Conservatives playing long game on daily Morneau attacks, Liberals accuse Tories, NDP of an ‘unholy alliance’
The federal Conservatives will keep hammering away at the ethical controversy surrounding Finance Minister Bill Morneau in the coming weeks as part of a long-term strategy, planting seeds for the next election campaign and taking the Liberals off message, say Conservatives. “We will keep pushing. The Canadian people want to have somebody who is in […]
Conservatives open nominations in their 92 held ridings, but deny new rules ‘advantageous’ to incumbent Tory MPs
With new nomination rules in place that some describe as “advantageous” to incumbent Conservative MPs, the federal party has opened up nominations in held ridings, but Conservatives deny the charge that they are favouring MPs in the 2019 nomination process. The nominations in the Conservative-held ridings opened up on Nov. 1 under the new rules […]
Liberals could unseat Tories in competitive South Surrey-White Rock byelection
The federal Liberals have the inside track to flip a marginal Greater Vancouver seat up for grabs next week, thanks partly to a well-known and popular local candidate, though the three other byelections slated for Dec. 11 likely won’t change hands, say pollsters. Quito Maggi, president and CEO of Mainstreet Research, said his firm’s polling […]
Liberals exploring creation of independent commission for leaders’ debates, but not all convinced of need
The Liberal government is eyeing the creation of an independent body to run televised federal leaders’ debates during elections, and while some former campaign organizers say they are open to the idea, others say the large number of debates in 2015 demonstrate the ad hoc system works the way it is. “These matters are for […]
Leadership: in the eye of the beholder
In my time as a reporter, UN worker, and public servant, I have met many people in public life. The three most memorable were Peter Lougheed, Pierre Trudeau, and René Lévesque. When I arrived in Calgary in the summer of 1978, I was assigned to cover a speech by then-premier Peter Lougheed at a political […]
Phoenix could be a big problem for the Liberals in 2019, say critics, union reps
The Phoenix pay system mess could prove to be a problem for the Liberals at the ballot box in 2019, says opposition MPs and union representatives, as the auditor general confirmed Tuesday it would take years to solve. According to auditor general Michael Ferguson’s report, the government’s $540-million earmarked to fix Phoenix will not be […]
Swing ridings with high visible minority populations will tilt 2019 federal election, says politicos
Some 41 “swing” ridings with visible minority populations of 50 per cent or more, including five constituencies in the Greater Toronto Area that have 80 per cent or more visible minorities, will be key battlegrounds for all major parties in the 2019 election, say politicos. “These ridings will elect the next government,” said rookie Conservative […]
Liberals, Conservatives finalize candidates for upcoming byelections
The Liberals and Conservatives are lining up their candidates for a series of federal byelections next month. The two parties have determined who will carry their respective banners in all four ridings up for grabs on Dec. 11, with the Tories tasking a former cabinet minister with keeping a Vancouver-area seat blue in what’s expected […]
“The federal government is reportedly considering changes to digital political advertising rules. What should be done?”
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “Ensuring Canada has tough election financing laws is one way to improve, strengthen, and protect our democratic institutions. Our government is reviewing the limits on the amounts political parties and third parties can spend during elections, and proposing new measures to ensure that spending between elections is subject to reasonable limits […]
‘That the country survived is remarkable,’ says author of Embattled Nation exploring Canada’s 1917 wartime election
Ahead of its 100th anniversary, Ryerson University professors Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie have come out with a new book, Embattled Nation, exploring the tensions of Canada’s 1917 wartime election, an episode in Canadian history that Prof. Dutil says put the bonds that bind the country to the test. “There’s a tension in the country […]
