2025 – Biden, Trump, Harris, and DeSantis – there’s a pair of potential nominees on either side of the aisle who could return American politics back to the centre where 80 per cent of the electorate resides. On the Republican […]

Outside of the odds-on favourites to occupy the Oval Office come January 20, 2025, there are a number of potential and declared candidates on both sides of the aisle who present an interesting – albeit, unlikely – case for next President of the United States. Photo credit: Getty Images/Scott Eisen   American presidential elections rival […]

Alana Newhouse and ‘brokenism’ v. ‘status-quoism’: part two

by Dave Redekop

As explained in a previous article, according to writer Alana Newhouse the primary divide in American politics today is, more than anything, about how people tend to address societal problems. One side wants to maintain the institutional status-quo, while making incremental improvements. The other wants to tear everything down and rebuild. The below analyzes how […]

Boards wrong to ban police from schools: Ecker

by Janet Ecker

School boards argue uniformed officers ‘traumatizing’ to racialized, immigrant students. Photo credit: The Globe and Mail/Glenn Lowson   What is it with school boards these days? First, we had the bizarre episode of the Halton District School Board who couldn’t figure out what professional dress was for teachers after one insisted on wearing overwhelmingly large […]

Trump Derangement Syndrome

by Dave Redekop

What it is, what it isn’t, and if and how America can move forward. Photo credit: The Washington Post/Jabin Botsford   Inside the Trump orbit, those who react to Donald Trump in an unpleasant manner are said to have Trump Derangement Syndrome, or TDS. The Trumplicans believe this diagnosis to describe anyone who suffers from […]

Book banning in America

by Dave Redekop

Not all book bans are created equal. There’s a difference between keeping sexually explicit material out of the hands of elementary school children and banishing classic novels from the classroom which, depending on one’s perspective, may contain uncomfortable themes or inclusions upon complete removal from their historical and cultural context. Photo credit: AP/Rick Bowmer   […]

What the Fox News, Dominion Voting settlement tells us

by Dave Redekop

There are three hard lessons to be learned from Fox’s recent defamation suit and $787.5 million payout to Dominion Voting Systems. Photo credit: AP/Yuki Iwamura   Just before Fox News personalities had to testify in court, a settlement between the company and Dominion Voting Systems (DVS) came to light. In the agreement, Fox paid DVS […]

 Toronto is the only municipality in Ontario that charges a land transfer tax. Mayoral candidate Anthony Furey (pictured, right) wants to change that by phasing out the additional tax in the years ahead. Photo credit: Twitter/Anthony Furey   Here’s a novel idea: if you want to bring the price of housing down, try taxing less. […]

Alana Newhouse and ‘brokenism’ v. ‘status-quoism’

by Dave Redekop

According to Newhouse (pictured), the primary ideological divide in American politics today is less about or between left versus right, or liberal versus conservative. It’s more about how people on either side prefer to address societal problems. One side wants to maintain the institutional status-quo while making incremental improvements. The other wants to tear the […]

Where have you gone, Gerald Ford?

by Dave Redekop

In 1974, newly-elected President Gerald Ford put what was ultimately best for the nation above is his own personal and political interests when he pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon for any crimes related to the Watergate scandal. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library    About a month after Richard Nixon left office in […]

More must be done to quell rise in ‘unprovoked random attacks’

by Janet Ecker

One of the most fundamental duties of government is to keep its citizens safe. Photo credit: CBC/Mark Bochsler   As one gets older, it’s not unusual to fear that society is “going to hell in a hand basket”, to use an old expression. Reading about the rapid increase in “unprovoked random attacks” on our country’s […]

Donald Trump’s potential running mate

by Dave Redekop

Despite (and perhaps partially thanks to) the former president’s arrest and arraignment earlier this week in New York, he’s the current front-runner in the race to be the Republican Party’s nominee for the 2024 presidential election. If successful in his bid to reappear on the ballot, Trump won’t be alone – he’ll of course have […]

Late night hosts split

by Dave Redekop

Talk show host veterans Stephen Colbert (pictured left) and Bill Maher (right), both very much of the political left, serve as a kind of microcosm for the Democratic Party of today. Colbert represents the ultra-progressive wing, having fully embraced the woke doctrine. While Maher embodies the classical liberal of yesteryear, making time for common sense […]

