Attack campaign on federal Grits spews ‘beer and popcorn’
It’s kind of like hockey. You want the puck to be in the other team’s zone because a good offence is the best defence, explained communications specialist Andre Lafrance. “The choice of the [Liberal] communications team, is to be that of a young party in an attack mode,”said Mr. Lafrance, a professor at Universite de […]
Canada could learn from Iraq elections: author O’Leary [The Future of Kurdistan in Iraq]
Canada stands to learn from the elections in Iraq to apply to its own democracy, explained author and political science professor Brandan O’Leary last week. Speaking at a reception launching his new book, The Future of Kurdistan in Iraq, he explained that Iraq’s mixed proportional representation system might even be more efficient than Canada’s since […]
The ying and the yang of association lobbyists: ‘When you’re everything, you’re nothing’
Every job has its upside and downside, including being an association lobbyist. “When you’re everything, you’re nothing.” These words, from a disillusioned association lobbyist, speak to one aspect of this job: lobbying on behalf of many diverse members. Often, this means the GR message is so broad it’s often ineffective. When they lobby, associations find […]
Leaders’ debates need transparent and accountable rules
Given their importance, setting the televised debates’ rules should not be left to the ratings-obsessed networks and the political parties who have the most at stake. In 1992, U.S. presidential candidate Ross Perot came out as the surprise winner of the televised presidential debate. Previously dismissed as an eccentric by most observers, Perot’s performance in […]
Quebec byelections offer preview
Quebec Premier Jean Charest’s Liberal party held onto its traditional stronghold Montreal riding of Outremont in last week’s provincial by-elections, but it was soundly crushed in the predominantly francophone riding of Vercheres on the south shore. In Outremont, the Quebec Liberals saw a slight drop in their support, but held onto the riding with 49 […]
Martin fighting windmills like Don Quixote: PM is fending off phantom enemies from the outside and inside
He’s just not a strong and courageous leader. Prime Minister Paul Martin looks more like Don Quixote fighting windmills. If you’ve been listening to his latest rants, Canada is under attack from enemies on the inside and on the outside. But fortunately, Mr. Martin is touting himself as the White Knight ready to defend the […]
Fontaine works with Elections Canada to boost First Nations voter turnout
AFN Leader Phil Fontaine isn’t publicly endorsing the Liberals, but told The Hill Times he would prefer ‘to work with a government that’s committed to our issues.’ Assembly of First Nations Leader Phil Fontaine is working with Elections Canada to encourage First Nations citizens across Canada to vote in the election and says “they have […]
Third party ads in the ridings
Hundreds of lobbyist organizations are running advertisements in electoral districts across the country in the current election campaign as third party advocates to promote their pet issues. Kory Teneycke, executive director of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association said in an interview that third party advocates of specific issues are relying more on advertisements during election […]
Grits leak Quebec strategy
The Bloc Quebecois isn’t going to change its campaign plan after the Liberals accidentally leaked details of its own strategy. Michel Gauthier, the Bloc’s chief campaign organizer, said his own party was hardly surprised to see a list of 20 “targeted”ridings flagged by the Liberals. “We knew already. Listen, political parties have extraordinary tools today. […]
Holiday greeting cards an expense in the current election campaign
Holiday greeting cards sent by incumbents and new candidates during the current campaign are considered an election expense, according to Elections Canada. In every campaign, each riding has a different spending limit for electoral expenses which is determined by Elections Canada based mainly on the number of electors and the size of the riding. Before […]
