Free Republic

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he studied the possibility of U.S.-led military action in Canada. In a lengthy New York Times interview published Wednesday, Carney declined to discuss in detail what that examination involved, but he suggested it would be irresponsible not to prepare for what he called "extreme tail risk." "I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk," Carney told the Times. "That's just risk management. That's not a base case, but it would be irresponsible not to [prepare]." U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about turning Canada into the 51st...

Canada has been invited to become the first “associate member” of the EU by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. In an unprecedented offer, von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the EU and Canada “see the world with the same eyes” through shared democratic values and common approaches to many big issues, from AI to climate breakdown, the Ukraine war and geopolitics. Speaking in the presence of the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, at the European parliament in Strasbourg, she said: “We want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible. We must urgently...

Illicit drugs are in the news again, with talk of creating safe injection sites in major metropolitan centres, and the potential decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. These discussions cause me a certain amount of personal turmoil. I have written in this space before about my own negative experiences with substance abuse, as well as my belief that all drugs should be decriminalized and regulated. I continue to struggle to reconcile these apparently opposing views on illicit drugs. I'm not a believer of the 'harmless' theory of marijuana use. I'm one of those guys whose...