No. 4 at 75

by Dave Redekop

Legendary Boston Bruin Bobby Orr, who turned 75 on Monday, revolutionized the defenceman position, and in turn forever changed the game of hockey. Photo credit: NHL   Like a comet streaking through the sky, for a few short seasons in the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, Robert Gordon Orr, Parry Sound hockey prodigy, ruled the […]

The Toronto Public Library recently launched a new initiative called the “Book Sanctuary”. Its aim is to protect literary works currently being challenged for not meeting the ever-changing rules of “wokeism.” Photo credit: Toronto Public Library   What do you think when you hear the word “sanctuary”? Most people associate it with refugees or illegal […]

An ode to the importance of family

by Catherine Swift

In recent years, much has been said about the decline of the family and the resultant social and economic impacts of that phenomenon. But what it often seems to come down to is how the prevailing structure of family is defined and how it has changed. Photo credit: Pexels/Arina Krasnikova   Having just experienced a […]

Key recommendations to improve health outcomes in Canada

by Janet Ecker

To help fix our fledgling system, we need better data, more family doctors, higher-performing emergency wards, and greater involvement from the private sector. Photo credit: Getty Images/Brandon Bell   Yeah! The federal and provincial governments have done a deal to increase Ottawa’s share of health funding by $46.2 billion over ten years. While that is […]

Kim Davis and the politics of hockey

by Dave Redekop

Just over five years ago, the NHL brought on former JP Morgan Chase executive Kim Davis (pictured) to head up its new diversity regime. Photo credit: NHL   Back in 2017, the NHL’s head-honchos decided that a league, possessing a long history of racial intolerance, especially towards Indigenous players and those of African descent, needed […]

Classified chaos – Clinton, Biden, and Trump

by Dave Redekop

The classified documents drama playing out over the past few weeks in Washington says a lot about American leadership of late, elite media, and double standards. Photo credit: AP   Three weeks ago, CBS News revealed that classified documents from when Joe Biden served as Barack Obama’s vice-president had been located at the Penn Biden […]

Whisperer to the President

by Dave Redekop

President Joe Biden’s most trusted and powerful advisor, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. Photo credit: Getty Images/Alex Wong   Ask any sentient person in North America and they can tell you Joe Biden is the President of the United States. They may even tell you he holds the most powerful office in the […]

A modest proposal for the 2024 presidential race

by Dave Redekop

Both Democrats and Republicans should look to the next generation of leaders and put forward nominees who are, at the very least, cognitively intact and capable of building consensus. This would of course disqualify both Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Photo credit: AP   The political schedule in the United States heats up in 2023. […]

Politicizing issues delays solutions

by Catherine Swift

From the climate change issue to how best to treat drug addiction, censoring opinions and statistics based on political lines has become more commonplace in recent years. Photo credit: Britannica   High profile issues of the day have always been politicized to some extent, but this has been happening to an alarming degree in recent […]

Five fearless forecasts for 2023

by Catherine Swift

What will next year bring in terms of the economy, Canadian politics, and international affairs? For the fourth straight year, Swift makes her predictions. Photo credit: Getty Images/Cole Burston    For the fourth year running, I am going to once again try my hand at making some predictions about what is to come in 2023 […]

The reckoning: revisiting predictions for 2022

by Catherine Swift

Spot on in some areas, off base in others, but bold in their making, nonetheless. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick   As promised, I will now revisit the five predictions I made in my Niagara Independent column at the end of 2021 for this past year and see how off base I was. Most […]

The problem with electric vehicles

by Dan McTeague

For starters, while EVs don’t burn fuel, you need to charge the battery which, of course, requires energy. And where does that energy come from? More often than not, it comes from the very thing the use of EVs is supposed to be replacing. Photo credit: Pexels/dcbel   For years now we’ve been hearing about the […]

Mosquito Bowl – a Christmas story

by Dave Redekop

Played on Christmas Eve 1944 between two rival regiments of Marines on the island of Guadalcanal, the wartime football game – the subject of a new book by Buzz Bissinger – provides a valuable lesson in unity. Pictured are Marine Lt. David Scheiner and Cpl. Anthony Butkovich shaking hands before the game, Dec. 24, 1944. […]

Kyrsten Sinema – American maverick

by Dave Redekop

The senator from Arizona formally split from the Democratic Party and registered as an Independent earlier this month. Photo credit: Getty Images/Bloomberg    In a recent article, I wrote about the radical shift that has overtaken the Democratic Party. Those who take issue with this view can now take it up with the Senior Senator […]

