About Raphael

I was born in Toronto in 1974 and lived in both the city and the suburb of Brampton and Bramalea for 30 years. My given name is Adrian Raphael Alexander MacNair, but I write under my middle name.

From the very beginning I always enjoyed writing, and despite several long lapses in doing so, I have kept up with it for personal enjoyment. In my early twenties I began reading classic contemporary literature where I found inspiration among the masters: Turgenev, Dostoyevsky, Kafka, Camus, Hemingway, and Orwell. But I also found that I enjoyed reading about politics and history, and I slowly developed a background knowledge of Canadian politics and world affairs that I continue to build on by reading dozens of news outlets daily.

I was raised a political socialist, and my earliest ideas were based on the collectivist ideal. I continue to have very strong opinions about the importance of the “working class” and the common Canadian family. But as I entered my thirties I began to change in my thinking and approach, taking a more neutral and non-partisan position and trying to keep a more open mind. I realized, through a slow and gradual process, that conservatism is the kind of philosophy that best suits who I am as a person and a political advocate.

I began writing about politics after becoming disillusioned and frustrated with the waste, excess, and scandals that marked the Liberal tenure from 1993-2006, and it is based on my impressions as a young adult during that time period that I remain suspicious of large and unaccountable government.

In early 2008, fearing the coming of an economic recession, I moved with my wife and two young children to British Columbia. I currently work in the field of construction, but I am fortunate enough to be featured as a contributor to the National Post in their online content section. You can read selected articles there, as well as all of the ones I write here.

You can email me personally : rphl_lxndr at yahoo dot ca