The Seinfeld election: an election about nothing
This election might be called the Seinfeld election, an election about nothing. There was no single issue, as there was in 1988 when free trade turned that election into a referendum. Nor was there a burning desire to vote the bums out, as there was in 1984, 1993, and 2015. Instead, it just was. Sure, […]
‘We have drive’: Indigenous MPs on their election and their future
Another election has come and gone and there was a record number of Indigenous candidates put forward this time, at least 77 people, with the end results showing that the actual count of Indigenous MPs who will sit in the House has also gone up, to 12 from the 10 elected after the 2019 campaign. […]
With slight seat gain, NDP has potential to hold ‘balance of power’ in new Parliament
Despite “disappointing” results in the election, the New Democrats have an opportunity in the new Parliament to push the other parties to enact progressive policies that would benefit Canadians, say strategists. “What’s most important about this election outcome is the fact that the NDP holds the balance of power in a Parliament, that is led […]
Veteran provincial politician Yasir Naqvi’s win keeps Ottawa Centre under federal Liberal banner
OTTAWA CENTRE, ONT.—Parliament Hill’s riding will remain red after federal newcomer Yasir Naqvi won it for the Liberals Monday night. Mr. Naqvi won Ottawa Centre, Ont., leading by a margin of 9.8 percentage points or 3,857 votes votes—with 81 per cent of the polls reporting—over NDP challenger Angella MacEwen. The riding, which was held by […]
Elxn#44 will go down as the ‘backlash’ election against Trudeau Liberals, say politicos
The Sept. 20 federal election will be remembered as the “backlash” election, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the country to the polls in the midst of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic but failed to convince Canadians that he needed to do so. Canadians negative reaction to this decision dogged the Liberals throughout […]
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 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 […]
Round two for Team Singh: key figures return for NDP’s 2021 campaign
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and campaign director Jennifer Howard are back for round two this election, backed by a team of many experienced and returning organizers that includes a concerted focus on mobilizing Indigenous voters. “They have a campaign team that has worked together now for successive campaigns, and one of the key truisms I […]
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 […]
Angry crowds result in cancelled, disrupted Trudeau campaign events
The Liberal leader’s campaign picked up this weekend, after a short pause pre-punctuated with a rare event cancellation due to safety concerns over protesters plaguing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But it didn’t go quietly. This most recent incident occurred on Aug. 29, during a Sunday stump speech intended to promote his party’s climate change policies in […]
