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Susan Delacourt

While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Susan Delacourt.

Justin Trudeau has faced his internal critics. Here’s what he’ll do next

Justin Trudeau has faced his internal critics. Here’s what he’ll do next

This week’s Liberal caucus meeting will prove to be an important milestone in the career of Justin Trudeau. The lingering question is whether this is a crisis avoided or just the beginning of one.Trudeau and his team will be wanting to see this as yet another moment they met. That is, after all, what the prime minister told the CBC’s David Cochrane in June, when asked what he would do with a fourth term. Trudeau said he would continue to meet the moment.

  • 2024-10-24
  • — Toronto Star
Someone will be shown the door when Justin Trudeau meets his caucus

Someone will be shown the door when Justin Trudeau meets his caucus

Ten years ago this week, Justin Trudeau was assembling all the pieces that would make him prime minister within a year.He had turned his landslide 2013 Liberal leadership victory into what his team liked to call a “movement,” fuelled by Trudeau’s popularity and crowd-drawing appeal.To feed Canadians’ curiosity about a man who many already thought they knew, Trudeau released his autobiography, “Common Ground.” The official Ottawa launch was set for mid-October.

  • 2024-10-22
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau has no shortage of headaches. What’s his biggest one?

Justin Trudeau has no shortage of headaches. What’s his biggest one?

Susan Delacourt: Earlier this week, for non-column purposes, you and I were chatting about the fire hose of news in what was supposed to be the post-Thanksgiving “break.” Justin Trudeau is facing a caucus mutiny, a diplomatic blow-up with India and, let’s not forget, the all-day testimony before the foreign-interference inquiry. Assuming that nothing else explodes into the headlines next week, maybe we should start with this question: which one of those things is going to cause Trudeau the most headaches when the Commons returns from the so-called break?

  • 2024-10-20
  • — Toronto Star
Pierre Poilievre has taken politics to a new low. Justin Trudeau is willing to join him there

Pierre Poilievre has taken politics to a new low. Justin Trudeau is willing to join him there

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh is not wrong when he says that dangerous politics are being played with national security in this country. Taking aim at Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre, Singh said on Thursday: “I think it’s clear to me that both of these leaders have at many times chosen to put the party before the country.”

  • 2024-10-17
  • — Toronto Star
Are Canadians souring on Pierre Poilievre? New poll suggests his popularity has taken a hit

Are Canadians souring on Pierre Poilievre? New poll suggests his popularity has taken a hit

Pierre Poilievre’s popularity has taken a significant hit in the weeks since Parliament returned from the summer break, according to the latest Abacus Data polling. The five percentage-point increase in negative impressions of the Conservative leader leaves him open to serious questions about whether his aggressive, take-no-prisoners style — on constant display in the Commons lately — is really working for him.

  • 2024-10-12
  • — Toronto Star
Are Canadians souring on Pierre Poilievre? New poll suggests his popularity has taken a hit

Are Canadians souring on Pierre Poilievre? New poll suggests his popularity has taken a hit

Pierre Poilievre’s popularity has taken a significant hit in the weeks since Parliament returned from the summer break, according to the latest Abacus Data polling. The five percentage-point increase in negative impressions of the Conservative leader leaves him open to serious questions about whether his aggressive, take-no-prisoners style — on constant display in the Commons lately — is really working for him.

  • 2024-10-12
  • — Toronto Star
Pierre Poilievre’s antics are making Parliament miserable for everyone. Give us a break

Pierre Poilievre’s antics are making Parliament miserable for everyone. Give us a break

It’s time to put this Parliament out of its misery — or at least on life support.Canadians can be excused for ignoring the dysfunction of this fall, or tuning it out. Even people paid to keep an eye on the antics in Parliament are finding it hard to watch.Between the toxic, insult-laden question period and the procedural jamming that has ground the Commons’ business to a halt for two weeks now, very little is happening to assure citizens that the country’s central democratic institution is working.

  • 2024-10-10
  • — Toronto Star
What happened to all that talk of a Liberal mutiny?

What happened to all that talk of a Liberal mutiny?

