Institutions

  • Sacred Space Smackdown

    In his response, Jacobs challenges Renn on a number of points of inadequately defined terms and formal logic, rather like a professor spanking a student for sloppy thinking in a paper. But I find Jacobs' critique less compelling than Renn's original question, which is a good one, even if his answer is a little uneven.

    Alan Jacobs takes on Aaron M. Renn on the subject of sacred space in a blog post on The American Conservative.  Re...

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  • "Ring of Fire" Re-Kindling Northern Challenges

    The discovery of valuable minerals in the so-called "Ring of Fire" in Northern Ontario has brought discussion of these social challenges to the fore once again. The Ring of Fire, discovered in the early 2000s, has been estimated to contain between $30 billion and $50 billion worth of mineral deposits. This land, currently in early development, is expected to produce between 3,600 direct and 4,500 indirect jobs. The Ring of Fire has the potential to be a catalyst of socio-economic development among nearby Aboriginal communities.

    When the northern Ontario Aboriginal community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency in 2011 because its houses were falling apart, it was analogous to the social state of emergency tha...

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  • Markets in Love?

    Of particular concern to my colleagues was the suggestion in Andrew Coyne's (recommended) column that, "It's not necessarily wrong to charge a fee, but it's not as right as donating it."

    What's love got to do with it? That was the question brewing last week around the fresh pots at the Cardus office. The trigger for the question was the uproar over Justin Trudeau's acc...

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  • Reflections from the Calgary Flood Plain

    In a sense, the flood barely affected me. My suburban neighbourhood is well clear of the evacuation zone and the only impact on our family involved briefly hosting a few friends in need and the cancellation of various planned events. We tried to be good citizens by conserving water and staying at home and out of the way of the rescue workers. Responding to the phone calls and emails from acquaintances around the world, concerned about our safety, felt strange. I was watching the same media reports as they were.

    Record flooding in Calgary has placed my hometown in the international spotlight. A state of emergency and the ...

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  • A Long Way from Inclusive

    Québec's insistence on creating exceptions for Christian symbols is especially unnerving. Stockland says, "It's the reduction of a belief that once moved the world to a collection of tchotchkes. It is faith as furniture." While some might see the exceptions for Christian symbols as privileging the Christian faith, the Christians in Québec should be most afraid: if the Loyola School case is any indication, Québec will only make room for Christian symbols and little else.

    Yesterday, Peter Stockland penned another exceptional blog in which he accurately describes Québec's religion problems as symptoms of a bigger issue. ...

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  • Persistence, Underwritten by Hope

    One of the profile people at the event was John McKnight. People in the community leadership and community development world know him well, and I won't re-iterate his well-earned and impressive credentials. What I most resonated with as I step back from the event is the way in which John attends to relational language in his talks and comments.

    This past week I had the privilege of participating in the Neighbours: Policies and Programs unconference put on by the Tamarack Institute in Kitchener, Ontario. One of the key ideas that framed the ...

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  • Where are the Atheist Churches?

    Cosh's article was inspired by a University of Saskatchewan paper which found, among other things, that: In other words, it's not enough to say you're religious, or even actually believe in religion A or B. You must do religion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    In Maclean's, Colby Cosh asks: "What if the 'organized' bit in 'organized religion' is actually the useful half?"

    Cosh's article was inspired by a University ...

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  • Sensible Common Sense

    We have a federal government that is frequently at odds with experts in policy decisions: replacing a mandatory census with a voluntary one at the objection of statisticians; putting more petty criminals in jail to the chagrin of criminologists; reducing the GST even though economists say it is bad policy; and investing less in research, resulting in an exodus of PHDs to the U.S. in an increasingly knowledge-based economy. To be fair, there are cases where the government puts forth an evidence-based policy, such as the federal government's aboriginal property ownership plans. But this seems to be less and less the case.

    The phrase "common sense" has become ubiquitous in our culture.  This phrase implies that whatever is the most widely-held belief is the most correct.  In many cases, common-held knowledge is correct, but in Canada I believe our politicians have often based...

