Like Clinton, Trudeau’s mess not entirely of his own making, writes U.S. observer
I am writing as a concerned American observer of the Canadian political situation. It appears to me that Canada is caught up in a troubling déjà vu of the Clinton-Trump matchup in 2016 that produced our own nightmare south of the 49th. In particular, a relentless media blitz focused almost entirely on the star liberal […]
Goodale: Answering the tough questions on Bill C-83 and reforming our approach to corrections
The Senate’s Social Affairs Committee is nearing the end of its study of Bill C-83, legislation that creates a new way of dealing with inmates who need to be separated from the general prison population for safety reasons. Currently, such inmates are held in administrative segregation, where they are confined to their cells for 22 […]
If this week’s dumb shrieking battles are any sign, this election won’t be pretty
OTTAWA—The past week provided a sadly predictable look ahead at this fall’s federal election. Dynamism was eschewed for dumb shrieking battles that we have seen a million times before and ultimately advance nothing but the same old partisan pepper spray. Sprinkle in the silly and you get a feel for what is coming our way. […]
Canada should weigh in on the crisis in Central America
OTTAWA—The history of United States’ intervention in Central America is a long, bloody, and depressing story. How many tens of thousands of civilians—mostly peasants—were tortured and killed by U.S. soldiers and their proxies and the right-wing dictatorships Washington has backed for a century in the region is unknowable. But the record of atrocities and suffering […]
The Green Party has won a second House seat in Nanaimo-Ladysmith, B.C. What does this suggest for the federal election in October?
Cory Hann Conservative strategist “This is the 13th byelection this Parliament that the Conservative Party has increased its share of vote from 2015. We’re the only party that can say that. By contrast, the Liberals watched their share of the vote decline in more than a dozen of the byelections. Why? Canadians are starting to […]
Despite opposition pressure, lack of ambassador to China likely hasn’t made much difference, say ex-diplomats
Canada’s conflict with China has been so bad that being without a Canadian ambassador since late January likely hasn’t had much impact, say former diplomats, despite opposition MPs hounding the Liberals about the appointment. While it’s always better to have a high-ranking and high-profile diplomat in place, under the present circumstances, “it’s not urgent,” said […]
Scribes, politicos to rub elbows at Politics and the Pen
The 2018 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing will be unveiled at the annual Politics and the Pen showcase May 15, which typically brings together more than 500 writers, politicians, lobbyists, and staffers. This year’s gathering will be hosted by Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould and Conservative MP Erin O’Toole. The event at the Château […]
Social media companies that violate new political ad rules, even inadvertently, will be fined, minister suggests
Canada has a new regime for online political ads heading into October’s election, but in an interview last week the minister responsible expressed some frustration with certain social media companies’ approach to the new system. Instead of agreeing to implement a registry of all campaign ads, as is required by the newly passed election-reform law […]
Abridging the freedom: Trump and the media
As cockeyed as the organizational chart of Washington’s power distribution is these days, perhaps the most altered relationship is the one between the president and the press. While Donald Trump’s relentless lies, belligerence and intractability have skewed the conventional dynamic between this Oval Office and Congress, those same factors, exacerbated by his status as an […]
The step-by-step guide to legally manipulate the 2019 Canadian election
First, I feel obligated to say this is not serious advice, or intended as an operating manual, but it’s intended to demonstrate how easy it would be to manipulate the Canadian elections this year. Second, while I am associated with a political party, I would go under oath stating that I have not participated in […]
