Details aside, Scheer’s climate change nod an important step forward
OTTAWA—Last week, Andrew Scheer gave the last of his series of major policy speeches designed to give voters a sense of some of his thinking and his would-be government’s approach to the key issues of our times. Previously, he had addressed predictable safe-ground matters for the Conservatives, like economic and foreign policy. In his last […]
MPs should use the summer to prove everyone wrong
Federal politicians are the least liked out of all of their political brethren, or so says an Angus Reid Institute study published June 25. The public-opinion survey found that 28 per cent say they have a negative opinion of people who choose to run for federal office compared to 19 per cent and 14 per […]
Scheer spews out nonsense, calls it a climate plan
OTTAWA—One of the problems of dealing with totally cynical, post-accuracy conservatism—whether in Europe or the U.S. or Canada—is that it ruins everyone’s sense of irony. So here we have Conservative leader Andrew Scheer being afforded credit for finally acknowledging climate change is real. This is a breakthrough? It’s been obvious for decades to anyone who […]
Trudeau’s legislative record unlikely to motivate voters in the fall, with a few exceptions: pollsters
Four years of lawmaking has left the Liberal government with a lengthy list of accomplishments and black marks, but only a few legal changes made or abandoned by the Trudeau government will likely play a significant role at the ballot box this October, say political observers. “There’s an old saying in politics: ‘Friends come and […]
Why do political people love dogs?
TORONTO—Why do political people love dogs? Because we do, we do. Proof is at hand. Mackenzie King’s personal legacy—characterized, as it was, by his avid spiritualism, his byzantine diaries, and his nighttime strolls down certain streets in the ByWard Market—is not without controversy. A debate rages, even now, about whether Canada’s longest-serving prime minister was […]
Faith communities should be responding to MMIWG report
As a child, I came to Canada with my parents in search of safety and a better future for our family. Since becoming a medical specialist, I have learned what it is like to be with people when they are most vulnerable. And as a Muslim, I have always been taught the importance of compassion […]
MPs who won by less than five per cent margin in 2015 in ‘real jeopardy,’ says Ipsos pollster Bricker
The Liberals are heading into the October election holding only a seven-seat majority, and one pollster says ridings carried by less than a five per cent margin are in “real jeopardy,” and those won by about a five per cent margin will be “tight races” in the upcoming campaign. “Lower than five, in real jeopardy. […]
Here’s a thought: why not just forbid ad hominem, anywhere?
Re: ” ‘Embarrassing,’ ‘bullying’ social media posts prompt some Senators to push for policies governing how Senators, staff use the platforms,” (The Hill Times, June 19, p. 1). In theory, Senators are supposed to be the adults in the room. But, for at least a decade, Canadians have witnessed disgraceful, and embarrassingly juvenile, ad hominem […]
Mark Warawa, 69, dies after cancer battle, MPs honour friend
Conservative MP Mark Warawa died on June 20 following a diagnosis of cancer in his pancreas, colon, and lungs. “It’s been an incredible honour to have served my community since being elected federally in 2004,” Mr. Warawa, a religious man, said in a posthumous statement. Mr. Warawa announced his retirement from federal politics in January […]
‘There’s no bad seat in the House of Commons’
When NDP MP Nathan Cullen, 46, was first elected 15 years ago, he made a few promises to himself, knowing he would need reminders to stay grounded in the face of the pressures and the privileges that come with being an MP. The politically savvy NDP star promised to leave with his integrity intact, his […]
