Previewing a Trudeau-Poilievre fight to the finish

 If Poilievre wins the Conservative leadership race in September, and it looks like he might, we’ll be treated to a three-year war between him and Justin Trudeau before the next election. Despite the traditional media’s ridiculing of Poilievre’s more outlandish policies and claims, something is happening with this charismatic performer

Politics: Al Capone’s version of a team sport

 I do not like Jody Wilson-Raybould. But contrary to popular opinion on social media, this is not because I’m a blind Liberal partisan. In fact, I’ve thought JWR was a hypocritical, self-righteous narcissist since long before she became the Trudeau-hater-in-Chief. Why do I feel this way? Especially about someone who

Election 2021: Race deadlocked!

 Image Source: Global News This is Sergio Marchi’s fifth article, in a series of weekly election analysis and reflections. One week to go. That’s all the time left for political leaders to make their closing pitches for votes. At the start of week four, Nanos Research had the Liberals back

Stab, stab, stab: time to bring out the classics

 As a once-prominent federal Liberal, my DMs this week have been a less-than-fun place. The overall message to Team Trudeau? Welcome to your first real election! Yes, the team ran a solid campaign in 2015 and came from 3rd to win a majority. Props. But they were running against a

Skip the election tea leaves and grab a summer cocktail

 It is once again time to play official Ottawa’s favourite game show: wild-ass nonsensical election speculation! You’ll forgive me for not being excited. The volumes of ink (digital and otherwise) spilled on prognostications of one sort or another during a minority government could drown a horse. And with constant cuts

Ottawa Life’s 2019 Election Outlook: Glengarry-Prescott-Russell — Bellwether Riding

 Glengarry—Prescott—Russell (formerly known as Glengarry—Prescott) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1953. The district includes the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, the Township of North Glengarry and the former City of Cumberland (except for Orleans).Major

Ottawa Life’s 2019 Election Outlook: Ottawa-Vanier — What Happened to Dignity

 Ottawa—Vanier (formerly known as Ottawa East) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1935. Before that date, it was part of the Ottawa electoral district that returned two members. The riding generally corresponds to the wards of

Ottawa Life’s 2019 Election Outlook: Ottawa Carleton – MP Pierre Poilievre’s star still rising

 Carleton is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968 and since 2015. It was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada from 1821 to 1840 and in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1841

Ottawa Life’s 2019 Election Outlook: Ottawa West-Nepean — Ethics-challenged Anita Vandenbeld is a complete dud

 Ottawa West—Nepean is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997.The district includes the neighbourhoods of Shirleys Bay, Crystal Beach, Rocky Point, Bayshore, Britannia, Britannia Bay, Lincoln Heights, Whitehaven, Glabar Park, Queensway, Highland Park, Kenson Park, Redwood, Graham

What Democracy, Eh?

 By: Greg Vezina We have lost our most basic fundamental, democratic rights to biased-polling based, follow-the-leader, horse-race, media-manipulated, divide-and-conquer, major party, and partisan politics. A few decades ago, MPs and MPPs were listened to by their leaders, they by and large represented their constituents, and political party names were not

Why Is Kathleen Wynne Unpopular?

 Photo credit:  Creative Commons, sourced from Jason Hargrove/Flickr Becoming the leader of a political party is a one way ticket to absolute scrutiny—as the face of a political group, the leader takes all the heat. The former leader of the Ontario Liberal Party had become so unpopular among Canadians by

Little Risk Big Reward – Why Caroline Mulroney is the Smart Choice for Conservatives

 The four candidates running to replace former Progressive Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown will face off in Ottawa today in the second and final debate before the leadership vote begins this weekend, with the result to be announced March 10. The party was thrown into chaos after the resignation of

Opinion: Canada needs business, not busybodies

 By Pierre Poilievre, MP Carleton If you are a federal politician looking for an escape hatch from Bombardier’s controversial request for a billion dollar federal bail-out, one of the company’s vice-presidents recently provided it. Rob Dewar said federal help would be “…an extra bonus that would be helpful but is very clearly

