If it ain’t broke, Smith offers a clear-eyed look at how Canada’s electoral system really works
OTTAWA—Dale Smith is a bit of parliamentary political nerd. He’s the only journalist on the Hill who goes to Question Period every, single day and he’s that rare media bird who understands the finer details of the parliamentary system, Canada’s electoral system, and how political parties work. The 38-year-old Alberta native, who has been on the Hill since 2008 […]
O’Leary says ‘fraud’ occurring in Conservative leadership race, alleges ‘vote rigging’
Kevin O’Leary says there’s “fraud” happening in the current Conservative leadership race, and he’s reported it to party officials, who say they are investigating. The businessman-turned Conservative leadership candidate issued a statement Thursday night that said “there are backroom organizers who are committing widespread vote rigging and potentially breaking our electoral and financing laws to […]
Canadians trust science, CBC, media, government, though Conservatives less trusting: survey
Canadians put a lot of faith in scientific experts, and most have at least some trust in things like the CBC, the news media, and the federal government, according to a new survey conducted by Campaign Research. However, it found those identifying as Conservatives were less trusting of all these institutions. Results shared exclusively with […]
Think Trump politics is invading Canada? Watch the NDP leadership race and think again
MONTREAL—In one of those great moments in multi-streaming the other day, I clicked on a Politico piece called “Trump’s Dictator Chic” in the middle of watching the NDP leadership debate. Just as I was reading author Peter York’s account of where the new American president’s breathtakingly garish Fifth Avenue apartment fits in the pantheon of eerily similar […]
CNN, Daily Caller seek press gallery membership amid growing global interest in Canadian politics
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s global advocacy for liberal pluralism in an era of growing right-wing populism is sparking renewed interest among international news outlets in covering Canadian politics, says columnist Andrew Cohen, as CNN rejoins the Parliamentary Press Gallery for the first time in two decades. “In a world in which some would say trends are […]
Don’t underestimate Kellie Leitch, or the people supporting her
OTTAWA—Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch has a following, and there’s a reason for that. Many voters do not live in big cities, will never be able to afford a higher education, couldn’t care less about cosmopolitan cultural norms, and cannot identify with anyone in government. They feel alienated and disconnected from Ottawa. When you cannot […]
Conservative leadership candidate primer
Kellie Leitch Kellie Leitch, the MP for Simcoe Grey, Ont. staked out her claim in this race early and enthusiastically. Top of her list is screening any and all visitors to Canada to see whether they have “Canadian values.” “I don’t think it’s intolerant to believe in a set of values that we expect everyone […]
Niki Ashton says NDP at ‘crossroads’ and needs to be put ‘back on track’
Niki Ashton says the NDP is “at a crossroads,” and that the ongoing leadership race is a method of getting the party “back on track.” Ms. Ashton, the 34-year-old MP for Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, in northern Manitoba, and the latest candidate to enter the race, believes “back on track” means tacking to the left. “In the last election […]
On Latvia and Freeland’s grandfather: it isn’t disinformation if it’s true
OTTAWA—Last week there was a mini media storm swirling around Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. The controversy stemmed from some international media reports alleging that her maternal grandfather, Michael Chomiak, was a Nazi collaborator during the Second World War. When Canadian journalists first asked Freeland for comment, she was quick to present herself as a […]
Journalists entering political work not new, but can impact perceptions of bias: experts
A number of former Hill journalists have been scooped up to work for the Liberal government since it took power, with some making the switch in a span of weeks. While journalism experts say it’s far from a new phenomenon or unique to the political sphere, it can risk perceptions, if not the reality, of […]
