Feds’ process for screening out partisan ads ‘not sufficiently robust,’ auditor general says
Federal oversight of government ads for partisan messages was “not sufficiently robust” to ensure that Canadians’ tax dollars are not being spent to advance the governing party’s political agenda, according to the auditor general. In one of five spring reports released May 7, the auditor general’s office found that the process the Liberals established to […]
Canada’s inflexible system for processing refugee claims unable to handle backlog, auditor general finds
Canada’s refugee system is ill prepared to handle the surge in irregular border crossers arriving from south of the border, which has led to an uptick of unresolved cases, with the backlog expected to worsen, according to a new report from the auditor general. The report found that the system was unable to handle the […]
‘Clock ticking fast’ to next election, but Liberal support headed in ‘wrong direction at the wrong time,’ say veteran political analysts
With the “clock ticking and ticking fast” to the next election, support for the federal Liberals is headed in the “wrong direction at the wrong time,” bleeding a significant chunk of their support across the country, say veteran pollsters, and the governing party should be “very concerned” that they control the national agenda, get the […]
Expect ‘ugly’ and ‘intense’ election campaign in the fall, fuelled by anger, say Liberal and NDP MPs
With the upcoming election campaign expected to officially start in about four months, Liberal and NDP MPs are warning that it will be ugly and disruptive and predict that racist elements or “political forces that operate and are fuelled by anger” will use disruptive tactics in the October election. “I think things are going to […]
Politicians should stop blame game on climate change and take real action, say environmentalists
Canada’s federal politicians have been pointing fingers at one another for failing to offer a plan that prevents global temperatures from rising to uninhabitable conditions, while the window for averting catastrophic, destabilizing climate events is closing in, say environmentalists, who argue the next election needs to be a contest of policy ideas, not a partisan […]
Conservatives’ first-quarter haul breaks ceiling, but Liberals say grassroots support ‘strong’
The Conservatives’ record-breaking haul for the first quarter of $8-million puts them far ahead of the pack, and has them outpacing the Liberals by more than double—a sign that some strategists say suggests the Tories’ base is in far better shape than the governing party’s as the next federal election approaches. “What’s worrying [for the […]
Parties wading deeper into ‘Wild West’ of text-message outreach
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Conservative Party’s headline-grabbing move to text thousands of Canadians about the Liberal government’s incoming carbon tax at the end of March was only scratching the surface of how text messaging is being used by political campaigns to reach out to voters, donors, and volunteers, both in Canada and south of the border. All […]
Liberals, Conservatives playing in politically ‘dangerous field’ by using racism as tool to mobilize their support bases, says Nanos
The governing Liberals and opposition Conservatives are playing in a politically dangerous field by using the divisive issue of racism as a tool to mobilize their support bases for the next election, which could backfire resulting in “mutually assured destruction” for both federal parties, says a leading political analyst. “We’re seeing an increase in weaponization […]
Stursberg issues rallying cry to protect Canadian media amid encroaching U.S. tech giants
Canadians are increasingly at risk of checking out of the national conversation with the decline of the news industry and the arrival of American streaming services, argues Richard Stursberg, a former CBC executive, in his new book. In The Tangled Garden: A Canadian Cultural Manifesto for the Digital Age, Richard Stursberg, the former head of […]
“Albertans have voted. What do you make of the election result? Are there any federal lessons to be learned?”
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “From the very start of his mandate, the prime minister and his government have worked closely with Albertans to advance their priorities—from supporting workers in the natural resources industry, to fighting climate change and protecting the environment, to making unprecedented investments in infrastructure that make life better for Albertans in their […]