Profile in courage – Godspeed Michael Gerson

by Wade Hemsworth

Then-President George W. Bush prepares his State of the Union address with chief speechwriter Michael Gerson outside the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2002. Gerson passed away last month. He was 58. Photo credit: Eric Draper/Reuters   The recent passing of former George W. Bush speechwriter, Michael Gerson, reminds us all that profiles in […]

Why are U.S. elections open to charges of fraud?

by Dave Redekop

While Canadian elections routinely and historically take place almost entirely without incident. Three main issues help explain the stark contrast. Photo credit: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic   Everyone in North America with the slightest interest in current events knows about the claims of a stolen vote in the 2020 American presidential election. Interestingly enough, a long history […]

Free the media

by Kris Sims

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau getting scrummed by the media. Photo credit: The Hill Times   Journalists shouldn’t worry about losing their paycheques when they report on the government. That worry is the consequence of government funding the media, creating a dependence that can ultimately throttle criticism. The Trudeau government has poured $595 million into its media […]

West can no longer ignore existential threats posed by autocratic regimes

by Josie Sabatino

As U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an address to security leaders in Halifax last month, China and Russia both “seek a world where disputes are resolved by force and where autocrats can stamp out the flame of freedom.” Pictured is Chinese president Xi Jinping. Photo credit: AP via PBS   A few weeks […]

All options should be on the table for a health care system in crisis

by Janet Ecker

The status quo cannot be sustained, but getting over our societal paranoia about “innovation” in health care and the bureaucratic inertia that comes with change will be challenging. Photo credit: Getty Images/Mario Tama   For a generation – or two – we lulled ourselves into the complacent belief that our health care system was “better”, […]

Nancy Pelosi’s mixed legacy

by Dave Redekop

Mother, grandmother, and arguably the most important woman in modern American politics, last week the outgoing Speaker, age 82, announced she would not stand for another leadership post in government after leading the House Democrats for two decades. Photo credit: Los Angeles Times/Kent Nishimura    Much will be written about Nancy Pelosi over the next […]

Will the 25th Amendment end Joe Biden’s presidency?

by Dave Redekop

The media clamoured to suggest Trump’s cabinet should invoke the 25th, so why the radio silence now from those same media ‘experts’ in regard to President Biden? It’s abundantly clear the latter’s capacity to lead is severely limited. Photo credit: AP via NBC   Section Four of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution […]

Plenty of lessons for Republicans to learn from midterm elections

by Dave Redekop

Not least of which is that the party must, sooner than later, rid itself of the albatross around its neck that is former president Donald Trump. Photo credit: Reuters/Mike Segar   Last Tuesday evening, the Republican Party, expecting a wave of successful candidates to sweep them into power across America, instead experienced a red trickle, […]

Final projections for upcoming U.S. election: revisited

by Dave Redekop

A review of last week’s midterm picks. Pictured is Democratic senator-elect John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Photo credit: Getty/Justin Merriman   In a recent column for The Niagara Independent, I made some final projections about what I thought would happen in the hottest battleground contests of the U.S. midterm elections, which took place Tuesday night. How […]

Final projections for upcoming U.S. election

by Dave Redekop

Midterm elections south of the border take place next Tuesday, November 8. Several contests remain a dead heat heading into the home stretch, including the Georgia Senate race between Democrat incumbent Raphael Warnock (left) and Republican challenger Herschel Walker (right). The outcome of the tight race in Georgia, which may well require a run-off, could […]

What happened to the Democratic Party?

by Dave Redekop

Ad nauseam, the media reports on Republican violations, absurdities, and inconsistencies when it comes to upholding America’s cultural and institutional norms, all the while deliberately ignoring Democratic breaches because progressives, apparently, possess better motives or mean well. Photo credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster   What has happened to the Democratic Party? In the cacophony of media coverage […]

Approaching the looming population crisis with realism

by Nicholas Tibollo

The underpopulation crisis, that is. Photo credit: MedPage Today   Most of us grew up being told that overpopulation posed a direct threat to the economic and environmental sustainability of the world. This argument was put forth based on naive assumptions regarding the permanency of globalism, world peace and the absence of any large global […]

Status quo may prevail in upcoming U.S. election

by Dave Redekop

Pictured are Democratic and Republican candidates for Governor of Arizona Katie Hobbs (left) and Kari Lake (right). Polls designate the race as one of the closest midterm contests in the country. Photo credit: Creative Commons/Gage Skidmore   American voters are set to hit the polls for midterm elections in just a few weeks on November […]

