Canada in 2011

To the surprise of many (including yours truly) Canada was able to fend off the recession for another year. But 2012 isn't looking good, and 2013 is looking even worse. How exposed are Canadian banks to European debt? Will the Big Five be able to dump their bad assets onto the Bank of Canada balance sheet without requiring a very public bailout? As household debt skyrockets how much longer will this artificial boom last?

Whatever happens in the New Year, now is not the time to think about it. Instead, let's glance back and take a look at Canada in 2011.



The royal visit of Prince William and Kate: Barf. Albeit, Monarch worship is better than democratic worship. Somehow we've managed to bring in the worst of both worlds.

The Vancouver Hockey Riots You call that a riot? Just wait till food and fuel costs soar.

The Federal Election Well at least we don't have to worry about this again until 2015.

The Conservative Majority Great news for those wishing to see the gun registry and the Canadian Wheat Board scrapped. Bad news for those who believe in freedom.

The Liberal Party Performance Less than par. Making Bob Rae the interim leader ain't helping either.

The NDP Surge Probably a fluke. Jack Layton was likable and was deemed a "moderate." The current leadership hopefuls are calling on raising taxes to pay for the welfare state. I'm sure that'll go over well in the next election.

The Occupy Protests Unnecessary according to the mainstream media. After all, our banks weren't bailed out. Inevitably, as winter set in the occupations disbanded. So much for our version of the Arab Spring.... Interestingly, it was a Canadian magazine (Adbusters) that initiated this movement. By advocating for the Tobin Tax and convincing the Occupy movement to support and re-brand it as the "Robin Hood" tax, Adbusters successfully bamboozled the protesters into supporting George Soros' agenda.

Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol Now if only the Tories would announce that real environmental protection comes from strong private property rights. They don't even have to enforce it, just admit it. It's time to stop regarding this as a global problem that requires global governance.

Canada's withdrawal from combat role in Afghanistan Say what? Last I checked, Canadian troops were still there. Debating over "combat role" is pure semantics.

Fire in Slave Lake, Alta. Tragic story made worse by the fact that the fire was a result of an arsonist. I just thank God that we don't have a free market in firefighting. Can you imagine how much worse the situation would have been if there had been economic calculation!?

Prairie flooding It happens.

Attawapiskat poverty Failed government policy requires.... more government policy? At least that was the typical response. In reality this situation requires economic freedom and strong private property rights.

Shafia honour-killing trial I find it ironic that a military town like Kingston, Ontario (their Santa Claus parade looked like something from the USSR) would find the concept of an "honour killing" so repulsive. Now don't get me wrong, I don't agree with the actions of the accused, but there seems to me to be little difference between a father murdering his daughter based on a cultural context of honour and a 20-something heading off to Afghanistan to murder people based on his cultural context of honour. Perhaps I'm missing something?

Delay of Keystone XL pipeline Good. The longer the delay the more obvious it becomes that this oil should be shipped out West, to the Pacific and on route to Asia. What the hell are we doing making deals with a bankrupt Empire?

Canada-U.S. border action plan On December 7th, the prospect of a North American Union drew even closer.

Winnipeg Jets Return Good for Winnipeg... I guess I could rant about how professional sports is a psyop to keep the masses distracted and dumbed down. But why bother? Sports can be entertaining. When I'm not busy sometimes I like to watch a Blue Jays game.

Mark Carney heads up the Financial Stability Board‎ A financial terrorist becomes chairman of a financial terrorist board. Go figure.

Canada Attacks Libya And now we're putting sanctions on Syria. When the US invades Iran in 2012, I'm sure Harper will drag Canadians along.

RIM Failures Including a useless tablet, cutting 2,000 jobs, service outages and executives getting drunk on an airplane causing an unscheduled stop in Vancouver. How much longer will RIM remain independent from Google, Microsoft or Apple? Why does it matter whether RIM is owned by Canadians or not? As long as they continue to make good products...

The Death of Jack Layton Need I say more? Here's footage from his funeral... oops, sorry wrong link. Same basic premise though. The Cult of Personality is a dangerous thing but no one seems to mind when the statist is in a democratic country. It says a lot about Canadians when a career politician is mourned over as if he were a deity. But alas, we all have our own individual values and I guess I'm in no position to critique people's love for Jack Layton. So allow me to pay my own tributes, here's how I remember Jack Layton:








And that's what happened in Canada over the past 365 days.