Articles by John Ibbitson

May 4 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — On Monday, one day before the formal launch of the Ontario election campaign, Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford stood together to announce federal and provincial support for a $3.6-billion investment in auto plants in Windsor and Brampton to produce electric vehicles. “What is Trudeau doing?” fumed Liberal strategist David Herle. Why, he wondered, would the […]

Apr 30 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Earlier this week, Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre held a press conference and, once again, rubbished the Bank of Canada. The message was confusing – something about prohibiting the bank from establishing a digital currency and bringing in the auditor general. Informed heads shook disapprovingly. But Gerald Butts, former principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin […]

Mar 29 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Not only does the latest expansion of the social safety net by the Liberal government, as part of its accord with the NDP, intrude into areas of provincial jurisdiction. It flouts the wisdom of Lester B. Pearson. During the comprehensive expansion of health care, welfare and pensions in the 1960s, the federal Liberals deferred to […]

Mar 1 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — The performance art that passes for conservative political discourse in the United States these days has reached new heights, or depths. Donald Trump has long been an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin. When that suddenly became awkward, a few days ago, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee in 2024 crafted a new mantra: […]

Feb 7 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — The thousands of protesters who gathered in downtown Ottawa for a second weekend were not part of a “nationwide insurrection,” as Diane Deans, chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board, alleged Saturday during an emergency meeting. But a new force has arrived in Canadian politics, the culmination of growing populist resentments over the inequality of […]

Jan 28 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is taking the biggest gamble of his political life by siding with truckers rolling to Ottawa in protest against vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions. That support could galvanize his leadership, or sink it. He’s willing to take that chance. “The mood is changing,” Mr. O’Toole said in an interview Friday. […]

Jan 27 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — It’s no coincidence that the Foothills Conservative riding association in Alberta and the Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek riding association in Saskatchewan are the latest to push for an early review of Erin O’Toole’s leadership. It’s also no coincidence that Saskatchewan members defied Mr. O’Toole and kept dissident Senator Denise Batters in their caucus, or that deputy […]

Jan 25 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — For almost two years, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by spending money at levels never seen in peacetime, to protect workers, businesses and the health-care system. That spending was necessary. But this year the bill comes due. And it won’t be pretty. The federal deficit skyrocketed from less than 1 […]

Jan 2 2022 — John Ibbitson — Globe and Mail — If the next presidential election reveals the United States is hurtling toward political instability and even violence, what can Canada do? There are risks if our politicians speak up during the election and risks in staying silent. But Canadians must ready themselves for a future in which the United States is no longer our ally […]

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 […]