The problem with ‘Big Tents’
OAKVILLE, ONT.—The thing that makes Canada a great country, besides its vast maple syrup reservoirs, is we Canadians enthusiastically embrace diversity and tolerance. (And if you don’t agree with me on that, it clearly means you’re a dunderhead who should be deported to Borneo!) Yet, despite the obvious wonderfulness of Canadian diversity and tolerance, I’d […]
Politics at its worst in political parties
OTTAWA—Politics is at its worst in political parties. Internal decisions are usually made in secret with little recourse to the rules of due process that apply to normal business decisions. That may change, as a disgruntled New Democrat took his case to the courts last week after his party would not allow him to run […]
Canadians trust science, CBC, media, government, though Conservatives less trusting: survey
Canadians put a lot of faith in scientific experts, and most have at least some trust in things like the CBC, the news media, and the federal government, according to a new survey conducted by Campaign Research. However, it found those identifying as Conservatives were less trusting of all these institutions. Results shared exclusively with […]
Think Trump politics is invading Canada? Watch the NDP leadership race and think again
MONTREAL—In one of those great moments in multi-streaming the other day, I clicked on a Politico piece called “Trump’s Dictator Chic” in the middle of watching the NDP leadership debate. Just as I was reading author Peter York’s account of where the new American president’s breathtakingly garish Fifth Avenue apartment fits in the pantheon of eerily similar […]
Niki Ashton says NDP at ‘crossroads’ and needs to be put ‘back on track’
Niki Ashton says the NDP is “at a crossroads,” and that the ongoing leadership race is a method of getting the party “back on track.” Ms. Ashton, the 34-year-old MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, in northern Manitoba, and the latest candidate to enter the race, believes “back on track” means tacking to the left. “In the last election […]
Liberals ‘back in the driver’s seat’ with 43 per cent voter support: survey
The Liberals are back with a firm grip on voter support after slipping into a tie with the Conservatives last month, according to new poll conducted by Campaign Research. Results shared exclusively with The Hill Times for polling done between March 5 and 7 show the Liberals with 43 per cent support. That’s up from 34 […]
How to get ‘what’s his name?’ elected
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Back in the early 2000s, I was with a group that commissioned an opinion poll to gauge potential support for a guy who had ambitions to lead a national political party. As it turned out, the results proved a little embarrassing; actually, make that a lot embarrassing. Indeed, the poll revealed our want-to-be leader […]
A night of firsts and girl power at the Museum of History
It was a night in a room full of firsts. The first female prime minister, the first female opposition House leader, the first black female Member of Parliament, and most importantly, the first time 338 young women, each representing a federal riding, sat in such historic company. Attending the Daughters of the Vote Equal Voice gala dinner […]
Pipelines to be a ‘fundamental’ issue for NDP leadership race: Julian
Pipelines could shape up to be a defining issue in the NDP leadership race, as the party’s members and provincial wings have clashing views on resource development and the construction of new oil pipelines. During the last election, federal leader Tom Mulcair (Outremont, Que.) didn’t commit to being either for or against the Energy East pipeline. […]
Canadian politicians have been using ‘alternative facts’ for years
MONTREAL—Contrary to an increasingly popular Canadian belief, the Trump administration does not have a monopoly on so-called alternative facts. Nor did it invent the concept. Deliberate distortions of reality have been part and parcel of the Canadian political discourse for years, and no party including the one that is currently in power at the national […]
