Aug 23 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Rookie Quebec Liberal MP Eva Nassif, who was “confident.” until recently, the party would nominate her as the candidate, on Thursday night announced unexpectedly she won’t seek re-election “because of recent events of a personal nature” that she said she does “not take lightly.” In a statement on Twitter, Ms. Nassif (Vimy, Que.) did not […]
Aug 12 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — With the next federal election only 10 weeks away and about 100 ridings without nominated candidates, the federal Liberals have triggered a “national electoral urgency” clause that allows the party to bypass the nomination process and appoint candidates directly, making some would-be candidates nervous they might not get a fair shot in the nomination contests. […]
Jul 15 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Although the Green Party is recording historic highs in public opinion polls and has made recent gains in a byelection and some provincial elections, pollster Greg Lyle predicts the New Democrats and the Bloc will likely be more influential if a minority government is elected in October’s federal election. “We take it with a grain […]
Jul 8 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — After weeks of attracting low support in national public opinion polls, the Liberals are starting to bounce back chiefly because of Ontario Premier Doug Ford government’s controversial cuts in social services, the dissipation of media coverage on SNC-Lavalin affair, closer scrutiny of Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and the return of women support back to the […]
Jul 4 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Dr. Xinglai Laura Huang, wife of Liberal MP Geng Tan, who works as a scientist at Environment Canada, is seeking the Liberal nomination in their riding, Don Valley North, in Toronto. Rookie Liberal MP Geng Tan unexpectedly announced last month that he won’t seek re-election in the fall to “spend more time with his family,” […]
Jun 25 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — The former constituency office staffer who alleges she had an extramarital affair with Liberal MP Geng Tan and has a two-year-old baby girl is claiming she was fired from her job without cause and that the outgoing MP has so far not paid any child support. Ying (Stella) Yu, who is in her early 50s, […]
Jun 24 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — The Liberals are heading into the October election holding only a seven-seat majority, and one pollster says ridings carried by less than a five per cent margin are in “real jeopardy,” and those won by about a five per cent margin will be “tight races” in the upcoming campaign. “Lower than five, in real jeopardy. […]
Jun 17 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Rookie Liberal MP Geng Tan, who represents Don Valley North, Ont., and won the 2015 election with 51.4 per cent of the vote, has announced that he will not seek re-election in the fall federal election to “spend more time with his family.” “After much consideration, I have come to conclusion that time has now […]
Jun 17 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — The next election campaign is shaping up to be one of the most “acrimonious, intensely fought,” and “unprecedented” runs in Canadian political history, involving populism and the use of “high-tech black ops through algorithms and social media” by domestic and foreign players, say pollsters. “[The most important aspects will be] the high-technology black ops, through […]
Jun 10 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s plan to help the federal Conservatives defeat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in the upcoming election campaign should be limited to issues of “common interest,” including the carbon tax and pipelines, and if the Alberta premier wants to campaign on other issues, he should run for federal office, says a veteran […]
Jun 3 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals may be trailing the Conservatives in opinion polls four months ahead of an election, but talk of a replacing Mr. Trudeau should the Grits lose in the fall is politically “unhelpful,” “ridiculous,” and “self-serving” on the part of the people engaged in the backroom strategizing, say Liberals. “I thought it […]
May 27 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Independent MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes says she’s also considering to running as an Independent candidate in the October federal election, after watching Independent MPs Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott announce their plans to run as Independents. “The option of running as an Independent is intriguing, I will certainly consider it,” said Ms. Caesar-Chavannes (Whitby, Ont.) in […]
May 27 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — In the topsy-turvy and tumultuous political environment in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are dropping in the polls, British Columbia’s 42 seats will be a critical battleground in the upcoming campaign, pollsters say. If the Liberals want to form government next time, they will have to make some gains in the country’s western-most province, […]
May 20 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — With only four months left before the fall election call and 75 per cent of the Grit caucus consisting of rookie MPs facing re-election for the first time, the Liberals have decided to focus “completely” on election readiness in all their weekly regional and national meetings until the House adjourns on June 21, MPs say. […]
May 13 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to lose a significant chunk of the 32 seats the Grits won in Atlantic Canada in 2015 mostly because there’s a growing feeling in the region that the governing party has taken it for granted, say political insiders, but senior Liberals also say it’s too early to make any […]