Foreign influence in our elections is real, so what are we doing about it?
MONTREAL—They say an election is in the air. Certainly, everyone in the political game seems to be ready for the writs to be dropped. Promises are abounding, rallies are being held, the leaders are everywhere. Yes, it smells of an election. The one message politicians are ignoring is the prospect the election result could be […]
Bring governments back better
To many of us, it might seem like an eternity has passed since the World Health Organization announced in January 2020 the appearance of a mysterious coronavirus-related pneumonia in Wuhan, China. Today, COVID-19 has evolved into four variants around the world infecting 188.3 million people and causing more than four million deaths. Throughout this time, one truth […]
Record-breaking lobbying in June as election buzz, end of sitting drive activity
Last month was a record-breaking June for lobbying activity as the historically busy period held the added interest—and pressure—of pre-election rumours and a big budget with programs still being rolled out, say consultants and former strategists. Lobbyists filed 2,398 communication reports in the federal registry in June (as of July 23), up nine per cent […]
Quebec Conservative MP Blaney bows out, so that’s 22 incumbents not running in next election
Conservative MP Steven Blaney, who was first elected in 2006 in Bellechasse-Les Etchemins-Lévis, Que., says he won’t run in the next election, making him the 22nd incumbent MP who will be not be running. Mr. Blaney, 56, who was the minister of public safety, veterans affairs, and the minster of state for La Francophonie under prime […]
National Liberal campaign director Ishmael advises candidates to rent campaign offices for two months: Liberal sources
With all federal parties entering the final phase of preparations for an anticipated election call next month, a top Liberal campaign official told candidates, campaign managers, and riding association presidents last week that they should rent campaign offices for two months. Liberal sources who attended the online meeting on Monday, July 19, said that in […]
Stakes are high for three federal party leaders in next election but O’Toole ‘under the most pressure,’ say politicos
The stakes will be high for all major federal leaders who will have to exceed expectations in the next election in order to stay in their respective parties’ top jobs, say politicos, but Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is “under the most pressure” because the party’s base expects him to oust the Liberals from power. “The […]
Will the election pit Rocky against Thanos?
OAKVILLE, ONT.—About three thousand years ago, the ancient Greeks invented what we call “drama” and ever since then our society has had an insatiable taste for the dramatic. We want our stories loaded with excitement, we want them to trigger our emotions, we want villains to boo, heroes to cheer, we want plots jam-packed with […]
Length of election period key consideration for Liberals
With the House of Commons now recessed, the unofficial election campaign has already started. As public health guidelines ease due to lower case counts and high vaccination rates, Canadians can anticipate seeing much more of their federal leaders over the coming weeks. While leaders are doing their best to avoid being perceived as causing an […]
NDP ad previews political fight for progressive votes, makes ‘compelling case,’ say digital experts
The NDP’s new advertisement contrasting leader Jagmeet Singh’s political record with that of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s is an effective appeal to progressive voters, according to two digital campaign experts. The 30-second advertisement compares Mr. Singh’s (Burnaby South, B.C.) policy positions over the course of the pandemic with that of Mr. Trudeau’s (Papineau, Que.), such […]
Longer writ period ‘preferred’ by Elections Canada chief could hurt Liberal prospects, pollsters say
Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault says Elections Canada would “prefer” the duration of the next election campaign to be longer than the minimum 36 days to deliver a safe election which is expected to happen in the midst of COVID-19, but two leading pollsters say a longer campaign will put the Liberals at a political […]
