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 […]
May 31 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Last week, Conservative MP Candice Bergen asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau why scientists at the Winnipeg infectious-diseases laboratory had been collaborating with Chinese military scientists. Two Canadian scientists have been fired from the lab, so Ms. Bergen’s question was reasonable. Mr. Trudeau’s response was not. “The rise in anti-Asian racism we have been seeing over […]
May 6 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Line 5 will almost certainly not shut down next week. Despite more sabre-rattling from Lansing on Wednesday, years may pass before an appellate court finally rules on whether the State of Michigan has the power to disrupt Central Canadian oil supplies. But the whole thing is tragic. That Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would seek to shut […]
Apr 17 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Erin O’Toole moved on two fronts this week to convince middle-class suburban voters in Ontario and British Columbia that his Conservative Party offers a credible alternative to the Liberals. The question is whether his own party will follow him. Reaction to the Tories’ new framework for fighting global warming has been largely positive among environmental […]
Apr 6 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — There is absolutely nothing wrong with Mark Carney entering politics, if that’s what he wants to do. But before taking the leap, Mr. Carney might want to ask himself: Am I Dwight Eisenhower or am I Michael Ignatieff? The former governor of the Bank of Canada and then of England has a new book out […]
Mar 29 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — In less than four years, Jagmeet Singh has evolved from an inexperienced – and sometimes insecure – rookie leader of the New Democrats to one of the longest-serving heads of any federal party. Only Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has had more time on the job. Now the member of Parliament for Burnaby South must […]
Mar 6 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Anyone involved in Canadian politics knows that being leader of the Official Opposition is hard, and that growing the fractious Conservative coalition is even harder. That doesn’t change the fact that Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole needs to do a better job. Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are vulnerable. Canada’s performance in acquiring vaccines has been mediocre at […]
Feb 22 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — With the Liberal backbench in open revolt, the House of Commons unanimously declared Monday that the government of China is committing genocide. In the short run, little will come of it. Meaningful action to constrain the increasingly aggressive Chinese government will only occur if the United States rallies its allies to act. But the House, […]
Jan 11 2021 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — The Trudeau government is investigating whether the extreme right-wing group the Proud Boys should be declared a terrorist organization. That is a legal decision. But there’s politics in it as well. The Liberals are trying to discomfit Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives by linking the party to extremists. On the Proud Boys, “officials will be analyzing useful […]
Dec 31 2020 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — In the grocery store on Wednesday morning, people were talking about Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips’s trip to St. Barts. “Can you believe it?” a customer asked the cashier, who shook her head in disgust. Premier Doug Ford knows better than anyone how bad that moment was for his government. If you think that we […]
Dec 17 2020 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — The federal NDP has informed lenders that it will pay off its last tranche of debt on Dec. 31. The party is performing respectably in the polls. If it’s too soon to call Jagmeet Singh “veteran,” the New Democrat Leader has grown in the job, comfortable in front of a camera as well as a […]
Dec 7 2020 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Michael Sabia, who has instantly become the most powerful public servant in Ottawa, will advise Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on the rollout of the green infrastructure plan for the 2021 budget. That plan will involve far more than spending on windmills and public transit. Mr. Sabia, who is joining the Department of Finance as deputy […]
Dec 2 2020 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s fall economic statement is an act of deception – or maybe self-deception. While this Liberal government promises to invest up to $100-billion over three years in stimulus, to move toward a new national child-care system and “national, universal pharmacare,” and to launch major new initiatives to fight climate change, combat systemic […]