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Timothy Huyer Profile picture
Timothy Huyer
@tim4hire
Absolutely no content, regardless whether original or retweeted, represents the views of any person or panda. Caveat lector. He/him. Also on bluesky.
4 subscribers
Dec 14 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
A couple of comments in response to this OpEd. First, if the USA imposes tariffs and Canada decides retaliatory action is the best way to get the White House to back down, you want actions that hurt Americans but do as little harm to Canadians as possible.

1/ An export tax, unlike a tariff, does not increase costs for Canadians. So, in that respect, it already has an advantage.

Of course, it can mean that export demand for the taxed good will decrease, which is, obviously, bad for the producers of that good.

2/
Oct 12 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Counterpoint: caucus revolts are an important feature of our Westminster system between elections. When a party leader will not or cannot maintain public support, then the caucus will seek change.

1/ They do this because they fear they, or the party overall, will lose seats in the next election with the status quo. It’s because they are accountable to voters, not because they are selfish. In a democracy, the MP’s loyalty to the leader yields to the views of voters.

2/
Sep 24 • 27 tweets • 5 min read
(🧵)Obviously, until the actual amendments are introduced, we won't be able to see how the Government intends to implement what the Premier is promising in her video. But a few things can be noted as items to watch.

1/ First, the Premier speaks about enshrining the right to make one's own medical choices "without fear of *undue* pressure or interference by government."

People were not involuntarily vaccinated against COVID-19.

2/
Jul 27 • 21 tweets • 4 min read
An issue with vertically integrated monopoly electricity utilities is that they can prevent or limit access to cheaper generation options, including renewables. Deregulated markets can address that problem.

1/ With a deregulated market, any electricity generator that satisfies licensing requirements can deliver power to the transmission grid on the same terms and conditions as all other generators. Unlike Saint John Power, you don’t need to build a separate transmission line.

2/
Jul 17 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
Many things impact price levels (and hence CPI). But it is important to differentiate between the things that cause discrete changes and the things that affect the ongoing rate of change in the price levels.

1/
 #cdnecon An increase or decrease in an excise tax or charge, such as the fuel tax, the GST/HST rate or the carbon price, result in an increase or decrease to the price level. The effect may happen over a period of time, but it isn’t a continuous effect.

2/
Apr 1 • 15 tweets • 3 min read
On federal-provincial jurisdiction and the spending power (🧵).

A lot of ink is spilled arguing over which level of government is responsible for various initiatives. And to be fair, this can be confusing and something the governments themselves get wrong de temps en temps.

1/ One area where there *is* broad jurisdiction is the (federal) spending power. It boils down to this: the federal government can pretty much spend federal money any way it sees fit, even in areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction. TL;dr: “My money, my rules.”

2/
Nov 15, 2023 • 17 tweets • 3 min read
Courts already provide for an expedited process to determine whether (interlocutory) injunctions/stays should be granted until the case can be decided on its merits. This would upend that process and completely neuter a government's emergency powers.
#ableg
1/ Courts use a 3-part test for granting an interlocutory stay. The party seeking the injunction must show:
(1) There is a serious issue to be tried;
(2) The person will suffer irreparable harm if the stay isn't granted; and
(3) The balance of convenience favours a stay.

2/
Oct 27, 2023 • 63 tweets • 10 min read
(🧵). In light of the major debate happening in Alberta, I thought I would try to put together a FAQ on a CPP/APP. As always, the answers here do not contain legal advice or personal views.

#ableg #CPP Q1: Can Alberta form an APP?

A: Yes. Section 94A of the Constitution Act, 1867 guarantees this, as Parliament cannot "affect the operation of any law present or future of a provincial legislature in respect of [old age pensions and supplementary benefits]."
May 30, 2023 • 21 tweets • 5 min read
(🧵) Because the one thing tweeps have too much of tdoay, here is my own post-mortem on the #AbElection2023.

TL;dr: The @albertaNDP had a nigh-impossible path to victory. Ms Smith will have a hard time remaining Premier for a full term and the @Alberta_UCP could fragment.

1/21 When @ABDanielleSmith became leader and Premier, I believed she would not have time to turn around the party. In hindsight, the evidence that my call was wrong was readily apparent in the parties' fundraising totals.

2/21
Mar 4, 2023 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
The general basis of Thomas Malthus’s theories was that providing any social assistance to the very poor would be futile, as the recipients would waste the help they received.

1/ Rather than spending money received on bettering their circumstances (education, etc.), Malthus believed recipients would instead buy alcohol. And even if their situation did improve, the recipients would have more children until they once again had too many mouths to feed.

