Liberal supporters mocked Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer with a variety of creative signs, and in one case, a Doug Ford mask, outside of the French language leaders' debate in Ottawa on Oct. 10. The parties and leaders themselves have also run negative campaigns, and polling by Ipsos suggests that more Canadians are unhappy with all of their choices in this election than were in the last. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Election 2019 was a ‘campaign of fear,’ say pollsters
'There may well be a message to this to the main parties, that slagging each other will only take you so far,' says Greg Lyle.
Election 2019 campaign one of the most ‘uninspiring, disheartening, and dirtiest’ in 40 years, says Savoie
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says she has never seen an election where mudslinging overwhelmingly dominated the campaign, leaving little or no time for policy discussion.Strategic voting to determine if Liberals will form government, say political players
As many as nine per cent of progressive voters could vote strategically in this close election potentially affecting the outcome in more than 100 ridings, says Innovative Research president Greg Lyle.Politics This Morning
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Turkish offensive should pressure feds to act on repatriation of Canadian citizens in Kurdish-controlled ISIS detention camps, says expert
The issue of repatriation will be less politically fraught after the election, says expert. Business tops experience among 2019 candidates, one-third have run for office before
Here’s an analysis of the record 1,700-plus candidates running for the six major parties this election.
Pod save us all: the growing role of political podcasts in election 2019
The Hill Times spoke with some podcast hosts taking a deeper dive into the political nitty-gritty, within a medium that only continues to grow in popularity. No-shows from Conservative candidate could hurt party’s chances in tight Kanata-Carleton race, say politicos
The Conservative's candidate, Justin McCaffrey, has skipped two events, including a debate on the environment, intended to feature all candidates. For whom will the bell toll in Peterborough-Kawartha?
In a riding where voters are deeply engaged in the political process, candidates avoid the low-hanging fruit and stay out of the mud as they grapple with who to send to the House of Commons.Singh’s strong campaign an internal win, whatever the outcome, New Democrats say
Jagmeet Singh’s impressive campaign has ‘rescued’ and ‘refocused’ the NDP after the failed 2015 effort, Ed Broadbent says. The astrophysicist whose polling aggregator is projecting the election
The mastermind behind 338Canada, poll aggregator Philippe Fournier, is aiming to correctly call 90 per cent of the seats in the Oct. 21 race.Liberal supporters mocked Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer with a variety of creative signs, and in one case, a Doug Ford mask, outside of the French language leaders' debate in Ottawa on Oct. 10. The parties and leaders themselves have also run negative campaigns, and polling by Ipsos suggests that more Canadians are unhappy with all of their choices in this election than were in the last. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Election 2019 was a ‘campaign of fear,’ say pollsters
'There may well be a message to this to the main parties, that slagging each other will only take you so far,' says Greg Lyle.
A merciful end to a fractious (but not all bad) election
Monday’s outcome will be a verdict on the shameless brand of Trumpian politics that crept into this campaign. Does it work, or does a fair-minded, open-hearted, slow-to-judgment country assert itself and say 'enough'?It’s the end of the road for this tragically obtuse election
Election 43 should be known as the Election of Ignorance for the lack of vision, lack of leadership, and a lack of accountability. If this is the best Canada has to offer, we're effed. Would-be PMs offer radical change, regression, or have-it-both-ways comfort
If you want someone who says he can both cut taxes and increase spending, then Justin Trudeau is your man, writes Michael Harris.
Liberals passing the buck on weapons ban
If the Liberal government truly believes that the legal availability of assault weapons puts the public at risk, then why not enact measures that are available to them right now, while they are still in power?Trudeau’s legislative record unlikely to motivate voters in the fall, with a few exceptions: pollsters
Many achievements and blunders enshrined in legislation are ancient history in the minds of voters, who cast their ballots based on the next thing you can do for them, say politicos and pollsters.Will the Senate respect democracy and First Nations rights?
Three important pieces of legislation sit in the Senate today, subject to the whim of a small group of Senators, which is a gross undermining of the democratic process.
CSIS is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t
CSIS is criticized when it refuses to divulge anything at all. It is criticized when it at least makes an effort to let out some information. Why should the intelligence agency even try then?The history behind Trump’s betrayal of Syrian Kurds
On the surface, it appears to be an open and shut case of simple betrayal on the part of the Donald. However, let’s start adding some context and modern history to the equation.President’s trip the ‘crown’ of Croatian envoy’s four-year post
Marica Matkovic is returning to Croatia to help the country prepare for its first-ever Council of the EU presidency.
Despite majority support for a Canadian handgun ban, the politics of doing so may remain insurmountable
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals promised in 2015 to take handguns and assault weapons ‘off our streets,’ but have made only limited progress in the face of strong opposition.Tale as old as time: Liberal ethics breach proves politics still about comforting the comfortable
The SNC-Lavalin affair is about a political system that is rife for abuse, and those responsible for the recent abuses are seeking re-election on a platform of open and transparent government. Last chance to lobby MPs sees June numbers shrink, with influencers eyeing the campaign season
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business led in groups lobbying MPs as June’s 1,446 reported communications halved the total reported in May.
Laurie Few named National Observer managing editor, Carl Meyer new Ottawa bureau chief
Plus, Longtime Hill reporter Richard Cleroux dies, and Margaret Atwood wins the Booker Prize.
A presidential endorsement: Raptors boss Masai Ujiri backs Trudeau
Plus, CBC sues the Tories for copyright infringement, and Jaden Lake helps father Mike in his quest to win re-election.
