A tale of two conventions
VANCOUVER—Little could be more different than the post-election conventions the New Democrats and the Conservatives have held this spring. The first featured the summary execution of leader Thomas Mulcair at the hands of party members and an unresolved divisive battle for the soul of the party. The New Democrats left Edmonton in early April in […]
Let’s not shoot our own leader in the foot, opposition parties ready to do it for us
OTTAWA—The loss of an election can be incredibly liberating. Leaderless and powerless, party members are suddenly free to speak out without favour or fear of political backlash. With back-to-back political conventions last weekend, the governing Liberals and the Conservatives had a chance to strut their stuff. The Liberals had a delicate balancing act. A new, popular […]
How do you solve a problem like social conservatives?
OTTAWA—Back in 2006, after Stephen Harper won his first election as head of the Conservative Party of Canada, his minority government brought forward a motion calling for legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage. The vote was just for show, of course. The courts had already legalized gay marriage with a declaration that barring […]
Politics this morning: MPs enter a hectic homestretch before summer recess
It’s Monday, May 30 Here’s a look ahead and a recap to help you start your week in-the-know: The house is back today and will sit until June 23, when Parliament is scheduled to break for the summer. There’s an intense legislative agenda that the government is going to try to push through before recess, including […]
‘There were a number of MPs who stood up and said ‘that’s too much,’ ‘upset’ Conservative MPs want new national council to revisit nomination rules
VANCOUVER—“Upset” Conservative MPs say they want the party’s newly-elected national council to revisit a new rule enacted by the outgoing council in early May that allows incumbent MPs to be protected from nomination challenges for the 2019 election. If incumbents have $150,000 in their riding association bank accounts and one per cent of eligible voters as […]
Vancouver convention: Tories attempt to forge path to victory in 2019
The next election is three years away but the Conservative Party members, supporters, and delegates at the policy convention happening in Vancouver are saying they’re laying the groundwork now by electing the party’s national council and voting on policies, and say if they get this right, they will unseat the Liberals in 2019. “This [convention] […]
The Tories poisoned their own well in B.C.
The federal Conservatives are gathering in Vancouver this weekend to praise Stephen Harper and, if they are smart, to start burying some of his signature policies over the rest of their national convention. It will be the first time Harper addresses his party—and by the same token, Canadians—since his election-night defeat. It will also be […]
A new Liberal constitution and 80 policy resolutions will make for a busy convention
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will likely appreciate the day he took off in Japan this week by the time he arrives in Winnipeg, Manitoba in the wee hours of Saturday morning for a historic convention of the Liberal party of Canada. There will be little time to adjust to any jet lag from the 14-hour […]
Tories would be foolish not to allow Ambrose to run for permanent leader
TORONTO—Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose did something earlier this month that her predecessor failed to do after a decade in power: display genuine emotion. Fighting back tears as she discussed the plight of Fort McMurray residents in the aftermath of the disastrous wild fires that ravished entire neighbourhoods, Ambrose made a permanent connection with the […]
What to watch for at the Conservative convention
OTTAWA—Later this week in Vancouver and Winnipeg two different political conventions will be taking place. In the Manitoba capital Liberals will gather to bask in the glory of their impressive 2015 victory. Didn’t former Liberal leader Bob Rae once opine that triumphalism is a bad thing? In British Columbia, Conservatives will get together to try […]
