Thursday, September 21, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Media
Support Us
Macdonald-Laurier Institute
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Energy Policy
      • Energy
      • Environment
    • Foreign Policy
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs
  • Projects
    • The Great Energy Crisis
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
    • Dragon at the Door
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • Competition Policy in Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Justice Report Card
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Provincial COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
      • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Past Projects
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
      • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
      • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
      • Straight Talk
      • Labour Market Report
      • Leading Economic Indicator
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy
    • Papers
    • Commentary
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Video
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Energy Policy
      • Energy
      • Environment
    • Foreign Policy
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs
  • Projects
    • The Great Energy Crisis
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
    • Dragon at the Door
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • Competition Policy in Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Justice Report Card
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Provincial COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
      • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Past Projects
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
      • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
      • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
      • Straight Talk
      • Labour Market Report
      • Leading Economic Indicator
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy
    • Papers
    • Commentary
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Video
No Result
View All Result
Macdonald-Laurier Institute

The Tragedy of the Commons: William Watson in the Financial Post

October 22, 2020
in Agriculture and Agri-Food, Columns, Domestic Policy Program, Indigenous Affairs Program
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A

Though Nature abhors a vacuum, the tragedy of the House of Commons is that politicians don’t — just the opposite, in fact, writes William Watson in the Financial Post. Below is an excerpt from the article, which can be read in full here. 

By William Watson, October 22, 2020

Brought in to provide background on the current dispute over the lobster fishery between commercial and native fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia, CBC News Network’s chosen analyst put it all down to “racism and greed.” Well, there you go. It’s so refreshing when a news story has no complexities at all.

The analyst in question was Pamela Palmater, associate professor and chair in Indigenous Government at Ryerson University. Also the author of Warrior Life, a collection of her writings. Warrior Life, is about “educating the resistance.” Ms. Palmater came in second as a more radical alternative to eventual winner Shawn Atleo in the Assembly of First Nations election for National Chief in 2012. (She accused him, among other things, of “selling our souls to the devil.”) Her analysis that it’s all down to racism and greed is therefore not altogether surprising. And, of course, helpful in a way.

To begin with, let’s do what the government has done and condemn the violence. Roughing people up, torching their vans, burning down their storehouses and the like have no place in Canadian society. Everyone condemns it. Yes, tempers are running high. But the point of a rule-of-law society is that we all control our tempers. Angry lobstermen need to find peaceful ways to express their grievances — say, by piling lobster pots onto an important rail line or highway and blocking traffic for a few weeks.

Money is a salve to many problems and the amount that would be required to buy out some current licence-holders is not great, and these fishermen tend to make a modest living. Of course, the planet Jupiter is not great compared with what Ottawa has been spending in the past few months. And a well-trod road to financial ruin is to justify every expenditure by noting how small a share of the total it is.

Still, is there any other solution?

***TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE, VISIT THE FINANCIAL POST HERE***

Share this:
Tags: economic developmentindigenous affairsIndigenous PolicyWilliam Watson
Previous Post

UNDRIP is not a threat to Canada; the implementing legislation is: Ken Coates and Heather Exner-Pirot in the National Post

Next Post

As China’s global actions worsen, Canada looks at its feet: Charles Burton in the Ottawa Citizen

Related Posts

The First Taste of Revolution is the Sweetest: Joseph Hudson for Inside Policy
Columns

Woke wolves dominate the culture war ecosystem — for now: Bruce Pardy in the National Post

September 20, 2023
Leaked union call reveals details of parental rights counterprotest: Stuart Parker for Inside Policy
Inside Policy

Leaked union call reveals details of parental rights counterprotest: Stuart Parker for Inside Policy

September 19, 2023
Why it makes sense to use market incentives to mitigate wildfire intensity: Jerome Gessaroli in the Vancouver Sun
Columns

Why it makes sense to use market incentives to mitigate wildfire intensity: Jerome Gessaroli in the Vancouver Sun

September 19, 2023
Next Post
Canada must develop a backbone in its dealings with China: Charles Burton in the Globe and Mail

As China’s global actions worsen, Canada looks at its feet: Charles Burton in the Ottawa Citizen

Newsletter Signup

Follow us on

Macdonald-Laurier Institute

323 Chapel Street, Suite #300
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 7Z2 Canada

613.482.8327

info@macdonaldlaurier.ca
MLI directory

Support Us

Support the Macdonald-Laurier Institute to help ensure that Canada is one of the best governed countries in the world. Click below to learn more or become a sponsor.

Support Us

  • Inside Policy Magazine
  • Annual Reports
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Energy Policy
      • Energy
      • Environment
    • Foreign Policy
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs
  • Projects
    • The Great Energy Crisis
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
    • Dragon at the Door
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • Competition Policy in Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Justice Report Card
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Provincial COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
      • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Past Projects
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
      • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
      • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
      • Straight Talk
      • Labour Market Report
      • Leading Economic Indicator
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy
    • Papers
    • Commentary
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Video

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

IDEAS CHANGE THE WORLD!Have the latest Canadian thought leadership delivered straight to your inbox.
First Name
Last Name
Email address

No thanks, I’m not interested.