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  • When Democracy Loses its Moral Authority

    "Harper government had to know $90,000 payment to senator crossed all sorts of ethical red lines"—May 20, 2013 Andrew Coyne column. "Alleged Rob Ford video raises ethical dilemma"—May 20, 2013 Global News report.

    "Hard to believe Obama's claims of ignorance in IRS Scandal"—May 20, 2013 Fox News headline.

    "Harper government had to know $90,000 payment...

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  • The Question Asked Too Late

    It was not exactly breaking news that my old colleague Bob Fife broke the news about how Sen. Mike Duffy managed to repay $90,000 in improperly claimed living expenses so quickly. What made, and makes, Fife one of the three purest news reporters I've ever known, never mind worked with, is actually simple. He simply asks questions, usually starting with a bevy of freshly plucked expletives. Indeed, having known Fife for so long, I am willing to bet some portion of $90,000 that this is exactly the question he asked and began doggedly pursuing the moment he first heard that the senator had repaid in full all misallocated funds owing: "Where in the (ahem) world does (ahem) Mike (ahem) Duffy come up with (ahem) $90,000 just like that?"

    Could the right question, asked earlier, have saved a good man his job?

    It was not exactly breaking news that my old colleague Bob Fife ...

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  • Le Parti Moustique

    If you were ever in doubt about the heights of lunacy which governments committed to a high-modern conception of secularism  can reach,  I present to you Exhibit A of the latest valiant effort from Le Parti Moustique.

    The Parti Quebecois used to stand for something. These days it seems to take its policy cues from mosquitoes. Its preferred method of governance is to buzz loudly, annoy anyone within range, suck the life out of Quebec, cause welts across the country, and l...

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  • Greatly Troubled

    Tragedies of this sort are theological and practical challenges for me, as I seek to live out of my faith in the midst of a society that does not share it. Why does God allow evil of this magnitude to take place? Although there are "right" theological answers to that, owning those answers is difficult—and is even more difficult for those far closer emotionally to the situation.

    Yesterday's email alert advising of a "breaking development" had me watching the Hamilton Police Service news conference regarding the Tim Bosma case live online. The chief's openin...

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  • Bad Medicine For Trade Unions

    We expect this type of response from those on the farthest and most loony left—think Sid Ryan, head of the morally and financially bankrupt Ontario Federation of Labour—but I'm always puzzled when those who traditionally look more skeptically on the state's use of coercive power take up the same tune.

    There is nothing like the topic of unions to bring out people's unquestioning love of the state. Whether you're on the right or the left, the problem of unions—whether we want more or less of them, or whether they should have more or less influence—is almos...

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  • Reasonable Accommodation in Reverse

    It is time, therefore, for religious communities to take a hard look at reasonable accommodation in reverse: not just as a "rights" flag to wave from our foxholes, but as a productive push for social and cultural conversation, and accommodation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    Religious freedom is making bigger and bigger waves in the stormy seas of Canadian politics of late. It's not just that an Ambassador was appointed in February, although that's a fair hat tip to certain concerned constituencies. There also seems to be a ris...

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  • Three Cheers for Motion 382

    As I've said elsewhere, the measure of efforts like the Office of Religious Freedom will be not just the work of religious freedom, important as that is, but the inroads it can make into cultivating religious literacy generally in foreign affairs. If it's God's Century, as the academics and the pundits say, we have a lot of catching up to do.

    In the world of parliamentary business, motions of commitment and encouragement can get lost under the weight of debate and controversy surrounding more binding efforts. But in politics, governance culture can be everything, and yesterday in the House of Co...

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  • Playing Peek-a-boo with Political Principles

    We are now well acquainted with the fact that Canadian political parties have drained the clear water of principle from the House of Commons and left it a swampy cesspool of power and pandering. Ray Pennings notes that "Political parties have become marketing machines with the single-minded purpose of protecting and promoting the brand under which political activists will compete for election." Andrew Coyne, continuing the theme, states: That last sentence is intriguing less because "random populism" is a worthy basis for executive or any other sort of power, and more for what it says about where principle is hiding in politics these days.

