Release Order

theQuestion: Is it time to turf Daylight Saving Time?* Spring forward, fall back is more than a catchy reminder about which direction to adjust one’s clocks to comply with Daylight Saving Time. It’s a maxim for making the most out of life. Daylight Saving Time or DST adds one hour to standard time with the purpose of making barbecues on the beach

theQuestion: Should insurance companies have a right to your DNA??* The left is awkwardly discordant when it comes to the practical uses of DNA in today’s society. No surprise, as the left has a tortuous history regarding the science and philosophy of genetics. The deeply racist eugenics movement of the early 20th century, which sought to purify the populace through forced sterilizations and other

theQuestion: Should Canada roll back its multiculturalism policy?* Multiculturalism is a myth, built on the fallacy that all cultures are morally equivalent. Which, of course, they are not. There truly is good and evil in the world — a fact painfully proven throughout history. Sadly, one need only look to Sweden to witness cultural suicide in the pursuit of virtue. Virtue being the

theQuestion: Should hard drugs be legalized?* Ends always justify the means for those striving to do good, no matter the cost to life, liberty and truth. The truth about hard drugs, such as heroin, is blunt — it destroys lives and it kills. With each injection, intravenous drug users on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver are slowly, sometimes quickly, killing themselves. I

theQuestion: Should the province get out of the business of child welfare?* Scathing reports from child welfare critics are not going to prevent future tragedies as that which befell 18-year-old Alex Gervais. The Metis teenager took his own life after being bounced around in government care since the age of seven and, according to Bernard Richard, B.C.’s acting representative for children and

theQuestion: Is violence the inevitable outcome of Donald Trump’s immigration policy?* Instantly following the horrific slaughter of six Muslims at a mosque in Quebec the media sphere lit a fire with indictments of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policy and charges that he is responsible for stoking extreme right-wing violence. In a sombre conversation regarding the mass shooting, a friend of mine

theQuestion: Is climate change just hype?* Only fools believe the hype over global climate change. It matters not if they are fooling themselves or if they are active participants in the political, religious, academic cabal — recently joined by large corporations — that is purposefully misleading the mainstream public. Either way, they are fools. You may count me as a ‘climate change-denier.’

theQuestion: Should Canadians be leery of Kevin O’Leary?* In a typical display of left-wing malice, my Duel colleague alludes to Conservative leadership hopeful Kevin O’Leary as a Nazi. He does so duplicitously. Regarding Canada, Garth quotes O’Leary saying “we need a Trump guy” and then brands President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech as “Amerika Uber Alles.” It’s a direct reference to “Deutschland, Deutschland

theQuestion: Should the news media be allowed to ask a public figure any question they want?* When did you stop beating your wife? The right answer of course is “I never started,” but that is beside the point. While the news media loves to torment public figures with what is called ‘loaded questions’ they should never be asked—unless there is verifiable

theQuestion: Should the City of Vancouver crack down on property owners for not clearing sidewalks of snow and ice?* Occasionally, I win The Duel before writing a single word. This week may be just such a case, as my Duel colleague fails to squarely address the premise up for debate — whether government should use coercion to force property owners to

theQuestion: Is fake news a fake controversy?* Controversy over so-called “fake news” is more than a fabrication by the Left to deflect blame from its disastrous, poisonous and vicious policies, which helped cost Hillary Clinton the U.S. presidential election. It is a conniving attempt to regain its totalitarian grip over political discourse and keep on life-support its cherished narrative that self-sacrifice

theQuestion: Should the City of Vancouver levy a 0.5% property tax to fight the overdose crisis?* Human suffering is the norm on this planet. It’s been this way since the dawn of time. We should not ask ourselves why is there so much suffering in this world? Instead, we should be asking why is there so little of it? At least

theQuestion: Which is more appropriate Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?* For overly sensitive congregants in the church of inclusivity here is your trigger warning—this column uses language intended to pay homage to Christmas, Santa Claus and the birth of Christ, while at the same time displaying indifference towards your contemptuous "War on Christmas." Wait. Allow me to walk that statement back. I

theQuestion: Should Canadian law enforcement and security services gain more surveillance power?* Canadian dissidents are complaining and no one is listening. Why should they? The self-righteous dissident crowd never advocates for centrist positions on any issue. They protest, disrupt and wreak havoc to advance only the extreme. Dissidents obstruct legal businesses they deem to be immoral and think nothing of terrorizing and

theQuestion: Should Conservatives get behind Kellie Leitch and her controversial Canadian values pitch?* One must admire the strength Ontario Conservative MP Kellie Leitch is displaying in her campaign to become leader of the Conservative party. Her call for the screening of immigrants entering the country for anti-Canadian values is not only the right policy it’s the right strategy for winning. Yes, the same

