‘This time may be different’: pollsters track ‘record’ shift in core public attitudes and find a moral imperative to do something, after Indigenous children’s remains found
Pollsters say the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children found in May at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia has significantly shifted core public attitudes and Canadians are engaged, angry, and want governments to act. And on June 24, the Cowesses First Nation said it found another […]
Politicos predict a September federal election, but if not, expect October 2023
Barring a fourth wave of COVID-19 hitting Canada in the coming weeks, the August-October window is the optimal time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to pull the plug and try to win a majority government, say political insiders, pollsters, and Liberal MPs. If the Liberals can’t capitalize on this opportunity, then the next election may […]
‘Breathtaking’ childcare pledge to pay dividends beyond recouping pandemic losses: labour experts
The Liberal government deserves some praise for centring in its budget a billion-dollar plan to address the pandemic-propelled she-cession that has seen women exit the labour force in record numbers, say labour experts, who note a more even economic recovery is likely to hinge on smaller-ticket items, at least in the short term. Childcare as […]
Trudeau Liberals surge ahead over Conservatives, as O’Toole’s favourability dips across the spectrum, poll suggests
The Trudeau Liberals are surging ahead of the Conservatives, with the governing party widening its lead as the national immunization campaign picks up, according to a new Abacus Data survey released Thursday. The survey shared exclusively with The Hill Times suggested that 38 per cent of Canadians would back the Liberals, if an election were […]
Liberals need to ramp up vaccinations, detail recovery plans in ‘most important budget of a generation’ to regain lost political capital, say politicos
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals need to ramp up the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to stem the loss of public goodwill for the government and should outline the specific details of the recovery phase in the upcoming federal budget, which will be the “most important budget of a generation,” say political insiders. “Canadians have been […]
One bad APP-le can spoil the bunch: why accrediting mental health apps should be top of mind
On the heels of Members of Parliament unanimously recognizing the need for a national ‘988’ crisis hotline in Canada, there is more to be done to set important standards around mental health care—specifically the need for greater accountability in the ever-expanding realm of mental health applications. Consider that you’re likely reading this on your […]
Dropping premier approval rates and cooling federal Tory support in key Prairie provinces not a problem for O’Toole, say politicos
With the federal Tories’ support cooling off in three reliably blue Prairie provinces, politicos say Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole’s biggest concern is still introducing himself to Canadians and less about being painted by the same brush as his provincial conservative counterparts. Though the federal party is performing poorer in western provinces where the blue […]
What can Canadian pollsters learn from mistakes in American presidential polling?
As questions mount about the performance of U.S. polling in successive presidential elections, some Canadian pollsters say there is an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of American firms, while others defend the performance of their U.S. counterparts. Soon after the Nov. 3 election, as the early returns came back in favour of U.S. President […]
The perils of polling
OAKVILLE, ONT.—If there was a poll gauging American attitudes towards polling, I bet it’d show that a lot of Americans are skeptical about the accuracy of polls. And that would lead to an interesting philosophical question: would people who are skeptical about polls believe a poll that says people are skeptical about polls? At any rate, the […]
Liberal polling feud, explained
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Just when you thought the year 2020 couldn’t get any crazier, Bill Morneau decides, out of the blue, to quit as Canada’s finance minister. Making things even more interesting, according to media reports, prior to his resignation Morneau was battling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over fiscal policy. Now far be it for me to […]
