Too much Hollywood can damage your understanding of Canada’s legal system. When Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was thinking of “pardoning” many who were charged with violating Covid-19 public health orders, her critics claimed that was something only U.S. governors could do. Then they accused her staff of contacting Crown prosecutors for a similar purpose – violating the purportedly iron ring of prosecutorial independence (another American concept tied to elected Attorneys General). But as Grant A. Brown explains, Smith is well within her powers to hand out pardons and deliver guidance to Crown prosecutors. In fact, there’s ample precedent federally and in Alberta. If handled correctly, both are entirely proper practices.

It is said that some Ontarians have been driven mad by their power bills. Mad enough to finally trade in their Liberal government for a Ford-led Conservative party that has forsaken a carbon tax? We’ll see in June, but in the meantime Grant Brown has a modest proposal for all Canadians who want to save the planet without paying carbon taxes. Almost Trumpian in its genius, Brown’s plan is to levy huge import tariffs on Chinese goods manufactured with coal power, especially wind turbines and solar panels. That would lower Canadian taxes, increase exports of our clean green natural gas, boost the competitiveness of our manufacturers, massively lower global greenhouse gas emissions, and defeat carbon-taxing governments. This would be a win, win, win, win, and, for Ontarians, no Wynne!