Do ministers and senior public servants need bodyguards?
The internet has transformed the relation between politicians and the public, and giving fuel to the fire might rebound on those who stoke it.
‘Polarizing’ Alberta campaign ‘a harbinger of what to expect’ in next federal election, say insiders
It would be a mistake for Pierre Poilievre to run on a populist message in the next federal election as that vote will be decided in the suburbs of major urban centres, not in rural ridings, says Prof. Duane Bratt of Mount Royal University.
Commons Speaker needs more sway in raucous House, but there’s ‘not a lot of charm on either side of the House’ right now, say politicos
The Speaker should decide who speaks in the House, not party whips, says Elizabeth May, while Nik Nanos says the lack of charm on either side of the Chamber reflects the tone at the top. ‘Both the Liberals and the Conservatives are feeling a lot of pressure.’
Alberta election will provide insight into Canadian tolerance for extremism
The Alberta race is a potential watershed for Canadians, many of whom seem ready to give the kind of anger-based, hateful politics flourishing in the U.S. a try.
‘Our democracy, just like our journalism, is not dead yet,’ says Tremonti on World Press Freedom Day
Politicians also have a role to play in stopping threats against journalists, says Anna Maria Tremonti. ‘[We need] people who can look beyond party politics to a way forward, no matter which party is the government of the day.’
Trump’s brand of politics by personal attack is creeping into our national conversation
The public dialogue is not so much a contest of ideas between political parties, as it has traditionally been, but a kind of cage fight of the Texas death-match variety. Apart from being distressingly Trumpian, the approach taken by the Conservative Party is totally unnecessary.
Searching for consensus in a divided country
The reaction to the budget is all the more pertinent for the Liberals at a time when culture war issues are eclipsing already meagre policy-related consensus-building.
