Is there a war on the immigrant family?
Revoking the citizenship of a Canadian citizen and worse, deporting a Canadian-born person is the most aggressive anti-immigrant act seen in recent times. It’s like there was a war on the immigrant family. It really casts a line between “old stock” Canadians and new Canadians, because it’s not just about people who willingly have dual […]
Branding Liberals as economic managers
Thanks to Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper, the Liberal Party of Canada’s economic brand just got stronger. Aug. 25 was when this became clearer. Bear with me. Going back 50 years, strong economic credentials were not the defining characteristic of the governments led by Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau. Rather, their focus […]
MacDonald’s death marks ‘the end of an era’
Some 20 years ago, Flora MacDonald had been invited to be one of the speakers at the annual “How Ottawa Spends” seminar of Carleton University’s School of Public Administration. The seminar launches the annual journal, which analyses several federal priorities each year. She was asked to address foreign affairs and she did so with her […]
The pros and cons of micro-targeting
Micro-targeting is all the talk for the next election and it is most advanced in the Conservative campaign, while the other parties are still laying out national campaigns with national visions, for better or worse. Micro-targeting is often described as a party focusing on groups of voters to get their vote but it can just […]
How about a royal commission on advancing democracy?
Whether it’s the ongoing Senate scandals, the NDP expenditure dispute regarding the House funds, the use of government dollars for seemingly partisan ads, or Michael Chong’s amendments for MPs, we have many controversies in our great democracy. Our democratic deficit just keeps growing and growing. Proposed solutions tend to be sporadic. We have a bunch […]
Trudeau attracting a strong economic team, has some stars
OTTAWA—Some say they want to vote Liberal, but aren’t sure Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has the right people around him. It’s a concern I have heard from people all over the country. But as far as I can tell, Trudeau draws people to the Liberal Party like no other Liberal and it’s not just his […]
Why the vertically integrated TV giants are the CRTC’s hidden target
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission last week announced much-anticipated plans to require cable and satellite companies to offer consumers basic television packages for an affordable $25 per month alongside the option of picking the television channels they want without requiring them to purchase expensive bundles. Despite some hand wringing that the changes will lead […]
Canadian flag turns 50, let the celebration continue!
The Canadian flag, yes the maple leaf flag, turned 50 on Feb. 15 and hardly anyone noticed. Well some people did, but not enough. Fifty years ago a rip-roaring debate in Parliament and across the country waged as the Pearson government sought to replace the Canadian Red Ensign with a more contemporary flag. The vote […]
It’s election year, only 10 per cent of Canadians feel financially secure
By Craig Worden and Andrew Cardozo The election is approaching and all party leaders are talking about the middle class, growing inequality and growing insecurity. This, while one-in-10 (10 per cent) Canadians feels financially secure, a new Pearson Centre-Pollara survey shows less than four-in-10 Canadians (37 per cent) are “getting ahead, with some savings” […]
The Maple Leaf Flag turns 50, we need to celebrate it meaningfully
OTTAWA—The flag turns 50 and we need to celebrate it meaningfully. Flag day this year, Feb. 15, will mark the 50th anniversary of the Maple Leaf becoming our national flag. A divisive battle it was then, a strong uniting symbol it is now. In a vote of 163 to 78, the bill to create […]
