Liberal seats flipped in Ontario election
In the 2018 Ontario elections, the Liberals saw their numbers of seats shrink from 58 to to seven, falling one seat shy of securing official party status, while the Conservatives captured 76 seats and the New Democrats locked in 40. The Hill Times took a closer look at which seats the Liberals lost in 2018 […]
Ford’s right-wing populism: the gift that keeps on giving, for the rich
OTTAWA—Nothing says “for the people” like “buck-a-beer.” Ontarians put Doug Ford in office and slammed the Liberals in an election that confirmed the anti-progressive, me-first attitude that has become a prominent force in Western democracies as voters take out their unfocused anger over a changing world. Leaving aside immigration scare-mongering, Ford followed the Donald Trump […]
Ford Nation and the demise of the campaign playbook
OTTAWA—Last week, Scott Reid, formerly Paul Martin’s communications director and currently a political analyst and speechwriter who “was pitching in” for Kathleen Wynne’s team, wrote one of the more sobering post-mortems on the Ontario campaign. The piece, published in the Globe and Mail, posed the question as to whether campaigns even matter anymore: “In an […]
Quebec Liberals won’t suffer Wynne’s fate
As the last national assembly sitting before the Oct. 1 provincial vote was winding down last week, a brief encounter with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard yielded an unsolicited prediction. “I have a secret for you,” he told me on his way out of a Radio-Canada studio. “I will win the election.” Perhaps that was his way of […]
Zerucelli, Julien exit the Prime Minister’s Office
The Prime Minister’s Office is down two senior staffers with the recent departures of both senior adviser John Zerucelli and senior manager of long term planning Noémie Julien as of June 11. Mr. Zerucelli’s departure was first set and announced in January. Up until then, he had been the director of operations in Prime Minister […]
What happens if Ontario makes good on plan to scrap cap and trade?
With the election of Doug Ford as Ontario’s next premier, the carbon market is in danger. The Quebec government plans to turn on the charm in order to keep its neighbour in the game. But what will happen if Ontario’s new Conservative government follows through with its intention to withdraw from the cap-and-trade system? Between […]
Doug Ford didn’t ride in on a wave of populism
OTTAWA—On June 29, Doug Ford will officially become the premier of Ontario. Six months ago, he wasn’t even a candidate for provincial office. What an incredible political journey Ontario has just been through. Ford’s victory has sparked debates about many things as people try to process its bigger meaning. That is one thing that never […]
Trump’s attacks put Trudeau in tight spot
A field of ruins. In the wake of this weekend’s Trumpian tweet storm, that’s what is mostly left of the fragile structure Justin Trudeau had painstakingly built to try to preserve Canada’s most important trade relationship. The fact that the prime minister did not have a hand in the demolition, or that the collateral damage […]
Ford’s win won’t influence Quebec
Don’t expect Ford mania to seep into Quebec’s fall election campaign. The opposite is likely to happen. Rarely have Quebecers followed an Ontario campaign with as much fascination as the one that concluded with a Tory majority victory on Thursday. But that interest was based on a mix of incredulity and relief. Incredulity that a plurality […]
Four years of Ford: PCs win majority after turbulent race
Ontario voters chose to take a sharp turn to the right, choosing Doug Ford, the former Toronto city councillor who rose to recognition amid his late brother’s turbulent run as the city’s mayor, to lead Ontario with a majority mandate. That brings an end to 15 years of Liberal governments, in a race filled with head-spinning […]