Matt Gurney: This one feels a bit like déjà vu all over again, but not a ton has changed politically since our last chat. Things are mostly ticking along as they were, at least at home — geopolitically, things are bonkers. That may matter at home, but it hasn’t yet, at least not much.

  • 2024-10-06
  • — Toronto Star
Has Justin Trudeau given his cellphone number to the Bloc Québécois leader? The future of this shaky Parliament may rest on it

Has Justin Trudeau given his cellphone number to the Bloc Québécois leader? The future of this shaky Parliament may rest on it

Justin Trudeau sat down recently for an interview with his fellow Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, and the hour-long conversation has generated a lot of attention since it was posted.Little wonder — Erskine-Smith is a thoughtful MP who is not afraid to disagree with the prime minister, and Trudeau prefers interviewers who challenge him.

  • 2024-10-05
  • — Toronto Star
Many Canadian voters say they feel caught between extremes — and that’s not helping Justin Trudeau

Many Canadian voters say they feel caught between extremes — and that’s not helping Justin Trudeau

Two of the most recent polls are putting Justin Trudeau’s Liberals back in 2015 — and not the better part of that year for them, when they liked to say that better was always possible.Nik Nanos is reporting that Liberal support has dropped to levels not seen since 2015, while Abacus Data is showing the Liberals behind the New Democrats — outside Quebec, it should be noted.

  • 2024-10-02
  • — Toronto Star
Pierre Poilievre acts as if there’s power in being unlikeable. It’s not a good look

Pierre Poilievre acts as if there’s power in being unlikeable. It’s not a good look

Conservatives appear to be trying everything this fall to turn their poll lead into eventual election victory, with the exception of one force in politics — likeability. Nothing in Pierre Poilievre’s repertoire in the Commons the past two weeks has been aimed at making people like him, beyond those who already do. He insults, he taunts, he name-calls, he sneers — all the things that parents tell their children not to do if they want to make and keep friends.

  • 2024-09-26
  • — Toronto Star
Things are tough for Justin Trudeau at home, but the world stage is a different story

Things are tough for Justin Trudeau at home, but the world stage is a different story

It was a confident Justin Trudeau, sitting on the set of the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York on Monday night, who asserted that he was “pretty good” at his job. Back in Ottawa, Pierre Poilievre begged to differ, kicking off a debate on Tuesday in the Commons, and asking it to declare no confidence in this prime minister or his government.

  • 2024-09-24
  • — Toronto Star
It’s no longer a question of whether someone blows up Justin Trudeau’s government, but when. Here’s where the parties stand

It’s no longer a question of whether someone blows up Justin Trudeau’s government, but when. Here’s where the parties stand

Susan Delacourt: A funny thing happened on the way to Parliament getting back in business last week. And no, I am not talking about the clutch of protesters threatening MPs, which isn’t really that funny at all. I’m referring to the fact that all our federal politicians just got back to the Commons and they’re all talking pretty tough — the gloves are now seriously off. So how do you think we got here, Matt, and where is this headed?

  • 2024-09-22
  • — Toronto Star
Distaste for Pierre Poilievre is political oxygen for the Bloc Québécois

Distaste for Pierre Poilievre is political oxygen for the Bloc Québécois

Only one political party came out of Monday’s federal byelections with total victory — the Bloc Québécois — and it could be a signal to buckle up for a major turn in Canadian politics in the weeks and months ahead.In fact, it could be argued that the Bloc’s clout in Parliament hasn’t been this large since it served as Her Majesty’s official opposition in the 1990s.

  • 2024-09-17
  • — Toronto Star
Who was the biggest loser in the Liberal-NDP breakup?

Who was the biggest loser in the Liberal-NDP breakup?

Matt Gurney: Well, that was a week. I’d hoped for a bit more of a gradual re-entry to reality as the summer wrapped up, but Jagmeet Singh and Jeremy Broadhurst, the man who will no longer be leading the next Liberal election campaign, had other plans. There is a LOT to take in here, but I’ll start with a basic question: have the developments of this week cemented Pierre Poilievre’s already pretty good position, or is this shakeup an opportunity for either (or both!) of the Liberals and NDP to reinvigorate themselves ahead of the next campaign, which feels closer today than it did a week ago?

