Election campaigns, music, and ‘Takin’ Care of (copyright) Business’
OTTAWA—When Donald Trump launched his recent bid for the U.S. presidency, he made his entrance to the soaring notes of Neil Young’s 1989 classic, Rockin’ in the Free World. His entrance was made all the more dramatic because it was immediately followed by an angry complaint from Young’s manager alleging that Trump had failed to […]
Multi-million-dollar conduct codes of silence affect federal public service and transparency
OTTAWA—In the last decade, open government has suffered further setbacks from record reductions and redactions to tighter information controls. But it’s not just the public who loses out without proactive service and disclosures. It’s the public employees who have been further silenced, disciplined, or let go who are deeply affected. The muzzling of federal government […]
Quest for a majority isn’t happening in this election, it’s the next one
TORONTO—The top of the much-read National Newswatch web page kind of said it all. “NDP OUT IN FRONT AS CONSERVATIVES TRAIL IN THIRD: ENVIRONICS,” said one headline. The very next headline: “CONSERVATIVES TAKE NARROW LEAD, NEW POLL SHOWS.” And, the third headline: “VOTERS IN FAVOUR OF LIBERAL ECONOMIC PLAN, BUT UNSURE ABOUT TRUDEAU: POLL.” Got […]
Bill C-51 is Liberal Party’s very own albatross on the campaign trail
If only Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau had thought of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1798 poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner back in March when he talked about his party’s support for the Conservative government’s anti-terrorism bill. In a testy exchange with university students in Vancouver about Bill C-51, the Liberal leader admitted his party would […]
Battle of the political bucks begins, minus the doe
OTTAWA—The battle of the bucks begins. Political bucks, minus the doe, squared off last week in the second national debate. Each leader worked hard to convince Canadians that his economic blueprint was best. Individual plans to restart Canada’s fumbling economy were parsed and promoted. The debate was as crucial for who was left out as […]
Feds should be doing more for Syrians, now
Most Canadians want to see Canada do more to help the estimated four million Syrian and Iraqi refugees, but, as much as Prime Minister Stephen Harper promises, our federal government has so far failed to respond to this massive humanitarian crisis with strong leadership, generosity, and compassion. “Canada is not doing anything in particular […]
Mulcair doesn’t need cute, Trudeau brings sexy back in Quebec ads, Harper looks human
It’s been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in the case of the NDP’s latest attack ad, flipping the script on the Conservatives’ job interview attack ads, the New Democrats missed the mark, according to Clive Veroni, one of the country’s leading experts on advertising and author of Spin: How Politics Have the […]
Politics This Morning Election 2015: Two debates down, three to go
Good Friday morning! It’s the end of week seven of this 78-day campaign. Two debates are down, and there are at least three more to go before Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 19. Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau were in Calgary, Alta., last night to […]
Questions for Progressive Jews in Canada
Spending time with friends and family earlier this week over the course of Rosh Hashana—the Jewish New Year—it was inevitable that we would discuss the Jewish community’s participation in Canada’s ongoing federal election. You’ve heard the story before: Jewish Canadians have left the Liberal Party in droves, increasingly becoming one-issue voters and backing Stephen Harper’s […]
Groundhog day: There’s an awful lot of similarities between Election 2015 and 2004
In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray famously quips, “do you ever have déjà vu, Mrs. Lancaster?” To which Mrs. Lancaster replies: “I don’t think so, but I could check with the kitchen.” For many avid political watchers there is a sense of déjà vu as we compare the current 2015 election campaign to the one 11 […]
