Max Fawcett, National Observer

Max Fawcett

National Observer

Calgary, AB, Canada

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • National Observer
  • The Walrus

Past articles by Max:

Danielle Smith goes all-in on oil and gas. Elon Musk goes all-out

Conservatives in Alberta may have cheered when Elon Musk took over Twitter, but they can't be nearly as enthusiastic about his latest plans for Tesla — or what they mean for the oil and gas industry's future, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Pierre Poilievre’s know-nothing populism is a dangerous delusion

Pierre Poilievre's disdain for experts may delight his supporters, but it should worry just about everyone else, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Tucker Carlson's nonsense call to ‘liberate’ Canada is no laughing matter

The longer people are fed that sort of toxic nonsense, the more likely it is that it winds up in the head of someone who could do something about it, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

The ‘just transition’ act won’t cost Alberta jobs — but Danielle Smith might

Danielle Smith says she's fighting the "just transition" in order to protect Alberta jobs. So why is she saying and doing things that could end up costing thousands of them? → Read More

Free speech isn’t what Jordan Peterson thinks it is

What do Jordan Peterson, Pierre Poilievre and Elon Musk have in common? None of them understand how free speech actually works — especially in Canada, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Electoral reform can save Canada from Pierre Poilievre's politics

With the rise of Pierre Poilievre and ongoing spread of Trumpist politics in Canada, Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh ought to revisit proportional representation, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

The nasty verbal assault on Chrystia Freeland tells us a lot about rage in Canadian politics

Freeland and the female staffers that were with her escaped unharmed, but it seems like it’s only a matter of time before somebody does something much worse. → Read More

You probably don’t know who’s on our Supreme Court. Let’s keep it that way

Thankfully, in Canada, our Supreme Court actually decides cases on the basis of the law, not politics, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Stop punishing Trudeau for having a private life

If we want to ensure that our elected bodies look like the public they’re created to serve, we need to stop punishing the people in them for having private lives that include children and families, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Canada’s housing market offers young people the worst of both worlds

In fairness, the current federal government is hardly alone in failing to meet the moment here. City councils in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal continue to cater to the noisy whims of local homeowner groups and other organized expressions of NIMBYism, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Trudeau’s ambitious climate plan runs right through Alberta

Trying to meet emissions reduction targets in Canada without Alberta’s full support is like trying to leave the house with a toddler wrapped around your ankles. → Read More

Jean Charest doesn’t stand a chance

Jean Charest, former premier of Quebec and one-time leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, will reportedly contest the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada — and he’s almost certainly going to get crushed, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Jason Kenney has a Russia problem

The oil and gas industry Alberta Premier Jason Kenney holds up as ethical has some very unethical Russian money in it, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Should the government kill the Trans Mountain pipeline project?

Last week, Trans Mountain announced the project will be an eye-watering $8.8 billion over its initial budget. → Read More

Stephen Harper helped create the anti-vax mandate convoy

There’s no sense in negotiating with the terrorists who are occupying Ottawa and want to overthrow the government, but the political culture that produced them needs to be addressed, writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

The trucker rally was a disaster for Conservatives — and Canada

Saturday's protest against vaccine mandates was made up of a "disorganized rabble of riled-up miscreants who spent their day cosplaying as revolutionaries and heroes." → Read More

English federal leaders' debate obscured the truth about Canada and the climate crisis

If you want to become disillusioned with the state of Canadian politics, all you need to do is spend a few minutes watching a federal leaders’ debate. The format of the recent English language debate, which seemed needlessly chaotic and confrontational, didn’t help. At times, it felt like a mashup of a five-car collision, a badly-planned dinner party, and an infomercial for Jody… → Read More

An immaculate takedown of Rebel News

And in case anyone still wants to pretend this is all just talk, there’s the terrorist attack earlier this year that killed a Muslim family in London, Ont., writes columnist Max Fawcett. → Read More

Have We Been Thinking about Inflation All Wrong?

For decades, governments have done all they can to keep inflation down. But maybe letting things run hotter is exactly what we need → Read More

Why Canada Won't Go Broke

According to a controversial economic theory, racking up government debt from COVID-19 might not matter → Read More