  • 2024-09-08
  • — Toronto Star
Is Pierre Poilievre’s election push driven by fear of Doug Ford?

Is Pierre Poilievre’s election push driven by fear of Doug Ford?

Pierre Poilievre and Doug Ford don’t have a lot in common, except maybe their desire to hold elections early.Yes, they are conservatives and chances are that the many Ontarians who have voted for Ford are likely leaning toward voting for the federal Conservatives when the next election comes.

  • 2024-08-30
  • — Toronto Star
Can Justin Trudeau’s Liberals seize on the U.S. Democrats’ success? Here’s where they should start

Can Justin Trudeau’s Liberals seize on the U.S. Democrats’ success? Here’s where they should start

It was a bit of bad luck for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, having to hold their annual cabinet retreat on the heels of the wildly successful Democratic convention in the U.S.The comparisons and the questions were going to be inevitable — why can’t the Trudeau Liberals do that kind of progressive political revival here in Canada?

  • 2024-08-28
  • — Toronto Star
Would a cabinet shuffle solve Justin Trudeau’s problems?

Would a cabinet shuffle solve Justin Trudeau’s problems?

There are many challenges ahead this fall for the governing Liberals, but swapping ministers may not be the solution for any of them.Susan Delacourt: I’ll start out this week with two confessions. One, I took a break from Canadian news this month — I called it a detox, and I highly recommend it. Second, I replaced the habit by becoming riveted to politics in the U.S., especially last week’s Democratic convention.

  • 2024-08-25
  • — Toronto Star
If Justin Trudeau really wants to be re-elected, there’s one question he needs to stop dodging

If Justin Trudeau really wants to be re-elected, there’s one question he needs to stop dodging

Justin Trudeau got a bit of a reprieve this summer from the questions about whether he was staying on to fight the next election.Two months since those questions rose to a fever pitch after the Liberals’ loss of their St. Paul’s seat in Toronto, Trudeau and his team are probably thinking they rode out that storm — as they have ridden out so many storms over the past decade.

  • 2024-08-22
  • — Toronto Star
Are Justin Trudeau’s Liberals tired, stale and out of touch — or just bad communicators?

Are Justin Trudeau’s Liberals tired, stale and out of touch — or just bad communicators?

Susan Delacourt: The Liberal caucus is set to meet in a few weeks in Nanaimo, B.C., and while you and I are wary of making predictions, Matt, I’m going to venture one here. The Liberals are going to talk about their “communication problems.” I feel safe making this forecast because it is what Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have been saying ever since their fortunes started to slump in the polls. Is that all this is? A failure to communicate?

  • 2024-08-11
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau’s anonymous Liberal critics can’t stay hidden forever

Justin Trudeau’s anonymous Liberal critics can’t stay hidden forever

It can’t be a great summer to be a Liberal, if MPs back in their ridings are hearing the same kind of thing that Liberals were getting at the doorsteps in the St. Paul’s byelection in June.It is, however, a pretty good summer for one type of Liberal, much in demand — the anonymous Liberal, willing to share their discontent over everything from Justin Trudeau to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to the current makeup of cabinet.

  • 2024-07-30
  • — Toronto Star
Don’t like Justin Trudeau? You’re not alone. Here’s why Canadians say the prime minister is so unpopular

Don’t like Justin Trudeau? You’re not alone. Here’s why Canadians say the prime minister is so unpopular

By now, Justin Trudeau’s unpopularity is not a bug in Canadian politics, but a feature.It is the starting point for every conversation revolving around the Liberals’ future prospects against the Conservatives in the next election. It figures large when trying to guess the lifespan of the Liberal-NDP deal — how long will Jagmeet Singh and his New Democrats want to remain allied with an unpopular PM?What’s less examined is the cause of that unpopularity. When voters are registering all those negative impressions with the pollsters, what exactly is it that is turning them off Trudeau?

