Riding to watch: Liberals, NDP face off on affordable housing battlefield in wavering Parkdale-High Park
TORONTO—As he walks down Queen Street West on the second day of the election campaign, Arif Virani is hailed by a honking minivan carrying cheering, sign-waving supporters. Fresh from dropping campaign signs at some of Parkdale Village’s ubiquitous Tibetan restaurants, he is stopped by various residents looking to shake his hand, ask him a question, […]
Digital ads the story of election 2019 budgets, say campaign vets
A shift towards even more digital advertising is the most likely change to the way the parties will spend their money during this fall’s election campaign, say veterans of previous campaigns with the Liberals, Conservatives, and NDP. “I suspect digital is going to become more and more the battleground. That’s where more campaigns should be […]
Scheer’s abandoned pledge to quickly balance budget if elected a ‘confirmation’ Liberal plan is working, says Grit MP Easter
The Conservative leader recently pulled back on his 2017 promise to balance the federal budget in two years if elected, and the Liberal chair of the House Finance Committee says that’s a sign Andrew Scheer thinks the government’s current approach is working. A July 30 Globe and Mail editorial points out that “in May, Andrew Scheer […]
Last chance to lobby MPs sees June numbers shrink, with influencers eyeing the campaign season
The waning days of the House’s busy legislative calendar were coupled with an unsurprising dip in lobbying, but some were making the most of the last month with MPs in Ottawa before an extended break for the campaign ahead of an October election. With party platforms still being written, June was a good time for […]
Bennett touts feds’ move to split INAC in speech at AFN gathering
With under two months to go before the government is expected to drop the writ, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett on Tuesday reminded delegates at the Assembly of First Nations of her party’s record, pointing to its spending priorities and the move to split Indigenous affairs. Speaking at the AFN’s three-day gathering in Fredericton, N.B., […]
Stepping into an untapped tourist niche for rural Canada
KAMOURASKA, Que.—Walking offers lots of time to think, and learn. And as I plodded over 100 kilometres along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River east of Quebec City last week, I learned a great deal. First, while I had driven or biked through the towns along the river all my life, I did […]
Privy Council Office ready to support government transition with new clerk, ‘whatever the result of the election’
Although Clerk of the Privy Council Ian Shugart has only been in the role since April, the Privy Council Office says they will be ready to support the government transition, “whatever the result of the election.” PCO spokesman Pierre-Alain Bujold told Civil Circles that “with more than a decade of service as a deputy minister, […]
Removing politics from defence procurement ‘unreasonable,’ says expert, as Senate committee suggests deeper dive
An element of political involvement in defence procurement is important for democratic accountability, says one expert, after a Senate study indicated that the issue is worth deeper examination, contrasting with the head of the Conservative Party, who says Canadian military procurement is “hyper-politicized to our detriment.” The Senate National Finance Committee released an interim report […]
Federal parties should use election as chance to revisit seniors’ benefits
With the 2019 federal election round the corner, issues related to the continuing aging of Canada’s population should come up for discussion. Canada’s population has been aging at an accelerating pace. The proportion of seniors went up from 13.7 per cent in 2006 to 14.8 per cent in 2011 and 16.9 per cent in 2016. […]
Lack of clear definitions behind Liberal lag in phasing out fossil fuel subsidies: experts
Ten years after the federal government’s commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, the Liberals are lagging in slashing funding for non-renewable energy sources. The plan to cut subsidies was established during a G20 summit in 2009, and aims to mitigate the consumption of fossil fuels and encourage the growth of the low-carbon […]
