Manitoba Liberal MPs not deterred by recent provincial Tory majority win
Despite a provincial election that coloured Manitoba a Conservative blue last week, some Liberal MPs say they’re hopeful when it comes to their party’s position in the province federally. The federal Conservatives currently hold five of the 14 Manitoba seats in the House of Commons, but are edged out by the Liberals, with seven seats, […]
Want to run for political office? Effectively, become a cyborg
OTTAWA—Watching the first week of this campaign has been like taking in a massive game of gotcha. To get got, the contestant is exposed for some past social media stupidity: a photo, video, or friendship with a contemporary political villain, or something-else now considered offside. Some candidates were punted by their parties, others given lifelines. […]
So far, so relatively sane
At the one-week mark of Canada’s 43rd federal election campaign, we seem to have mercifully dodged the sort of outrageousness that has stalked elections in other democracies. Nobody has proposed a minimum height requirement for immigrants, vowed to annex St-Pierre et Miquelon or threatened to pull Canada out of NATO. The preliminary take-aways seem to […]
First debate doesn’t inspire great hopes for the rest of the 2019 campaign
OTTAWA—It’s debatable, as it were, whether the Liberals’ Justin Trudeau made a serious mistake in not showing up for the first leaders’ verbal sparring match. There’s probably general agreement that the prime minister should go out of his way to take part in these standoffs as part of his democratic responsibilities. And maybe it would […]
Arctic policy framework released ‘last minute’ ahead of October election, say experts
After nearly three years of waiting, the release of the Trudeau government’s much-anticipated Arctic policy framework was rushed ahead of the looming election, possibly with the aim of avoiding a campaign “vulnerability” for the Liberals, say experts. The Arctic and Northern Policy Framework was released with little fanfare on Sept. 10, just a day before […]
Action on national inquiry’s calls for justice should be an election issue: NWAC
Claudette had a good sense of humour and lit up a room when she came in. She was also a very strong girl and she stood up for herself. When Claudette’s disappearance was reported, sometimes they didn’t even include her name in the headlines. Instead, her family read words like “sex trade,” “drug addicted,” and […]
Trump’s cancellation of Taliban peace talks means indefinite continuation of unwinnable war
OTTAWA—In the days leading up to the anniversary of 9/11, U.S. President Donald Trump sent out a bizarre tweet claiming that he had just called off a secret summit at Camp David. According to Trump, senior leaders of the Taliban, along with President Ashraf Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, were about to jointly […]
Savoie’s new ‘magnum opus’ book argues federal public service has been ‘knocked off its moorings’
Although he says he didn’t plan for the release of his “magnum opus” in the final weeks leading up to the Oct. 21 election, Donald Savoie’s new book, Democracy in Canada: The Disintegration of Our Institutions, argues that if Canadians wish to locate political power, “they should not look to Parliament, political parties, cabinet or […]
Powerful Senate committee owes public answers on harassment plans, Meredith report, say Independents
The public deserves answers from the Senate’s Internal Economy Committee, say its Independent members, after the powerful body recently voted to discuss harassment policies in private, citing legal advice, confidentiality concerns, and the need to protect the Upper Chamber. At the heart of the Independent Senators’ objections is the Senate’s handling of harassment and the […]
Spare a thought for campaign volunteers, organizers behind the scenes
Canada’s 43rd federal election is officially underway, with 32 days (or 768 hours) out of this year’s 40-day campaign left until election day after Sept. 18. The campaign had been unofficially underway for months before the formal election call on Sept. 11, and incumbents, candidates, and volunteers have already spent countless hours knocking on doors, […]
