Apr 19 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Francis Urquhart, the fictional chief whip in the original (and the best) House of Cards, described his role thus: “A pat on the head and a biscuit here; a short, sharp shock there – and a good boot up the backside where indicated.” In recent days, both the Conservative and Liberal whips’ offices have been […]
Apr 17 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The Liberals are torn. They’d like to live up to their own lofty rhetoric about building a shining beacon on Parliament Hill. But they’d prefer not to be constrained in any way by the inconvenient logistics of Parliament. The government’s latest attempt to circumvent the scrutiny of the House of Commons is a streamlining of […]
Apr 16 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — There can be no doubt that Canada’s national security adviser was telling the truth, and nothing but the truth, when he appeared before a parliamentary committee on Monday, in an attempt to clear up the Jaspal Atwal affair. But Daniel Jean was explicit that he could not tell MPs the whole truth, because much of […]
Apr 14 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — It is a grim irony that a Liberal government elected on a promise of renewing relations with First Nations based on “trust, respect and the true spirit of co-operation” is now being accused by some Indigenous chiefs in British Columbia of provoking a new Oka crisis. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of […]
Apr 11 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Following his pledge to build the Trans Mountain pipeline, noted Star Wars fan Justin Trudeau is in an existential moment. Like Luke Skywalker trying to summon up the Force, he must do or not do. In the immortal words of Yoda, there is no try. The consequence of failure is the collapse of his entire […]
Apr 9 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The federal government has long insisted the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will be built. Now it has to match its good intentions with results. At stake is nothing less than the fate of the Canadian federation. The refusal of the government of British Columbia to recognize the legal approval process for the project means this […]
Apr 6 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Winston Churchill once said of the Russians he was convinced there is nothing they admire so much as strength, and nothing for which they have less respect than weakness, especially military weakness. The hand-wringing and hypocrisy among Western governments in recent years when faced with flagrant Russian abuse of the agreed rules of the geo-political […]
Mar 20 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The federal Liberals seemed to be on to a winner with the idea that they would win social licence for a new pipeline on the West Coast by introducing a carbon pricing plan. Polls suggested this compact had the support of majorities in every region. But in recent days, there has been a great deal […]
Mar 19 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Retired Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire was blunt in his assessment. “I wouldn’t touch Mali with a 10-foot pole,” he told me in fall 2016 after returning from a fact-finding trip to Africa with Defence Minister, Harjit Sajjan. Yet, fully armed with the facts, Sajjan announced Monday that Mali is indeed where Canadian Forces will be heading, […]
Mar 15 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Andrew Scheer’s tenure as Conservative Party leader has been covered in a thick mildew of caution. In January, the Liberals announced they would require all applicants for the Canada Summer Jobs program to check a box on the application form attesting they agree with the party’s position on abortion. It should have been an open […]
Mar 14 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The Liberal government hopes to have new rules aimed at limiting the ability of foreign money to influence Canadian federal elections in place before the 2019 vote. Sources suggest the government will reform the Canada Elections Act by introducing measures to try to level the playing field between third parties and political parties, and improve […]
Mar 8 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — When the history of this Liberal government is written, among its major achievements will be the bad things it prevented from happening. When Finance Minister Bill Morneau negotiated the renewed health accord with the provinces, Ottawa secured deals limiting funding increases to growth in the size of the economy, rather than the 5.2 per cent […]
Mar 7 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom in Douglas Adams’ cult novel of the same name, had the words “Don’t Panic” inscribed in large, friendly letters on its cover. Justin Trudeau should perhaps distribute a facsimile to his MPs, after a string of recent polls that suggest a […]
Mar 6 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — You can always tell a Canadian by the fact that when he walks into a room, he automatically chooses to sit in the most uncomfortable chair, joked author Peter C. Newman. But there is a limit to courtesy — and Donald Trump may just have ranged beyond it by suggesting Canada is a threat to […]
Mar 2 2018 — John Ivison — National Post — Remember the good old days — that lost time in your past where you could leave your doors unlocked, everything was cheaper and you’d never had it so good economically? It seems so long ago, but it was just last Tuesday. Since the federal budget was unveiled, the news has been unremittingly bad: • Donald […]