  • 2024-07-28
  • — Toronto Star
July was a crazy month for U.S. politics. But did the Democrats or Republicans come out ahead?

July was a crazy month for U.S. politics. But did the Democrats or Republicans come out ahead?

In a recurring feature, Susan Delacourt, a small-l liberal, and Matt Gurney, a small-c conservative, bring their different perspectives — and shared commitment to civil disagreement — to the political debates of the moment.

  • 2024-07-28
  • — Toronto Star
Does Joe Biden’s departure change things for ‘Team Canada’? Justin Trudeau has a plan, and he’s standing his ground

Does Joe Biden’s departure change things for ‘Team Canada’? Justin Trudeau has a plan, and he’s standing his ground

Justin Trudeau kept it simple with his statement on Joe Biden’s decision to bow out of the U.S. presidential race, calling him a “true friend” and thanking him for the many years they’ve worked together.Canada’s prime minister has had much in common with the beleaguered U.S. president over the past month — mounting cries to step down and clear the field for someone in a better position to fight back against the threats to his continued power.

  • 2024-07-21
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau is caught in a different kind of Liberal leadership struggle

Justin Trudeau is caught in a different kind of Liberal leadership struggle

When Justin Trudeau took over the leadership of his party in 2013, he vowed there would be no more “hyphenated Liberals.”That was a reference to the leadership dramas of the past, particularly the long-running battle between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, during which partisans came to define themselves by their loyalty to the prime minister or his likely successor.

  • 2024-07-06
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden are two leaders with one problem: Many of their supporters think their time is up

Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden are two leaders with one problem: Many of their supporters think their time is up

Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he’s headed for Washington next week. What will he and President Joe Biden be talking about, behind the scenes at the NATO summit?Endurance might be one topic. It’s been a bad week for Trudeau and Biden — arguably their worst weeks — with increasingly open questions of whether either leader should be hanging on.

  • 2024-07-03
  • — Toronto Star
How do we stop Canadians’ creeping sense of distrust? Here’s your homework for the summer

How do we stop Canadians’ creeping sense of distrust? Here’s your homework for the summer

Years ago, at a Canada Day celebration on Parliament Hill, one of the marquee moments was reserved for the unveiling of a new stamp.As the crowd cheered for the giant postage stamp being displayed on centre stage, a reporter colleague turned to me and said: “Is this not the perfect Canada moment — cheering for a stamp?”

  • 2024-06-30
  • — Toronto Star
Here’s how bad a loss this Toronto byelection is for Justin Trudeau — and why Pierre Poilievre now has a new problem on his hands

Here’s how bad a loss this Toronto byelection is for Justin Trudeau — and why Pierre Poilievre now has a new problem on his hands

Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives went into Monday’s byelection of Toronto-St. Paul’s claiming that the odds were against them in this downtown riding.So much for that: Don Stewart is the newest member of Poilievre’s caucus.Now, with the victory in what has been a stronghold for the Liberals — solid red for the last 31 years — it is going to be harder for the Conservatives to claim they’re underdogs whenever the next election rolls around.

  • 2024-06-25
  • — Toronto Star
It doesn’t matter how this Toronto byelection shakes out — every scenario is some kind of bad for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals

It doesn’t matter how this Toronto byelection shakes out — every scenario is some kind of bad for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals

The Liberals are fighting to hold on to the downtown riding of Toronto—St. Paul’s, but there are ways that even winning could look like losing.

  • 2024-06-23
  • — Toronto Star
With the polls stacked against him, here’s why Justin Trudeau still thinks he can win the next election

With the polls stacked against him, here’s why Justin Trudeau still thinks he can win the next election

Justin Trudeau is no doubt acutely aware of just how much Liberals need a morale boost right now.Several weeks ago, the prime minister reportedly told his cabinet that winning in 2025 is definitely still a possibility, which many Liberals — not just ministers — are desperate to believe.

