Sierra Rayne

A Fundamental Misunderstanding of American Conservatism at the CBC

The past couple months have provided plenty of ammunition for critics of Canada's publicly funded state broadcaster -- the CBC. Accusations against Jian Ghomeshi, public spats between high-profile personalities at the Mother Corporation, junk science reporting on climate change issues, and on the list goes.

Oil Sands Employment Likely Much Higher than in Clean Energy Sector

A new report on Canada's green energy sector by an organization entitled Clean Energy Canada is receiving favorable attention in the mainstream and social media circles. A clear illustration of the lack of objective analysis done on this report is evident in Richard Blackwell's article at the Globe and Mail. Closer examination of the report illustrates some apparent concerns, and highlights -- yet again -- the need for a return to real journalism in the public interest, rather than just the propagandistic repeating of press releases by organizations having vested interests in the topics they are reporting on.

The Damage from a Canadian Carbon Tax

Given the uncertainties and experiences in other regions, carbon taxation in Canada is currently far too risky

Canadians Don't Care About Multiculturalism

A new survey by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) and the Association for Canadian Studies entitled the “Report on Canadian Values” is making its rounds in the media, and the mainstream spin is that “Canadians embrace multiculturalism.” A closer look at the study results reveals clearly that Canadians don't really care about multiculturalism.

Canadians Don't Really Care About Climate Change

In a story by Margo McDiarmid -- apparently now the "Environment Reporter" at CBC News (Canada's state broadcaster) -- the findings of a recent survey on the views of Canadians towards climate change are reported. The survey results, which can be obtained directly online, were done by the Environics Institute for Survey Research in partnership "with the David Suzuki Foundation, which helped to pay for the cost of this year's research."

NYT Fail on Climate Change in Glacier National Park Area

More climate anecdotes that just don't match up with the data -- NYT: Climate Change Threatens to Strip the Identity of Glacier National Park

Manufacturing Climate Consent

The Yale University Project on Climate Change Communication has released a survey on the attitudes of Americans towards global warming. The survey is being reported in the media as purported support for action on greenhouse gas emissions (witness the title of Yale's own webpage for the report: “Americans Support CO2 Limits on Existing Coal-Fired Power Plants”). A closer look at the survey's questions and answers reveals the public's views are not so clear cut -- even if we assume the results are broadly representative of American public opinion.

Canadian Federal Byelections Reject Climate Alarmism and Social Engineering

Only a few days after provincial voters in Saskatchewan rejected climate alarmism, federal voters from two Canadian byelections in Alberta and Ontario yesterday did the same.

Climate Reporting Chaos in Oregon

For some reason, I don't find it surprising that Oregon is a hotbed of climate alarmism. Thus, when the Portland Tribune recently published an article describing how Oregon's "warmer climate imperils our health," it seemed appropriate to look further into the claims being made.

Peak Phosphorus Hysteria

The resource alarmism continues to find new outlets. One that I've been watching on-and-off for a few years is that of "peak phosphorus," which -- as the name sounds -- is analogous to peak oil. Some authors are attempting to argue that "one of the biggest risks that the world is facing right now is that of the 'peak phosphorus' crisis." With all the geopolitical instability at present, such views are absurd. But more to the point, these concerns are not likely supported by the physical realities that govern phosphorus production.

McQuaig Gets It Wrong on Canada's Health Expenditures

One of the New Democratic Party's star candidates has a rather unique view of Canadian health spending

Another Associated Press Science Communication Failure

John Flesher from the Associated Press has a story making the rounds on how "Many Cities Are Preparing For Climate Change, They Just Won't Say So."

Alberta Isn't Warming

With Jim Prentice easily winning the leadership of Alberta's Progressive Conservative Party on Saturday, he becomes the premier of one of the most valuable pieces of real estate on the planet. And since the value lies in oil -- Alberta's environmental policies will be back on the agenda front and center as the environmental activists will try to impose further rent-seeking activities on a historically unprincipled party. For several decades, Alberta has been slipping further into political correctness and unbridled liberalism.

Green Party of the Same Colour

In a recent and rather odd opinion piece from the Saskatoon Star Phoenix newspaper in Saskatchewan, columnist Murray Mandryk attempts to make the case that the Green Party of Saskatchewan is a "Green party of a different colour." We commonly see rebranding of political parties in the mainstream media as elections approach, but some of the claims in this article don't appear to ring true.

The Nuclear Option for Ukraine's Defense

While the rest of the world may not like it, Ukraine needs nuclear weapons to deter Russia

Climate Change Claims on the Cheticamp River

The Ambiguous Nature of Canada's International Defense Posture

As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, an invasion that began formally with incursions into Crimea earlier this year -- but in reality began many years before with growing Russian influence in Ukraine's domestic politics, Canada's defense posture is becoming less clear over time.

The Undeniable Fact of Moose Jaw's Unchanging Climate

As an editorial in the Moose Jaw Times Herald claims, "Climate change is happening, and it won't be denied." Without any irony, the article states that "without an ounce of hyperbole, climate change is the single greatest issue the generations of age have to drive change and have to address right now." No hyperbole?

The Canadian Rangers and Arctic Climate Change

According to an article by Dean Beeby of the Canadian Press, "Arctic rangers want better equipment to deal with climate change." The Canadian Press used the Access to Information Act to obtain a report from the Canadian Forces which apparently detailed concerns the Rangers -- "largely aboriginal reservists who patrol the North" -- have regarding the Arctic's changing climate.

Working Towards F-22s for the Canadian Air Force

As a longtime advocate for Canada's acquisition of the F-22 Raptor, I fine it disappointing to see little real progress being made towards a more mature view of Canada's national defense policies. Indeed, we appear to going backwards, thereby making the acquisition of truly world-class military hardware even further away than it was back in 2011 when hopes were high soon after the Conservative Party took office with a majority government. One fears the influence of too many libertarians, and not enough conservatives, in the current right-of-center political milieu.