Aug 20 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — Peterborough Examiner — Early on in election campaigns, federal political parties tend to brush off poll results, pointing to the old maxim that the only poll that matters is the one on election day. Except, for Maxime Bernier, the early polls do matter: for him to participate in the official leaders’ debates during this campaign, his People’s Party […]
Jun 10 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — Toronto Star — What pandemic? Any premise the health and economic crisis created by COVID-19 is the preoccupation of Parliament vanished Thursday with a series of cascading events: allegations the Liberals’ entire agenda is being deliberately driven off the rails, a scathing ethics report, an MP crossing the floor and oh, the story of Louis Riel. Can an […]
May 23 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — Toronto Star — Decisions to retire by three of Hamilton’s five members of Parliament — a Liberal, a New Democrat and a Conservative — have created the conditions for a political fight that none of the parties can afford to lose. And that’s expected to put local issues front and centre whenever the next federal campaign begins. Conservative […]
Mar 25 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — A withered Public Health Agency dithered on pandemic preparedness, the federal auditor general has concluded, leaving officials no choice but to scramble to respond to COVID-19. And if such a scramble is to be avoided in future, auditor general Karen Hogan found, it's time for an independent review of the eternal Canadian conundrum: […]
Mar 23 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — China lashed out Tuesday against Canada and other western countries, saying they have no right to criticize the regime's human-rights record, considering their own. The criticism was part of the regime's response to the sanctions against it this week over alleged human-rights violations against minority Muslims in China. Canada, the U.S., U.K. and […]
Mar 23 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole brushed off the idea Tuesday that a vote by the party's grassroots on climate change should colour Canadians' opinion of his party. "I'm the leader, I'm in charge," O'Toole said a press conference as he reiterated his pledge that his party will present a plan to address climate change […]
Mar 22 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union levelled sanctions against Chinese officials Monday over human rights violations against minority Muslims in that country. "These measures reflect our grave concern with the gross and systematic human rights abuses taking place in the region," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at an […]
Mar 20 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Efforts to enshrine the reality of climate change in official Conservative party policy failed this weekend, marking a blow to Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole's efforts to position his party as serious on environmental issues. A vote on the matter came at the party's official policy convention, which concluded on Saturday. Though the party's […]
Mar 20 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — In a video played at the federal Conservative policy convention Saturday, leader Erin O'Toole's son Jack did a mock news segment called "Jack has your back." But the question for the party's grassroots after nearly three days of discussion on the path forward for their movement was to what extent their leader has […]
Mar 19 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole unveiled elements of his election pitch to Canadians Friday, seeking to ease his party's jitters that they're without an offering solid enough to woo voters away from the Trudeau Liberals. His marquee speech to the party's policy convention contained what he billed as a "recovery plan" that would within […]
Mar 18 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — The Conservatives have yet to fulfil a promise to repay the federal wage subsidy, but the party said Thursday it is in solid financial shape and urged its members to rally together for the next federal election. Still, the tensions between the grassroots and the party's leadership were on display as thousands of […]
Mar 18 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — If there's been one constant at Conservative conventions since the party's first in Montreal in 2005, it's been a fellow known as "Gord, from Red Deer." That's how Gord Tulk, 58, is introduced every time — and at some conventions, it has been dozens of times — he steps up to the microphone […]
Mar 17 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Former Conservative leadership candidate and longtime party stalwart Peter MacKay won't attend the party's policy convention this week. MacKay cited work and family as the reason for his absence. "I am focused on my young family and the practice of law and work with Deloitte, which is non-partisan," he said in a statement […]
Mar 16 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole reversed his predecessor's position on foreign aid spending Tuesday, saying that if elected, a Conservative government wouldn't cut that budget. But he said he would look to mirror previous Conservative foreign aid programs that tied funds to specific, measurable outcomes. "I want to maintain and modernize and make more […]
Mar 11 2021 — Stephanie Levitz — OTTAWA — A cross-partisan effort by MPs to be united in a call for the Liberal government to increase foreign aid spending on the humanitarian crisis created by the global pandemic devolved quickly into partisan bickering Thursday. But the members of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee insisted they are on the same page […]