Conservatives using tour to capitalize on perfect moment to introduce Scheer to Quebecers, say politicos
With one pollster predicting the Conservatives will be the only realistic alternative to the Liberals in Quebec in 2019, the party has wisely embarked on a Listening to Quebecers tour to introduce its relatively unknown leader to Quebecers, emphasize its tough stance on immigration issues, and look for platform ideas. Observers also say the party should ride the […]
Newfoundland’s Ches Crosbie, the unlikely candidate, could now be premier
OTTAWA—Canadians’ embrace of dynastic politics continues. No, this isn’t another column about Doug Ford, who comes from a well-known political family. It’s about Ches Crosbie, the new leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador. Crosbie, the son of Newfoundland and Labrador political legend John Crosbie, just did something his father was never […]
Another approach to Canada’s bitumen quagmire
There will be both a significant financial and political cost no matter what decision is taken to resolve the current impasse on the Kinder Morgan pipeline project. Why not investigate an alternative? What if governments helped finance a refinery in Alberta to refine the bitumen to a state that it is less hazardous for transport? […]
Philpott’s $9-billion Indigenous Services budget triple Bennett’s in new departments’ inaugural year
Half a year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau officially split Indigenous Affairs into two departments with “distinct, but complementary objectives,” their first departmental plans show new Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott’s budget is triple that of her Indigenous-focused counterpart Carolyn Bennett (Toronto-St. Paul’s, Ont.), and more than double what she oversaw as health minister. The […]
Time to rethink Harper’s ‘negative’ legacy?
OAKVILLE, ONT.—I don’t think former prime minister Stephen Harper is ever going to get one, but in my view many of Canada’s top pundits and journalists owe him an apology. Or at the very least, pundits and journalists in this country should acknowledge how wrong they were to constantly castigate Harper during his term in […]
AFN national chief wants Indigenous languages bill tabled this fall
Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde says the Liberals should table legislation protecting and promoting Indigenous languages by this fall or risk not fulfilling a key promise that he considers to be a cornerstone of Canada’s reconciliation efforts. “That’s our hope and our wish,” Mr. Bellegarde told The Hill Times, following an April […]
Wynne’s Ford-as-Trump portrayal could backfire
OTTAWA—In politics, as in sport sometimes, a rally cry based around desperation can be a powerful motivational tool that changes a game or series. Many times we have heard an NHL hockey coach say of his players: “they have to play as if their backs are against the wall.” Then the team in question goes […]
After 36 years, it’s time Quebec sign the Constitution
The call from the Prime Minister’s Office in March 1982 came as things were not going well for the Liberal opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador. Premier Brian Peckford had called a snap “referendum” election for April 6, seeking to wrest management of offshore oil from Pierre Trudeau’s government in Ottawa. The caller enthusiastically told me […]
What’s needed to close the Indigenous health-care gap
My perspectives herein apply primarily to First Nations, where I have spent the majority of my years as a dental and health-care provider, before being appointed to the Senate. As the history of access to health care is markedly different for the Métis and the Inuit, it would be unrepresentative to place all three Indigenous […]
Kinder Morgan project a test of Trudeau’s competency, puts his 18 B.C. seats at risk, say pollsters
Whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gets the Kinder Morgan pipeline project built, as he says he will, voters will judge as a test of his competency, say pollsters. And the stakes are high, with the Liberals’ 18 seats in British Columbia at risk. Much of his credibility is bound up in his ability keep the project his […]