Why Canada should resist calls to become a republic

by Nick Redekop

Outside of being an arduous, potentially contentious process, such a shift would remove both an important check on influence and power and a vital part of the country’s identity.    The months and years ahead will be full of challenges for the royal family of Great Britain. One of the greatest of these objectives will […]

Cold War on Ice – Remembering the 1972 Summit Series: Part III

by Dave Redekop

The famed eight-game hockey competition between Canada and the Soviet Union took place exactly half a century ago this month. Below discusses the legacy of the tournament and how it impacted the game in Canada and abroad. This is the third and final installment in a three-part series. Click to read Part I and Part […]

Why Ron DeSantis frightens both Democrats and Trumpkins alike

by Dave Redekop

The current Florida governor possesses all of the presidential qualities, credentials, and capabilities Joe Biden and Donald Trump lack. Photo credit: Bloomberg/Tristan Wheelock    In the recent primary elections in Florida, the Democratic Party turned out a phenomenal 1.5 million voters to nominate Charlie Crist as their gubernatorial candidate in this fall’s election. It would […]

The challenges King Charles III will face moving forward

by Nick Redekop

From his personal reputation to the relevancy of the monarchy, Her Majesty’s eldest son will have to carefully navigate a handful of immediate challenges as he assumes the throne. Photo credit: AP/Alastair Grant   The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, which took place on Monday, marked the end of the official mourning period in […]

Cold War on Ice – Remembering the 1972 Summit Series: Part II

by Dave Redekop

The famed eight-game hockey competition between Canada and the Soviet Union took place exactly half a century ago this month. Below chronicles the second half of the series played on Soviet soil from Sept. 22 to 28, 1972. See here for Part I. Pictured is Paul Henderson’s series-winning goal in game eight. Photo credit: Library […]

Who is Emily Oster and why it matters

by Dave Redekop

Data assembled and assessed by the Ivy League professor (pictured) conclusively demonstrates that, contrary to union and media-fuelled popular belief, schools are not, in fact, hot spots for COVID. As Oster’s work helped show, school closures were not only unnecessary, keeping children out of the classroom, away from friends, and out of all social and […]

Has urbanization gone too far?

by Nick Redekop

Urbanization and its accessory offshoots have pulled untold millions out of abject poverty and freed our society from the necessity of hunting, fishing, foraging, and personal farming to survive. But there’s still value in many of the all-but lost skills and activities we once counted on for subsistence. Photo credit: City of Toronto Archives   […]

Cold War on Ice – Remembering the 1972 Summit Series: Part I

by Dave Redekop

The famed eight-game hockey competition between Canada and the Soviet Union took place exactly half a century ago this month. Below describes how the binational clash came to be and chronicles the first half of the series played on Canadian soil. Pictured Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau completes the ceremonial puck-drop ahead of game one at […]

The unsung hero of the Canadian labour movement

by Nick Redekop

Figures like J.S. Woodsworth, Tommy Douglas, and Jack Layton most easily and often come to mind when one considers the history of organized labour in Canada. However, with passage of the Trade Unions Act in 1872, among other efforts, Sir. John A. Macdonald laid the foundation for Canadian labour long before the modern movement’s successes […]

It is time to revisit resource corridors

by David Yager

In a dramatically changed world, resource corridors could be the catalyst to actually getting something done in Canada. Photo credit: Facebook/Trans Mountain   One of the best ideas that has gone nowhere is the creation of resource corridors for long-distance transportation infrastructure using routes where land-use and development issues are resolved in advance. Historically, the […]

Why Diefenbaker’s legacy is overshadowed by Pierre Trudeau

by Nick Redekop

 The Athens and Jerusalem-born, enlightenment-dreamed and free-market-based principles that built our country have been gradually replaced by increasingly globalist, relativist and socialist policy initiatives. Since the nation is now understood more commonly through this new lens, it is no surprise that Trudeau, not Diefenbaker, is considered by the masses as the “Father of modern Canada”. […]

Who will be the Democratic nominee in 2024?

by Dave Redekop

As the sitting president, one would expect Joe Biden to be the automatic choice for the Democratic Party. However, growing concerns around the soon-to-be octogenarian’s health and capacity put the possibility of a second term in serious jeopardy. There are several contenders waiting in the wings to jump in if need be. Perhaps the most […]

