When the American Revolution began in 1775, the news travelled to England. The eccentric King George III did not like bad news and fiercely scolded anyone who brought it up. Finally, one courtier screwed up his courage, and said, “your Majesty, the American colonists are revolting.” King George allegedly replied, “they certainly are.” That story […] Read more
Rob Brown
Stories by Rob Brown
What to expect from Stephen Harper’s new government
May 2 was a day of ironies in Canada and a prelude to radical change in Parliament. Prime minister Stephen Harper won a majority in the House of Commons in an election he claimed he and Canadians didn’t want. The Conservatives, with the support of 39.6 per cent of voters, won 167 seats. The NDP […] Read more
Governments must behave in an honourable manner
A recent trip to the hospital got me thinking about who I can trust, for my health care and other things. In hospital, a variety of doctors, nurses and technicians helped me. It was easy for me to trust them. They displayed thoughtfulness and professionalism. They listened to my story; they found answers to my […] Read more
Runaway train to starvation can be stopped if we try
Sometimes we read stories about humans being on a virtual runaway train toward starvation. I find this puzzling. There are grain carryover stocks each year, meaning there is more food than people are eating. Theoretically, nobody should be hungry. In Canada, producer prices are rising only slowly, so food should be cheap. We need to […] Read more
Train sets and business losses: the real cost of health care
I think the time has come when people receiving health care treatment should be billed directly for their care. Before they leave a hospital or doctor’s office, they should see what their treatment cost, whether for their heart attack, broken leg or annual medical examination. Most people don’t have a clue about the cost of […] Read more
Do we hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest?
We are what we believe, but what we believe may block us from seeing life as it is and keep us tied to what we think life should be. We need to be wary of our own assumptions about everything. That was the focus of Jay Ingram’s presentation to the Agricultural Biodiversity conference Sept. 12 […] Read more
Life goes on, and it all seems to require paperwork
In our lives we go through a variety of changes. Some of these are socially defined and are known to sociologists as rites of passage. Today, every one of them involves paperwork. Lots of it.It hasn’t always been that way, but increasingly we are known not by name but by the number that is assigned […] Read more
Saskatchewan reneges on chiropractic deal in budget
When is a deal not a deal? When you make it with the government. Many in Saskatchewan’s agricultural sector remember the problematic changes by the NDP to the Gross Revenue Insurance Plan (GRIP) in 1992. Now, the Saskatchewan Party has created a similar fiasco with chiropractors. Last week’s provincial budget holds a precise example of […] Read more
Prorogue protests, other clues show Canada is not well
Just as money can’t buy happiness, gross domestic product doesn’t tell us how well we’re doing as a nation. Gross domestic product is the overall measure of our nation’s economic activity. Protests across Canada Jan. 23 against the lengthy shut-down of Parliament are one sign things aren’t well. That’s no surprise to Canada’s Institute of […] Read more
Canadian innovation, diversity a proud part of nationhood
I would focus on our inventiveness and our diversity. Our history of inventiveness is amazing. Canadians tend to be bashful about it when we shouldn’t be. Remember Marquis wheat, which opened up the Canadian West to gain production and other agricultural developments, and extensive population growth. Canadians not only feed themselves, but millions of people […] Read more
