Liberals bungle trade with India, China
The Conservative Party of Canada is the party of free trade, having secured trade access to more than 50 countries while in office. Major trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Canada-European Union free trade agreement (CETA) are legacies of past Conservative governments. Conservatives recognize that one in five […]
Liberals are right to leave the deficit fixation behind
OTTAWA—It was Paul Martin, in full Mr. Dithers mode, who some 20 years ago explicitly adopted the idea of a contingency fund in budget fiscal plans—spawning confusion about how the government was actually constructing its budget forever after. For the coming 2018-19 fiscal year, for example, Finance Minister Bill Morneau is predicting an $18.1-billion budget […]
Opposition bangs an empty drum, contributing nothing but noise
CHELSEA, QUE.—While Justin Trudeau’s government falters— continuing to betray its bright promise on multiple important issues—it faces one of the most ineffectual oppositions in recent memory. The day after the sprawling federal budget dropped last week, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was on his feet accusing the prime minister of “using an independent public servant as […]
Was Trudeau’s trip to prove he’s more ‘Sikh’ than Jagmeet?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent visit to India generated ample drama, duplicity, diplomatic faux pas, and hype, to make one wish the visit did not happen. If Canada and India did not enjoy amicable relations before, they have certainly soured further, with little hope for rapprochement. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not show up […]
Conservative MP Nuttall, a top Brown supporter, along with ‘15-20’ nominated PC candidates throwing support behind Christine Elliott in Ontario PC leadership campaign
Conservative MP Alex Nuttall, a friend and top supporter of former Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown, is throwing his support “along with 15-20” nominated PC candidates, behind former Ontario MPP Christine Elliott, for the party’s top job, he says. “I’m going there and it’s my expectation that the majority of the Patrick Brown team is […]
Boushie’s uncle slams Saskatchewan MPs who won’t speak up: ‘They figure this is just going to go away’
MPs from Saskatchewan aren’t speaking out enough about racial tension and problems with the justice system in the wake of the Gerald Stanley trial, says Alvin Baptiste, the uncle of Colten Boushie, the young Indigenous man shot to death in Saskatchewan in 2016 by farmer Gerald Stanley. “These MPs in Saskatchewan here, I think they’re […]
Trudeau needs to target two key demographics for victory: women and youth
OTTAWA—The Colour Purple was a novel chronicling the life of poor, black American women in the 1930s. It took on a new meaning with the creation of the Red Hat Society back in 1998. Created in California, the society has a membership of 70,000 women around the world. Most are older, although the original minimum […]
Minister Chagger shuffles director Arsenault between her cabinet offices
Liberal MP Bardish Chagger, the minister for Small Business and Tourism minister and the government House leader, recently shuffled one of her senior staffers from one ministerial office into the other. Daniel Arsenault had been serving as director of parliamentary affairs to Ms. Chagger in her role as the minister for Small Business and Tourism […]
Efforts to make House Standing Orders more user-friendly underway, House clerk Robert says
The House Standing Orders, or the rules of the game, are being revamped to be more user-friendly, but MPs will be consulted throughout the process and will have final approval over any updates, House clerk Charles Robert told members of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee last week. NDP MP David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre, Ont.) […]
Trudeau’s image takes biggest hit since 2015 on India trip, goes from ‘golden boy’ to a ‘bit of a joke,’ say politicos
Justin Trudeau’s recent controversy-plagued India trip had the “most profound” negative impact on the government’s brand since it won power in 2015 and was another “unforced error” by the Liberals that has pushed the prime minister from being the “golden boy” to “a bit of a joke,” say politicos. However, Liberals insist the trip was […]
