Liberals and Conservatives trade barbs in series of attack ads
A series of three attack ads were released by the Liberals on Sept. 4, targeting Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and suggesting he would “take Canada backward.” That same day, another set of English-language ads came out from the Conservative Party, accusing Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and his caucus of misleading Canadians using “cynical, American-style attack ads, […]
Cabinet record could help or hinder at-risk ministers in Quebec, Ontario
After a contentious English-language debate that had the Bloc Québécois accusing others of Quebec bashing, some Liberal cabinet members from the province who narrowly won in 2019 are “in trouble,” according to one pollster. Those most at risk include Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos (Québec, Que.), who won re-election by just 325 votes in the […]
Legault’s ‘dangerous’ claims may have just cost O’Toole the election
Quebec Premier François Legault’s “dangerous” claims may have just cost Erin O’Toole the election. Angry warnings not to vote for Liberals, New Democrats, or Greens were supposed to help the Conservative leader. Early in the campaign, Legault made it very clear that his sympathies were with O’Toole. But that was before O’Toole revealed that part […]
Liberals feel the heat, attack ads seek to make O’Toole look like an ‘unacceptable, scary alternative,’ say politicos
As parties sharpen their message with carefully crafted political advertising in the final stretch of the campaign, strategists and pollsters say these tactics, such as a trio of ads released by the Liberals on Sept. 4, are telling of a Liberal campaign that needed to go on the attack. “You can tell a lot about […]
Liberals quiet on Canada-China relationship, while Tory approach could lead to Beijing retaliation: experts
After more than two years of rocky relations with Beijing, the Liberals have offered little on the campaign trail about how it will handle future relations with China, while the Conservatives have laid out a blueprint that could lead to Chinese government retaliation against Canada. The Canada-China relationship, which has yet to become a focal […]
The thin line between love and hate: the road from 1968’s Trudeaumania to election protests of 2021
The Canadian election of 2015 was defined by Justin Trudeau’s appropriation of Sir Wilfred Laurier’s “Sunny Ways” speech from 1895. The 2021 election can only be described as “stormy ways.” We’ve all heard the clichés about the thin line between love and hate, and the Trudeau dynasty is learning the reality of that dynamic in […]
Never overestimate a politician’s ability to read the room
OTTAWA—Are we there yet? We are into the fourth week of an election no one asked for, that has no logical reason for occurring, except that the party in power wants more power. This is a power-grab election, which has nothing to do with the betterment of the country and has everything to do with […]
Unpacking party platform strategies, timing important in a tight two-way race
I spent most of my political career as a ground war operative specializing in byelections, get out the vote efforts, election readiness committees, nomination races, and leadership campaigns. I’ve knocked on doors in too many ridings to count and I’ll admit to sometimes mocking policy teams for overestimating the value of their platforms. As many […]
Politics This Morning: Liberals release election platform, leaders face off in first debate
Good Thursday morning! The Liberal Party has released its re-election platform, which proposes $13-billion in spending this fiscal year and $78-billion in new spending over the next five years. The 53-page document proposes to invest more in Liberal priorities, such as fighting climate change, Indigenous reconciliation, and the arts and cultural sector, and promises tighter […]
The Liberals are losing, and it is not because we had a difficult year
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—The Liberals are losing. In this Seinfeldian election about nothing, the only constant is the electorate’s anger. Like the rubes in Times Square bilked in a game of three-card monte, Canadians are furious with Justin Trudeau for calling an election when it wasn’t required. After an event in Bolton, Ont., was cancelled for fears of […]
