Should government have more power or less?

I’m told a coalition government is a possibility in this election. That if the Federal Liberals don’t get quite enough votes, the NDP and Greens will prop them up, to deny the conservatives a chance to govern.

More-so, the NDP or Greens, would use this capability to their advantage, and force concessions from the Liberals on the environmental agenda and other socialist policies. We’ve seen this before, so it’s a valid concern.

I understand this tactic could embolden past supporters of those parties to stick with them, in the hopes that this situation could arise. If it did, they would exert far more power as a ‘king maker’ than their few votes ever could under normal circumstances.

This whole scenario I find truly disturbing. Not just due to the thought of ever expanding socialist policies introduced into our lives through government, but the fact that the voters have no say or input in such coalitions.

This flaw in our system of government, where parties are given such sweeping powers should never be allowed to happen. Additionally, the leadership of the nation is something that all of us should be able to directly participate in.

Perhaps the electing of a Prime Minister or Premier should be a separate vote. Those running for such leadership positions would have assembled their leadership team in advance, and created their platform. This would give us the opportunity to scrutinize our options for entire leadership teams.

They would have the opportunity to select the people they considered the best and brightest to support their platform and achieve the goals they have laid out. That leadership group would then run collectively as a team, and upon winning take that role.

There would be no more opportunity for a coalition government to be formed, because that power would no longer reside with the leaders of each of the political parties, but with the people alone. Anyone losing the leadership contest would be out completely, and unable to negotiate a power sharing deal.

The platform that the leadership team ran on would influence each individual MP/MLA, but it wouldn’t mean they are whipped, and have no voice as is sometimes the case. The leadership would now have to ensure they could count on the support of those representatives, and couldn’t take them for granted.

It seems to me that much of the political power in our Canadian systems, remains in the hands of very few. The voters have some say, but not enough.

Power is held by those who jealously guard it and do not wish to see it reduced. We should look at every possibility to put more power in the hands of the people, and have as much decision making done as close to the source of the issue at hand.

There are many examples to look at the world over. Systems that have decades of use, and we can learn from others successes and mistakes.

No matter what alternative solutions are presented to us in the future; I believe it is imperative that political power should be decentralized, as much as possible.

Norman Wiebe

Norm Wiebe is a local Financial Advisor and political policy enthusiast. He and his wife Lera, live in Red Deer with their two children. Norm uses facebook to promote ideas, so look for him there. https://www.facebook.com/norman.wiebe

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The Day After

Alberta

Fact, fiction, and the pipeline that’s paying Canada’s rent

Published on October 14, 2025

Todayville

From Resource Works

By Stewart Muir

Is the Trans Mountain a fake, like some say the moon landing was faked?

It’s hard to interpret otherwise a persistent claim being made in media by British Columbia’s premier, David Eby.

This week he said that Alberta is “not even using” the new Trans Mountain pipeline from Edmonton to Metro Vancouver.

Could that be true? We decided to look into it.

Here’s what we discovered.

Since May 2024 when the Trans Mountain expansion project was opened, Alberta oil has flowed steadily down the pipeline from its origin in a suburb of Edmonton.

Credible international news organizations have reported that the new pipeline is 85% full. Indications are that by the period 2027-28, it will reach as close to 100% full as it’s possible to.

The number of ship calls to the Westridge coastal loading facility in Burnaby is on track to reach 400 by the end of the year. This strongly supports the contention that Alberta oil is flowing through the pipeline.

https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/8439-trans-mountain-pipeline-delivering

I often say Trans Mountain is “paying Canada’s rent,” and I mean it literally. Ottawa owns the pipeline through Trans Mountain Corporation, and it’s already sending more than a billion dollars a year back to the federal treasury in dividends, interest, and fees.

It’s also boosting export revenues by letting Alberta oil reach world markets instead of being trapped at a discount — raising royalties, taxes, and paycheques across the Prairies. And every tanker that sails from Burnaby keeps tug crews, port workers, and coastal suppliers in business. That’s real money flowing through the economy — the kind that actually pays the rent for Canada.

