The CBC supposedly exists to tell Canadians their story in ways for-profit networks would not. But the state broadcaster is anything but an old-style, non-commercial public radio and television company. Its tentacles now extend everywhere in the media universe except perhaps print, and it uses its huge public subsidy to compete unfairly in countless areas where the government has no excuse for intruding. Click here to read the rest.
Ottawa politicians are really determined to get a train set to play with. They’re now saying light rail can go ahead on schedule, on budget ... and if not, the people who promised otherwise will be long gone when taxpayers get the bill. Click here to read the rest.
While normal people spent July 1 at politicized parades and weirdos went to the cottage instead, China's government was celebrating the 90th anniversary of its Communist Party. So let's all raise a cup of blood to Mao Zedong and his comrades. Click here to read the rest.
The visit of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge is sweet and ceremonial, without ominous overtones. Yet it seems to upset a surprising number of Canadians, who grouse that these two young people hold high office but do not matter much. These whiners should learn to count their blessings. Click here to read the rest.
Is this a great country or what? Probably “or what” since we’re apparently not trusted to read clear labels and make sensible decisions. Consider two stories from the past week. In the first, a Quebec judge fined Unilever Canada for putting “Becel Gold with Buttery Taste” on a tub clearly identified as “margarine”, lest people should think “buttery” meant it was butter. In the second, Jack Layton was asked if he’s still a socialist and replied “I don’t go around sticking labels on myself”.
Apparently there's no better bargain than the CBC. A Deloitte & Touche LLP study says the broadcaster's $1.7-billion budget adds $3.7 billion to the Canadian economy, $1.3 billion more than any other possible use of the money. Clearly the CBC couldn't have found a better bargain than this report. But for the rest of us, the crucial question is, how do they know that?