On the road to election 2015, issues have crystallized
OTTAWA—With the delivery of the fall economic update by Finance Minster Joe Oliver, we now know the dollar figures that the parties have to work with and, with events and announcements of the last few months, we know most of the policy issues that will dominate the next election. Whether the Prime Minister decides […]
All parties targeting 64 open ridings for next election
The 64 open seats in the next election—34 ridings where incumbent MPs are not seeking re-election and 30 new seats—will play a critical role in the outcome of the next federal election and all parties say they are focusing their efforts on winning as many as possible. In interviews last week, MPs told The […]
Angry vets mount ‘Anyone But Conservatives’ campaign for 2015 election
PARLIAMENT HILL—Canadian veterans, angry over the government’s closure of nine regional veteran support offices in the past year as the federal Conservatives strove to balance the budget, are mounting an “Anyone But Conservative” campaign to elect another party to government in 2015. The veterans publicized their protest over the office closures and what they claim […]
Will a new party in Quebec change the game in 2015?
As if the political scene in Quebec wasn’t complicated enough, a new party in the province will be seeking votes in next year’s federal election. Forces et Démocratie (FeD) was launched two weeks by Jean-François Fortin, the MP for the Eastern Quebec riding of Haute-Gaspésie-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia. A former Bloc Québécois MP and contestant to replace […]
Mandatory voting would erode Conservatives’ strategic advantage, say experts
PARLIAMENT HILL—A system of mandatory voting now being crowd-tested by the Liberal Party would either erode or eliminate a strategic advantage the Conservative Party held over the past two federal elections through the disproportionate weight of its loyal base, U.S.-style campaign tactics, and negative attack ads, experts say. Electoral strategy and tactics the Conservatives have […]
NDP, House prepare for Federal Court fight over secretive Commons Board of Internal Economy, $1-million free mailings
PARLIAMENT HILL—Lawyers for the NDP and the House of Commons are squaring off for a Federal Court battle over whether the court has the power to order a secretive board that governs the Commons to disclose confidential files for a ruling that the NDP violated House bylaws with more than $1-million worth of free mailings. […]
How to embrace a problem: Conservatives can use bad polls to fundraise
OAKVILLE, ONT.—If a problem can’t be avoided, sometimes it should be embraced. To see what I mean just consider the Conservative Party of Canada and its “poll problem,” which can be defined thusly: “Almost every public domain poll that’s come out over the past year or so, has the Conservatives trailing the Justin Trudeau-led […]
Conservatives could be tempted to campaign against courts in next election
For the federal Conservatives, the temptation to campaign against the courts in next year’s federal election must be overwhelming. This is a government determined to bring its brand of law and order to this country, whether it is cracking down on bogus refugee claimants, giving police more surveillance powers, bringing in mandatory sentencing, ending early […]
Trudeau has ‘good shot’ at being Prime Minister Harper’s main challenger in next election, says Nanos
PARLIAMENT HILL—The surge of Liberal Party support in four federal byelections on Monday includes signs of a dramatic recovery from an unprecedented 2011 plunge in Alberta that—combined with the two byelection sweeps in Toronto—should make Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau “pleased as punch,” leading Conservative pundit Tim Powers says. And, in light of the poor […]
Opposition MPs slam Conservatives’ lack of good governance, say legislative process ‘dysfunctional’
PARLIAMENT HILL—The government used time allocation to limit debate 17 times during the 19-day marathon of Commons sittings to midnight from the last week in May through most of June, as Conservative MPs passed or pushed forward a flood of bills before Parliament’s summer recess nearly two weeks ago. The dust settled on June […]
