An unexpected weather report predicts that gale-force umbrage will pelt the prime minister’s ‘sunny ways’ parade all the way to Parliament Hill
Pick any synonym for gob-smacked and you will probably find it on the crib sheet of adjectives commentators across Canada now enlist to describe Justin Trudeau’s decision to wear blackface in public at least twice in his privileged, white-man’s life. But, in the Maritimes, where the federal Liberal Party enjoys only the slimmest margin of…
Pierre Trudeau came perilously close to losing it all in 1972 to an unassuming federal Conservative leader. That fate may well await his son
A charismatic leader with most of the bloom off the rose near the end of his first mandate. An ordinary leader, elected from a province with the fraction of the population of a major city. The current Canadian federal election? Yes, but also the contest in 1972 – the first I covered as a young…
If not for government venality and incompetence, the vice-admiral would still be at his post, doing his job
Canada has often punched above its weight in military matters. Our contributions to both the First and Second World Wars were out of all proportion to our small population. Canada sent its best troops and the bravery exhibited by these fine souls was crucial to victory. Our troops and the competence our military leaders are…
The federal Conservative leader is in a real dogfight with Justin Trudeau and the provincial Tory leader’s help could make a difference
During a traditional political campaign, parties and leaders use as many weapons at their disposal as possible to win elections and form governments. In the Oct. 21 Canadian federal election, expect the major party leaders to campaign with like-minded premiers and opposition leaders as part of that strategy. Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will appear…
The outspoken academic might have had a chance running for the Conservatives. When they dropped him and he joined the PPC, his chances diminished significantly
Like most Canadian conservatives, I’ve made no secret about my serious reservations about Maxime Bernier and the People’s Party of Canada. But many of us also recognize that the PPC, like other new political parties, will experience its fair share of hardships and growing pains. Bernier deserves credit for picking up one very good candidate…
Warren Kinsella could end up being the Green Party’s most important political acquisition
When the Globe and Mail’s Robert Fife tweeted last week that longtime Liberal strategist Warren Kinsella would advise Elizabeth May and the federal Green Party in the fall election, it surprised some Canadians. Kinsella’s disappointment with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn’t a big secret. He’s not been impressed with his leadership, policy positions and public…
A growing number of Canadians are tired of the traditional parties and politics as usual. Wilson-Raybould and Philpott could offer a choice
Every July 4, millions of Americans celebrate Independence Day. If two members of Parliament are successful this fall, millions of Canadian voters could one day celebrate Independents Day. Former Liberal ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott were at the centre of the SNC-Lavalin controversy earlier this year that turned the federal government upside down. Prime…
The annual national price tag for maintaining internal barriers may top $130 billion
Interprovincial free trade, the lowest hanging fruit on the tree of Canadian economic policy, never fails to raise the federal government’s thirst for marvellously empty rhetoric, especially during the toastmaster circuit of every election cycle. So it was earlier this year when New Brunswick’s very own Dominic LeBlanc – minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs…
Gerda Munsinger, allegedly a low-level Soviet spy, was sexually involved with at least one, and possibly two, cabinet ministers
I’d been in Canada for just a few months when the Munsinger affair broke. In March 1966, John Diefenbaker – the former Progressive Conservative prime minister – was berating Liberal cabinet minister Lucien Cardin in the House of Commons on the subject of government laxity regarding security. Exasperated, Cardin struck back by raising the Munsinger…
If we want fewer scandals, we must scale back government to limit the temptation to indulge in scandalous behaviour
The SNC-Lavalin scandal, which continues to dominate headlines across Canada, has many moving parts. It’s hard to disentangle everything so as to assign blame. But the situation provides an important lesson that seemingly many have forgot: big government invites big scandals. Political power can be misused for personal gain. It can be wielded in ways…
Pick any synonym for gob-smacked and you will probably find it on the crib sheet of adjectives commentators across Canada now enlist to describe Justin Trudeau’s decision to wear blackface in public at least twice in his privileged, white-man’s life. But, in the Maritimes, where the federal Liberal Party enjoys only the slimmest margin of…
