Scheer’s already done, try again Tories
TORONTO—So, Andrew Scheer shuffled his “shadow cabinet” last week. It was newsworthy only in that it reminded us that the newly minted Conservative Party leader is, you know, not dead. But he isn’t all that alive either. Scheer exists in some sort of political limbo, neither here nor there. Among other things, he is remarkably […]
Gilmore still hasn’t tackled the hard part of politics
OAKVILLE, ONT.—One of the easiest things to be in the world is a computer-keyboard political strategist. Any columnist or journalist or blogger can tap out a 750- to 900-word opus outlining some sort of brilliant plan to fix what’s wrong with politics. Heck, I could write up a column like that in about 20 minutes; […]
Scheer’s shadow cabinet strikes reasonable balance
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer made some shrewd moves in picking his shadow cabinet last week—both in terms of the MPs he included and didn’t. Given how close Maxime Bernier was to becoming party leader in this year’s race, Mr. Scheer owed it to the party membership to give Mr. Bernier a prominent role in caucus. […]
Liberals remain top choice of voters, Conservatives showing little movement in second: poll
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals remain firmly in top spot in the federal horse race, with Andrew Scheer unable to move numbers ahead for the Conservatives, and the NDP flirting with lows not seen in almost a decade, according to a new poll from Forum Research. The latest numbers, from polling conducted between Aug. 16-17 and shared […]
Senator Duffy, have you not taken enough already?
Sen. Mike Duffy has decided federal taxpayers owe him another $8-million, on top of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that have already been paid to him in salary, will continue to be paid to him until he retires, and the gold-plated pension he’ll receive after that. And this is after claiming tens of thousands […]
Northern MPs tout merits of no Friday sittings, early summer breaks to see constituents
Time-strapped MPs in remote ridings would welcome adjustments to the House of Commons calendar, but making those changes is easier said than done For Liberal MP Michael McLeod (Northwest Territories), Parliament’s summer recess provides welcome reprieve from hours of flying between his riding and Ottawa. Mr. McLeod spends much of June, July, August, and September […]
Press secretaries on the move for Trudeau, Champagne, Joly, Monsef
There have been a few changes among the Liberal press secretary ranks in cabinet offices on the Hill of late, including in International Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s office where Pierre-Olivier Herbert has been named the new press secretary. Mr. Herbert officially took over the role on Aug. 28, filling a void recently left by the […]
Conservative MPs, Senators echo Scheer’s condemnation of The Rebel, but many stay silent
Conservative MPs and Senators have mostly echoed their party leader’s disavowal of The Rebel, but many have stayed silent in response to calls for Conservatives to publicly distance themselves from the far-right Canadian media company criticized most recently for its coverage of a deadly white supremacist rally south of the border. After Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle, […]
Scheer uses subtle image tactics to convince voters he’d be great PM
OAKVILLE, ONT.—The Conservative Party of Canada really wants to make it clear to Canadians that its new leader, Andrew Scheer, is a father to lots of adorable young children and is a husband to a lovely and supportive wife. Or to put it another way, the party’s “branding” message for the past few months has […]
Hands up if you think we’re better than Americans
TORONTO—Pop quiz time. 1. At an election rally, Ku Klux Klan member J. F. Bryant is joined onstage by a confident young lawyer, who rails against those who speak other languages. Who was the young lawyer? 2. A politician travels abroad to meet a murderous, anti-Semitic fascist boss. The politician rhapsodizes about the fascist leader, calling him “eminently wise,” […]