In total, Resource Works examined nine claims that would all need to be true if Premier Eby is telling the truth about the pipeline being empty:

Truth Test: “Alberta isn’t even using the pipeline we bought them last time.”

Category	Claim or Implication	Evidence / Data	Source(s)	Finding / Truth Rating
1. Pipeline utilization	TMX is unused or empty.	Trans Mountain reports 757,000 bpd throughput on an 890,000 bpd capacity system (≈ 85 %).	Trans Mountain Q1 2025 Financial Results; Reuters (30 Jul 2025).	False — pipeline is heavily used and approaching full capacity.
2. Export volumes	Few or no shipments.	306 vessels loaded at Westridge Marine Terminal by Q2 2025 (~20–25 per month).	Trans Mountain Q2 2025 Results; CER Market Snapshot (Sept 2025).	False — consistent, large-scale exports are underway.
3. Financial returns	No financial benefit to Canadians.	$729 million returned to federal government YTD 2025; projected >$1.25 billion for year.	Trans Mountain Q2 2025 Results.	False — major positive fiscal returns already realized.
4. Shipper commitments	No demand for pipeline capacity.	80 % of capacity contracted to long-term shippers; 20 % reserved for spot.	S&P Global Commodity Insights (Feb 2025); CER Snapshot.	False — demand is locked in by long-term contracts.
5. Operational timeline	Project still inactive or delayed.	Commercial service began May 1 2024; steady throughput growth each quarter.	Trans Mountain Corporate Reports 2024–25.	False — fully operational since 2024.
6. Regulatory data	No verified data exist.	Monthly throughput published by CER and Trans Mountain Corp.	Canada Energy Regulator (CER Data Portal).	False — independent regulators in fact consistently confirm the data.
7. Market impact	No improvement to Alberta’s market access.	WCS-Brent differential narrowed; Asia exports up sharply.	CER Market Snapshot (Sept 2025); S&P Global 2025 report.	False — there is clear evidence of improved market access.
8. Ownership context	B.C. or Alberta “owns” the pipeline.	Owned by Government of Canada via Trans Mountain Corporation.	Finance Canada; Trans Mountain Corp. Ownership Statement.	Misleading — federal ownership doesn’t mean Eby “bought Trans Mountain for Alberta.”
9. Provincial benefit analysis	No benefit to B.C. or Alberta.	Royalties, tax revenue, and employment gains in both provinces; marine services in B.C.	TMX Economic Impact Assessment 2024; CER regional reports.	False — both provinces gain fiscal and employment benefits.

Last year, on three occasions I visited the Westridge Marine Terminal, twice on tours of the land-based facilities and the third time from the water. Ships were docked at the terminal on all three occasions, and I was told by staff that they were being loaded.

I didn’t actually see any oil at the oil terminal, but…

I have to admit I did not actually see (or smell) any oil. But I’m also aware that it is very much in the interest of the Trans Mountain Corporation to never expose any oil to where it can be seen, touched or smelled, since this would result in stiff fines and other harsh repercussions.

At this point, I have to say that there is no supporting evidence whatsoever that Alberta is using the Trans Mountain pipeline as a moon landing style hoax for some nefarious goal. There is no sign of a massive fraud that required collaboration among energy regulators, Alberta oil producers, the pipeline company, the international business press, numerous federal ministers, trade union leaders, numerous environmental organizations that expend enormous efforts to try to curtail shipments of the oil that they say moves through the pipeline, and the many First Nations that have actively supported from and benefit from the project in its completed state.

Of course, I’m well aware there is a political context here. Since October 1, Premier Eby has been engaged in a war of words with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. She announced that she is determined to see get built another new pipe from her province to a federally regulated port somewhere on the Pacific coast.

And to be clear, this isn’t about giving Alberta a free pass. Premier Smith isn’t blameless either — she’s been happy to turn complex national issues into provincial sound bites when it suits her. The difference is that Canada can’t afford leaders on either side of the Rockies who substitute theatre for truth.

Premier Eby is right when he says British Columbians should not be forced to give up opportunities because another province wants to do something. Labour market fears are legitimate as we’ve seen in the recent past. But when it comes to infrastructure and investment opportunities, time and again Canadians have learned the hard way that “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” There is no guarantee that today’s opportunities, pushed away, will materialize again at any point in the future.

