On The Line podcast Jen Gerson says a big part of Canada’s productivity problem is how businesses are all focused on lobbying Ottawa for special privileges that allow them to profit rather than on increasing efficiency and serving customers. This is bang on and this has a name!

Now you’re trapped. You’ve invested so much in your special privilege that you’ll do anything to protect it. But you’re no longer creating any real new wealth. Economic growth dies. Canada is stuck in one giant transitional gains trap. Media as Jen points out is a prime example.

Another is telecoms which get special privileges in exchange for supposedly supporting better connections when StarLink can do the trick. Another is airlines which cannot be foreign-owned even though they require huge capital to get off the ground & competition breeds innovation.

The biggest example of all may the dairy & other agricultural cartels which get supply management that drives up food costs. Another example is Ontario’s absurd LCBO monopoly. Biggest thing we can do to grow the economy is take on the lobbyists and blow up the special privileges!

From Jen Gerson : "I can think of only a few individuals who possess the strong professional credentials and total lack of political savvy to volunteer to be as popular as Michael Ignatieff and as doomed as Kim Campbell. It's Mark Carney. That's it."

From my latest. readtheline.ca/p/jen-gerson-w…

The LOTR references are 🔥.

It is a very good line, actually.

Beautiful. Just beautiful, by Jen Gerson. open.substack.com/pub/theline/p/…

Ok. Well. I guess we'll see them lining up now, then.

Peter Menzies: Skip the lectures and fix the frickin' pipe, by The Line open.substack.com/pub/theline/p/…

Let he who hath not loudly discussed sensitive political matters in the business class lounge of one of the country's busiest train stations cast the first stone.

Golf is how men have pissing contests after the prostate goes.

An open letter in which every other backbench discontent waits to see who else steps forward first is not the most promising early start to a proper caucus revolt.