An awful lot of people are chiming in to tell Thomas Mulcair that he should stop talking about Dutch Disease. I hope he ignores them. There is certainly room for debate about how much of the decline in the manufacturing sector is the result of the resource boom. But it certainly is a factor and anyone who argues that a higher dollar won’t hurt Canadian exports is asking you to ignore Economics 101. If Mulcair backs down now, that debate will come to an abrupt halt which is exactly what many of his critics want. What Mulcair is absolutely right about is his insistence on digging his heels in and pushing back. Large portions of the establishment media are spinning his comments as intended to instigate some kind of war on the West. That’s just crap designed to change the subject. That’s the establishment media doing what it does: protecting existing wealth and power…

An awful lot of people are chiming in to tell Thomas Mulcair that he should stop talking about Dutch Disease. I hope he ignores them. There is certainly room for debate about how much of the decline in the manufacturing sector is the result of the reso…

It doesn’t matter if Thomas Mulcair is right or wrong. By "taking on the west" he is taking on the media, not just Conservatives. Even the Toronto Star is on his case. His stance on ‘Dutch disease’ and his comments about western premiers have put him behind the eight ball. He had his chance to clarify his remarks but he has instead doubled down.

I don’t get it. Any savvy political strategist

Dutch disease: another taboo in the Conservative world that joins other terms like ‘accountability’ and ‘digital strategy’. – Syndicated from http://www.exciteddelirium.ca

Quel triste spectacle que celui du débat des deux derniers jours à l’Assemblée Nationale du Québec. Je l’ai suivi religieusement afin de bien comprendre l’argumentation de chacun des intervenants sur la nouvelle loi 78 proposée par le gouver…

If the Alberta and federal governments’ mismanagement of oil sands development were not so clear and their defence of their policies not so divisive and intellectually dishonest, one could feel a little more sympathy with their foot-stomping and tears …

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, above right, presents his petroleum-development policy package to members of his oil patch caucus. Industry-financed Western politicians may not be exactly as illustrated. Below: the real Mr. Harper and Opposition Leader…

In this week’s print edition, I write about the budget bill and its various…

Assorted content to end your week.- No, there was never any doubt that any statement which could possibly be interpreted as insufficiently jingoistic in favour of the oil industry was going to give rise to a backlash from the Cons’ oilpatch base. But i…

- Regarding this story, Harper and the Conservatives would never be so blatantly obvious in firing the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer. They’ll simply not renew his mandate when it runs out next year – and I presume they’ll t…

Supporters of the Harper Government’s campaign to use tax laws to de-fund its opponents need to be careful what they wish for. They might just get it!
Consider Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s recent reflexive attacks on the environmental charities that…

Charity: Right-wing think tanks and Ducks Unlimited are most certainly not exactly as illustrated. Below: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and National Revenue Minister Gail Shea. Supporters of the Harper Government’s campaign to use tax laws to de-fun…

The New Democrats held their second hearing on C-38 this morning. Among those who…

The Conservatives have lately taken to trying to make funny quips based on the…

This and that for your Thursday reading.- Drew Anderson comments on the support the NDP is winning among groups which have historically supported the Cons:Seniors and men. Until now they formed the rock-solid base of the Conservative Party. But they

This and that for your Thursday reading. – Drew Anderson comments on the support the NDP is winning among groups which have historically supported the Cons: Seniors and men. Until now they formed the rock-solid base of the Conservative Party. But they

Canadian Press writes, “Mr. Mulcair’s analysis of what ails Canada’s economy is contradicted by a new independent study produced by the Institute for Research on Public Policy.” Really? What does the study conclude? As quoted by Canadian Press, “On balance, the evidence indicates that Canada suffers from a mild case of the Dutch disease, which [...]

Assorted content to end your day. – Kayle Hatt’s blog looks to be a must-read from here on in. And his post on what to draw from the latest polls is particularly worth a read: Every poll that has been released since Thomas Mulcair was elected lea…

Assorted content to end your day.- Kayle Hatt’s blog looks to be a must-read from here on in. And his post on what to draw from the latest polls is particularly worth a read:Every poll that has been released since Thomas Mulcair was elected leader of …

The official opposition has launched a three-part response to the budget bill, including public…