Alex Himelfarb considers the state of the Canadian state.
Erosion of the state through drift or design reduces choice and undermines freedom. Letting this happen in barely perceptible increments, without a real debate about the Canada we want and the role of the state, undermines democracy. Rather than sterile ideological debates about big government or small government, we should be turning our attention to making government work better as measured not just by GDP but by the well-being of all its citizens and the health of the commons. As Wolf says, the purpose and role of the state – that’s what our politics should be all about.