Crackdowns fail to recognize that alternative lenders are the last hope for Canadians shut out of the traditional lending market
The media often portray alternative lenders as slippery, unethical loan sharks who exploit the poor. When targeting the sector and not just a few bad apples, such stories are easy, cheap hit jobs. New Brunswick Sen. Pierrette Ringuette, for example, recently described alternative loans to CBC Marketplace as “an abusive financial process that needs to…
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed more than ever that those who trade freedom for security can’t stand people preferring the former. By ignoring rules they force onto others, such as travel restrictions, politicians reveal the primary goal was power all along, not safety. Earlier this year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instituted additional travel restrictions…
The stakeholder-shareholder debate in finance has narrowed down to a false dichotomy between good capitalism and bad capitalism. Good capitalism means funding green energy to fight global warming, while bad capitalism means investing in fossil fuels, tobacco, or other “sin stocks.” However, the economic downturn should be a wake-up call to investors regarding the hidden…
Instead of pursuing the unattainable ideal of academic equality, we should focus on redefining our idea of educational success
Canadians have an unhealthy obsession with statistical parity. In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced his 50-50 cabinet, prioritizing gender over merit in the name of equality. And last summer, Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced the end of academic streaming to combat “systemic racism.” Streaming refers to grouping students based on performance. Beginning in…
We naturally tend to rationalize taxes on others. However, the arithmetic is undeniable: we can’t solve our problems by soaking the rich
Eat-the-rich rhetoric is good politics but bad policy. The wealthy minority contribute precious investment and much-needed employment, but no good deed goes unpunished. The spectre of a wealth tax, which hangs over Canada, epitomizes infantile, self-defeating governance. Last autumn, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh introduced a motion in the House of Commons calling for a…
Smart meters remove the need for someone to travel to homes to read meters, enabling customers to avoid costs and maintain distance
Few practical measures have been presented to achieve the lofty goals laid out in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s green agenda or the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Gender equality, increased daycare spending and reduced fossil-fuel usage might make for pretty speeches, but they do little to boost economic growth or help struggling Canadians. Genuine,…
University administrators and student unions are tearing down something more important than statues. These self-appointed censors are dismantling the dialectic method bequeathed to us by Socrates and generations of scholars, triggering a brain drain away from academia. Neither arcane nor novel, the rigorous, timeless methodology at stake means examining, discussing, and arguing opposing ideas to…
The media often portray alternative lenders as slippery, unethical loan sharks who exploit the poor. When targeting the sector and not just a few bad apples, such stories are easy, cheap hit jobs. New Brunswick Sen. Pierrette Ringuette, for example, recently described alternative loans to CBC Marketplace as “an abusive financial process that needs to…