Transition teams must be prepared for ‘unpredictable outcomes’ in minority situation, say former senior bureaucrats
The 'essence of clerkness' is continuity of government, says former PCO clerk Mel Cappe, who says he's 'strongly advised' current PCO clerk Ian Shugart to reach out to Andrew Scheer's team.
Tassi, O’Regan exit their campaigns to tend to ill family members, Tassi’s mother dies on Oct. 12
Plus, a political ad on the frontpage of the National Post, and Justin Ling debunks conspiracy theory, Warren Kinsella loses his mind. Hanging up the whip: NDP staffer Rob Sutherland retires after 30 years on the Hill
Plus, Ottawa NDP candidate wants free OC Transpo fares on election day, and Jagmeet Singh gets new fans in Drake, Rihanna.New Canadian envoy arrives in China, has yet to present letter of credence
Plus, Trudeau talks fight for political life with U.S. foreign policy analyst Ian Bremmer, and CP's Teresa Wright to stay in Ottawa full-time. 
What’s your issue? Taxes, climate change, health care top leaders’ campaign pitches this election
The Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, and Greens collectively spotlighted tax offers on 17 of 31 days of the campaign, climate change on 15 days, and health care on 11.
Is the federal government still running a deficit? It depends
Opponents are technically right in accusing the Liberals of failing to live up to their 2015 fiscal platform promises. But the Liberals can truthfully say that they kept those promises.
Little difference between Liberal, Conservative policies on defence
Regardless of which party gets into power on Oct. 21, expect that we will continue to support the forward deployment in Latvia, the training mission in Ukraine, and the two separate contingents we have in Iraq.
The Arctic is being overlooked in this election
Climate change is just one issue important to Inuit that's not on the electoral radar, but which should be. A partial list also includes health, contaminants, reconciliation, and Arctic sovereignty and shipping.Betting on technological and financial innovation to fight climate change
Numerous solutions based on technological innovation are already being developed, most, however, need complementary financial innovations to scale-up and have a significant impact.
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Politics This Morning: Election 2019 primer
Below is a handy primer of what’s at stake heading into today's election, including the races we're watching. 
In 2019, 37 per cent of Canadians strongly agree that it is time for a change in government. In 2015, this number was 57 per cent.
Whoever forms the government will have to get to work immediately on the fall fiscal update, which sets the stage for next year’s budget. But this is only the first step.
Interest in where food comes from and what’s in it, and concern for the impact of the dominant food system on health, equity and the future of the planet have never been higher.
In this 2019 federal election campaign, Canadians should insist upon answers from all the candidates.
Consistently spending beyond government revenues, with the expectation that it will be paid off in the future, has a real impact on generational equity. 
Federal parties need to address tax laws on income-tax deductibility, which are creating a major imbalance that's hurting Canadian publications.Vancouver Granville race a ‘toss-up,’ as Wilson-Raybould’s rivals urge voters not to pick someone ‘on the outside’
In Vancouver Granville, the race is heating up between Independent incumbent Jody Wilson-Raybould and her Liberal challenger, who's raising the spectre of a Conservative government to draw votes.
Politics This Morning
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PMO Ontario desk among handful of recent staff exits from top office
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Minister Ahmed Hussen has also seen a couple of staffers from his policy unit exit.Ex-staffers to ministers Hajdu, Carr hit the campaign trail
For one, Jeff Kovalik-Plouffe recently left International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr’s Ottawa office to take over as the MP’s 2019 campaign manager.New book explores legacy of the first female Supreme Court chief justice
Plus, Spud farmer Lawrence MacAulay calls former prime minister Stephen Harper's policies a dud in the latest Liberal ad, and Pat Sorbara is releasing a memoir on her life as a political staffer.New Chinese envoy arrives in Ottawa
Plus, the themes of the televised leaders' debates will be announced on Sept. 30, and Lisa Raitt canvassers attacked by dogs. Public servants, feds inch closer to contracts with tentative agreements before election
The Public Service Alliance of Canada remains at an impasse with the federal government however, with national president Chris Aylward saying they won’t take an ‘inferior’ deal just to get it done before the election. SAP Canada pitches NextGen plan to standardize human resources processes
When processes are 'standardized, the collective input into a payroll system becomes a lot simpler,' says Robert Conlin, SAP Canada's vice-president of the public sector.U.S. Embassy brings bayou to Bytown for Fourth of July
Though U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft was in Calgary, the U.S. Embassy's Fourth of July party was still filled with food and fun. Hill media descend on 24 Sussex for annual garden party
The prime minister opened up his backyard for one last shindig before politicians and journalists gear up for what's going to be a busy summer. Education, ‘food diplomacy,’ ICAO council seat among early priorities for Malaysian envoy
The 'timing is good' for more high level visits after Canada's fall federal election, says Nor'aini Binti Abd Hamid.Pakistani envoy urges Canada, world to be ‘more forceful’ with India on ‘humanitarian disaster’ in Kashmir
Pakistan has ‘regularly’ raised the issue with Canadian counterparts, says Raza Bashir Tarar, but the ‘festering’ situation in the ‘highly charged’ region is only getting worse.
Federal election takes place on Monday, Oct. 21, election night watch parties happening around town
Liberal MP and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, pictured Oct. 15, 2019, on the banks of the Ottawa River with Liberal MP Greg Fergus talking about the possible effects of Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's cuts to the federal public service will be if he wins government on Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh shakes hands with a toddler during a protest staged by striking hotel workers in Vancouver on Oct. 14, Thanksgiving Day. 
Comedian Rick Mercer and then-Reform Party MP Deb Grey, pictured in the late 1990s on Parliament Hill doing a shoot for CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes, which Mr. Mercer hosted at the time. The Hill Times photograph by Terry McDonald 
