Will there be a defining moment in the 2019 campaign?
OTTAWA—Many an election has been decided or significantly influenced by a single factor. Sometimes, it is a particularly nasty attack ad that strikes a chord with the electorate. In other cases, it’s a misstep by word or deed in the midst of the campaign by the candidate or someone in his or her entourage. U.S. […]
Supreme Court to rule on expat voting rights Friday
OTTAWA—The Supreme Court could settle the debate on Friday over whether Canadians living abroad have the right to vote. At issue before the top court is whether Canadian citizens’ right to vote is constitutionally protected. The decision will follow the recent passage of the Trudeau government’s legislation restoring the voting rights of expatriate Canadian citizens […]
The question for 2019 isn’t: who will win? It’s: WTF?
There was a time—and it wasn’t even as long ago as the last millennium—when the first column of an election year would open with a disclaimer that politics is full of uncertainties and then proceed to flagrantly disregard them by prognosticating anyway. Good times. In 2019, at a time when politics in democracies worldwide is […]
New ‘virtual’ Liberal Party may struggle to fund next campaign
OTTAWA—Happy 2019. As a perpetual optimist, I am loath to begin the new year with a complaint. But working at home means being bombarded by telemarketers, charitable organizations, and those wonderful people in the boiler rooms of Asia offering great rates on my credit card. To this motley crew I can now add the Laurier […]
It’s shaping up as a tough year for election-bound Liberals
OTTAWA—The polls show conclusively that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals are in a position where the Oct. 21 election is theirs to lose. Trudeau remains fairly popular, and majority governments usually get a second kick at the can. But after two years of relatively smooth operations by the Liberals, the divisions and risks […]
Byelection delay is petty, not positive, politics
The new year is off to a pretty petty start. It’s more than a week into 2019 and there’s still no byelection call for the increasing number of vacant seats in the House of Commons. In November, the Prime Minister’s Office told The Hill Times that at least three of these calls would come this […]
Why Bangladesh’s election signals democracy’s end there
LONDON, U.K.—It always looks bad when the ruling party jails the opposition leader just a few months before the election. If only Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had decided to boycott this election like she did the last one, she’d probably still be a free woman. But she decided to […]
What Santa ought to bring party leaders this Christmas
OTTAWA—The Christmas and holiday season is upon us. Many, including me, will be thankful to have a little break from all things politics as well as commenting on the same. Relaxation and recharging are in order. But before checking out for a couple weeks, how about some Christmas wish lists for our main national party […]
Conservatives and Liberals in a statistical tie, but Trudeau still preferred prime minister, poll suggests
Enthusiasm for the Trudeau Liberals seems to be waning, to the benefit of the federal Conservatives, though many still see Prime Minster Justin Trudeau as best positioned for the top job, a recent poll suggests. The Liberals greeted the new year with higher voter intention at 42 per cent, but support for the party has […]
Liberals should be ‘exceptionally concerned’ about potential recession in 2019, voters’ anxiety on ‘unrestricted immigration,’ says Nanos
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals should be “exceptionally concerned” about the “very negative economic mood right now” in Canada, with potential for a recession in 2019, and the Conservatives’ attempts to paint Liberals as supporters of “unrestricted immigration,” as the combined effect could become a serious problem for the party in the next election. “There’s […]
