Mr. Biden Comes to Ottawa: Canadians on the Canada/US Relationship, Joe Biden, and More
From March 17 to 21, 2023, Abacus Data conducted a national survey of 1,963 adults exploring several topics related to current events as part of our regular national omnibus surveys. In this report, I report on some questions we asked about the Canada/US relationship, impressions of Joe Biden, and what Canadians want the discussions between […]
Budget 2023 to detail crackdown on ‘junk fees’ for consumers: federal source
A federal source says the coming budget will detail how the Liberals plan to go after hidden or unexpected consumer fees, following the United States announcing its own crackdown on these charges. Often referred to as “junk fees,” they can include those tacked on to the initial price of a product or service that hide, […]
Ontario budget to bring ‘targeted investments’ but no more paid sick day program
It’s budget day in Ontario and the finance minister says he’s prepared a plan with “targeted investments” to ensure the province’s economy stays resilient in the face of uncertainty. One investment that won’t be in the budget, however, is a sick day program. Government sources told The Canadian Press on the eve of the budget […]
Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to meet U.S. President Joe Biden when he visits Canada this week. Senior U.S. administration officials confirmed Wednesday in a briefing given on the condition they not be named that Biden plans to have what is known as a “pull-aside” conversation with Poilievre. They say the president, who […]
Read MoreForeign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says it was “a messy situation” trying to airlift Afghans who helped Canadian soldiers out of the country when the Taliban took over in August 2021. Joly told the House of Commons immigration committee that she “can’t turn back the clock” on the government’s chaotic attempts to bring thousands of […]
Read MoreUnless (or until) one of the key players spills the details in their eventual memoirs, we’ll probably never know just how close the Liberal-New Democrat supply-and-confidence pact came to collapsing on the floor of the House of Commons just one day shy of its first anniversary. We don’t even know for sure whether Prime Minister […]
Read MoreFrom March 17 to 21, 2023, Abacus Data conducted a national survey of 1,963 adults exploring several topics related to Canadian politics and current events as part of our regular national omnibus surveys. Expect releases on Biden’s visit to Ottawa (out tomorrow), David Johnston’s appointment (out Friday), and a pre-budget review of public opinion about […]
Read MoreCanada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman says the country’s relationship with its American counterparts required rebuilding after the Trump administration. On CTV’s Power Play Wednesday, host Vassy Kapelos asked Hillman if she agreed with a characterization that the relationship needed to be rebuilt. “Yes, I do, in some respects I think it did require […]
Read MoreA Liberal MP from Toronto says he has received “hateful comments” and “death threats” since he was accused in a media report of knowingly receiving help from Beijing as part of the Chinese government’s alleged interference in Canadian democracy. Speaking Tuesday for the first time since the allegations were reported by Global News in February, […]
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Today in Canada’s Political History: Ernie Eves elected Ontario PC leader, replacing Mike Harris
Veteran Ontario MPP Ernie Eves was elected his province’s Tory leader on this date in 2002. He was replacing Mike Harris who had stepped down after receiving back-to-back majority mandates from voters in Canada’s largest province. Under Harris, Eves had served as both Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance. Eves officially became Premier of Ontario […]
They’re Just Not That Into China
The reasons why we stop paying attention to media and political narratives are many, and occasionally, they bring about a growing disconnect between Canadians in general and those who are supposed to be taking care of their public affairs and reporting on them. We appear to be undergoing such a distancing at present. There are […]
Trudeau’s pledge of open government has become a farce
Whatever happened to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise of “open and transparent government” when he was elected in 2015? “It is time to shine more light on government and ensure it remains focused on the people it is meant to serve,” Trudeau declared in his campaign platform that year.
