Former British Labour whip tells it like it is in How to be a Government Whip
ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—Winning, advancing an agenda, message coordination, protecting the brand—all of this is paramount for party strategists. In Canada, we see evidence of the supremacy of the party over individuals all the time. The power of the leadership hierarchy is on full display whenever a candidate or elected representative is pushed out in the […]
Former Senator Bert ‘Determination’ Brown dies
Former Conservative Alberta Senator Bert Brown died at the age of 79, the CBC reported Feb. 14. “Saddened to hear about the passing of Bert Brown, a proud Albertan and Canadian. I admired and respected Bert and his passion for public service—always striving to make a positive difference. Thoughts are with his family and many […]
Fire and Fury selling out fast in Ottawa
If you want a hardcopy of Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, good luck trying to find it in Ottawa. The highly anticipated tell-all about U.S. President Donald Trump’s first year in office was released early to the public after it made political waves. It was pushed from its initial publication date up four days […]
What Scheer can learn from the Tory team’s rise from Reform to the Harper government
ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—The public conversation about Canadian politics has changed a lot since the Trudeau Liberals replaced the Harper Conservatives. Reasons extend beyond the realities of a new government and the fresh faces who have an ambitious centre-left agenda. Social media continues to turn traditional politics upside down. There is an unsettling fascination with the […]
Reforming Canada’s political institutions complicated by distortions, misunderstandings and interrelationships
ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—Books about Canadian political life tend to be about whatever is trending. Constitutional schisms and protecting our culture against Americanization used to be topical. So did federalism and Quebec’s place in Canada. Elections always command an excess of attention. So too do the accomplishments and failures of party leaders, particularly prime ministers. Throughout […]
Book offers closer look at Canada’s ‘rare example’ of successful federation
OTTAWA—I am not a Father of Confederation, but I am a son of Confederation. I was an interested observer, albeit young, when Newfoundland was roiled politically with the renewal of its historical debate of whether or not it would become Canada’s 10th province. Post-war Britain under the newly elected Attlee Labour government faced the Herculean task […]
Yep, everything still revolves around the prime minister and the PMO
ST. JOHN’S, NFLD.—Quick: does the Office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have too much power? How you answer might have a lot to do with your impressions of him and the Liberal government’s policies. It is a question with no definitive answer. The media and critics aren’t complaining nearly the way that they did with […]
What’s in a name? A look at cabinet changes since Confederation
It’s a Shakespearean question oft-mulled throughout the ages, and when it comes to the various stylings of the Canadian cabinet, behind the many ministerial monikers and match-ups are insights into the history and growth of our country. “The story here is it’s an evolution of a country and the growth of the welfare state,” says […]
Marland dissects modern political message control and comes up with a winner
Back on May 23, 2016, Alex Marland told The Hill Times he was cautiously optimistic about his book, Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in the Age of Message Control, which he described as “a twist” on Donald Savoie’s Governing from the Centre, along with “a dash” of Tom Flanagan’s book Harper’s Team and Susan Delacourt’s Shopping for […]
What it’s really like ‘down inside’ Canada’s prisons
In 1980, Robert Clark started working as a student volunteer in the gym at Kingston’s maximum-security Millhaven Institution, the most dangerous prison in Canada at the time. He was going to Queen’s University and needed his volunteer hours to become a high school gym teacher. But once he was “down inside” with the prisoners, he was hooked. […]