  • 2024-06-19
  • — Toronto Star
Elizabeth May just schooled Pierre Poilievre and Justin Trudeau on the right way to handle foreign interference

Elizabeth May just schooled Pierre Poilievre and Justin Trudeau on the right way to handle foreign interference

Elizabeth May really knows how to wreck a party.Just when it seemed like all of politics in Ottawa was on the verge of a major spy scandal — great excitement, traitors in our midst! — the co-leader of the Green Party sat down and found some holes in the story.

  • 2024-06-11
  • — Toronto Star
Canadians have been told there might be traitors in Parliament. Why aren’t the Liberals and Conservatives running around like their heads are on fire?

Canadians have been told there might be traitors in Parliament. Why aren’t the Liberals and Conservatives running around like their heads are on fire?

Susan Delacourt: There is only one thing to write about this week, we both agree, and that is foreign interference. With one word — “witting,” as in witting participation in foreign meddling by some elected members of Parliament — we have just entered a whole new chapter in the foreign-interference saga in Canadian politics. I had been getting the sense this week that Liberals and Conservatives were trying desperately to say drive on, nothing to see here. But that’s unsustainable after that explosive report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, announcing that some of their fellow MPs had allegedly been “witting or

  • 2024-06-09
  • — Toronto Star
5 things we learned from a new book about Justin Trudeau

5 things we learned from a new book about Justin Trudeau

A new book on Justin Trudeau, “The Prince” by Stephen Maher, documents a turbulent time at the top of this country. Here are five takeaways from the story of his reign, amassed through stories that hit the headlines and drama behind the scenes.

  • 2024-06-02
  • — Toronto Star
Stephen Maher started writing his book with a cheerier view of the prime minister. Now he thinks Justin Trudeau needs to step down

Stephen Maher started writing his book with a cheerier view of the prime minister. Now he thinks Justin Trudeau needs to step down

Justin Trudeau may be wishing that Stephen Maher, author of a new book on the prime minister, was a faster writer.The book, titled “The Prince,” is laced with some significant praise for Trudeau but also some unflinching criticism, particularly as the story winds to its conclusion and the tale of the past year or so.

  • 2024-06-02
  • — Toronto Star
If Donald Trump is elected president again, will the biggest loser be Justin Trudeau or Pierre Poilievre?

If Donald Trump is elected president again, will the biggest loser be Justin Trudeau or Pierre Poilievre?

Susan Delacourt: Canadian elections are rarely fought on foreign policy. Even the big free-trade election of 1988 boiled down to very domestic considerations, such as how expanding trade with the U.S. would affect businesses and employment here at home.

  • 2024-05-26
  • — Toronto Star
Liberals like to portray Pierre Poilievre as scary, but a lot of Canadians simply aren’t frightened

Liberals like to portray Pierre Poilievre as scary, but a lot of Canadians simply aren’t frightened

Liberals like to say that the large polling gap with the Conservatives will be narrowed when voters stop and take a hard look at what Pierre Poilievre would do to the country.But a new poll from Abacus shows that many Canadians have no illusions about how much Poilievre could shake up things — beyond just axing taxes — and the Conservatives are still holding a comfortable, 16-point lead in this latest survey. It should be noted that Abacus removes undecided voters from these horse-race results.

  • 2024-05-23
  • — Toronto Star
Pierre Poilievre hints he’d like to strip Canadians of some rights. There’s something to think about when it’s time to vote

Pierre Poilievre hints he’d like to strip Canadians of some rights. There’s something to think about when it’s time to vote

No one knows what the ballot-box question will be in the next election, whenever it does come.But at least one legal scholar in Canada believes voters should be asking some hard questions about the Constitution — specifically, whether a future prime minister would be willing to opt out of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Pierre Poilievre has dropped some broad hints in the past couple of weeks that he could be ready to blaze a trail here as prime minister. No federal government has ever used the notwithstanding clause in the 40-plus years it has been part of the Constitution. But the Conservative leader told a police chiefs’ gathering he might go down that road to get tougher on criminals.

