Never overestimate a politician’s ability to read the room
OTTAWA—Are we there yet? We are into the fourth week of an election no one asked for, that has no logical reason for occurring, except that the party in power wants more power. This is a power-grab election, which has nothing to do with the betterment of the country and has everything to do with […]
When your election platform is just a rough draft
OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is trying to redefine the concept of integrity in an election campaign. Is it possible to reverse your party’s position on a major issue and contradict the commitments in the written campaign platform that is supposed to be the locked-in expression of your intentions? And to do so halfway through the […]
Politics This Morning: anti-Trudeau protestors pelt prime minister with gravel; four leaders in Ottawa ahead of debates
Good Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau again faced an unruly crowd after a campaign event Monday and was hit by gravel as he was boarding a bus. The incident in London, Ont., follows two aggressive anti-Trudeau protests in the same province, in Bolton and Cambridge, the latter of which led to a cancelled rally […]
Round two for Team Singh: key figures return for NDP’s 2021 campaign
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and campaign director Jennifer Howard are back for round two this election, backed by a team of many experienced and returning organizers that includes a concerted focus on mobilizing Indigenous voters. “They have a campaign team that has worked together now for successive campaigns, and one of the key truisms I […]
Why the political avoidance regarding drug decriminalization?
Addiction, the opioid crisis, and how it relates to voters seem to be the discussion points last week with our political parties. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, presented his grand $350-million plan to increase recovery-oriented supports for 1,000 brand new addiction treatment beds and more than 50 new treatment facilities and centres. He also vowed to not […]
Unpacking party platform strategies, timing important in a tight two-way race
I spent most of my political career as a ground war operative specializing in byelections, get out the vote efforts, election readiness committees, nomination races, and leadership campaigns. I’ve knocked on doors in too many ridings to count and I’ll admit to sometimes mocking policy teams for overestimating the value of their platforms. As many […]
Proportion of Canadians with strong trust in elections more than doubled since 2014: survey
Although Canadians are becoming more likely to trust Canada’s key political institutions and actors, the country faces ongoing challenges with its national identity, according to a new survey from the Environics Institute. The 2021 Americas Barometer: Support for Democracy in Canada report, released Sept. 6, found that three-in-four Canadians express satisfaction with democracy in Canada, […]
Election or no, respect still missing in Canadian politics
OTTAWA—Let’s have an election! Why, asked the people? No good reason, he said, just because I want a majority! The void of reason to blow hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money in an election appears to have created some anger in the people. If we really had to debate some issues in an election and […]
Disability groups still waiting for most parties to address accessibility
A disability advocacy group says that it has yet to receive a reply from three out of the four main national federal parties after it sent them an open letter at the beginning of the campaign seeking specific commitments about making Canada more accessible. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance (AODA Alliance), which […]
Pundits say Liberal Chahal could flip Calgary Skyview
Some political pundits are predicting that Liberal candidate George Chahal could flip Calgary Skyview in what is expected to be a close Sept. 20 election in which every seat will count. “Anytime you want to try to win a seat in Alberta and you’re not a Conservative, it’s a tough fight,” said Prof. Duane Bratt, […]
