Size doesn’t always matter, unless you know what to do with it
OTTAWA—You reap what you sow. I have always loved that statement because it is so absolutely true. Over the years, through good fortune, I have been asked to comment on all manner of political happenings. Over the last two weeks, the most frequent question I have been asked is, “what do all those big crowds […]
‘More than crowd counts,’ Charest campaign says it’s focused on membership sales, while Poilievre’s campaign attracts big crowds
Membership sign-ups play a critical role in the outcome of any leadership election campaign, and this is the reason why Jean Charest’s campaign has been focusing chiefly on signing up new members, not on “crowd counts.” “Even more than PR and crowd counts, what matters are membership sales, right,” said Michelle Coates Mather, director of […]
Charting a path for a Charest victory
OAKVILLE, ONT.—In the ongoing Conservative Party leadership race, Pierre Poilievre has a clear advantage over his main rival, Jean Charet. This is mainly because Poilievre is what I call a “winged candidate,” while Charest is a “non-winged candidate” and, when it comes to internal Conservative politics, “winged candidates” usually do better. At this point, I […]
Ideas, policy, and party leaders
TORONTO—The Conservatives and the NDP are poles apart on policy, but they share a common feature: ideological principles drive them. Both parties have internal divisions, but the disagreements are about the ideas that ought to sustain their party. Ideology energizes the emotions of Conservative and NDP partisans and many of their parties’ supporters. The Conservatives […]
Russia’s war in Ukraine forces foreign policy into Conservative leadership race spotlight, says Charest
With Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine and reports of widespread human rights violations, a Conservative leadership candidate says the conflict has put a spotlight on foreign policy during the race. Unlike the last Conservative leadership race, the frontrunners don’t bring an abundance of foreign policy experience, but Jean Charest leads the pack with his international […]
Conservatives to finalize nomination rules for unheld ridings after consulting the new leader, says party president Batherson
The Conservatives have set their nomination rules for incumbent MPs for the next election, but will finalize the rules for unheld ridings once the new leader is elected, says Conservative Party president Rob Batherson. “As we did in 2020, we want to make sure that we have input from the new leader and their team, […]
Why Poilievre will ignore Bergen’s plea
OAKVILLE, ONT.—I don’t consider myself a rebel, but years ago, while working in a U.S. Senatorial Republican primary race, I was part of a campaign team that openly and brazenly defied the party establishment. The drama began when the Republican Party’s state chairman, a guy named John Sununu, got wind of the fact that we […]
As Conservatives decry end of accountability at committees, NDP MPs say nothing has changed
As NDP MPs say their work on House committees will remain uninterrupted by a supply-and-confidence agreement with the government, Conservative MPs worry committees will operate as if the Liberals control a majority Parliament. House committees have been given renewed importance since 2019 as opposition parties in a minority Parliament have the plurality of votes, which […]
How can lower-profile Conservative leadership candidates shift the race?
Lesser-known Conservative leadership candidates will have a chance to bring forward their ideas and increase their notoriety and in the process could force the frontrunners to address them—especially if the vote takes multiple ballots and they need to become their rivals’ supporters second choice. The Conservative leadership race has quickly become a crowded field of […]
New operations head, regional advisers on deck in PMO
There are new regional advisers for Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic on board in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, plus Vandana Kattar-Miller has been promoted to director of operations, outreach, and planning, and Adam Grech is now acting tour director. Kattar-Miller took on her new title in November and was previously director of outreach in […]