There’s also a public context. At no moment in recent times have British Columbia residents been more supportive of the idea of building more oil pipeline infrastructure. The following slide from a poll by Innovative Research Group (shared by pollster Greg Lyle at a recent event organized by Resource Works) is consistent with other findings:

Even without out this quite exceptional condition, the current situation deserves a vigorous public conversation. It also deserves the truthful use of information.

My final verdict is this: We can all be fully confident that the Trans Mountain Expansion is indeed 85 per cent full, that hundreds of tankers have already sailed, and that more than a billion dollars has flowed back to Canadians.

Bottom Line

The facts show a functioning, profitable national asset:

Operational since May 2024
85% utilized and rising
Hundreds of ships exporting Canadian oil
Over $1 billion flowing back to the public purse from Trans Mountain – that’s even before counting the upstream employment and impacts

This Resource Works analysis is based on public reports from Trans Mountain Corporation (2024 & 2025), Canada Energy Regulator (2025), Statistics Canada, S&P Global Commodity Insights, and Reuters.

Stewart Muir, visting the Trans Mountain pipeline’s Westridge Marine Terminal.

International

Signed and sealed: Peace in the Middle East

Published on October 14, 2025

Todayville

MxM News

Quick Hit:

President Donald Trump on Monday signed a landmark peace agreement ending the two-year Gaza war, declaring “peace in the Middle East” as dozens of world leaders joined him in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The deal inks Trump’s 20-point plan, which secured the release of all remaining Israeli hostages and Israel’s gradual withdrawal from Gaza.

Key Details:

“At long last, we have peace in the Middle East,” Trump said during his remarks. “It’s something people have prayed for over generations, and now those prayers have been answered.”
The signing comes after Hamas released the final 20 living hostages on Monday, following Israel’s weekend withdrawal from portions of Gaza. Trump said mediators will now move forward with phases two through four of his 20-point plan, which focuses on rebuilding Gaza and expanding regional cooperation.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who attended the ceremony, hailed Trump as “a man of peace” and announced Pakistan’s nomination of the president for the Nobel Peace Prize.

PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: SECURED pic.twitter.com/tpApdOOT2O

— MxM News (@mxmnews) October 13, 2025

Diving Deeper:

President Donald Trump on Monday celebrated what he called the “end of an age of terror and death” in the Middle East as he signed a sweeping peace agreement bringing an official close to two years of fighting in Gaza. The ceremony, held in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, featured dozens of world leaders and regional envoys gathered under banners reading “Peace in the Middle East.”

“This is the day that people across this region and around the world have been working, striving, hoping, and praying for,” Trump said. “Together, we have achieved the impossible.”

The signing followed the release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages by Hamas and Israel’s repositioning of its forces. Trump said the next phases of his 20-point peace framework would focus on reconstruction and long-term normalization across the region.

“This breakthrough is more than the end of the war in Gaza,” Trump said. “With God’s help, it will be the new beginning for an entire, beautiful Middle East.” He expressed optimism that new nations would soon join the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements first launched during his first term.

“We’re going to get a lot of people joining the Abraham Accords,” Trump said. “Then you had the Biden administration, the worst in history, and they did nothing on that — or on anything else.”

Under Trump’s first term, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates joined the Accords. With the Gaza war ended and Iran’s nuclear ambitions curtailed after U.S.-backed Israeli operations earlier this year, Trump said “all the momentum now is toward a great, glorious, and lasting peace.”

He credited Secretary of State Marco Rubio for helping negotiate the agreement over nine months of talks, predicting Rubio “will go down as the greatest Secretary of State in U.S. history.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif joined Trump on stage, calling Monday “one of the greatest days in contemporary history” and praising Trump for leading “untiring efforts to make this world a place to live with peace and prosperity.” Sharif added that Pakistan had formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump concluded his remarks by casting the deal as a new foundation for the region’s future: “If we do this together, the Middle East will become what it was always meant to be — the crossroads of faith, commerce, and humanity. This will be the geographic center of the world.”