Removing tax-exemption status from churches is a horrible idea

by Nick Redekop

Despite the missteps and sorted histories of some churches, as well as a palpable wane in religiosity in modern day Canada, faith-based communities do a great deal of good for the mind, body, and soul of society and are worth preserving. Photo credit: Pexels/Rodnae Productions   The pilgrimage to Canada by Pope Francis was met […]

Evaluating term limits for elected officials

by Dave Redekop and Nick Redekop

Are term limits necessary, fair, and/or effective? As discussed below, there are myriad pros and cons to limiting an individual’s time in office. Pictured is President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only American president to be elected four times. After Roosevelt’s death, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment, limiting presidential tenure to a maximum of two four-year […]

Canada can play a vital role in addressing the global food crisis

by Nick Redekop

Blessed with abundant land and resources, but plagued by over-regulation, immigration issues, and the like, Canada could alleviate a great deal of suffering around the world if the powers that be would help facilitate, rather than encumber production. Photo credit: Canadian Chamber of Commerce   The world is on the brink of an existential crisis […]

Hot U.S. Senate races this fall

by Dave Redekop

Pennsylvania’s Senate race between Trump-endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz (pictured, left) and current Lt. Governor John Fetterman is one of a handful of key midterm contests this November. Photo credit: AP/Marc Levy    Elections held in the United States later this year will determine a number of matters affecting regional, national and global politics. If Canadians […]

Why CANZUK makes sense for Canada (and the world)

by Nick Redekop

The partnership would be a formal bridging of the largest economies in the Commonwealth: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Global threats from modern imperialist states like Russia and China, coupled with growing American isolationist sentiment, means that effective alliances of such middle-sized powers will be crucial to maintaining peace and stability moving […]

Photo credit: Getty Images/WPA Pool   Perhaps it’s the summer doldrums. Or maybe it is just because this writer is getting older. Whatever the reason, it seems that our country is just not working well these days.      Wherever you look, there is disfunction. Airport chaos and the total meltdown of the country’s passport and visa […]

Janet Ecker, former senior cabinet minister under Mike Harris and Ernie Eves, contemplates the likely contents of key cabinet ministers’ mandate letters from Premier Ford – like that of newly promoted Minister of Health and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones (pictured). Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette    The cabinet shuffle is over and Ontario Premier […]

Canada and private property rights

by Nick Redekop

Citizens of free nations buy, sell, labour on, and enjoy private property. Canada is no exception. It is thus a surprise to many when they learn that Canadians are not formally guaranteed private property rights in our Constitution. Though it may prove challenging, it’s high time that changes.    Private property, as a concept, is […]

If the Congressional leaders had moved with speed and determination, brought forth witnesses, and had cooperative GOP partners, the 45th president would have been impeached, convicted for his unconstitutional crimes surrounding January 6 and been ineligible to run for office again. However, as it stands, it seems likely Trump will make another attempt at the […]

Pierre Trudeau’s policies Americanized English-speaking Canada

by Nick Redekop

The former prime minister executes a pirouette behind Her Majesty’s back during a May 1977 visit to Buckingham Palace. The move, in the words of the photographer who captured the iconic image, reflected Trudeau’s “democratic disdain for aristocratic pomp”. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Doug Ball    As Canada Day approaches, many are reflecting on our […]

Will Canada adopt a four-day workweek?

by Dave Redekop and Nick Redekop

At this point, it appears more likely than not. The idea is steadily gaining momentum. In the eyes of many, the positives outweigh the drawbacks. Photo credit: Pexels/Sora Shimazaki   Many democratic nations are considering adopting a four-day workweek. Canada is no exception. Multiple Ontario parties promised a four-day workweek during the recent election campaign. […]

Reclaiming Canadian excellence

by Nick Redekop

Canada has proven itself to be a powerful force for good in the past. It’s high time that we once again live up to our potential and strive to be a global leader in the areas in which we excel.    In recent decades, Canada has failed to realize its potential in numerous key areas. […]

Costs continue to rise, while student outcomes continue to go down. It would be nice if Ontario’s major political parties would tell us how they intend to fix the problem – which is, fundamentally, about the quality not quantity of educators, as well as the curriculum and testing mechanisms employed. Photo credit: Rodnae Productions   […]

Questions that will guide the debate on Canada’s new defence policy

by Nick Redekop

Photo credit: Canadian Armed Forces    The federal government will soon launch an initiative to develop a new Canadian defence policy. This is welcome news. It has been 70 years since the last update. We do not live in a 1950s world anymore.  The most recent federal budget left much to be desired. With that […]

