Max Fawcett

Lead Columnist | Calgary

Max Fawcett is Canada's National Observer's lead columnist. His brilliant essays and opinions are read and valued by millions of Canadians.

We're not sure how he finds so much time to write three substantial, searing columns a week and tweet through the day. Yet proof that he can and does is vivid on Twitter, where he engages in intense, irreverent conversations on politics and policy, with a special focus on the Smith government of Alberta.

His Canada's National Observer columns are regularly highlighted on National Newswatch, and he is a frequent guest on leading podcasts and radio shows. He won the 2023 National Newspaper Award for best columnist, and also picked up a National Magazine Award in 2021 for his columns.

Max's writing has been published in The Globe and Mail, Maclean's, The Walrus and CBC and he has been an executive editor at both Alberta Oil Magazine and Vancouver Magazine.

He lives in Calgary.

467 Articles

Europe’s worst people hate Justin Trudeau. So why is that a story?

People saying nice things about Justin Trudeau doesn’t get clicks in our current media landscape, and it doesn’t drive the kind of anger that plays so well on social media, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 29th 2022

Pierre Poilievre is right to make housing an issue

For all his bluster and bravado, Pierre Poilievre is gifted at harnessing anger and putting it to work on his behalf, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 25th 2022

The Trudeau-Singh deal means Canadians can breathe easy for the next 3 years

Conservatives, of course, are portraying it as an undemocratic affront to the freedoms and liberties of Canadians, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 23rd 2022

Soaring oil prices could save Alberta's Conservative party from itself

So far, at least, Rachel Notley's NDP doesn’t seem to sense the political danger associated with this tsunami of oil cash, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 22nd 2022

Another Ford victory could bring privatized health care to Ontario

Beware the false prophets — and profits — of private health care, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 18th 2022

We're in a disinformation war with Russia. So far, they're winning

Russia’s digital brigades have been busy at work here in Canada as well. The recent trucker convoy that occupied Ottawa for the better part of a month was aided and abetted by foreign forces, and that seems to have Russian fingerprints on it. RT, a major conduit for Russian propaganda and A self-described “info weapon,” ran upwards of 1,200 stories on the occupation, writes Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 15th 2022

Doug Ford takes the masks off

Doug Ford has clearly decided to throw whatever caution he might have left to the wind and hope for the best — or at the very least, that the worst doesn’t come until after the votes are counted in June, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 12th 2022

Jean Charest doesn’t stand a chance

Jean Charest, former premier of Quebec and one-time leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, will reportedly contest the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada — and he’s almost certainly going to get crushed, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 9th 2022

Soaring oil prices could be the death rattle of our fossil-fuelled economy

The longer prices stay at these nosebleed levels, the more likely it is that consumers, businesses, industry and even entire countries will look to find alternatives, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

March 8th 2022

The unethical opportunism of Jason Kenney

Oil and gas advocates have plumbed new depths of depravity with their willingness to treat the crisis in Ukraine as an opportunity to push, yet again, for projects like Keystone XL and Energy East, writes columnist Max Fawcett.

Opinion

Max Fawcett

Opinion

March 5th 2022