Keeping Science Safe

 It’s time to close the gaps governing human participation in scientific research in Canada The disturbing announcement recently that a man died and four others were seriously harmed in Rennes, France as a result of participation in a research study is a timely reminder of the importance of protecting those

Three Things the Federal Government Can Do to Improve the Registered Disability Savings Plan

 Many of us in the disability community were pleasantly surprised when the Liberal party promised to create a National Disabilities Act that would safeguard disability rights, reduce systemic barriers and establish a foundation of opportunity for those affected by disability.  Canada is an outlier among developed nations for not having

Back to the Future

 Photo by Jean-Marc Carisse. Last night Liberal leader Justin Trudeau won a majority government in a historically long three-way race. Moving into his father's old house, Trudeau has created what many are calling Canada's first political dynasty. The Liberals swept across Atlantic Canada early on, taking every available seat in

Pipeline Construction – The Federal Stance

 Energy exports, particularly oil and gas, are a key pillar of the Canadian economy, support hundreds of thousands of jobs in Canada and provide great wealth to the nation. With the 2015 Federal election just around the corner, Canadians are focused now more than ever on the three major federal

Public Service Week: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

 Twenty-two years ago, then-MP Marlene Catterall introduced a private member’s bill recognizing the third week of June as National Public Service Week, a week to celebrate the work and achievements of the people who make up the Public Service of Canada. The bill was the idea of the Professional Institute

Remembering Jim Coutts: Civility in Politic

  By: Tom Axworthy (from his speech) on May 21, 2014  at the Jim Coutts Memorial Dinner at the University Club, Toronto, Ontario Photo Credit:  V. Tony Hauser "Jim Coutts had political opponents a plenty, but he never thought of them as enemies and he taught all of us that civility." - Tom Axworthy The joy of working in

Citizens and Parliament Must be Consulted on Election Rules

 The Harper Government’s Bill C-23, Fair Elections Act is currently before the House of Commons, and it should come as no surprise that the Conservatives are using the bill to manipulate the rules that govern how Canadians vote. After all, the Harper Government has been at odds with Elections Canada

Political Power Brokers of the National Capital Region

 "It would not take long for a future tax-and-spend government to imperil the economic stability Canada enjoys": An Interview with Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre (Nepean-Carleton) As told to Harvey F. Chartrand Pierre Poilievre is the 34-year-old Minister of State (Democratic Reform) and four-term Conservative Member of Parliament for Nepean-Carleton. After

Ontario Energy Conservation: Finally Heading in the Right Direction

 Kathleen Wynne was thinking about energy conservation in Ontario long before she became Premier of Ontario. The ideals associated with the Green Energy Act mirrored Wynne’s determination to champion clean and renewable energy in the province. Although controversy was raised by the Green Energy Act under then-Premier Dalton McGuinty, Wynne

No More Mudslinging: Deeper Focus on Accountability Needed on the Hill

  Senate spending scandals shouldn’t be an excuse for pointing fingers, but an opportunity to improve accountability across the board in the Canadian government.  The latest investigations into the expenses of Conservative and Liberal Senators Mike Duffy, Patrick Brazeau, Mac Harb and Pamela Wallin, have proven troubling. After being reviewed by

So Unnecessary: Ontario’s Fabricated School Crisis

 On September 11, Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals brought back the Ontario legislature early to get Bill 115 passed. The controversial bill banned strikes, froze wages and clawed back all retroactive pay hikes for Ontario teachers for two years. The government said the province was deep in debt and public servants,

In opposition against “a Phantom Prime Minister”: An interview with Stephen Harper

 By: Peter Gill Ottawa Life Magazine: If you were Prime Minister, how would you deal with Canada's declining military? How much money do you think needs to be invested in it? Stephen Harper: A lot. Numbers have been thrown around by various groups. The consensus seems to be you need