-
Dog Days of August
It’s the third summer of the Stephen Harper majority government. Leadership races have been run, the Cabinet has been shuffled, but we won’t be going to the polls for another two years. Yes, these are the dog days of majority government rule, when our lone bits of excitement comes from Senate Committee meetings. What I […]
-
Oh my God – they shuffled Kenney! Those Bastards!
The much-hyped Cabinet shuffle was about what you’d expect: retiring Ministers swept aside, talented backbenchers and Pierre Poilievre promoted, and a few big names swapping portfolios to give them a fresh start. The opposition will argue this is very much the same government as before, and they’re right – but that’s the point. Voters elected […]
-
Bob Rae Steps Down
This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, but Bob Rae is resigning as an MP. I wrote my praises of Rae’s career and time as interim leader back in April so I won’t rehash them here. Although he never fullfilled his dream of becoming Liberal Party (permanent) leader, if there was a “Political Hall of […]
-
I Approve This Bill
Like Michael Chong’s QP reforms, which died in parliamentary purgatory, this is a worthwhile bill by Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, albeit one unlikely to ever see the light of day: Kevin Lamoureux, a Liberal MP from Winnipeg, wants all political party leaders to be forced to stand by the content of their ads, with U.S.-style […]
-
Cone of Silence
Rob Ford and Stephen Harper are about as different as two politicians can be, but the one thing they have in common is an uncanny ability to brush off scandals before they stick. Harper entered the 2011 election facing a “controversy of the day” – from Bev Oda’s orange juice, to Bruce Carson’s fraud charges, […]
-
Great Moments in Spin
The Onion Conservative Party reacts to their by-election defeat moral victory: As we know, majority governments do not usually win by-elections. In fact, Liberals have won the riding of Labrador in every election in history except for two, so we are not surprised with these results. What is surprising is the collapse of the Liberal […]
-
There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand
I’m not sure if Tom Mulcair has what it takes to be PM, but he’d make a fine Mr. Manager: NDP leader Tom Mulcair was wondering where $3.1 billion in unaccounted anti-terrorism spending went when he uttered this gem: “So the question is, is the money just in the wrong filing cabinet, is it hidden […]
-
Liberals Respond Justin Time
When the Conservatives launched attack ads against Stephane Dion in January 2007, it took the Liberal Party three months to respond. Never again, they vowed. Next time we’ll fight back! Just Visiting first aired in May 2009, yet we didn’t see a rebuttal until Labour Day . So the first thing you need to know […]
-
A Brief History of Stephen Harper Supporting Our Troops
“In 2006, after the Liberal ‘decade of darkness,’ we took action to rebuild Canada’s Armed Forces.” –Stephen Harper October 2010: “Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is scrambling to contain an ever-widening scandal in which officials deliberately tried to ruin the reputation of outspoken military veterans” October 2011: Veterans Ombudsman Questions Harper Government Cuts To Veterans […]
-
This Just In: Voters Feel Negative Ads Are “Negative”
Trudeau’s predictable win, followed by predictable attack ads, has been followed by an all-too predictable poll: In an EKOS Research Associates survey, 70 per cent found the ads “unfair” while 74 per cent said the ads were “unhelpful.” Asked to describe the ads, 84 per cent said they were “negative.” “The ads have backfired on […]