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 relatively low value Canadians assign to religious freedom and the tepid opposition to secularism laws are worrisome
Have we lost all sense of proportion when it comes to our fundamental rights in Canada? Two recent cases suggest we have. Both cases involve the notwithstanding clause in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which allows legislatures to temporarily bypass certain constitutionally-protected rights. Two premiers have sought to invoke the much-discussed clause recently. Yet…
Differences of opinion are healthy in a democratic society. This is especially true for political parties
Should the Ontario Progressive Conservatives have kicked out Randy Hillier? It’s a question that’s been asked since the longtime MPP was unceremoniously dumped from the caucus on March 15. Hillier’s lively appearance on TVO’s The Agenda with host Steve Paikin last week put the wheels back in motion. For me, the answer was obvious from…
Jason Kenney and Doug Ford don't have great approval ratings. But voters seem to favour their parties in Alberta and Ontario
An intriguing phenomenon is beginning to occur in our nation’s politics. Some Canadians seemed to be pleased with the policies of Conservative parties and are willing to vote for them – in spite of some apprehension toward certain party leaders. Here are two recent examples. A Mainstreet Research poll released on Jan. 22 revealed that…
The Conservative government believes campus clubs that can’t survive on the open market shouldn’t exist. But this logic is flawed
Last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford continued his reforms of the province’s colleges and universities. The big news came first. We learned about a cut to tuition and the elimination of free tuition for in-need students. After the cloud of that bomb cleared, we heard the other shocking news: Ford would soon allow students to…
When Ontario Premier Doug Ford slashed the size of Toronto city council, he involved the judiciary and flirted with a controversial federal law
What was Canada’s biggest political story of 2018? In my opinion, when all four levels of government were briefly involved in one small area of public policy debate. It started when Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government announced on July 27 that it would decrease the number of city council seats in Toronto from…
The smarter alternative would be to just bite the bullet and abandon the pretence of abiding by the flawed Paris agreement
The yellow vests demonstrations across the Atlantic against climate change-driven fuel taxes offer Ontario Premier Doug Ford yet another reason to congratulate himself on repealing Ontario’s carbon tax. Less reassuring, however, is the speculation that he intends to introduce a measure similar to the Australian Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). A sop to the leftists within the…
Fossil fuels are what made our health and economic progress over the past 150 years possible – and continue to do so
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a non-binding resolution that a carbon tax would kill jobs, damage the revitalized American economy, and disproportionately impact poor, minority and working class families. The vote also reflects the fact that America is still over 80 per cent dependent on fossil fuels – and helps explain why a…
The federal and Ontario governments need to present deficit-reduction plans with a credible target dates now
The Ontario and federal governments will release their fall fiscal and economic statements this month. Despite a tendency to compartmentalize these separate events, in reality, there’s only one taxpayer. And when the fiscal debt situations of the provincial and federal government are combined, Ontario taxpayers are right to worry. According to the most recent data,…
We’re supposed to be standard-bearers for traditional family values in western society. What happened?
When the #MeToo movement began to pick up steam last October, most of the men accused of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault were on the political left. As time goes by, more men on the political right are getting caught in this web, too. In particular, Canada’s right has faced a few recent instances of…
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…
