Toronto Sun · Ottawa Citizen · Montreal Gazette · Toronto Star · Edmonton Journal
Robert Smol
Publishing · On our record since 2012
Where this writer stands
Defence5 pieces
Restrain spending and deploymentsHigher spending and more capability
“And if there was one token deed that would give Canada its first true War of 1812 moment in over two centuries, then joining Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium and Estonia in their recent "tripwire" defence deployment to Greenland would be it.” Read the piece
Fiscal policy2 pieces
Higher taxes and public spendingLower taxes and tighter spending
“Being truly thankful for my service should mean you are willing to pay more taxes to support robust well-financed public veteran care.” Read the piece
Health2 pieces
Expand public coverageMore private delivery
“So, instead of thanking me for my service, how about you exploit every non-violent legal and political avenue possible to ensure that the government does not make cuts to Veterans Affairs and reverses its recent privatization initiatives?” Read the piece
Public safety1 piece
Prevention and restraintEnforcement and sentencing
“No longer could teachers rely on today's hip, hug-a-bully, Triple W (weak, woke, and witless) principals to stand up for them against violent students and harassing parents.” Read the piece
Foreign affairs1 piece
Alliance restraintAssertive alliances and sanctions
“Politically and strategically, the world of democratic defence alliances values "deeds not words" to quote the motto of a famed Canadian special operations unit.” Read the piece
Only opinion columns and editorials are scored. Each piece is read twice by a language model, which records the author's own stance on a policy topic only where the piece argues one, with a quote that must appear in the piece. An author's position on a topic is the average of their pieces, weighted by the model's confidence. News reporting is listed but never scored.
Recent work
- SMOL: Legion’s Poppy Fund should assist Capt. Kenneth KunkelOpinion · Toronto Sun · Nov 7, 2026
- SMOL: Canadian Forces members wounded in Wainwright fire must not be forgottenOpinion · Toronto Sun · Oct 31, 2026
- SMOL: Armed Forces declare secular war on God referenced in charter, national anthemOpinion · Toronto Sun · Aug 29, 2026
- SMOL: Remember Richard Bilkszto’s brave stand against woke decolonizing indoctrination on Canada DayOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jun 27, 2026
- SMOL: Why I am not returning to teachingOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jun 13, 2026
- SMOL: Canada missed out first true War of 1812 moment in over two centuriesOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jan 31, 2026
- SMOL: Denmark stacks up better than Canada against the mighty U.S. militaryOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jan 10, 2026
- SMOL: Mobilization Plan Charlie calls for creation of volunteer 'Maple Leaf Battalion'Opinion · Toronto Sun · Jan 3, 2026
- SMOL: Time for a grown-up conversation about Mark and Jennie’s Canadian citizen-militiaOpinion · Toronto Sun · Dec 20, 2025
- SMOL: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s war on veterans goes beyond budget cutsOpinion · Toronto Sun · Nov 29, 2025
- SMOL: Demand the government halt the cuts planned for Veterans AffairsOpinion · Toronto Sun · Nov 16, 2025
- SMOL: Iconic War of 1812 battle site deteriorates due to government neglectOpinion · Toronto Sun · Sep 7, 2025
- Smol: Canada's military is far too deferential to the U.S.Opinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 20, 2025
- SMOL: Royal Canadian Navy anthem too steeped in Canada's colonial past?Opinion · Toronto Sun · Nov 30, 2024
- SMOL: School off base in banning military uniforms on Remembrance DayOpinion · Toronto Sun · Nov 10, 2024
- SMOL: Futile education experiment ends as Ontario schools ban cellphonesOpinion · Toronto Sun · Sep 21, 2024
- SMOL: Trudeau's Hippy Hair Force finally getting much needed snipOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jul 13, 2024
- SMOL: Let's stop pretending vaunted Canadian Rangers are real soldiersOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jun 22, 2024
- SMOL: McGill’s pro-Hamas protest defiles university’s legendary military historyOpinion · Toronto Sun · May 20, 2024
- Smol: A woman as Chief of the Defence Staff? Not yet, CanadaOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Apr 22, 2024
- SMOL: Can't make sense of Trudeau's 'gender-inclusive demining' aid to UkraineOpinion · Toronto Sun · Mar 2, 2024
- SMOL: Canada has a prolific history of military violence against civiliansOpinion · Toronto Sun · Dec 16, 2023
