This is an existential moment for a democracy in peril
HALIFAX—Is the United States caving to fascism, or merely getting fatally lazy about what it takes to live in a democracy? After watching former special counsel Robert Mueller trippingly confirm for Congress last week the damning findings of his two-year criminal investigation of the Trump presidency, those questions are unavoidable. If the truth matters anymore […]
The last prime minister of the United Kingdom
LONDON, U.K.—It has been suggested that Boris Johnson (who became the prime minister of the United Kingdom last week) is what you would get if Donald Trump had been educated at Eton and Oxford. Maybe, although there is a great gulf between Trump’s bombastic self-promotion and Johnson’s self-deprecating, rather shambolic persona. There is such a […]
Pollsters split on poll aggregators’ use of data, but do caution ‘buyer beware’ for the public
Several Canadian pollsters are divided on whether poll aggregators can repurpose their data without consent, though some are concerned with how all the numbers get packaged for public consumption. The work of poll aggregators has come under renewed scrutiny after veteran pollster Nik Nanos of Nanos Research recently got into a Twitter scrap with CBC’s […]
If Wilson-Raybould really wants to be a nation builder, she should stop helping Scheer
OTTAWA—In the heat of the SNC-Lavalin controversy, the government was slammed for claiming jobs may be at stake. Pundits attacked the statement that some of the of 9,000 company jobs could be lost, if the company did not benefit from a deferred prosecution agreement. The narrative had a distinctly anti-Quebec flavour. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau […]
Canada should seek exemption from ‘Buy American’ provisions instead of fighting U.S. protectionist policy, trade observers say
Getting Canadian exporters access to U.S. federal government procurement projects will become more difficult thanks to a new executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump, and getting around it may not be possible, say trade observers, who want Canada’s government to seek an exemption to the protection order. Although retaliatory trade action may have played […]
Big changes could be coming to Senate after fall election, say Senators
The outcome of the fall election could spur big changes to the Red Chamber, Senators say, with talk that floor-crossing, forming new groups, and battles over who would form the opposition—or whether there will even be one—could all be in play. The Liberals and Conservatives are running neck-and-neck in public opinion polls, leaving a realistic […]
Federal government must do more to advance innovation
TORONTO—The Trudeau government likes to portray Canada as a world leader in innovation. But where do we actually stand? Locating a country’s ranking in innovation is no easy task. But one of the more serious attempts comes each year from the World Intellectual Property Organization, and it ranks Canada 17th in the world in its […]
Women splitting their vote more among various progressive options, says Bricker
A recent Ipsos poll showed Conservatives with a 10-point lead over the Liberals among female voters, 39 per cent to 29 per cent, respectively, but Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker cautions against viewing this as a female surge towards Conservatives. “The Conservatives are not surging among women. What’s happening is that women are splitting their vote […]
For the love of loons: it’s time to stand up for biodiversity
OTTAWA—From the haunting call of a loon on a remote lake, to whales breaching along the longest coastline in the world, natural landscapes and abundant wildlife are fundamental to Canada’s national identity. But the science is clear: the environment is in trouble. As Canadians head to the polls this October, it’s never been more important […]
Canada under Andrew Scheer: six ways Conservatives look to break with Trudeau government
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has sought to cast himself as a staunch defender of the border, the rights of gun owners, Canada’s foreign policy interests, and dairy farmers in the lead-up to the October election. Here are six ways the Conservatives would seek to break with the Trudeau government’s approach: ‘Total reset’ of relations with […]
