‘They simply ran out the clock,’ says PSAC, as feds, union fail to reach deal before election
After six continuous days of last minute bargaining beginning Labour Day weekend, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat were unable to reach a new contract agreement. Talks between the country’s largest public sector union and the government, which included discussions around monetary compensation for the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system, are […]
It’s on: Trudeau to formally kick off federal election Wednesday, 41-day campaign begins
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to formally ask Canada’s governor general on Wednesday morning to dissolve Parliament, setting the stage for the 41-day federal election campaign. The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Tuesday afternoon that the prime minister will meet with Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette at Rideau Hall at 10 a.m. The call ends speculation […]
Cross-party House friendships of the last century appear to be non-existent today
OTTAWA—Last week, former prime minister Brian Mulroney celebrated the 35th anniversary of his momentous 1984 victory against the governing Liberals. With the election of 211 Progressive Conservative members to the 33rd Parliament, it resulted in the biggest majority government in the history of Canada. His daughter, Caroline Mulroney, now a provincial cabinet minister in Ontario, […]
Senator David Adams Richards on murder, self-righteousness, and the Senate
Murder is a personal subject for Senator and acclaimed author David Adams Richards, and now he’s written about it. Entitled, Murder and Other Essays, the book of essays and poems will hit shelves next month. Two of the essays are devoted to what Sen. Richards calls “the one crime that flies in the face of […]
Counting seats, not votes, has Liberals sitting pretty
VANCOUVER—If you are focused on the national horserace numbers, you may be missing the story of this election. If you look closely, not only can you see the Liberals have their votes in the right places, there are pockets of seats that may give the Liberals unexpected gains. As Hillary Clinton and Al Gore will […]
The nasty primal subtext of Liberal attacks
OAKVILLE, ONT.—When trying to gauge the true power and intent of a political communication strategy, sometimes you need to look past the words which are spoken and focus instead on the message’s subtext. Consider, for instance, the recent spate of Liberal attacks on Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer, attacks in which Scheer is painted as […]
‘Choose your poison’: that’s the ballot question for most Canadians in Oct. 21 federal election, says pollster Nanos
None of the national parties appears to be connecting to a majority of Canadians and a leading pollster is predicting the ballot question will be “choose your poison” on Oct. 21. “A lot of this has to do with the fact that people are unhappy with both of the choices [Liberals and Conservatives],” said Nik […]
Boris Johnson ‘has lost control of the House,’ says Canadian MP McKay of Brexit chaos
As the British House of Commons heads for another vote to decide if a snap election will be called, the Canadian MP heading the Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary group says British MPs are taking back the power that has been centralized in the Prime Minister’s Office. Twenty-one MPs were booted from the U.K. Conservative Party last […]
Why are young people economically anxious about the future? The truth is, we don’t know
If you ask any young Canadian if they are anxious about their economic future, the answer is likely going to be yes. Despite being a common feeling held by youth across the country, the causes of this anxiety remain shockingly poorly understood, and policy prescriptions remain scant. We often think that anxieties could be dissolved […]
NDP campaign platform remains rooted in the past
TORONTO—The NDP is out of the gate with its federal election campaign platform, even if it is not out of the gate when it comes to nominating candidates. Yet while it importantly raises many of the issues of inequality, injustice, and lack of opportunity facing Canadians, and identifies areas for tax reform, it fails, overall, […]
