Michael Ma's floor crossing from the Conservatives to the Liberals was so shameless, it's almost worthy of respect. There was no issue of conscience that Ma was wrestling with, no loud calls from his constituents that he must aid Prime Minister Mark Carney's quest for a majority, no apparent fallout with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. In fact, there doesn't appear to be any reason at all, least of all a defensible one, for why the rookie MP, having just been elected less than eight months ago, needed to change parties. Read More

According to a recent Abacus survey, only 42 per cent of Quebecers are in favour of building a new Alberta-B.C. oil pipeline as outlined by the MOU signed two weeks ago by the governments of Canada and Alberta. This is 13 points below the national average. Even in British Columbia, where one might expect the lowest support, 53 per cent of the respondents are favourable to the project. Why are Quebecers so unenthusiastic about this nation-building initiative? And why is opposition nearly as high in Quebec as it is in B.C. (26 per cent versus 30 per cent), even though Quebec’s territory will not be affected in the slightest? Read More

For Canadians, the government-mandated denial of financial services to punish political opponents and muzzle dissent is all too familiar a story after the Freedom Convoy and the extraordinary measures taken when the then-Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act to end protests against COVID-19 restrictions. But politically motivated debanking has been a problem in the United States, too, where government officials operating largely behind the scenes have leaned on banks to break ties with disfavoured individuals, organizations, and even whole industries. Read More

Ireland has been attacking Israel disproportionally since the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre. Recently, after Israel was readmitted, Ireland announced it would not participate in the 2026 annual Eurovision Song Contest as a protest against Israel’s participation. Its announcement came in concert with similar declarations from Spain, Slovenia, Iceland, and of course, the Netherlands. To all of them, I say good riddance. Read More