https://open.substack.com/pub/imahealth/p/heres-a-thought-safety-is-a-slippery?
Once upon a time, 'safety' was about avoiding real danger, now it's simply a polite way of saying 'shut up and comply
“Safety used to mean something concrete—the absence of imminent harm, the presence of reasonable protections. Seatbelts keep you safe. Locking your doors at night keeps you safe. Not playing in traffic keeps you safe. But slowly, almost imperceptibly, “safety” has morphed into something far more abstract, elastic enough to justify nearly any loss of liberty or privilege. “We’re banning that doctor who questions vaccines from social media to keep you safe. We’re removing that book of natural cancer cures from Amazon to keep you safe.
We’re tracking your every move and morsel to keep you safe.”
The real question is: Where does it end? (It’s rhetorical—because it doesn’t.)”
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Cynical me isn’t sure what to think of this. Do I believe her?
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Premier Danielle Smith is pushing for equalization reform — the federal program that (in theory) redistributes money from “have” provinces such as Alberta to deemed “have-not” provinces including Quebec and provinces in Atlantic Canada to help them provide government services.
Smith argues that Albertans shouldn’t overcompensate other provinces but rather should only “equalize to the point of need.” Seems reasonable — right?
Let’s dig into what exactly Premier Smith is talking about.
Essentially, the formula Ottawa uses to determine equalization payments is broken. In 2009, in an effort to control costs, the Harper government introduced the “fixed growth rate rule” so the overall size of the equalization envelope would grow roughly in line with the Canadian economy. However, the rule has had unintended consequences.
Since 2018/19, the rule has worked as an escalator rather than a safeguard. That’s ...