  • 2024-05-15
  • — Toronto Star
If Pierre Poilievre really hates lobbyists now, maybe he should talk to Justin Trudeau

If Pierre Poilievre really hates lobbyists now, maybe he should talk to Justin Trudeau

Susan Delacourt: Back in March, when Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called lobbyists “utterly useless” in an address to the Vancouver Board of Trade, many people wondered whether he was serious. Was it a slip? A week ago, we learned he really meant it — with an op-ed in the National Post urging business leaders to fire their lobbyists.

  • 2024-05-12
  • — Toronto Star
Death threats. A toxic culture. Is it any wonder MPs are saying, ’‘politics is no longer for me’?

Death threats. A toxic culture. Is it any wonder MPs are saying, ’‘politics is no longer for me’?

It used to be that when politicians announced they were stepping down, you got a glimpse of the kinder, gentler side of politics — the joy of public service, the friendships made across party lines.Now, though, I’ve come to dread learning why many politicians are packing it in — the threats to their safety and mental health, and how the job may not be worth the sacrifice. No longer are we seeing the best side of politics; we’re seeing the worst.

  • 2024-05-03
  • — Toronto Star
If Pierre Poilievre doesn’t want to be portrayed as an authoritarian leader, maybe he should stop talking like one

If Pierre Poilievre doesn’t want to be portrayed as an authoritarian leader, maybe he should stop talking like one

It’s been an extraordinary couple of days in the saga of Pierre Poilievre, unleashed.Ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday, blue-skying about making laws without Charter of Rights protection on Monday, the Conservative leader is giving Canadians a good look at his somewhat flexible views about what constrains him.

  • 2024-04-30
  • — Toronto Star
Jagmeet Singh looks vulnerable in the Liberal-NDP deal. Is it time for him to end it?

Jagmeet Singh looks vulnerable in the Liberal-NDP deal. Is it time for him to end it?

Susan Delacourt: The political chattering class is obsessed this spring with how long Justin Trudeau will stay in his job. But if we’re all growing bored with that line of speculation, here’s another one, possibly related: How long will the deal between the Liberals and New Democrats last? I’m betting it will continue for quite a while still. What do you think, Matt?

  • 2024-04-28
  • — Toronto Star
Many Canadians have heard enough from Justin Trudeau, but Americans are a different story

Many Canadians have heard enough from Justin Trudeau, but Americans are a different story

Talking to Americans got a lot of laughs when comedian Rick Mercer was doing his TV shows two decades ago. For Justin Trudeau right now, talking to Americans is part of a serious communication strategy, aimed at putting the Canadian prime minister in front of wider audiences.Trudeau has been doing a flurry of podcasts in recent days, two of them based in the United States: one for the Freakonomics series, another for the Vox news program, Today, Explained. One of my colleagues joked this week that this is the Liberal reply to Pierre Poilievre’s fondness for slogans: when the Conservative leader goes short and snappy, Trudeau goes long form.

  • 2024-04-27
  • — Toronto Star
You’re about to hear Justin Trudeau on a lot more popular podcasts. Here’s what’s behind it

You’re about to hear Justin Trudeau on a lot more popular podcasts. Here’s what’s behind it

Every interview with Justin Trudeau now includes some variation on the question, why is the prime minister sticking around?So of course it came up when Trudeau sat down for a chat with Today, Explained — a daily podcast from Vox, a U.S.-based news website. The show attracts 100,000 to 150,000 listeners each month, according to several podcast rankings.

  • 2024-04-24
  • — Toronto Star
Would Pierre Poilievre or Justin Trudeau be the better party host? Airplane seatmate? Here’s who Canadians say they’d prefer to hang out with

Would Pierre Poilievre or Justin Trudeau be the better party host? Airplane seatmate? Here’s who Canadians say they’d prefer to hang out with

Politics doesn’t feel like too much of a party these days, which is more bad luck for Justin Trudeau, who is seen in a new poll as a better party host than Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.It is, in fact, the only social situation in which Trudeau is judged to have superior skills to Poilievre, according to this new survey from Abacus Data

  • 2024-04-19
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau has a budget bucket list — and it’s aimed at Pierre Poilievre

Justin Trudeau has a budget bucket list — and it’s aimed at Pierre Poilievre

One big thing has changed between the 2024 budget and the one Justin Trudeau’s government delivered last year — and it all revolves around an air of inevitability.No matter who one wants to win the next election, there is a sense that this current government is winding down to some kind of conclusion. It is impossible to view this eighth budget from Trudeau’s government through any other lens. Granted, this may not be the last budget before a 2025 election, but it begs the question: what, if anything, will last?

