The prime minister needs to reconsider his love of debt before Canadians decide it is time for him to go
It turns out that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doesn’t think now is the time for a fiscal anchor to set some limits on government spending. That shouldn’t really surprise anyone, because he also didn’t think his first four years in office were the right time for one either. Most Canadians will recall Trudeau’s 2015 election…
Ottawa’s political scene has been relatively tame as of late. It unexpectedly became a bit rambunctious last week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals attempted to engineer their own defeat in Parliament. This occurred after the Conservatives proposed a motion to create a parliamentary committee to investigate pandemic spending and, one assumes, multiple…
Plan requiring projects to describe how they will achieve net-zero emissions may not even be feasible
By Alex Whalen and Elmira Aliakbari The Fraser Institute Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy sector, already struggling from the downturn in world oil markets and the COVID-19 recession, has taken another blow – this time directly from the federal government. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently imposed new rules – known as the…
Elections will turn us away from dealing with the real issues. And we don't seem to have the means to conduct safe voting
We would really like to have many things right now, even though the prospect of getting them any time soon is rather low. A vaccine against COVID-19 is likely at the top of the list. A bit more certainty about our work and social prospects is probably a close second. Instead of dealing with the…
Politicians like the late prime minister are sources of inspiration for public service, intelligent discourse and common decency
John Turner, Canada’s 17th prime minister, passed away on Sept. 19 at the age of 91. A lawyer by trade, he had a serious relationship with Princess Margaret and was an Olympic-calibre athlete in track and field. He served as a Liberal MP from 1962 to 1976 in two ridings, St. Lawrence-St. George and Ottawa-Carleton,…
After becoming Conservative leader, he’s flip-flopped on policy. But when you try to be all things to all people, you end up satisfying nobody
The best way to win the Republican presidential nomination in the United States, someone once said, is to run as far as possible to the right. Then, when one wins the nomination? Start running back to the centre. Conservative Party of Canada Leader Erin O’Toole heeded that advice. His leadership campaign was brimming with the…
O'Toole crafted a message that resonated with his audience. MacKay didn’t
The federal Conservatives have a new leader. Erin O’Toole is the right choice. A former Veteran Affairs minister, O’Toole defeated another former Tory cabinet minister, Peter MacKay, on the third ballot by 57.02 per cent to 42.98 per cent. It was an impressive win by O’Toole. The hard-working members of his team – including campaign…
In a pandemic, the fundamentals of electioneering and voting can get some of us sick – and make some of us die
There isn’t going to be a federal election in Canada. Not anytime soon, anyway. Blame COVID-19. For a while, it looked like there could be. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberals had surged ahead of the leaderless Conservatives in the polls. His lead was big – big enough to suggest a parliamentary majority was likely.…
If the Conservative Party of Canada truly wanted to turn its party-of-angry-old-white-men image on its head, to herald a new era or principled conservatism, and to reach out to voters who have not considered them in the past, then members would choose Leslyn Lewis as their new leader. But they should not do that. This…
His plan is the most intelligent, detailed and realistic approach to beating the Liberals in the next federal election
The Conservative Party of Canada will choose a new leader next month. It’s been a difficult leadership campaign. A slew of potential candidates, including Rona Ambrose, Jean Charest and Pierre Poilievre, declined to run. Meanwhile, COVID-19 temporarily suspended campaigning and fundraising – and led to the cancellation of the June 27 party convention. Delegates will…