That other election to watch: Newfoundland and Labrador
OTTAWA—This week the time has come for me to write on something other than the SNC-Lavalin Liberal mess. I just can’t muster the energy to swim any longer in that turd soup. So what is the best thing to do when you are feeling worn down by federal politics? Look east. Canada’s Far East: Newfoundland […]
The Kenney campaign con and the new meaning of narrative
The word “narrative” as a political term of art is by no means new. The concept has been around since long before the days when Hollywood production values migrated to the White House with Ronald Reagan. From “the boy from Baie-Comeau” defining Brian Mulroney’s rise from son of an electrician in a Quebec mill town, […]
‘Underdog’ NDP in Outremont faces ‘hard battle’ to keep ex-leader’s seat: NDP analysts
The Quebec riding of Outremont is the Liberals’ to lose, with the NDP a “long shot” to keep former leader Tom Mulcair’s seat in the upcoming byelection, say NDP analysts, who call candidate Julia Sánchez a “star,” but still the clear underdog. From what he’s heard on the ground, former NDP national director Karl Bélanger […]
Criminal charges raises spectre of SNC-Lavalin takeover, but feds’ $180-billion infrastructure plan can find other builders, experts say
If SNC-Lavalin is found guilty of corruption and fraud charges, it could mean a closing nail in the coffin for the Quebec-based company’s chances of preventing a takeover—something that could infuriate many in the province and provoke a government intervention, experts say. A competitive marketplace for federal construction contracts means the company’s potential exclusion from […]
Mark Eyking becomes fourth Nova Scotia Liberal MP not to seek re-election
After 18 years in Ottawa, well-liked Liberal MP Mark Eyking says he won’t run again and will return home to the Bluenoser province. The six-term federal lawmaker announced on Feb. 14 in a Facebook post that he was leaving public life. “I’ve come to the stage in my life that’s telling me I have had a […]
How regions become innovation hubs
With an eye toward the upcoming 2019 federal election, public sector officials are looking for new approaches to improve the economic vitality of their economies, the livelihood of their citizens and, not coincidentally, their electoral prospects. Public sector efforts in Canada and the United States include: federal investments in field crop research and innovation, the […]
‘What we have is a policy opening,’ Greens working to break through to Quebec, British Columbia voters who want a ‘climate leader’
The Liberal government has “utterly failed” to respond to the threat of climate change, says Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and the lone Green MP is hopeful that voters in Quebec and British Columbia will respond by giving her some company in the House of Commons in the fall. “In Quebec, with all the pipeline […]
Six-term Liberal MP Cuzner ‘disappointed’ he was left out of cabinet, not 100 per cent sure if he will seek re-election
PARLIAMENT HILL—After 19 years in federal politics, a veteran Liberal MP from Nova Scotia—who won his riding with the highest percentage of votes in his province, in 2015—is not 100 per cent sure if he will seek re-election in October. “Well, you know, I’m 99 per cent sure,” said Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner in an […]
Duclos’s rise to Treasury Board vice-chair shows his ‘quiet competence’: observers
Observers say that among the few changes made to cabinet committee membership last week, the prominence given to Quebec ministers is most interesting, with one former cabinet minister highlighting Families Minister Jean-Yves Duclos’s new post as vice-chair of the Treasury Board as a “significant” development. Of the seven cabinet committees, the powerful Treasury Board was one of that […]
Brison’s Nova Scotia riding ‘difficult’ for Liberals to hold: ex-Grit minister Thibault
With seven-time MP Scott Brison out of the picture in Kings-Hants, N.S., this fall, the riding is “one to watch” in Atlantic Canada and a “difficult” win for the Liberals, says a former Chrétien-era cabinet minister. A well-liked representative for the riding north of Halifax, Mr. Brison’s longevity was a credit to his personal popularity, […]