  • 2024-04-16
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau is doing everything he can to gain traction. Is it working?

Justin Trudeau is doing everything he can to gain traction. Is it working?

The prime minister is not getting ahead in public opinion polls. Could he still be feeling pretty good about his performance last week at the foreign interference inquiry?

  • 2024-04-14
  • — Toronto Star
Ask Justin Trudeau about foreign interference and he’ll tell you about Pierre Poilievre

Ask Justin Trudeau about foreign interference and he’ll tell you about Pierre Poilievre

Justin Trudeau arrived at the foreign interference inquiry this week wearing two hats: one of the prime minister, the other of the leader of the Liberal party.Over more than three hours of testimony, Trudeau exchanged those hats frequently, sometimes within one answer.

  • 2024-04-12
  • — Toronto Star
Mark Carney offers a preview of what he’d look like as Justin Trudeau’s successor — and what he’d stand for

Mark Carney offers a preview of what he’d look like as Justin Trudeau’s successor — and what he’d stand for

Mark Carney has joined the chorus of voices asking Justin Trudeau to call a first ministers’ meeting on climate change and the carbon levy.Carney, often touted as a possible successor to Trudeau, threw down the request during an evening speech in Ottawa on Monday, framed as a manifesto of sorts on where the former bank governor stands on the big issues of the day.

  • 2024-04-09
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau is getting impatient, and it shows

Justin Trudeau is getting impatient, and it shows

Justin Trudeau’s impatience is showing.It’s more than just the jump-start Trudeau has administered to his own budget, announcing details well in advance — which had many asking this week whether this is a prime minister keen to take his election show on the road already.“It feels a bit like an election campaign,” Matt Galloway, host of CBC Radio’s “The Current,” told Trudeau during an interview on Thursday. “You’re zipping across the country here and there, announcing things with big dollar signs attached to them.”

  • 2024-04-06
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau is facing an all-out carbon levy revolt. There is a way to fight back

Justin Trudeau is facing an all-out carbon levy revolt. There is a way to fight back

Newfoundland Premier Andrew Furey has asked Justin Trudeau to call an emergency meeting on the carbon levy. It’s a good idea and the prime minister should take him up on it, as soon as possible.It is definitely a much better idea than the alternative, currently unfolding all over the country, quickly approaching the level of an all-out tax revolt. On Tuesday, it was Ontario Premier Doug Ford, warning Trudeau to lose the lev

  • 2024-04-02
  • — Toronto Star
Is Doug Ford one — and how about Pierre Poilievre? What does it even mean to be a conservative in Canada these days?

Is Doug Ford one — and how about Pierre Poilievre? What does it even mean to be a conservative in Canada these days?

In a recurring feature, Susan Delacourt, a small-l liberal, and Matt Gurney, a small-c conservative, bring their different perspectives — and shared commitment to civil disagreement — to the political debates of the moment.SD: The Ontario budget was delivered this week, and the headline number — $9.8-billion deficit — got me wondering, what is a conservative these days in Canada? As the admitted, small-l liberal in this conversation, maybe I'm not the best expert on conservatism, but I don't know what exactly unites the right in this country at the moment. Doug Ford seems to have far more in common with Justin Trudeau than he does with Pierre Poilievre, and I'm not

  • 2024-04-01
  • — Toronto Star
I saw Justin Trudeau attacked by an angry mob last election campaign — and I worry things are about to get worse

I saw Justin Trudeau attacked by an angry mob last election campaign — and I worry things are about to get worse

Journalists shouldn’t make election predictions, but here’s one to take to the bank: Canada’s next federal election will be the ugliest one yet.Anyone could place that safe bet solely on the basis of what happens any day in the House of Commons. But the prospect of future nastiness is further underlined in last June’s report of the task force looking into security and intelligence threats to elections.

