Jan 29 2020 — Chris Hall — CBC — If there’s anything to be said about the Liberal minority government so far, it’s this: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his inner circle don’t seem to be in a hurry to do much of anything. That might sound harsh, given that Parliament just resumed for the first time since before the Christmas break. But beyond […]
Nov 30 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — Deputy leader Leona Alleslev and Conservative strategist Rachel Curran on how the party moves forward. The Conservative Party’s new deputy leader said Friday that Andrew Scheer has the right to not march in pride parades, and the party must make room for people like the Conservative leader who hold strong religious beliefs. “I think that […]
Nov 23 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — Chrystia Freeland’s entire cabinet career to date has been spent looking out, not in — focused on foreign files such as the renegotiation of NAFTA, or navigating an increasingly strained relationship with China. She did that work as the world was entering one of the most turbulent periods in international relations since the end of […]
Nov 20 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — Justin Trudeau’s Liberals were shut out in Alberta and Saskatchewan last month, but the provinces got a shout-out in the cabinet choices the prime minister announced today. Lacking an MP from the region, Trudeau tried for the next best thing. He named two key ministers with ties to the two provinces, and positioned a former […]
Nov 6 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — For the first time since the Oct. 21 election, Andrew Scheer meets his caucus today — looking for a second chance. The Conservative leader has been criticized, both publicly and privately, for losing an election that many in the party felt he should have won, for failing to convince voters in key ridings in Ontario […]
Oct 22 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — Justin Trudeau and the Liberals shook off a lacklustre campaign and his own uneven performance on the hustings to win another mandate. But it’s a minority mandate, one that requires him to work with at least one of the opposition parties to get anything done. If last night’s speeches were any indication, cooperation will be […]
Oct 12 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — The bus carrying Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet powers its way over the curb outside a seniors residence in Sainte-Julie, Que., as the driver steers towards the small crowd waiting for him. The village is in Montarville, a riding won four years ago by the Liberals. And it’s one of the many ridings around Montreal […]
Oct 8 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — It wasn’t deliberate. But it was just as well that Andrew Scheer and Justin Trudeau wound up next to each other in Monday night’s leaders’ debate, because it became clear, right from the opening exchange, that each intended to undermine the other. Within the first few minutes the Conservative Scheer called his Liberal opponent a […]
Oct 2 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — Justin Trudeau steps on stage tonight for his first leaders’ debate of the 2019 election — and a date with voters who may end up playing an outsized role in deciding whether he stays in power. The debate sponsor, the French-language television network TVA, reaches a large audience of francophones outside Montreal. These are the […]
Sep 17 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — The stage is set for Maxime Bernier. His challenge now is to perform. The leader of the nascent People’s Party of Canada (PPC) yesterday got his coveted invitation to take part in the two televised debates organized by the independent Leaders’ Debate Commission. The debates — one in English and the other in French — […]
Sep 11 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — For a guy whose campaign motto is “Choose Forward,” Justin Trudeau sure spent a lot of time dwelling on the past as he kicked off his re-election campaign today. The Liberal leader took time this morning to look back at the high points of his government’s record over the past four years, from renegotiating a […]
Sep 6 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — The Trudeau government must be hoping for third-time-lucky as it prepares to head back to court with First Nations opposed to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project. The Federal Court of Appeal gave its approval this week to a handful of Indigenous communities along the route that argued the government had failed […]
Aug 19 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — CPC insists it’s not a discount – but it is raising questions about the true cost of covering leaders’ tours. The Conservative Party is offering media organizations a dramatically reduced price to cover party leader Andrew Scheer’s campaign — a fee that’s a little less for the entire election period than what the party charged […]
Jun 30 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — As party leaders hone their platforms and messaging ahead of this fall’s election, the easy part is identifying the issues voters care about. The challenge is convincing voters they are the best choice for prime minister to deal with those same priorities. Case in point: while Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are talking about the issues Canadians […]
Jun 19 2019 — Chris Hall — CBC — That the federal cabinet would (again) approve the proposed expansion of the Trans-Mountain pipeline was never really in any doubt. After spending $4.5 billion to buy the line last year, and with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s repeated assurances that the project would go ahead, the real question was how far the government would go to […]