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From 2014 to 2020, Erin wrote a series of blogs on issues impacting Canada and his riding of Durham. He also chronicled the changing geopolitical landscape during this time and the creeping influence of social media on politics and society. We invite you to explore these blogs that were often published in local, and occasionally national, papers. From 2020 onward, Erin focused on the Blue Skies podcast and eventually his Blue Skies Substack page, so you can explore his ongoing examination of issues on those sites.
I write this column today with Durham’s first heavy snowfall taking place across the riding. Despite the inconveniences it brings, it’s hard to deny that the snow sets the scene for a beautiful holiday season and will provide lots of enjoyment for the kids and the young at heart. Here in Ottawa as the House […]
Sometimes the best laid plans can have unintended circumstances. Earlier this month, children and their parents from the group known as the “No Fly List Kids” came to Ottawa to plead their case to MP’s and ministers for assurance that funding from the 2018 federal budget would be allocated to create a new computer system […]
Last week I was in Mexico City and Washington talking with elected officials and industry about NAFTA and the importance of trade. Once again, I was reminded by how important agriculture is to the Canadian economy and to our local economy in Durham. With some of the fiery rhetoric coming out of the White House on NAFTA, […]
Last week I held roundtables on the Trudeau governments small business tax increases in Bowmanville and Port Perry. At both meetings we heard how the tax increases threatened the viability of the family farm and how they could result in small business owners paying rates of tax in excess of 70%. The most consistent sentiment […]
Free trade with the Americans has been a central part of Canada’s history. The National Policy of Sir John A. Macdonald used high tariffs to protect fledgling Canadian industry in Ontario and Quebec in the early years of Confederation. This policy helped certain parts of Canada, but hurt others. Atlantic provinces were particularly hit by […]
On August 19th, hundreds of people gathered in Bowmanville in a park adjacent to the Highway 401 to dedicate the Highway of Heroes Durham LAV Monument. The Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) at the centre of this monument is the iconic Canadian-built vehicle used by Canadian soldiers during Canada’s 13- year mission in Afghanistan. The monument […]
In my last post, I explored the inherent challenges posed by revisiting our history. Should an important French-Canadian leader from our past be struck from the present because he held views that are inappropriate today but were commonplace 150 years ago? If the Langevin name is removed from the public sphere because he held troubling […]
In our 150th year of Confederation we need to celebrate the amazing country we have, but we should also recognize that each generation of Canada learns from the mistakes of the past. It is difficult, however, for us to erase the past based on the values of the present. I will explore this recent trend […]
Years after Canada had welcomed Omar Khadr’s father Ahmed, he left Canada with his family and became a major figure in the Al-Qaeda terror network. The Khadr family had been provided the opportunity to have a life of freedom in Canada, but chose instead to turn to radical ideology and terrorism. Ahmed’s teenage sons became […]
