Nov 28 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — The Conservatives have an excellent chance of winning the next federal election. But for that to happen, Leader Erin O’Toole should heed the wisdom of Tony Blair. Britain’s former Labour prime minister penned the foreword to a new report issued this week by the institute that bears his name. The report seeks to understand and […]
Nov 25 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — In the last federal election, the Liberal Party received the support of less than one-third of voters. No federal political party has formed government with a weaker public mandate. And yet the Liberals introduced a Throne Speech this week filled with ambitious and expensive commitments. Those commitments arrive on the heels of rising inflation and […]
Oct 25 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has decided to appoint his fifth minister of foreign affairs, which is a travesty. My colleagues Bill Curry, Marieke Walsh and Steven Chase report that Marc Garneau is being moved out of the post after less than a year in the job. Serial rotation of foreign affairs ministers is nothing new. […]
Oct 4 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Justin Trudeau’s ill-considered trip to Tofino on the very first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation does more than remind us, yet again, of his sense of entitlement and his chronically poor judgment. It tells us that he may not be Prime Minister that much longer. A futile election, a lack of fresh initiatives and […]
Sep 21 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — As results Monday night showed the Liberals on the way to forming another minority government, Erin O’Toole must have wondered if his Big Bet had been a bad gamble. The Conservative Leader staked his and his party’s future on a major strategic shift that aimed to take the Conservatives closer to the political centre. But […]
Sep 9 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — On Aug. 15, the day Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau launched the federal election campaign, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole’s chief strategist made a prediction. “Once again, @erinotoole begins a campaign as the underdog,” Dan Robertson tweeted. “This isn’t the first time he’s been underestimated, but it will be the last.” No one is underestimating Mr. O’Toole […]
Sep 6 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — If you want to understand the particular kind of trouble that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau finds himself in, take a look at an old poll: election night, 2019. On that night, the Liberal Party secured 33 per cent of the popular vote, one percentage point less than Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives, but enough to form government, […]
Sep 6 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — In a week that shook up the federal election campaign, both Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole focused on guns and crime, leading the Conservative Leader to reverse his position. Faced with the possibility of losing an election that they hoped would deliver a comfortable majority government, the Liberals have been lashing […]
Aug 17 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — When suburban voters side with people who live downtown, as they did in the past two federal elections, Liberals win government. When they side with their country cousins, as they did in 2011, Conservatives win. The platform that the Tories released Monday is designed to make 2011 happen again. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and his […]
Aug 15 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Justin Trudeau has transformed the role of the federal government in the life of the nation. What do you think of that transformation? That is what this election is about. It’s hard to overstate how much things have changed under this Liberal Leader. He has shattered the Ottawa Consensus forged by Jean Chrétien in the […]
Aug 12 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Although Justin Trudeau likes to project a positive image, the Prime Minister has a fondness for demonizing his opponents. The problem in this upcoming election is that there’s a shortage of demons. That may be one reason the Liberals spend so much time going after Premier Jason Kenney’s UCP government in Alberta.
Aug 10 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — With an election call expected in the coming days, the Conservative Party’s prospects appear dire. The party is at risk of being swept in Atlantic Canada and of losing seats in Quebec and Ontario. Ridings in the Prairies and in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland are in play. The Liberals could even make gains in the […]
Jul 20 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Some polls have Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole doing poorly, others have him doing worse. But all agree on one thing: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is in a political sweet spot. If Justin Trudeau fails to win a majority government in an election that could be called as early as next month, it might not be […]
Jul 16 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Under the Liberal government’s new child-care program, nine of the 10 communities in which eligible parents would save the most money are in or near Greater Toronto or Greater Vancouver, the two urban hubs where federal elections are won and lost – which may be why Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is so very quiet on […]
Jun 25 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Recent polls have Jagmeet Singh’s NDP doing relatively well and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals likely still short of a majority government, despite the government’s solid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Why? The answer might lie in Mr. Trudeau’s loyalty to his friends. To everything there is a season, and we are entering the season of horse-race […]