Who’s who on Team Harper: a look at the 2015 Conservative war room
A lot of Cabinet and PMO staffers are on leave and working in the party’s war room in Ottawa to get the Conservatives re-elected, in a three-way race that pollster Nik Nanos recently described as “a knife fight in a telephone booth.” “A modern campaign has so many different moving parts, so many different facets […]
Former MPs running again, want back in the House
They want an encore. Some 20 former MPs are running in this federal election, some under new political stripes. Former five-term Conservative MP Inky Mark, who stepped down in 2010 and now is running as an Independent MP in the riding of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, Man., said he’s running again because “people basically are sick and […]
PBO’s survival at risk without legislative change, says Page
The “weak” legislation underpinning the Parliamentary Budget Office means the institution’s survival is at risk, the former PBO says, and the political appointment process has left an unqualified successor. Kevin Page, whose tumultuous tenure as Canada’s first Parliamentary budget officer ended in March 2013, has written a cri de coeur about his time in the […]
Lobby firms seeking New Democrats in preparation for next Parliament, sources say
The 2011 “Orange Wave” that swept the NDP to official opposition status only made a small ripple in Ottawa’s lobbying business, with a few firms snatching up former New Democrats in the years that followed. But with the possibility of the NDP forming government for the first time after Oct. 19, more firms are positioning […]
GG would invite NDP, Libs to form government if Tories defeated on SFT: Ned Franks
If the Conservatives win a minority government on Oct. 19 and the opposition parties decide to defeat the government on the Throne Speech, Governor General David Johnston would not agree to call another election immediately and would instead invite other parties to form government if they can, experts say. Mr. Johnston “would not call an […]
Liberal Sen. Campbell says he, 30 Senators willing to work with Mulcair if NDP wins race
The NDP wants to abolish the Upper Chamber, but if they win the Oct. 19 election, up to 30 Senators would likely be ready to them help pass legislation, says British Columbia Liberal Sen. Larry Campbell. “One would think there should be probably 70 Senators who’d be able to do that. But if you are […]
Have the NDP missed the greatest electoral opportunity in their history?
TORONTO—Seven weeks ago, the NDP were at the top of the polls. The Conservatives were under siege. The Liberals were bleeding votes and looked vulnerable to even further losses with a weakened party brand and a leader with as many negatives as positives. The NDP had a clear shot at collapsing their opposition rival and […]
12 per cent of small business owners use their companies as tax shelters: poll
PARLIAMENT HILL—Prime Minister Stephen Harper ridiculed Justin Trudeau two weeks ago for claiming a “large percentage” of Canadians who register small businesses use them as a tax shelter—and a new Forum Research poll may indicate why Mr. Harper and his base of supporters seemed particularly incensed at the Liberal leader’s statement. The survey this week […]
Mulcair may regret decision to boycott consortium debates
OTTAWA—Thomas Mulcair may regret his decision to join Stephen Harper in boycotting major broadcast offers to air political debates. Had Mulcair not sided with the Conservatives, there would likely have been two national debates accessible to all Canadians. Instead, the English debates have been restricted in scope and disappointing in viewership. A friend of […]
Canada’s era of ‘Goldilocks Politics’ could be coming to an end
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Be warned, the federal election going on right now could kill Canada’s era of “Goldilocks Politics.” And by “Goldilocks Politics,” I mean for the past 40 years or so, the successful Canadian political parties were usually the ones, which ladled out bland ideological porridge, neither too hot nor too cold. The sweet spot for […]
