Yes, our one-time super-sensitive, super-empathetic, touchy feely prime minister is officially now a tough guy. We see evidence of this transformation all over the place.

Elizabeth May now has an opportunity to finally put the interests of the Green Party first. But to do it, she needs to end both her friendship with the Liberals and her war with the Conservatives.

Any speculation suggesting Justin Trudeau will step down before the next election is really off the mark.

The Alberta election has all the ingredients for a slam down, drag’em out, no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, political brawl, the outcome of which could have major repercussions for the federal political scene.

The problem with the Liberal government’s communication strategy is it failed to adequately explain how the PMO’s interactions with Jody Wilson-Raybould would actually end up saving jobs.

The idea that Justin Trudeau would raise his voice in anger at one of his MPs, especially a female MP, is totally at odds with his sensitive public persona, writes Gerry Nicholls.

Thanks to the SNC-Lavalin scandal, Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer has all the makings for a proactive winning political campaign. At least in theory.

People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier should be grateful for all the free help he’s getting from the Conservative Party of Canada.

Political staffers, like Gerry Butts, have one job and one job only: to protect and promote their boss. Everything else is secondary.

The Jody Wilson-Raybould/SNC Lavalin/PMO controversy provides an example as to how a political strategist can attack an opponent over an issue where innocence or guilt isn’t so clear cut.

I think the best course to follow is for the Ministry of Democratic Institutions to actually have confidence in democratic institutions. It should trust the citizenry to discern truth without the help of government.

I suppose there will always be governments seeking to impose new ways to restrict free political expression and there will always be people willing to resist.

All too often the prime minister has found himself reacting to a series of dramatic events outside of his control. And it’s Trudeau’s reaction to these events that have helped to define his prime ministerial brand.

Whereas war is about using force to impose your will on others, politics is about using the gentle art of persuasion to peacefully convince.

What the NDP really requires is a strategist with the cunning of Sun Tzu, the aggressiveness of Julius Caesar, and the tactical prowess of Napoleon.

I’m relatively certain that in 2019 we’ll see a strategically-planned contraction of the Liberal Party’s 'Justinian Empire.'

Politics is essentially a business where you need to persuade people quickly. So forget about any idea that’s too complicated or too nuanced or that’s in anyway counter-intuitive.

Basically the party has to raise a lot of money and it has to do it fast. And that’s certainly doable, but only if the NDP can successfully convey a sense of seriousness to its donor base.

And why Justin Trudeau would rather focus less on economic issues and more on issues that he thinks work better for him politically, i.e., gender equality and fighting climate change.

So perhaps Maxime Bernier can use his position as leader of the People’s Party to inspire Canadians or to popularize his libertarian philosophy. And that’s nothing to be sneezed at.

If things are different for viceregals, you better believe they’re also different for everybody else who holds public office.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be adopting the UN approach and saying things like, 'To ensure future generations escape from the horrors of climate change, we must all make tough and painful sacrifices for the greater good.'

So yeah, 2023 looks a lot more interesting than 2019.

It’s possible the popular forces generating all that excitement in the provinces will eventually pierce the Ottawa bubble, forcing federal politicians to adapt. If that happens, then wacky politics could become the norm.