O’Leary supporters have potential to throw Conservative race wide open
MONTREAL—With the Conservative crown slipping from his grasp, Kevin O’Leary settled on becoming kingmaker last week. But will the decision to throw his support to Maxime Bernier do the trick? On that, the evidence is mixed. There is not a Canadian political junkie who does not remember the high drama that attended Stéphane Dion’s upset […]
Ontario premier’s resignation not only option
TORONTO—To say Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s leadership is in trouble is an understatement. However, to say that she will lose the next election is premature. The face of success or failure is the face of the leader, but the leader is not necessarily responsible for either. Many times, the problem is with the people behind the […]
How one lobby campaign won support of mining, environment, indigenous groups and MPs from all parties
It’s not every day that a lobbying campaign can claim success based on support from 49 MPs from all four political parties in the House of Commons as well as mining, environmental, and indigenous groups. While these camps may in other circumstances clash, they spoke with one voice in recent months to push the federal […]
Wynne’s housing plan a potpourri of politics
TORONTO—Ontario’s new Fair Housing Plan is a potpourri of politics with a few good ideas mixed in. If Toronto and surrounding areas are indeed caught up in an irrational real estate bubble, the measures announced Thursday may well burst it. As the Dutch discovered during the tulip craze of the 17th century, bubbles based on […]
Government support for Bombardier to be tested before WTO
An international complaint by Brazil and its aircraft manufacturer Embraer could test the legitimacy of the financial relationship between Bombardier Inc. and the Canadian and Quebec governments. On Feb. 7, it was announced that the federal government is lending $372.5-million to Bombardier, interest-free. The federal government said its funding “will support thousands of good middle-class jobs, strengthen […]
Bernier gets endorsements from Alberta legislators
Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier last week announced some new support from the heart of Conservative country—Alberta. He announced endorsements from seven Wildrose Party Members of the Legislative Assembly, being Scott Cyr, Jason Nixon, Rick Strankman, Wes Taylor, Angela Pitt, Don MacIntyre, and Leela Aheer. He also snagged support from one Progressive Conservative MLA, Mike […]
‘I hope he will stay,’ Bernier would consider O’Leary as Finance minister if he wins leadership and government
Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier won’t say if he’s willing to work within a Kevin O’Leary-controlled Conservative caucus, but he is open to making Mr. O’Leary his Finance minister. “I think Kevin O’Leary would be a good Finance minister,” Mr. Bernier (Beauce, Que.) said in an interview at The Hill Times’ office last week. “I […]
Peter Julian: a Westerner with strong ties to Quebec
What you might know about NDP MP Peter Julian is he’s a lifelong New Democrat, who hopes to persuade his party to vote for him to be the next party leader. What you might not know about Mr. Julian (New Westminster-Burnaby, B.C.) is he’s really good at basketball. That’s according to Peter Stoffer, a former […]
“U.S. President Donald Trump has officially given presidential approval for the Keystone XL pipeline. What do you think of this development?”
Kate Purchase Liberal strategist “Energy resources are essential to growing our economy and creating well-paying jobs for the middle class, and those working hard to join it. One of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government is to get our resources to market. In the 21st century, getting our resources to market means doing it […]
Don’t forcibly out Alberta kids, Mr. Kenney
TORONTO—“Are you gay?” It was 1983 or so, and my Carleton journalism professor, Roger Bird, had asked me if I was gay. I was surprised. “Is that an issue?” I asked him. “If you are writing an investigative series about gay people in politics, I think it is,” Bird said, and he was probably right, as […]
