Pot promise put to the test
If he wants to avoid spending the 2019 campaign walking on the shards of yet another broken signature promise, Justin Trudeau has little choice but to make good on his promise to legalize marijuana in time for the next election. Of the many commitments the prime minister made on the way to his majority victory […]
The perils of poll propaganda
OAKVILLE, ONT.—A good “think tank” should also be a good “propaganda tank.” In other words, an organization dedicated to thinking, should also be dedicated to persuading. After all, if you’re not winning people over to your ideas or to your cause, then what’s the point of all that thinking? Makes sense, right? Yet some think […]
This just in: Liberals hiring political staffers for ministers’ regional offices
The Liberal government has hired a number of political staffers to work in regional ministers’ offices across the country in recent months, including five new regional managers, and there are plans to hire more. Previously, under the Harper Conservative government various cabinet ministers were appointed to also serve as regional ministers, with 14 in all. Correspondingly, ministers’ […]
Canada’s capital city should be bilingual
Canada as a country with two constitutionally entrenched official languages, a bilingual Parliament, a bilingual federal government and bilingual federal courts, should also have a bilingual capital city. Seems simple and clear enough in theory, does it not? But practice is an entirely different story altogether. This historic anomaly should have been corrected a long time ago. We have a unique—and fleeting—opportunity before […]
Bernier gets endorsements from Alberta legislators
Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier last week announced some new support from the heart of Conservative country—Alberta. He announced endorsements from seven Wildrose Party Members of the Legislative Assembly, being Scott Cyr, Jason Nixon, Rick Strankman, Wes Taylor, Angela Pitt, Don MacIntyre, and Leela Aheer. He also snagged support from one Progressive Conservative MLA, Mike […]
New heads of Liberals’ rural caucus vow to force ‘rural lens’ upon ‘all policies’
With the national electoral landscape dominated by urban ridings, the new executives of the 54-member Liberal rural caucus are vowing to use “all the tools at our disposal” to make sure rural issues are on the national agenda and considered in all decisions. “We’ll use all the tools at our disposal to champion the issues […]
Conservatives back Trudeau but also accuse him of flip-flopping on Syria, New Democrats want multilateral response
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he “fully supports” the U.S. airstrikes on a Syrian airbase on April 6 and is calling on Russia to stop supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but the Conservatives are criticizing the prime minister for flip-flopping on how to deal with Syria’s conflict and the New Democrats say any successful response must be […]
The week ahead in committees
Wednesday, April 12 The House Finance Committee will meet at 4:15 p.m. in Room 237-C, Centre Block, to discuss its report on the Bank of Canada and monetary policy. It will hear from Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz and senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins. The meeting will be televised. The House Environment and Sustainable Development Committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. […]
Ignatieff now in the perfect role in Hungary
MONTREAL—The late Czech dissident-turned-president Vaclav Havel was a proponent of the “as-if” approach to dissent: the belief that the power of the powerless living under oppression is to behave as if their rights have not been suspended, as if sanity pertains even though absurdity rules. The late Christopher Hitchens, whose 2011 death leaves our increasingly […]
Educate new Senators on how to report sexual harassment: Sen. Hartling
Independent Senator Nancy Hartling says the findings of ethical misconduct against Senator Don Meredith have raised questions for her about what she might do if faced with sexual harassment on the Hill. “I think there needs to be more awareness of what [we] could do. Supposing it happened to me, supposing it happened to one […]
