This past week, readers discussed topics including whether or not Anaida Poilievre is the Conservative Party’s secret weapon, the shifting consensus on Canada’s progressive drug policies, Pierre Poilievre’s flirtations with the notwithstanding clause, and Canada’s growing fertility crisis.
The goal of Hub Forum is to bring the impressive knowledge and experience of The Hub community to the fore and to foster open dialogue and the competition of differing ideas in a respectful and productive manner. Here are some of the most interesting comments from this past week.
Sign up for our daily Hub Forum email newsletter today.
Sorry, Canada, but we can’t tax our way to prosperity
Monday, May 6, 2024
“The only outcome of this feudal approach will be a slow and steady economic decline, all under the control of an ever-burgeoning bureaucratic class in Ottawa, taking more of the fruits of the labour of Canadians, leaving us with less.”
— RJK Wells
“We do need a tax system that encourages economic growth while being fair and generating enough revenue to fund our society without going into too much debt (too much debt is when the debt service cost alone is one of the biggest slices in a government expenditure pie chart). What constitutes fairness and a healthy societal structure are obviously debatable and different political parties and citizens will have different positions. However, economic growth is the quantitative measure of success—or failure—of whatever way we go.”
— Paul Attics
Anaida Poilievre is the Conservative Party’s secret weapon
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
“Anaida Poilievre seems like a ‘perception antidote’ to many of the usual attack lines directed at Pierre. She is an accomplished person and certainly a political asset.”
— Paul Attics
“I do believe that Anaida is a great asset to our up-and-coming prime minister and she will be helpful to Canadians. We can look forward to having two brains to run our country. She is quite impressive in her own right.”
— Mary
Canada’s harm reduction regime is collapsing as disillusionment grows around decriminalized drugs
Wednesday, May 7, 2024
“Drug liberalization policies over the past twenty years have been seriously misguided. We’re only now starting to realize the deadly health effects of drugs that hitherto had been thought of as harmless, such as cannabis and its effect on brain development, anxiety, mood disorders, hospitalizations, impaired driving, etc.”
— Mark Johnson
“Neither decriminalization nor forced treatment will solve this problem. There has to be an approach which treats the whole person.”
— A. Chezzi
“Providing treatment, preferably mandatory for addicts, and real punishment for importers and dealers is going to produce much better results.”
— Kim Morton
A constitutional storm is brewing as Pierre Poilievre flirts with the notwithstanding clause
Thursday, May 9, 2024
“Ultimately I’m more comfortable with elected politicians having the final say on constitutional matters than unaccountable judges. If the government of the day has truly gone overboard, vote them out next time around.”
— Gord Edwards
“There’s something to be said for making section 33 harder to use (federally) than a simple vote, while still keeping it as a failsafe.”
— J. Toogood
“There needs to be better language for invocation of the notwithstanding clause for actual emergencies with a higher threshold, rather than using it for politicking.”
— Cathy
“Our current Supremes have taken law-making upon themselves without consulting Canadians. They have overridden Parliament’s decisions and those of their predecessors…Legislatures make laws, courts interpret them. Unelected judges should never make new law.”
— Ian MacRae
We are not taking Canada’s fertility crisis seriously enough
Friday, May 10, 2024
“Yes, not everyone will or wants to marry or have children, much less at 18 or 20. But, I think we’ve nearly given up on the idea that that’s an adult life that should be possible for everyone and should be planned for. There was also arguably some poor planning with thinking boomers’ downsizing would free up houses, which ignores who has the money and therefore choice.”
— Valerie
“Good issue to focus on. We are losing an important part of our societal framework.”
— Ben
“I believe that the fundamental issue is both partners trying to have full-time jobs. It is extremely difficult to do that and raise children, even with low-cost daycare.”
— Al Raftis
“There are certainly the financial aspects impacting birth rates, but I’m guessing the major factor is social.”
— Michael B.