Lessons from North Korea

by Catherine Swift

Activist and North Korean escapee Yeonmi Park speaks onstage during the Tory Burch Foundation Embrace Ambition Summit at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, April 24, 2018. Ms. Park addressed the Canada Strong and Free Conference last week in Ottawa, retelling her harrowing story of escape, life in the “Hermit Kingdom”, and lessons about […]

Is there a future for publicly funded religious schools in Canada?

by Nick Redekop

The issue and its various solutions are more complex than one may think. Photo credit: Catholic News Service/ Gregory A. Shemitz   As Ontario enters election season, complicated issues will make a return appearance to public discourse. Few debates plague provincial representatives with more nightmares than public funding for religious schools. The future of Catholic […]

How the economic policies of modern regressive progressives has made life unaffordable

by Dave Redekop and Nick Redekop

Including governments flooding the economy with surplus cash, there are three main reasons for the mess we find ourselves in, and two strategies that can help us find our way out.    Progressive policy, in its present form, refers to what may be defined as a movement which aims to speak on behalf of ordinary […]

Far from a shoo-in, PCs will have to earn another mandate

by Janet Ecker

Heading into the June election Doug Ford and his team have a good shot at forming government again, but they’ll have to work for it. Anything can happen in Ontario politics, and a well-run campaign is necessary to any victory. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   Campaigns matter. Just ask former premiers Mike Harris and Bob […]

Trump v. Biden: Round Two?

by Dave Redekop and Nick Redekop

If they both have their way, we could be headed toward another showdown between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in November 2024. Partisans may like the idea of four more years of either one, but patriots can see that the United States needs a fresh start for the next administration, one free of Donald Trump […]

Canada’s oncoming Conservative wave

by Dave Redekop and Nick Redekop

Striking a deal with the NDP may have seemed like a good short-term solution for the federal Liberals, but it may prove to be their undoing. Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick    The recent consummation of a deal between the federal Liberals and the NDP has generated significant speculation across the country. However, many […]

Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton. McNaughton has done yeoman’s work promoting and modernizing the skilled trades since taking up his portfolio in June 2019. Photo credit: Twitter/Monte McNaughton    It used to be that parents wanted their children to grow up to be doctors or lawyers or teachers. Having one’s […]

Canada could learn a thing or two from US judicial appointment process, and vice versa

by Dave Redekop and Nick Redekop

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Mar. 23, 2022. The Senate formally confirmed Brown Jackson’s nomination to the US Supreme Court on Thursday. Photo credit: Bloomberg/Julia Nikhinson   Every few years, Canadians watch with great intrigue as the United States embarks on the long, divisive, and arduous process of […]

Who says governments can’t sometimes get it right?

by Janet Ecker

Ford and feds come together on $10 a day childcare program. Photo credit: Twitter/Doug Ford   It seemed like it would never happen. But after months of Ontario Premier Doug Ford saying a deal was coming “soon”, the province and the federal government finally signed an agreement to create “$10 a day” childcare for children […]

The double standards of Canada’s political class

by Janet Ecker

Whether blocking a railway, burning a church, blockading a border, or choking the main arteries of our nation’s capital, destructive acts of civil disobedience must be measured with the same yardstick. Photo credit: Reuters/Carlos Osorio   Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh may have inadvertently put his finger on one of the root causes of so […]

Glimpses of leadership amid a seemingly leaderless crisis

by Janet Ecker

Photo credit: The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette   After two weeks of truckers’ protests/occupation/blockades across Canada, there was a palpable sense of relief last Friday when Ontario Premier Doug Ford stepped up to the microphones to declare a state of emergency and announce tough steps to try and end the mess.   Support him or criticize him […]

With sky-high gas prices, Ford has a political opening

by Jay Goldberg

Photo credit: The Niagara Independent/Nicholas Tibollo   The collective blood pressure of Ontario taxpayers surged over the weekend as gas prices hit record levels across the province. In large part, hardworking taxpayers can blame the federal government for soaring costs. For the first time ever, gas prices in Ontario crossed the $1.50 per litre threshold. […]

With less than four months to go until the next provincial election, Ontario’s former minister of finance and government house leader provides an early assessment of where the parties and their respective leaders stand. Pictured left to right: Doug Ford (PC), Andrea Horwath (NDP), Steven Del Duca (Liberal). Photo credit: Postmedia/The Canadian Press   If […]

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