There are only 88 ridings to watch in run: these ridings could make or break the Liberals
Four of Canada’s five major parties may be vowing to nominate candidates in all 301 ridings across the country, but it will be the outcome in just 88 constituencies that will ultimately decide the fate of the governing Liberals and each of the opposition parties on Nov. 27. While this will not come as welcome […]
Have we nothing better to offer than all-spin, all the time?
There’s an amusing little fictional riff working its way through the e-mail system of the cosmos. It has PBS news icon Jim Lehrer explaining to Americans the rules for a televised presidential debate he is about to moderate. “The candidates have agreed on these rules: I will ask a question. The candidate will ignore the […]
Political ministerial staffers hitting the campaign hustings too
It’s not just MPs who have found themselves on the road during a federal election — some political staffers have also put their regular jobs on hold for the next month in order to join the Liberal campaign team. PMO communications staffers Sophie Galarneau, Randy MacAulay and Francois Ducros have all signed on with the […]
Governing Grits won’t have to worry about Sea King replacement
Unexplained delays at the Canadian International Trade Tribunal will mean the Liberals won’t have to worry about embarrassment over bid-rigging charges dogging the search for a replacement for the Sea King helicopter. EH Industries, manufacturer of the Cormorant helicopter, filed a formal complaint with the CITT on Oct. 11 accusing the government of structuring its […]
The Hill Times’ most vulnerable incumbent ridings in the land: any MP who won less than 40% of the vote is up for grabs in the election as candidates face volatility
From Environment Minister David Anderson (Victoria, B.C.), described by the Vancouver Sun as “the governing party’s most vulnerable incumbent anywhere in the country,” to Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore, N.S.), who holds the notorious title of representing the least safe seat in the country, The Hill Times profiles the most vulnerable seats […]
Whistleblowing comes to the Hill [Whistleblowing Forum]
Politicians have deserted Parliament Hill for the hustings, and begun to trade charges of how unaccountable and inaccurate their opponents are. But on Parliament Hill, last Tuesday, a cross-section of individual whistleblowers and support groups provided specific instances of unsafe and wasteful government and private sector actions in need of legislative protection. The Whistleblowing Forum […]
Elsie tries to clear the air, says she used “poor choice of words”
Seasoned New Brunswick Tory MP Elsie Wayne says she used a “poor choice of words” when she accused the Liberals of trying to buy her off with a patronage appointment. At an Oct. 16 news conference to announce her candidacy, Ms. Wayne (Saint John, N.B.) added fuel to the cries of Liberal arrogance, when she […]
The Hill Times’ hottest races to watch across the country
Is Joe Clark toast in Alberta? Will Jim Jones beat out the Liberals’ star candidate in Markham? Is Bernie Boudreau electable? As the five parties rush to file their nomination papers, The Hill Times serves up a list of the hottest races in the country so far, and we’ve even ranked them too! More will […]
It’s time for leaders to practice soft and horizontal accountability: the notion of burden of office has become quite fuzzy, and so has the concept of accountability
Accountability refers to the requirement to answer for the discharge of a duty or for conduct. This presupposes an agreement on what constitutes an acceptable performance, and what constitutes an acceptable language of justification. In our complex world where officials are confronted with a variety of stakeholders armed with different claims to authority, with many […]
Retiring MPs say they will miss their elected colleagues most
While most MPs have spent the last few weeks in a furor of pre-election fever, for some, last week was their final week in federal politics. Nobody is guaranteed a return trip to Ottawa after an election is called, but some MPs have already made the decision not to stand for re-election, including such House […]
