Election 2019: Revving up the base in the divisive post-truth era
OTTAWA—It’s obvious to everyone how populism south of the border, in the United Kingdom, and much of western Europe has thrived in the post-truth era. U.S. President Donald Trump’s ability to twist information and pour out torrents of lies has changed reality in the U.S., where the lifeblood of political discourse often no longer has […]
Tossed Tory candidate ‘changes everything,’ with two-way fight shaping up in Burnaby North-Seymour
A key battleground B.C. riding has become a two-way race between Liberal incumbent Terry Beech and a former NDP MP mounting a comeback, after “appalling” homophobic comments from the beleaguered Conservative candidate finally got her booted from the party’s slate last week. With the nomination deadline now past, Heather Leung’s removal as candidate has left […]
NDP looking to capitalize on Singh swing to make federal breakthrough in Brampton East
BRAMPTON, ONT.—New Democrats in a Toronto-adjacent riding are hoping that their hometown political superstars will help to translate provincial gains into a federal breakthrough Brampton East, Ont., along with the four other federal ridings that make up the city of Brampton, went Liberal in 2015. Incumbent Raj Grewal won with 52 per cent of the […]
Pick a lane: lessons from the first debates commission showdown
OTTAWA—Like all things Canadian, the intent of the Leaders’ Debates Commission for its first-ever national leaders’ debate in English was good, but the outcome was poor, for both viewers and participants. The commission tried to do too much and please everyone. You are always destined to struggle if your goal is to placate as many […]
Parties running out of time to firm up ‘piecemeal’ seniors platforms, say advocates
Parties are offering “piecemeal” solutions on seniors’ issues, say advocates, with the National Association of Federal Retirees urging campaigns to release their full platforms as advance polls open and seniors—the group most likely to use early voting opportunities—head to the ballots without all the information they need. The Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) and […]
‘Worst debate format in the history of Canadian TV debates’: English-language debate failed to inform Canadian voters, say politicos
The format of the only English-language debate with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this election is being panned by political analysts, who say it descended into incomprehensible cross-talk and shallow, rehearsed one-liners, and let down Canadian voters. “I would say that was the worst debate format in the history of Canadian TV debates,” said […]
Singh’s Atwater Market encounter became about comforting the comfortable
OTTAWA—The tenor of this election has abruptly and sharply turned towards race, and with every incident, we choose to stick our heads in the sand or “move on.” The most recent one being a white man—who CBC’s The National referred to as “a concerned voter”—who took it upon himself to approach NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh […]
Little difference between Liberal, Conservative policies on defence
OTTAWA—We are now past the midway point of this year’s 40-day federal election campaign. If the polls are to be trusted, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are locked in a dead heat with Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives. The public furor over Trudeau’s blackface/brownface shenanigans has seemly blown over without seriously tipping the voter balance in favour of the […]
The blurred line between interesting and incriminating
Among the consequences of the recent, bizarre decoupling of character from electoral success has been the eradication of settled conventional political wisdom on how much “interesting” is too much in a candidate. When Boris Johnson was mayor of London, his mutinous hair and quippy gob were interesting because there was only so much damage he […]
Five key takeaways from the English-language leaders’ debate
GATINEAU, QUE.—The English-language leaders’ debate on Monday night saw Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh cast Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau as inauthentic, with both accusing him of failing to back up his rhetoric with action over the course of his tenure. Mr. Scheer and Mr. Singh found themselves supporting each other’s assertions […]
