Voters dislike Harper, but he’s in good company
OTTAWA—So the polls, and lots of anecdotal evidence, say that a great many voters don’t like Stephen Harper. In response, here’s a question. Would someone be good enough to name a Conservative/ Progressive Conservative party leader that a great many voters liked? At the risk of dating myself, I remember Conservative Party leaders going back […]
Flaherty could have signed off on NDP’s fiscal framework
OTTAWA—Jim Flaherty could have signed off on the fiscal framework the NDP presented on Sept. 16. It borrows more from the late finance minister’s budgets than it offers in original content—at least at the front end of a New Democrat federal mandate. That starts with the tax-cutting infrastructure Flaherty put in place over his near […]
Knock knock: candidates discuss their door game
OTTAWA—It’s after 6 p.m. on a warm September evening, and after a long day of campaigning, rookie NDP candidate Nancy Tremblay is out knocking on doors in Orléans, Ont., a riding she hopes to snatch on Oct. 19 from Conservative veteran Royal Galipeau, who’s in tough in this election. It’s a suburban community in Ottawa’s […]
Radio jingle: Bernier rhymes with député
As the Conservatives poll in the low-teens in Quebec, one candidate has taken matters into his own hands with a catchy new jingle. Beauce, Que., candidate Maxime Bernier, the minister of state for small business and tourism, has taken a lesson from his Cabinet portfolio in marketing himself to voters. The 30-second radio ad song […]
Horse race has pollsters ‘running out of words,’ but could mean higher voter turnout
For the first seven weeks of this 78-day election campaign, the poll narrative has hardly changed: it’s a tight, three-way race. While some worry that focusing on the scoreboard increases voter apathy, if the numbers don’t change it could push more Canadians to closely scrutinize party promises and get out and vote, pollsters say. “I’ve […]
Some 33 federal ridings with more than 50 per cent visible minority population up for grabs on Oct. 19
In the closest federal election in Canadian history, some 33 federal ridings with a visible minority population of more than 50 per cent are up for grabs, including three Toronto-area ridings where that number is higher than 80 per cent. According to data compiled by Andrew Griffith, who has recently written a book entitled Multiculturalism in Canada: […]
Three-way race, potential for minority creates unusual challenges for PCO’s transition planning
An unpredictable three-way race and a range of possible outcomes and Parliamentary configurations are making for challenging transition preparations in the Privy Council Office and for party teams. With a fixed election date and a 78-day campaign, the PCO and government departments have had longer than usual to plan for a possible government transition beginning […]
Conservatives running ‘Timex campaign,’ they’re taking a licking and keep on ticking
Despite weeks of bad news since the start of the federal election campaign, the Conservatives are still running neck-and-neck with the opposition parties and if the Tories are able to campaign for a week or two without any new major embarrassments, they could win the election, say political observers. Pollster Greg Lyle of Innovative Research […]
In fifth campaign as party leader, Harper gets better at managing ‘funks’: Ibbitson
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who’s running his fifth election campaign as Conservative Party leader, has improved on some of his weaknesses, which in the past have led to poor decisions under pressure and withdrawal into “funks” during federal election campaigns, the PM’s latest biographer says. After a difficult first month on the campaign trail and […]
Bob Rae asks the question and Daniel Bell answers it
In his recent book, What’s Happened to Politics?, former Liberal leader Bob Rae asks a good question. Not surprisingly he lays blame for our political malaise on the Harper government, citing ideological-based policy-making, regressive environmental and First Nations policy, permanent election campaigns and a tendency to play fast and loose with the conventions of responsible […]
