Ford’s willingness to use a constitutional nuclear bomb won’t be forgotten
TORONTO—Defeat, in politics, is almost always preceded by some sort of an overreaction. You know: Paul Martin, desperate to avoid defeat in the 2006 federal election, declares that he will take away the federal government’s ability to use the notwithstanding clause. Didn’t work. He lost. The Grant Devine government in Saskatchewan used it in 1986, […]
Free advice to Liberals: forget about Harper
OAKVILLE, ONT.—I have a confession to make; sometimes, when doing “punditry,” I feel a little bit uncomfortable when I openly criticize political party strategists. Why? Well, even though my criticisms might be based on a reasonable analysis, the fact remains I’m still on the outside looking in, meaning party strategists possess important stuff I lack, […]
Power to the people: Maxime Bernier turns to social networks to boost base
Since announcing his exit from the Conservative Party in dramatic fashion last month, Quebec MP Maxime Bernier says he hasn’t had any contact with his former caucus colleagues, and is instead focusing on attempting to play spoiler in 2019 by using social media to drum up a new, engaged grassroots base. On Sept. 14, Mr. […]
With Liberal Leona Alleslev crossing the floor, Scheer’s smile just got a bit brighter
OTTAWA—When you are the leader of the official opposition in the era of Justin Trudeau, you take political wins and shots of momentum wherever you can get them. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer got some this week when the once-Liberal Member of Parliament for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, Ont., Leona Alleslev, crossed the floor and joined the […]
Conservatives ‘keen’ to make 2019 election about the economy, say observers
As parties square their sights on the 2019 election, expect Conservatives to spotlight the economy and related issues, like NAFTA renegotiations and the federal carbon-pricing plan, and to do so with “sharper” rhetoric and “a little bit more feistiness,” say observers. “The last year of Andrew Scheer’s leadership the focus has really been on trying […]
Conservative Party can’t represent all conservatives
In the changing times of the last 20 or 30 years, the views of Canadians on the right of the political spectrum have not been similar enough to be represented by a single party. This is why it was natural that the Reform Party arose, reflecting very different views from the Progressive Conservatives. The merging […]
Harper defines anti-Semitism by assumption
Former prime minister Stephen Harper was known for refusing to even entertain the slightest criticism of the Israeli state’s behaviour. Mr. Harper’s history adds context to his recent comments on British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn and the perils of anti-Semitism. Unfortunately, Mr. Harper’s Sept. 3 column first published in The Telegraph in the United Kingdom […]
Transport Minister Garneau scoops up Simard as new communications director
Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau has hired a new director of communications for his ministerial office, recently scooping up Emilie Simard straight from the heritage minister’s office. Ms. Simard marked her first day as communications director to Mr. Garneau on Aug. 20. Until then, she’d been working away as director of communications to the Canadian […]
‘Kind of an asinine comment’: opponents react to Poilievre’s claims of ‘zero’ Phoenix pay problems under Conservatives
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre’s recent newsletter sent to his constituents, in which he states twice that there were zero “public servants with Phoenix pay system problems under the Conservative government,” has attracted some negative criticism. “First, thousands of public servants have had pay problems, since Justin Trudeau implemented the Phoenix pay system four months after […]
Minister Joly hires operations director as she staffs up new office
Tourism, Official Languages, and La Francophonie Minister Mélanie Joly has finalized a few more staffing decisions in her new ministerial office, including hiring Maximilien Roy as her director of operations. Mr. Roy joined Ms. Joly’s growing staff team straight from Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s office, where he’d been working as a policy and Quebec regional […]