    If political principle has left the party, where has it gone?

    We are now well acquainted with the fact that Canadian political parties have drained the clear water of principle from the House of Commons and left it a swampy cesspool of power and pand...

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  • All Hail the Twitterati

    But is it true, like Alexis Wichowski has argued, that social media is now so central to good governance, to political and social life, that "to ignore or disdain it would amount to professional malpractice?"

    The twitterati are now an established class of pundits. Journalists and politicians are increasingly known for their 140-characters of sass, more so even than their editorials or full press releases. The Canadian International Council has launched a new ann...

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  • Keep the Super PACs out of Canada

    If there is one thing on which most Canadians can agree it is that we do not want to be like the United States. In an adolescent way that manages to mix extreme levels of narcissism and insecurity, we create volatile and embarrassing concoctions of Can-con television, totalitarian liquor regimes, and parliamentary bills in support of hockey in order to convince ourselves that, yes, we are in fact not Americans but Canadians so there.

    Well, the one on the right was on the left And the one in the middle was on the right And the one on the left was in the middle And the guy in the rear was a [...] ...

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  • Watching Democratic Infrastructure Crumble

    The result, as Andrew Coyne pointed out, is we now have mob rule instead of democracy (at least on this question). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    Anyone following Canadian politics even from a distance is likely aware of the backbench "mutiny" which occurred last week within the ranks of the governing Conservative party. A Private Member's motion was deemed non-votable in spite of all evidence to the...

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  • Welcoming the End of "Government Compassion"

    Those who know more about foreign aid and development than I do should debate the details regarding the dissolution of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) into the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). But the idea of structuring government involvement in foreign aid so that it coheres with foreign policy and trade objectives, while increasingly relying on non-governmental relief organizations to provide relief to those in need, is one that compels me. There are two ways to evaluate a change of this nature. Critics of the change suggest it is politically motivated by a government not as committed to poverty alleviation and human rights. The government argues the restructuring will allow for more focus, efficiency, and leveraging of funds for maximum impact. Interestingly, the government's position is supported by former Liberal Minister Lloyd Axworthy as "bold and admirable," suggesting that the motives may not be as sinister as the critics say. Whether this will lead to more coherence and efficiency is, of course, not yet knowable.

    It seems, in principle, a healthy refocusing of our social architecture.

    Those who know more about foreign aid and development than I do should debate the details regarding the dissolution of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) into ...

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  • Standing Horn to Horn

    The premise behind this is that individual employees, left on their own, resemble nothing so much as this.

    One of the points of collective bargaining—indeed the key point of collective bargaining—is that it is intended to replace the patchwork of individual employment contracts in a workplace with one contract, negotiated by the union, on behal...

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  • Small Things Done With Great Love

    What if Jesus wasn't kidding when he asked, "When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith upon the earth?" Too often we've taken this statement as a kind of hyperbolic warning. What if it is a serious possibility? A movement dies when it is no longer able to pass its beliefs from one generation to the next.

    "Where are my children?" is a question every parent has asked. "Not in church," is a likely answer.

    What if Jesus wasn't kidding when he asked, "When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith upon the earth?" Too often we've taken this statement as ...

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  • Candid Discussions Worth Having

    "Cardus is hosting an event with Mark Carney?" We look forward to both events advancing Cardus's mission of renewing social architecture.

    "Cardus is hosting an event with Conrad Black?"

    "Cardus is hosting an event with Mark Carney?"

    "Yes," we are delighted to answer our interlocutors. Many Cardus followers last week received invitations to two forthcoming events in the Hill Fami...

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  • Places of Worship Protected in City Core

    The changes, which emerged out of a series of consultations and research spearheaded by Cardus will, according to the city staff report, "enhance the Center City Plan by acknowledging the impact that faith-based institiutions make in the Centre City’s build and social environments." The report notes that "while many community and cultural groups and organizations have been included within the Centre City Plan, there is very little mention of faith based institutions."

    The City of Calgary’s Municipal Planning Commission unanimously passed a series of amendments to the Calgary Centre City Plan on Thursday, clearing ...

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