The lesson the Tories should heed: Take all of your rivals seriously, and don’t play favourites
After an election campaign has ended, it is interesting to see how reporters, columnists, strategists and others interpret what has unfolded. Unique insights, however, comes from a political insider who is, for whatever reason, willing to talk. Which brings us to Jenni Byrne. The former senior Tory strategist caught some people off-guard with her version…
Canada’s relationship with its biggest neighbour, ally and trading partner is about to radically change
One thing this week’s presidential primary in New Hampshire has proven is that Canada’s relationship with its biggest neighbour, ally and trading partner is about to radically change. It’s about to take a dramatic turn to the right. Or is it to the left? Quite honestly, it’s hard to say which direction the relationship is…
Blissfully unaware of the devastating impact of collapsed resource revenues on the entire nation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a penchant for clever quips. He seems to especially relish combining them with digs at Stephen Harper. He told a Davos audience, “My predecessor wanted you to know Canada for its resources. I want you to know Canadians for our resourcefulness.” Besides being a gratuitous shot that hardly dignifies his…
Building a political consensus in these four policy areas may prove the salvation of the Conservative Party
So. The federal Tories recently announced they won’t select a new, permanent leader until May . . . of 2017, that is. For the few innocent souls who genuinely like long, drawn-out political campaigns, this was nirvana. For the vast majority of us, however, it’ll only serve to prolong the agony of the circus-like environment…
Its best response to the crisis would be to ensure responsible public finances and a competitive tax environment
The Trudeau government has a full agenda on its plate for 2016 given the global political and economic environment, as well as its own list of election promises. Yet, the fundamental issue that Ottawa must deal with is simple: how Canada will continue to make its economic way in the world given the end of…
Mess with democracy at your own risk, Mr. Trudeau
I was on a CTV panel when the Speech from the Throne was read out. This part wasn’t a surprise, but I was surprised the Liberals were doubling down on it: “The Government will . . . take action to ensure that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system.” There are 10 reasons…
With only 39.47 per cent in popular support, the Trudeau government's plan for electoral reform is blatantly undemocratic
The federal Liberal proposal for electoral reform in Canada has its merits. The government’s plan to force improvements to our democracy, however, is blatantly undemocratic. Let’s examine why. One of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s key strategies was that the 2015 federal election would be the last “held under the first-past-the-post voting system.” While it wasn’t…
The nationwide shortage of butter proves that our system of quotas and tariffs on imports is obsolete
Butter politics are making a case for dairy supply management reforms, to the ultimate benefit of Canadian consumers. Canada is apparently experiencing a nationwide shortage of butter. Most consumers have not been directly affected yet — mainly bakeries, restaurants and other institutional purchasers have experienced supply shortages so far. But sporadic reports have filtered out about retail stores running…
Calgary came in from the cold when newly elected Liberal MP Kent Hehr was appointed minister of Veteran Affairs
Fifty years ago this week, a popular Calgarian went down to federal electoral defeat as the incumbent MP for Calgary South. It would be the last time this western city would have a Liberal cabinet minister for half a century. That long and lonely drought came to an end Wednesday when Kent Hehr, newly elected…
Fear and loathing of Harper trumped fear of leaving the country hostage to profound inexperience
Last week, several colleagues at the University undertook a post mortem of the federal election. Two of our recent PhD graduates, David Coletto (2010), now CEO of Abacus Data, and Paul Fairie (2013), a principal with Centrality Data Science, provided a fine-grained analysis of what had been a two-part campaign. Part one, Canadians decided that…