Trudeau government’s belated commitment to election law reform
The recent introduction by the Trudeau government of Bill C-76 that is meant to overhaul Canada’s Election Act raises the question: is a belated commitment to improving electoral democracy better than no commitment at all? The answer has to be yes, of course. However, the Liberals have been conspicuously ambivalent and lukewarm on electoral reform during their time […]
Buoyed Conservatives and New Democrats claim there’s ‘not a riding in Ontario that’s beyond’ their reach federally in 2019
Buoyed by significant gains made in Ontario’s provincial election on June 7, the federal Conservatives and NDP say they can replicate the electoral performance in next year’s general election by targeting the same ridings they won from the Liberals and that there’s “no federal riding in Ontario that’s beyond” their reach anymore. Others say the new […]
Ford’s right-wing populism: the gift that keeps on giving, for the rich
OTTAWA—Nothing says “for the people” like “buck-a-beer.” Ontarians put Doug Ford in office and slammed the Liberals in an election that confirmed the anti-progressive, me-first attitude that has become a prominent force in Western democracies as voters take out their unfocused anger over a changing world. Leaving aside immigration scare-mongering, Ford followed the Donald Trump […]
Conservative fortunes benefit from Scheer, Bernier on same team
OTTAWA—Last week, Andrew Scheer turfed Maxime Bernier from his shadow cabinet. Bernier, the former shadow minister for innovation, science, and economic development was apparently removed because he broke a promise to caucus concerning the promotion of his book, specifically a section dealing with the need to end supply management. Allegedly, he said he wouldn’t promote […]
Ford Nation and the demise of the campaign playbook
OTTAWA—Last week, Scott Reid, formerly Paul Martin’s communications director and currently a political analyst and speechwriter who “was pitching in” for Kathleen Wynne’s team, wrote one of the more sobering post-mortems on the Ontario campaign. The piece, published in the Globe and Mail, posed the question as to whether campaigns even matter anymore: “In an […]
Prime Minister taps career bureaucrat as nominee for Parliamentary Budget Officer
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday, June 19, he is nominating career public servant Yves Giroux to serve as the next Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), a post that will have to take on a large and perhaps politically contentious task of costing party platforms for the upcoming federal election in 2019. If approved by […]
Politics This Morning: Trudeau meets with Muslim community; Freeland heads to House International Trade Committee to talk Canada-U.S. relations; Wilson-Raybould to talk criminal-justice reform
Good Tuesday morning, At 8:15 a.m., Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor is slated to deliver remarks at the Canadian Nurses Association’s biennial convention. She’ll also engage in an armchair discussion on health policy with the association’s president Barb Shellian and CEO Mike Villeneuve. This all takes place at the Shaw Centre, Canada Hall 1 (55 Colonel By Dr.). […]
Tories snatch Liberal seat in Quebec byelection
Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives brought an end to the Liberals’ short-lived hold on one corner of Quebec, handily winning the riding of Choutimi-Le Fjord in a closely watched race that pitted a well-known candidate against a local businesswoman. Former coach of a major junior hockey team, Richard Martel, won the riding with 12,580 votes, beating Liberal […]
Election reform bill faces difficulties: a missed timing deadline and the absence of political consensus
The federal Liberal government is currently “expediting” passage of Bill C-76, the Elections Modernization Act, using time allocation measures. This bill, containing amendments to the current Canada Elections Act and other legislation, is expected to reach the Senate any day now. Even so, it appears most unlikely that the 246-pages of amendment clauses will be […]
Despite security, corruption concerns, Canada, Moldova sign FIPA paving way for trade growth
Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Moldova’s Foreign Affairs Minister Tudor Ulianovschi signed a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) Tuesday, which Mr. Ulianovschi says sends a “clear political message” Moldova is ready for more diverse trade opportunities. Prior to the signing, in a June 11 interview in the lobby of the Chateau Laurier hotel […]