Alberta just stepped on a rake — again
Timing, as they say, is everything. And the timing right now for opponents of the federal government’s much-maligned Impact Assessment Act couldn’t be much worse. Arguments around the constitutionality of the act, which has been widely branded as the “no more pipelines” law by conservative politicians and premiers, are being heard by the Supreme Court […]
The world is changing fast, and reality is catching up to Canada
Canada’s politicians – and the people who advise them – have sacrificed the Canadian national interest on the altar of progressive and conservative ideology for far too long. The foundation of Canada’s security and prosperity – the peace dividend Canadians have reaped because of our special relationship with the U.S. – is a historical anomaly. […]
Like Biden, Trudeau Should Put Good Union Jobs on the Agenda
Behind the smiles and handshakes when a U.S. president visits Canada are long hours of painstaking negotiations. Officials plan the trip to the minute and fight it out over every item on the agenda. An agenda that will no doubt include U.S. protectionism and ‘Buy American’ policies, North American supply chain disruptions, and more. But […]
Pierre Poilievre needs a Common Sense Revolution of his own
There are all sorts of reasons to question Pierre Poilievre’s proposed Blue Seal program, which would federally certify doctors and nurses who did not study in Canada. Would we accept doctors who performed their residency in another country? How would Ottawa convince provincial licensing bodies to recognize their qualifications? But that’s not what matters. What […]
Biden visit an opportunity for Trudeau to strengthen security, shore up allies
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has never been known to excel at foreign affairs. But he had better brush up, because on Thursday, United States President Joe Biden comes to town. This will be Biden’s second official visit to Canada and his first as president; he was last in Ottawa in 2016 as President Barack Obama’s […]
Johnston’s appointment shows Liberals exist to prop up Laurentian elite
Canada’s close geographical and cultural proximity to the United States has some strange effects on our politics. One of the oddest is pushing the Liberal Party of Canada to wear the woke, anti-racist clothing of its American counterpart, the Democratic party. Yet at its core, the Liberal party exists to serve the interests of the […]
Why do so many men dislike Justin Trudeau?
Justin Trudeau has now said it twice — there are Canadians, he admits, who won’t believe him, no matter what he says. Who are these Canadians? They are obviously not Liberal supporters, the prime minister says. “No matter what I say, people are going to wonder — if they didn’t vote for me — whether […]
The strong opposition to David Johnston’s appointment as special rapporteur investigating Chinese interference in elections reveals how our times, and our politics, have changed. In a previous column, I suggested that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre should accept Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s choice of Mr. Johnston on the grounds that the former governor-general was appointed to […]
Read MoreCanada’s Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, and U.S. President Richard Nixon spoke on the telephone on this date in 1973. Nixon initiated the call as he and his Administration hoped Canada would remain part of the International Commission for Control and Supervision for Vietnam. Trudeau was under great domestic pressure to order Canada’s withdrawal from the largely […]
Read MoreShould governments be in the business of picking winners and losers? Well, for many conservatives, including this one, the answer was always no. And the answer was no for a very good reason: governments are very bad at it. But here’s a news flash: in today’s economic climate, the debate is over and our governments […]
Read MoreOpposition politics has always been the process of casting the appropriate lights and shadows over the other guy’s record—and the facts. No surprise there. The job of opposition is to oppose, so the characterization of incumbent governments has almost never been what might be called “good-faith” criticism. There is little credit for the good things […]
Read MoreNo one in their right mind would have volunteered for the job of the “special rapporteur” to chart a path through the tangled web of accusations, leaked intelligence reports, public controversy and political partisanship that surrounds allegations that agents of the Chinese state interfered in the two most recent federal elections. Only a rare individual, […]
Read MoreIf there’s one thing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his inner circle want more than anything right now, it’s to change the political channel. That’s because the foreign election interference scandal has dominated the headlines for weeks, and Trudeau has yet to find a way to turn the heat down on questions about his […]
Read MoreMembers of the Red Chamber gathered on this date in 1918 for the first time since the death the previous December of former Senator and Prime Minister Sir Mackenzie Bowell. While his service as Prime Minister was brief, he had been a member of both the House and Senate during his 50-year parliamentary career. “No […]
Read MoreLast weekend, the phone lines were buzzing between the governing Liberals and the New Democratic Party. The two parties were talking about how to grapple with the currently red-hot topic of foreign interference in Canadian elections. Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh spoke, leader to leader. Other senior advisers from both parties were discussing how to […]
Read MoreMeetings with an American presidents on Canadian turf present rare opportunities for Canadian prime ministers. The overnight visit this Thursday and Friday, March 23-24 — especially the face-to-face time that Justin Trudeau will have with Joe Biden — must be used as effectively as possible. Success means differentiating between the transactional and the important. Discussion […]
Read MorePicture Canada in 1958: the time of the baby boom, the Dodge Regent, growing influence of unions, the new unemployment insurance, and first version of health insurance. Does your history of Canada include Indigenous Peoples? In 1958, the number of residential institutions for Indigenous children in the south was decreasing. The UN Declaration on Human […]
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Topless protester crashes Junos broadcast, Weeknd wins 5th award
A wildly unpredictable Juno Awards unfolded on Monday as a topless protester charged the stage, leading to some feisty words from Avril Lavigne, while an absent the Weeknd emerged the top winner this year. With a few twists and turns, Canada’s biggest celebration of music did away with its typically tame proceedings shortly after the […]
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