Read excerpts from FP Comment columns from October, November and December. Final instalment in a series

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The last in a series of excerpts from FP Comment columns for this year. Today: Q4.

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• The number of dairy and milk workers in Canada is almost exactly the same as the number working in “fruit and tree nut farming” (31,061). It’s less than in “vegetable and melon farming” (34,887) and less than half the number in “greenhouse, nursery and floriculture” (63,690). As we try to get the best possible trade deal for the country, all these other types of farming are on the table. But not dairy farmers. What is it about cows that gives dairy farmers such power politically? Cows are sacred to Hindus, yes, but we’re not in India, Toto. — William Watson, Oct. 7

• Ontario overwhelmingly elected Doug Ford back in 2018 when he promised that if he became premier, the “party” with taxpayer money would be over. But instead of turning off the lights and sending everyone home, Ford has made the party $8 billion more expensive per year, with much of the increased spending going to corporate welfare. — Matthew Lau, Oct. 8

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• My advice to the Carney government: introduce a target for gross federal debt, say 30 per cent of GDP, and then hit that target… We need a strong fiscal position to make sure we have firepower in reserve in case a real crisis arises. — Jack Mintz, Oct. 10

• Both the Bank of Canada and the Fed are lowering interest rates even as inflation remains persistently above target, while policy-makers in both countries are stoking higher prices by restricting immigration inflows, hiking tariffs and running large budget deficits. Many seem to be crossing their fingers and hoping AI-generated productivity gains will offset these inflationary forces. As the saying goes, however, hope is not a policy. — Philip Cross, Oct. 10

• Before everybody gets carried away with the dream (or nightmare for climate activists and former Carney green backers) that Canada is about to revive its fossil fuel prowess, one major cloud hangs over the prospect:… Ottawa’s requirement that new fossil-fuel projects must find ways to eliminate or offset their carbon emissions. — Terence Corcoran, Oct. 10

• If Canada wants more affordability through increased competition, the answer isn’t just better competition policy for the private sector. We also need governments to quit creating protected monopolies via public ownership or regulation. — Jack Mintz, Oct. 17

• The most notable thing about NDP leadership candidate Avi Lewis’s proposal for

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