Climate change is the greatest existential threat facing mankind, but you wouldn’t know it from the Conservative leadership race
TORONTO—The world seems to be on fire this summer as record-breaking temperatures are causing death and destruction on every continent. Unless the world acts with much greater determination, the future can only get worse, with climate change the greatest existential threat facing mankind. This is why the need to act now is urgent and Canada […]
All federal parties need to improve their leadership and nomination processes or risk losing credibility
In almost every nomination or leadership election, political parties have faced allegations from their own candidates of playing favourites or of making unfair decisions behind closed doors. But transparency and fairness are the two key ingredients of any legitimate nomination or leadership contest. Thanks to Elections Canada, our general elections are held to the highest […]
Conservative Party shuts off money transfers to Brown campaign without specifying why, claims Brown’s campaign manager Mykytyshyn
The Conservative Party has suspended money transfers to disqualified leadership candidate Patrick Brown’s campaign without specifying why, claims the Brown campaign, but a party spokesperson says it has explained the reason and won’t disclose it right now. According to the Conservative Party’s leadership election rules, money raised by leadership candidates first goes to the party […]
If Conservatives fail to win next federal election, party would split, say some Conservatives
If the Conservative Party fails to win the next federal election—its potential fourth loss under a fourth leader—the party would split up or would need a serious reworking, say some Conservatives. “I’m a member of the Conservative Party, a strong [member of] the Conservative Party, and I want the Conservative Party to win the next […]
Do Conservatives want to finally change things, or continue being perennial losers? A response to Marjory LeBreton and Tasha Kheiriddin
TORONTO—Marjory LeBreton and Tasha Kheiriddin correctly note that the Conservative Party of Canada is going through an existential crisis. But, in this author’s opinion, their recommendations are all wrong. It all goes back to Brian Mulroney. He may be one of the most disappointing prime ministers that Canada has ever had. Although he won two […]
Poilievre’s platform offers scant details on foreign policy positions
OTTAWA—The problem for Conservative leadership candidate front-runner Pierre Poilievre—once he takes over the party after the race results are in and gets set to run for the prime minister’s job—will be to balance the payback expected by the far-right populists who got him there, against the policies of pragmatism expected by the rest of us. […]
Poilievre’s ‘post-partisan’ front-runner campaign reminds observers of Trudeau’s 2013 Liberal leadership bid
Pierre Poilievre’s aggressive Conservative leadership campaign, which has left opponents “no room to breathe,” is very different from a traditional front-runner candidate bid for the party’s top job, says Conservative strategist Shakir Chambers—but elements of Poilievre’s “post-partisan” approach to politics are reminiscent of Justin Trudeau’s 2013 Liberal leadership campaign, according to several other observers. “There […]
Conservatives should shift focus to ‘equality of opportunity’ for Canadians as ‘the antidote to populism,’ says Kheiriddin
The Conservative Party faces “an imperative” to reach a broad, diverse voter base if it hopes to form government again, says Tasha Kheiriddin, a co-chair of Jean Charest’s leadership campaign and author of the recently released book, The Right Path: How Conservatives Can Unite, Inspire and Take Canada Forward. Despite the Conservatives winning the popular […]
Beware of anger politics
HALIFAX—No wonder a lot of people think anger-merchant Pierre Poilievre has a shot at becoming prime minister. No wonder the CPC has managed to convince itself that retreads from the old Harper government can take them back to power—even though the record shows that the two times the party has tried that, it has lost […]
Canada needs a united Conservative Party of Canada, not a divided one
The ongoing Conservative leadership election is the party’s third in seven years. During this time, it has lost three successive federal elections to the Liberals. At the start of the leadership race in January, it was hoped that the next leader would unite the party and be the prime minister in waiting, especially given that […]
