Progress on reconciliation, debate on climate change could bring out higher Indigenous vote in next election, advocates say
Some Indigenous leaders and advocates say there’s enough momentum towards reconciliation to energize voters in their communities to turn out in significant numbers in October, with climate change, the national inquiry’s calls to address the systemic racism faced by Indigenous women and girls, and pipelines potentially galvanizing the electorate, though it’s an open question whether […]
Time has come to legislate all political advertising 365 days a year
OTTAWA—Twitter received kudos last week for finally announcing the suspension of political advertising during the summer. The social media feed was late to that party, having been publicly scolded by Democratic Reform Minister Karina Gould for its silence on recent government legislation limiting social media advertising. Michele Austin, head of government and public policy for […]
With drop in irregular migrant numbers, experts split on immigration as potent election issue
Immigration has become a hot political wedge issue in Canada over the past few years, but its impact on the upcoming federal election could depend on what happens along the border this summer, say pollsters. The numbers of migrants attempting to cross the Canadian border at unauthorized points of entry has significantly decreased in 2019. […]
Anti-racism policy is timely but should be handled with care
OTTAWA—Multiculturalism was the panacea. Adopted in 1971, we thought things would just always get better and we would learn about and accept our differences and live happily ever after. On some levels, things have gotten better. On others levels, things are suddenly taking a turn for the worst and, yet, on others we are just […]
Don’t be surprised if Canadians try something different this time around
HALIFAX—And so it begins, that traditional steeple chase towards nothing called a federal election. Some pundits see a horse race developing—two big parties in a virtual tie. But if the polls have it right, the lesson is not that Canadians are in for a competitive spectacle. It is that the Liberals have already lost a […]
I’ve met the leaders of today, and tomorrow, and they’re in Afghanistan looking for support to help bring peace and stability to the nation
OTTAWA—When I was just out of high school in 2013, I had the opportunity to meet and sit down in a hotel conference room in Ottawa with Afghan leader Hanif Atmar. At the time, he had held several positions within the Afghanistan government including education minister, interior minister, and most recently national security adviser. I […]
U.S. joint chiefs release alarming nuclear operations document
On June 19, The Guardian and a host of other media reported that on June 11 the U.S. joint chiefs released a document simply entitled “Nuclear Operations,” the first such doctrine paper in 14 years, and one that marks a major shift in U.S. military thinking towards the idea of fighting and winning a nuclear war. […]
Slow pace of legislation, ‘toxic’ view of prorogation could be behind longest session in parliamentary history, say politicos
The first and only session of the 42nd Parliament will soon become the longest in Canadian history, but political observers say the slow pace the government moved legislation through the House could be among the reasons the record is within reach. Under the watch of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), the current session has […]
‘Someday, we’ll have someone who dies as a direct result of that,’ MPs call for ending all-night Commons votes
MPs are once again calling for changes to the Standing Orders that govern business in the House, warning that all-night Commons voting puts a serious strain on their health, and the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader says it could kill an MP one day. ”We will have literally hundreds of votes. I think […]
Harper’s support for Israel worthy of praise, not selective opprobrium
In May, former prime minister Stephen Harper teamed up with the American non-profit organization, PragerU, to lay out several fundamental truths about America’s most critical ally and the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel. While Harper’s video was well received and went viral, Stuart Chambers, a political science teacher at the University of Ottawa, chose […]
