Trump and the age of the weaponized narrative
As America continues to thrash through the daily onslaught of political and psychosocial destabilization emanating from its own president, it may be time for therapeutic thought experiment. Sometimes in life, it can help to retrieve the cognitive kaleidoscope from the ditch into which it’s been flung by heretofore unimaginable events, and give it a shake […]
Central vote shifts accountability, means MPs must approve $7-billion before program plans in place, critics say
Critics warn the $7-billion central vote in the main estimates on more than 220 budget measures that haven’t made it through the Treasury Board’s vetting process means MPs will no longer get the same level of information on programs before they vote, weakening scrutiny and creating a situation where Parliament can only examine money after […]
The Liberal Party of Canada donation experience
I walk to my community mailbox, which I have loved since Justin Trudeau said I could. My anticipation is building like pressure from a Mentos dropped into a (Liberal) red bottle of Coca-Cola. Peering inside, I see a single letter with a familiar red marking on the envelope. The Liberal Party of Canada has issued […]
Justice minister gets new chief of staff, Jessica Prince
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has a new chief of staff in her ministerial office, with former senior policy adviser Jessica Prince having recently returned to take on the top job. Ms. Prince had been a senior policy adviser to Ms. Wilson-Raybould from January 2016 until mid-September 2017, when she departed “to travel the world,” as […]
Tories jet off to fight Liberals in Star Wars spoof, Hann says more to come
In a galaxy far, far away (actually, it was just on Parliament Hill) Conservative MP Erin O’Toole was spotted with a lightsaber in hand ready to board a spacecraft that would take him to fight off the Liberals in an approaching space battle station. The 33-second ad, published on YouTube on May 4—or Star Wars […]
Political realities will turn Notley against Trudeau
OAKVILLE, ONT.—The most improbable political alliance in Canadian history is coming to a predictably inglorious end. I’m talking, of course, about the “Entente Cordiale” that was forged between Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley and Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a once beautiful friendship that’s now unravelling before our eyes. Mind you, it’s something of a […]
Staff changes for Finance Minister Morneau, new directors promoted
A few more senior staffing changes have taken place in Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s office recently, including the departure of his director of parliamentary affairs, Catherine Loiacono, on April 23. Ms. Loiacono had joined Mr. Morneau’s office around the start of the fall session, and before then had been a senior account director at Coast Communications […]
Nation-to-nation status sounds good in principle
OTTAWA—Nation-to-nation status sounds good in principle. What actually happens in practice is another matter. When the prime minister reiterates his government’s intention to redress indigenous wrongs by a nation-to-nation dialogue, it sounds like a good step in the direction of reconciliation. When the national discussion includes infrastructure in Indigenous communities, or repatriation of aboriginal language […]
Conservatives’ top first quarter fundraising reveals strong base, taps into frustration, backlash against Liberal gaffes, say strategists
The Conservatives pounced on message misfires by the Trudeau Liberals this last financial quarter, and crafting quick responses that resonated alongside strong donor microtargeting to pull in a whopping $6-million, nearly double the Grits’ haul for 2018’s first quarter, say Conservative strategists. The Conservatives say they have Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s (Papineau, Que.) public opinion […]
Silicon Valley of the North already exists
In the early months of 2009, as the auto industry was collapsing, the Harper government invested $10-billion to save GM and Chrysler, in addition to creating a $500-million innovation fund for the automobile industry. Rather than dispersing the resources in a vain attempt to develop car industries all over Canada, the government concentrated its spending […]