theQuestion: Should Canadians fear or celebrate Donald Trump’s triumph?* Racist lover. This was the subject line of the email that greeted my morning on U.S. election-day. Following last week’s Duel where I argued the left seeks to brand anyone that dares to discuss issues outside of sanctified progressive parameters as racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic and Islamaphobic, one Canadian reader saw fit to send

theQuestion: Who would make the better president Trump or Clinton?* Better savour that bowl of granola and antioxidant green smoothie as come Wednesday morning it won’t taste quite the same under a President Donald J. Trump—freedom has a funny taste to it for progressives. Indeed, a Trump victory represents a clear and present danger to status quo progressive politics, which is

theQuestion: Should we be concerned about war with Russia?* It’s been a great challenge debating Petr Pospisil in this column over the past year and a half. We’ve clashed rhetorical swords in 65 separate Duels and I can fairly say Petr landed a few blows that delivered more than just a flesh wound. I wish him well. Turning to Russia, Petr makes

theQuestion: Should repeat criminal offenders be banned from designated public red-zones?* It is nauseating to witness the left’s well-trodden cult-like adoration for the vulnerable, especially when those deemed vulnerable are habitual criminal offenders. This reverence is misguided as the truly vulnerable are the victims of crime, not the criminals themselves. Protecting the public and property from repeat criminal attack is a maddening

theQuestion: Should the province support renters by closing the fixed-term lease loophole?* When it comes to withstanding the left’s howling-on-housing, the BC Liberals are decidedly squishy. In a frenzied attempt to silence critics ahead of the 2017 provincial election, Premier Christy Clark threw over 20,000 real estate agents under the bus, stripping the industry of its right to self-regulate—effectively assigning a portion

theQuestion: Should prescription heroin be made available for addiction treatment in B.C.?* Why does the left always fall in favour of making drugs more widely available to society? Social conservatives are certainly not the ones clamouring to legalize marijuana, drown citizens in more booze or readily handout heroin. What is it about the left? The only conclusion one could come to

theQuestion: Should government bail out Canada’s oil and gas industry?* In Superman comic books, it’s known as the Bizarro World — where a situation or meaning is weirdly inverted or opposite to expectations. The Duel occupies such a space for my opponent, who traditionally argues from the left, but who has proffered from the right a classical defence of non-governmental intervention in

theQuestion: Should people be alarmed at the prospect of wireless implants to monitor bodily functions?* Our love affair with technology is far from a recent fling, it’s a centuries old marriage marked by passionate swings and societal upheaval. Of us, technology demands trust and blind faith in its promise to deliver an easier, longer and more fulfilling life. Yet often, the

theQuestion: Is the state of the Royal Canadian Navy an embarrassment to the country?* On the 15th anniversary of 9/11 — the most devastating global jihadi attack on Western soil — Canadians must reflect upon our readiness to defend freedom. Make no mistake, the followers of Islamic extremism believe they have the right to take your freedom from you in service of

theQuestion: Is it hypocritical to believe Edward Snowden is a traitor, while at the same time believing Julian Assange is a hero for leaking Hillary Clinton’s emails?* Hillary has a big problem and it’s got nothing to do with the alleged state of her ill-health and everything to do with the growing scandal over an unsecured private email server, deleted emails

theQuestion: Have the Olympics lost its luster?* The progressive movement has ruined the Olympics, which shouldn’t be surprise as it spoils every public sphere it touches. I have been a diehard Olympics fan for as long as I can remember. It’s the Canadian in me that drives my affinity for the bobsled, ski jump, figure skating, and hockey. The summer games also

theQuestion: Is the B.C. government responsible for protecting youth from drug overdoses?* Professional government critics such as Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond — B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth — should acknowledge that government ministries and support services dedicated to caring for youth exist not because government has a problem, but because society has a problem. I caution to not expect such an admission

theQuestion: Should British Columbians be relieved now that permits to begin diverting river flow for Site C have been approved?* Just as the sun rises each morning, Petr again lampoons Christy Clark, charging the BC Liberals’ pre-election rallying cry “British Columbians First” is absurd and insincere. He opines that campaign slogans expose “ultimate insecurities.” Perhaps he’s right. The BC NDP campaign

theQuestion: Is the Pokemon Go craze a sign of a coming apocalypse?* As Rome burns, the masses fiddle their time away immersed in the latest version of one of the most persistently inane video game franchises of all time — Pokemon. Only those with heads stuck in the sand could have missed Pokemon Go and the international phenomenon it unleashed just

theQuestion: Should Black Lives Matter allow for a more diverse set of voices to enter the debate over race in North America?* Six police officers shot, with three killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Sunday in what is being investigated as a military-styled ambush. At the time of this writing, the Governor of Louisiana says it was an “unspeakable and unjustified