‘People will chase you off their lawns, people will invite you in for coffee, it all depends’
Current and former Hill staffers across the country are out door knocking in the longest election campaign in Canadian history and they have some advice: bring water, stay positive and always be polite, no matter what. “It’s a wonderful window into your community and into how people are thinking about politics, and also you get […]
GreenPAC endorses the ‘Green 18’
TORONTO—GreenPAC, Canada’s organization to build environmental leadership in politics, has released its list of endorsements for this election. The organization believes the “Green 18” will be key to turning Canada’s environmental record around and making our country a global leader once again. It is encouraging Canadians to provide financial and volunteer support to these candidates. […]
The roots of Harper’s refugee conundrum
POWELL RIVER, B.C.—Watching the usually bold Stephen Harper scramble to deal with the refugee crisis is to be one of the most intractable and complex issues he has had to deal with. It has shone an extremely unwelcome light on one of the dirty little secrets of the prime minister’s old Reform Party political base: […]
The dancing baby video that changed copyright law
OTTAWA—In February 2007, Stephanie Lenz, a California mother of a pair of young toddlers, shot a short video of her children dancing in the family kitchen with the Prince song Let’s Go Crazy playing in the background. Lenz proceeded to upload the 29-second video to YouTube so that friends and family could see it. Thousands […]
Harper misses opportunity on economy
If Stephen Harper’s goal was to spook Canadians about handing our economy to one of the “other guys,” he missed an opportunity Thursday evening. That doesn’t mean that an often noisy 90-minute debate, with too much time spent with opponents talking over each other, was a breakout night for NDP Leader Tom Mulcair or Liberal […]
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 […]
