Articles by Alex Boutilier

Nov 20 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Liberal government has issued a broad new directive requiring more accountability from Canada’s domestic spy agency, the Star has learned. The updated rules require the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to be more upfront with its political masters on its operations and techniques, including informing the public safety minister before undertaking “high risk” intelligence operations. […]

Nov 16 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Canada’s domestic intelligence agency repeatedly broke rules by authorizing “high risk” spy operations without the knowledge of its political masters. Documents obtained by the Star show then-public safety minister Ralph Goodale was informed in June 2018 that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service failed to inform him of “human source operations assessed as posing a high […]

Nov 11 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The issue of Western alienation will loom large over the Prime Minister’s Office Tuesday as Justin Trudeau holds meetings with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. Trudeau and Scheer are scheduled to meet for the first time since October’s federal election, which returned Trudeau’s Liberals to power with a minority government. Moe, […]

Oct 29 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Andrew Scheer is hoping for a “clear mandate” when his party’s grassroots gathers in Toronto in April to decide the Conservative leaders’ political fate. But what’s not clear is what a “clear mandate” would actually look like. Scheer has faced a week of open speculation about whether he can continue as the Conservative party’s leader […]

Oct 26 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — On Thursday, Oct. 17, Andrew Scheer had boldly and publicly boasted the Conservatives’ internal polling suggested they were in a good position to win the most seats. Maybe even a majority. By the following Monday, Scheer’s team knew they had lost the election before the votes were even counted.

Oct 25 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Beset by questions over whether his social conservative positions lost Andrew Scheer the election, the Conservative leader is being attacked by social conservatives for failing to stand up for them. The Campaign Life Coalition, an anti-abortion organization with clout, accused Scheer of “abandoning his principles” by failing to stand against equal marriage rights and access […]

Oct 13 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — A Conservative proposal to make Canadians proactively justify travelling to “terrorism hot spots” is raising eyebrows among experts researching national security and foreign fighters. The Conservatives said Friday they’d create a “reverse onus” for Canadians travelling to regions with known terrorist activity to justify that travel. The party said the idea is aimed at making

Oct 11 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Conservatives are promising $35.4 billion in spending cuts over five years to make good on their pledge to balance the federal books if they are elected to form Canada’s next government. Most of the big-ticket items in the election platform released Friday by Leader Andrew Scheer — a cut in the income tax, a […]

Oct 7 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Andrew Scheer’s campaign says it altered an image purported to be a Liberal party policy proposal for the sake of “brevity,” but took it down after questions were raised about its authenticity. At a time when concerns have been raised about misinformation and falsehoods propagating online during the federal election, the Conservatives edited a leaked […]

Oct 1 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer completed just one of four required courses to become an insurance broker, according to the Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan. Scheer has faced questions over suggestions that he sold insurance before being elected as the 25-year-old MP for Regina-Qu’Appelle. Scheer has repeatedly held up his time at a Regina insurance company, […]

Sep 20 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Justin Trudeau and the Liberal party are outspending Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives nearly three to one on social media advertising in the lead up to October’s federal election. Data compiled by ad.watch, which comes from Facebook’s own ad library, shows that since July 1 the Liberals have spent $738,715 in advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The […]

Sep 19 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has asked Canadian voters for forgiveness after being exposed for wearing blackface makeup on at least three separate occasions. But have other Liberals under his leadership received the same benefit of the doubt? Since becoming Liberal leader in 2014, Trudeau has had a track record of being decisive when members of […]

Sep 13 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Scheer campaign was somewhere around Mississauga when Premier Doug Ford’s absence became conspicuous. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer spent the early days of the federal election campaign stumping in Ford country — Vaughan and Mississauga, Etobicoke and Brampton. All places Ford’s Progressive Conservatives won big in 2018 on their way to a majority government. All […]

Sep 12 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives maintain a slight lead over their Liberal rivals as the federal campaign kicks off, according to new data from Forum Research. In a survey of 1,001 Canadian voters Wednesday, Forum found that 36.3 per cent would support the Conservatives if a vote were held today, while 32.4 per cent would vote Liberal. […]

Sep 9 2019 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer will take the initiative Wednesday and officially launch his bid to become Canada’s next prime minister. Sources tell the Star the Conservatives will kickoff their election campaign Wednesday, rather than wait for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to head to Rideau Hall and officially call the general election. The Conservative move […]