In Conservative leadership race, everyone has an angle
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Well, that certainly didn’t take long. Before the dust had even settled from the very first Conservative Party leadership debate, concerned voices were raised noting the event’s savage rhetorical tone. Indeed, while I viewed the fiery debate exchanges as just politicians doing what they had to do, others seemed quite put off by the […]
How COVID won the political battle
OTTAWA—Anyone watching the first Conservative leadership debate on May 5 may have thought they were watching a satire or some kind of theatre-of-the-absurd take-off on nasty populist politics. What came across as the debaters’ main concern was how supportive each would-be Conservative standard bearer was of the right-wing agitators who used trucks to turn downtown […]
Time for Tory leadership race to climb out of the sewer
OTTAWA—Apologies. Yet another commentator is going to wade into last week’s Conservative leadership debate hosted by the Canada Strong and Free Network, formerly the Manning Centre. While its dramatic appeal may have been its very raw nature—and some partisans love that—it came across as one of those old, then-named World Wrestling Federation mega events. You […]
Conservative leadership debate shows the party is not aging well
HALIFAX—If you’ve ever wondered what a dinosaur looked like in its death throes, you can always count on the Conservative Party of Canada and the United States to give you a pretty good imitation. The latest example of this party’s race to irrelevance was last week’s unofficial debate at the Canada Strong and Free network, […]
Abortion debate will ‘quite likely’ define Conservative leadership election, say Conservatives
With Roe vs. Wade making international headlines, the divisive issue of abortion access will have a significant impact on the down ballot support and fundraising for candidates on both sides of the divide in the ongoing Conservative leadership election, say Conservatives. In interviews with The Hill Times, political insiders supporting different candidates and one leading […]
Conservatives say to win over millennials and Gen Z voters, they need to communicate better
Conservatives say the federal Liberals have failed to support the aspirations of millennials and Gen Z voters, but say their party is well-positioned to expand its base to Canada’s young voters in the next election, however, they say they have to do a better job of communicating their party’s policies to win them over. Conservative […]
Conservative thinkers contemplate regulating big tech
Some Conservative thinkers are beginning to contemplate how they would regulate big technology companies if elected to federal government. Conservative political commentator Jamil Jivani, who was speaking on a panel discussion on “debating big tech” at the three-day Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference on Friday in Ottawa, said regulating big tech fits well with the […]
Next Tory leader must stay true to ‘core Conservative principles,’ say Harris, Manning
Former Ontario premier Mike Harris and former Reform Party leader Preston Manning say the next Tory leader must stay true to “core Conservative principles” to build a strong coalition after the party lost three federal elections in a row. Their advice to the six leadership candidates was Conservative in every way: stick to the old […]
Conservative leadership contenders debate trucker convoy, cancel culture, small government solutions
Five of six Conservative leadership contenders sparred at the race’s first unofficial debate Thursday night, an evening light on policy and heavy on slogans, with some personal attacks and recriminations in the mix. The candidates spent most of the debate showcasing their bona fides as genuine, dyed-in-the-wool conservatives and competing for the spot of best […]
The Liberal branding advantage
OAKVILLE, ONT.—American billionaire (and soon to be the owner of Twitter) Elon Musk once said, “Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.” That’s true in business; it’s also true in politics. Indeed, good branding helps political parties establish an identity for themselves in the minds of voters. This matters because […]