  • 2024-03-26
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau's grip on power is precarious — and we witnessed that not once, but twice this week

Justin Trudeau's grip on power is precarious — and we witnessed that not once, but twice this week

Canada’s Parliament did not fall this week, which means the country was spared a spring election.Now normally, one wouldn’t dwell too long on what didn’t happen in politics, or even what almost happened. But on two occasions this past week, two opposition parties seemed determined to use votes in the Commons to show Justin Trudeau’s Liberals how precariously they remain in power.

  • 2024-03-24
  • — Toronto Star
Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre reveal their hidden hopes in tributes to Brian Mulroney

Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre reveal their hidden hopes in tributes to Brian Mulroney

Tributes to fallen comrades tend to bring out the best in politicians — and provide one of the increasingly rare times it isn’t awful to watch the proceedings in the House of Commons. This week’s speeches to the legacy of former prime minister Brian Mulroney provided a shining example.But it wasn’t a total pause in the tumultuous politics of our time. When Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre and other leaders stood up to speak in Parliament in Mulroney’s honour on Monday, they also opened up a window into their own political souls at this juncture in Canadian politics.

  • 2024-03-19
  • — Toronto Star
An expected defeat was unexpectedly painful for Justin Trudeau's Liberals. That should set off alarm bells

An expected defeat was unexpectedly painful for Justin Trudeau's Liberals. That should set off alarm bells

MG: I know better than to make predictions in politics. I'm not paid enough to risk that kind of embarrassment, and we live in such bizarrely turbulent times that I'm happy if any given day goes roughly as I expected. But I can't help but note that the Durham byelection result earlier this month is bad

  • 2024-03-17
  • — Toronto Star
Good Talk - Did Joe Biden Just Save Himself?

Good Talk - Did Joe Biden Just Save Himself?

Is he just too old, stumbling and incoherent? Not last night it seems. Joe Biden's energetic State of the Union address last night is getting mostly positive reviews and may have given him at least temporary relief from the wolves that seemed poised to ruin his re-election bid. Bruce and Susan (filling in for Chantal) start with that and quickly move into Canadian politics -- a convincing Conservative by-election win, and how long can the government sustain increased spending?

  • 2024-03-08
  • — YouTube
Why has Canadian politics become so stupid?

Why has Canadian politics become so stupid?

Our federal political parties believe their best chances at power can be found on the path that is shallower, dumber, angrier and more hysterical.In a new recurring feature, Susan Delacourt, a small-l liberal, and Matt Gurney, a small-c conservative, bring their different perspectives — and shared commitment to civil disagreement — to the political debates of the moment.

  • 2024-03-03
  • — Toronto Star
Good Talk - Brian Mulroney, The Passing of A Giant

Good Talk - Brian Mulroney, The Passing of A Giant

The 18th prime minister of Canada was a force, a huge force. He changed the country in many ways, some worked, some didn't. He was also a major force on the international stage for himself and for Canada. Today the full hour on Brian Mulroney with Bruce, and filling in for a vacationing Chantal, the Toronto Star's Susan Delacourt.

  • 2024-03-01
  • — YouTube
It's hard to imagine Canada without Brian Mulroney

It's hard to imagine Canada without Brian Mulroney

Brian Mulroney is gone and it’s hard to imagine Canada without him in it.It wasn’t that long ago he was his larger than live self at an event where he showered Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with praise.

  • 2024-02-29
  • — Toronto Star
Promising a pharmacare program is one thing. Delivering one that lasts is quite another

Promising a pharmacare program is one thing. Delivering one that lasts is quite another

Canada doesn’t have a lot of Leap Day traditions, unless you count the one time a prime minister announced his resignation — 40 years ago.So perhaps the unveiling of a new social program, or the launch of a plan to have a new pharmacare program, will join the list of notable developments that happened on Feb. 29 in Canada — maybe not every four years, maybe

  • 2024-02-29
  • — Toronto Star