The post-COVID agenda: will voters affirm a more progressive, activist approach to government?
OTTAWA—As elections go, there’s no doubt 2015 was a watershed. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began moving his party further left in his first campaign at a time when voters were tired of Stephen Harper’s grim austerity and when NDP leader Tom Mulcair’s fear of being called a spendthrift gave the Liberals a key opening. In […]
Vaccination passports should be an election issue
Inoculate but keep it secret. That seems to be the vaccination position of the premiers of Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. It is hard to understand how conservative values align with putting people’s health at risk in a global pandemic. But in the tug-of-war between collective and individual rights, for Doug Ford, Scott Moe, and Jason […]
Time for talk is over, it’s time to fight climate change
TORONTO—Why is there such a wide gap between what we know and what we do? The world’s leading climate experts are now warning that we are in a “red zone” as climate change this summer triggers heat waves and forest fires, floods and drought in every corner of the world—with the worst yet to come, […]
Liberals failed to win any seats in Alberta in 2019 but are now competitive in at least four ridings, say top strategists and insiders
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not able to win any seats in the last federal election in Alberta, the bedrock of the Conservative Party’s base, but the Liberals are now competitive in at least four ridings, chiefly because of the unpopularity of provincial and federal Conservatives and due to the federal government’s effective handling of […]
Lobbyists can get ‘too caught up in the specifics’ volunteering with election campaigns, says Fasken partner
The biggest pitfall for lobbyists volunteering with political campaigns is overlooking that even “low risk” activities can, under certain circumstances, lead to restrictions on how they engage with the government, says Guy Giorno, a partner at law firm Fasken. “I think the risk … is that people get too caught up in the specifics: ‘Well, […]
Liberals to target the 34 ridings they lost in 2019, ‘gateway’ to a majority, say top strategists and veteran Grit insiders
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals will need to win back a significant chunk of the 34 seats they carried in the 2015 election but lost in 2019 if they want to secure a majority government, say top political strategists and veteran Liberal insiders. “They’re basically the low-hanging fruit for the Liberals,” said Greg […]
Millions of Canadians ‘want to be heard’: Trudeau triggers federal election, sends voters to polls on Sept. 20
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off Canada’s 44th election campaign on Sunday, saying Canadians need the opportunity to weigh in at a critical time and decide “how we’ll finish the fight against COVID-19.” “I think it’s important that Canadians make their voice heard as to how they want to end this pandemic, and how we’re […]
Erin O’Toole and the Harper paradox
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole has caught himself up in what I like to call the “Harper paradox.” That paradox is this: the more O’Toole tries to bury the memory of former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, the more Harper’s shadow seems to loom over him. Now, before I go on, there’s a couple […]
Trudeau momentum unlikely to be slowed by petition calling GG to refuse request for snap election, say pollsters
Public response to an online petition calling on Governor General Mary Simon to reject any request by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a snap election isn’t likely to bog down a potential Liberal campaign for more than a few days, according to some pollsters. As rumours of a possible federal election this summer continue to […]
MP Pierre Poilievre builds ‘personal campaign message’ with debut campaign ad, says political marketer
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre’s professionally produced 30-second ad under the slogan “fighting for you” allowed the six-term MP to stand out as a candidate and tell an “impactful” and “authentic” story, say Conservative strategists. Dennis Matthews, president of Creative Currency and the Conservative Party’s national marketing lead in 2015, said often an election campaign is […]