2/
Feb 22, 2023 • 15 tweets • 4 min read
Gentle reminder that Roxham Road is closed. It is not, and has not been for many years, a port of entry. The road does not cross the border, as Google Streetview shows.

1/ Google Streetview of 339 Roxham Road looking south just wher The reason why asylum seekers cross at Roxham Road is *because* it is closed and not a port of entry. If it were a port of entry, they would be turned back/denied entry as a result of the Safe Third Country Agreement, which only applies at land ports of entry.

2/
Jan 2, 2023 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Official releases from Elections Alberta won’t confirm this for some time. But the numbers indicated below are staggering.

#ableg #abpoli

1/ In 2021, the NDP took in $2,090,744 in donations in Q4, putting its annual total to $6,152,004. It raised $2,322,450 in 2020Q4 and $5,059,538 for the whole year.

The 2022Q4 and annual totals show significant gains.

2/
Nov 30, 2022 • 16 tweets • 3 min read
By unpopular demand, a (🧵) background explainer for what a "Henry VIII clause" is (as this phrase is being bandied about a lot at the moment).
#ableg #abpoli #cdnpolitics

1/16 In our system of government, the legislature (or Parliament, federally) enacts the laws. Formally, His Majesty only makes laws "by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly [of Province]."

2/16
Nov 6, 2022 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
The Saskatchewan First Act is a doozy both in terms of what it purports to do (blatantly unconstitutional) and what it actually does (mostly, generate hot air).

(🧵) #skpoli #cdnpoli #Saskatchewan

1/ Namely, the Act purports to amend the Constitution of Canada, namely the Saskatchewan Act and the Constitution Act, 1867. All well and good, except this can’t be done unilaterally.

2/
Nov 6, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
We depend on your help to ensure our continued existence. Please send cookies to your local panda, and also make sure to support education workers. Nailed it. Although, TBH, 30 seconds after the video ended, I was sick.
Nov 4, 2022 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
This is not about “keeping kids in classrooms.” It’s about imposing a contract that is not fair or equitable.

1/
 #ontedsolidarity #CUPESolidarity #onted #ontpoli There were several options that could have been used to prevent any strike or other labour disruption, all without using the notwithstanding clause. The only problem for the government is that these other options would have most likely resulted in higher wage settlements.

2/
Oct 29, 2022 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Let me save some time. The prospects for the province winning on appeal are nil. Dunlop J. made a finding of fact that Cabinet, not the CMOH, was making the decisions. There is no palpable or overriding error that would cause the Court of Appeal to reverse that.

1/3 It is also settled law that decision makers cannot unduly fetter their discretion, nor can they sub-delegate the authority given to them by statute. There is no avenue for the Court of Appeal to hold an error in law was made by Dunlop J.

2/3
Oct 28, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
I will disagree that the PC party successfully reinvented itself with new leaders. There were only two leaders who were really successful, each of which were premier for almost 1/3 of the period the PCs held power.

#ableg #abpoli
1/4 Both Peter Lougheed and Ralph Klein were Premier for 14 years (in Klein’s case, to the day; Lougheed was actually a few months longer). The other *5* PC premiers collectively governed for the remaining 15 years.

2/4
Oct 27, 2022 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
A fairly solid win for @OrlaghOKelly1 and @Sharonadactyl, all due to their dogged persistence and smart approach to get the evidence that ultimately made the decision (IMHO) an inevitable conclusion.
#ableg #abpoli
1/10 As the decision notes, the evidence (which the government initially tried to hide behind the veil of Cabinet confidence) showed that Cabinet, and not the CMOH, made the decisions. The Court says this was “unreasonable”, which is administrative law language for offside.

2/10
Oct 10, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
I will quibble on this column. First, a recession is neither necessary nor inevitable. The goal is to find the “goldilocks” soft landing. The challenge is that it is hard to hit that target, and central banks can easily overshoot.

1/5 The second point quibble is that monetary policy is playing a major role in our current economic situation, and so changes to that policy cannot be avoided. In particular, monetary policy until recently was highly stimulative; it has only recently passed become tight.

2/5
Oct 6, 2022 • 15 tweets • 3 min read
Every time you pay by credit card, a percentage of the payment, called a swipe fee, is taken from the amount, reducing what goes to the merchant. The swipe fee varies, but can be 2.4% in many cases. By way of contrast, the swipe fee for payment by debit cards is very low.

1/15 The bulk of the swipe fee, called interchange, goes to the credit card issuer (banks and some other financial institutions). It is a lucrative part of their business. IIRC, interchange amounts to several billion dollars each year in Canada.

2/15