- Smol: U.S. should stop enabling Canada’s defence deficitOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Dec 14, 2023
- SMOL: Trudeau government’s beatdown of disabled veterans hits new legal lowOpinion · Toronto Sun · Dec 10, 2023
- SMOL: Push to 'decolonize' the National War Memorial only a matter of timeOpinion · Toronto Sun · Nov 9, 2023
- Smol: These days, veterans are mostly used as political props. Let's change thatOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Nov 7, 2023
- Smol: These days, veterans are mostly used as political props. Let's change thatOpinion · Montreal Gazette · Nov 6, 2023
- Opinion: These days, veterans are mostly used as political props. Let's change thatOpinion · Montreal Gazette · Nov 6, 2023
- Smol: Time to end the pacifist myths around Canadian peacekeepingOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Sep 12, 2023
- SMOL: More males wanted in education, just not ones like Richard BilksztoOpinion · Toronto Sun · Aug 5, 2023
- Smol: Canada's absence from major NATO exercise shows what defence laggards we've becomeOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jun 28, 2023
- SMOL: Teachers and their unions partly to blame for epidemic of violence against teachersOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jun 24, 2023
- Opinion | Are the Canadian Armed Forces really underpaid?Opinion · Toronto Star · Apr 3, 2023
- SMOL: With brutal missile war raging in Ukraine, Canada remains missile-lessOpinion · Toronto Sun · Feb 12, 2023
- Smol: Was Pierre Trudeau really the enemy of the Canadian Armed Forces?Opinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jan 9, 2023
- Smol: Was Pierre Trudeau really the enemy of the Canadian Armed Forces?Opinion · Montreal Gazette · Jan 6, 2023
- Smol: Respect all veterans, but reserve the term 'hero' for those whose actions were extraordinaryOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Nov 10, 2022
- SMOL: Stop obsessing over Dieppe, focus more on our many battlefield victoriesOpinion · Toronto Sun · Aug 28, 2022
- Smol: Why Sweden will be a stronger NATO member than CanadaOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Aug 24, 2022
- Smol: Why Sweden will be a stronger NATO member than CanadaOpinion · Montreal Gazette · Aug 23, 2022
- Opinion: Why Sweden will be a stronger NATO member than CanadaOpinion · Edmonton Journal · Aug 23, 2022
- SMOL: Trudeau’s hippy look for military uniform is shamefulOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jul 17, 2022
- Smol: Joining Canada's military is no longer a 'passport to poverty'Opinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 29, 2022
- Smol: Canada ignores Russia’s militarized Arctic at our own riskOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 1, 2022
- SMOL: Are Canada's historic sites, museums next in line for attackOpinion · Toronto Sun · Aug 21, 2021
- SMOL: NDP missing in action on National Peacekeepers' DayOpinion · Toronto Sun · Aug 14, 2021
- Smol: Sunk costs — Why Canada lags behind on submarine technologyOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jul 13, 2021
- SMOL: Teachers should be outraged over Ryerson statue topplingOpinion · Toronto Sun · Jun 19, 2021
- SMOL: Pay proper respect to soldiers who died fighting Louis RielOpinion · Toronto Sun · May 29, 2021
- SMOL: Abolish Canada's armed forces? No, NDP needs to grow upOpinion · Toronto Sun · Apr 9, 2021
- Smol: Let’s talk about teacher mental health – and the stigma that remainsOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jan 27, 2021
- SMOL: Challenging education's 'cyber-utopia'Opinion · Toronto Sun · Dec 28, 2020
- Smol: Remembrance Day should include those who fought the U.S. in 1812-15Opinion · Ottawa Citizen · Nov 9, 2020
- Smol: Hey Canada – domestic terrorism isn't just an American thingOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Oct 15, 2020
- Smol: Why teachers may fear pointing out COVID safety problems in classOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Sep 8, 2020
- Smol: Why teachers may fear pointing out COVID safety problems in classOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Sep 8, 2020
- Smol: The pandemic is grooming teachers for unbridled e-learningOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jun 16, 2020
- Smol: The pandemic is grooming teachers for unbridled e-learningOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Jun 16, 2020
- Smol: The military's pandemic response suggests reservists are still seen as second-class soldiersOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · May 28, 2020
- Smol: The military's pandemic response suggests reservists are still seen as second-class soldiersOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · May 28, 2020