The CRTC.... Nazis?

Also available at mises.ca  ..... An earlier version of this post appeared on this blog two years ago.

OK. Obviously they’re not murdering people in genocidal ovens but they are being anti-competitive bureaucrats. The title actually comes from a conversation I once overheard on the bus. Some old guy was talking about phone companies to a young family. He was very unapologetic in stating that the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) are, indeed, national socialists. Here are some highlights from their 45 year regime.

Ron Paul vs. The Liberal Leadership Race

The Liberal leadership officially kicked off the other week with a debate in Vancouver. The nine contenders didn't offer much in the way of strategy or ideas other than "we won't work with the NDP" and "Stephen Harper sucks." Of course, the language wasn't so direct. Only Joyce Murray was willing to co-operate with the NDP to bring down the Harper Regime.

When Justin Trudeau said, "It’s not enough to replace Stephen Harper with someone else. We need to replace him with a very, very clear vision of where we’re going forward," Murray responded, "Justin, that all sounds very good, but if you want to replace Stephen Harper, where’s your plan?" The only plan Justin Trudeau has is one of a carbon tax. Combine that with his socialist father and elitist upbringing -- the Tory campaign machine would have a field-day if (or when) Trudeau wins.

Clearly, the Liberals are out of ideas. The debate consisted of shots at Stephen Harper and vague notions of electoral reform. However some of these Grits understand the fundamental problem at stake here.

Former astronaut Marc Garneau proclaimed that the Liberal leadership race should be about "ideas." "This race," Garneau said, "must be about defining who we are, what we repressent, and what we stand for,” he said.

Deborah Coyne insisted that "Canadians do want substance, no matter what the cynics say. They want a leader who is not afraid to answer the inconvenient questions."

With views like these, I can't understand why at least one of these Liberals haven't taken note of Ron Paul. He's not "America's true conservative" he's America's classical liberal. Despite being retired from Congress, this principled politician is leading an intellectual revolution. Now I've written at length about this before, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. This post will take a different angle. I won't discuss Ron Paul or the Liberal Party in depth, but rather, the true liberal philosophy and why it is essential that the Liberal Party adopt these principles for a Canadian audience.

Is Stephen Harper's government fiscally conservative?

Writing for the QMI Agency (and published in the Toronto Sun) Michel Kelly-Gagnon asks this question. He grades the government's actions with a "pass" or "fail." Although I mostly agree with his fails, I disagree with his passes for these are not "good economic policies from a free-market perspective." Observe:

Idle No More - Secede Already!

I believe First Nations people should secede from Canada. Contrary to the PC thought-police, I am not a racist for advocating such an action. First of all, I believe all Canadians should secede from the federal, provincial and municipal governments of the Crown. However, given the current grassroots Idle No More movement, I believe this presents a perfect opportunity to further the separatist agenda.

Now a common misconception is that if the First Nations secede, they would be worse off politically, socially and economically then they are now. In this post, I would like to dispel these misconceptions by looking at some cold hard facts regarding the wealth of the First Nations and the inherently violent structure of the Canadian political system. Contrary to popular belief, Canadians don't subsidize First Nations. In fact, it's the other way around.

Ontario Teachers? Bill 115? Who? What? Someone Explain This

Also available at mises.ca

A spectre is haunting Ontario's government schools - the spectre of... collective bargaining?

"The public doesn’t have a clear understanding of what the current debate is about," says John Wright, Senior Vice-President of Ipso-Reid, "half of them think it’s about wages, the other half think it’s about bargaining."

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation are protesting the Ontario government's Bill 115, which outlaws strikes and purportedly strips their "right" to collective bargaining. Premier McGuinty heated things up last week when he called the planned one-day strike by elementary teachers "illegal."

Private Property and the Extended Phenotype

From Wikipedia:

The Extended Phenotype is a biological concept introduced by Richard Dawkins in a 1982 book with the same title. The main idea is that phenotype should not be limited to biological processes such as protein biosynthesis or tissue growth, but extended to include all effects that a gene has on its environment, inside or outside of the body of the individual organism.

In his book, Dawkins argues against restricting the idea of a phenotype to just the physical properties of an organism. The organism's environment must also be taken into account, since the environment will influence gene expression (and vice-versa). Birds nests and beaver dams are examples of the extended phenotype. So what does the extended phenotype have to do with private property?

Globe and Mail Fail.

The other week I wrote about the sad state of journalism and The Bank of Canada's free-ride. Here's an another example: The Globe & Mail reports, "Bank of Canada flags lenders' role in consumer debt."

Now this must be investigate journalism. The Globe dug up a presentation to the BoC's top officials, obtained under the Access to Information laws. Job all done, right?

Thoughts on "Idle No More"

"Idle No More" is the name of an ongoing Aboriginal protest movement. Inspired by Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence's hunger strike, tactics of the movement involve rallies, flash mobs and blockades. There are many issues behind Idle No More, but none so prevalent as the federal government's Bill C-45. Many of us have seen this Facebook post, where Bill C-45 is synonymous with unprotected lakes and rivers. Many of these waterways pass through First Nations land.

The obvious problem is the lack of private property rights both on reserves and for waterways. As this stance is fairly self-explanatory (if not read this), I'll instead focus on the movement's Manifesto, which is posted on the website. Although the authors of the Manifesto are on the right direction, without an understanding of praxeology and economics their language remains vague and trite.

Covert Hyperinflation

CBC reports:

Aubrey, now with the Quebec-based Cirano inter-university research centre, says eliminating Canada's nickel could be part of a larger strategy to retool the currency.

That would include creating a new coin to replace the five-dollar bill; adding a 20-cent coin; eliminating the quarter; perhaps creating a $200 bill; and reducing all coin sizes significantly to ease the burden on pockets.

But first, he says, Canadians must be convinced that the disappearance of the penny will have no effect on inflation

The disappearance of the penny is an effect of inflation, not a cause. Canadians must be convinced taught that the Bank of Canada's monopoly is an inefficient and dangerous bureaucracy.