Jun 29 2022 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — It’s probably a good thing Canada is avoiding a federal election for the next few years. It might take that long to find people willing to run for office. All of the political news of late seems like a repeated warning label against the toxicity of a career in public life. On Monday, it was […]
Jun 29 2022 — Bob Hepburn — Toronto Star — Pierre Poilievre has always appalled me. But as Canada Day approached and Ottawa braces for more “freedom” protests on Parliament Hill that Poilievre unreservedly supports, I grow even more appalled. That’s because the Conservative leadership race front-runner either somehow truly believes in the crazy ideas and causes that he spouts, or he’s a dishonest non-believer […]
Jun 28 2022 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — It’s fitting that a central part of Canada’s low carbon policy came stumbling out of the gate. The federal Liberals have been talking for six years about imposing clean fuel standards, and now they’ve finally done so — in a chaotic way that completely suits the politics around these regulations. The new rules are designed […]
Jun 26 2022 — Robin V. Sears — Toronto Star — Guns are among the top-three favourite Liberal wedge issues, along with abortion and race. These concerns rally a progressive base against Conservatives; it usually works every time. But due to several gun myths, this strategy may fail here. First, Canada’s firearm-related death rate is higher than that of many peer nations, at just over two […]
Jun 26 2022 — Jaime Watt — Toronto Star — As the Politics Page takes a summer break, I thought I’d end the season with a useful suggestion for a vexing problem. Two weeks ago, I wrote about the declining electoral participation rate, in particular the historically low turnout rate in the Ontario election just finished. This isn’t just an issue for political science academics. […]
Jun 26 2022 — Stephanie Levitz — Toronto Star — Candice Bergen will begin her final months at the helm of the federal Conservative party by taking a trip intended to send a message: the game of identity politics being played in her party right now needs to stop. Bergen — whose political roots are in the Canadian Alliance — will travel to Atlantic Canada […]
Jun 24 2022 — Stephanie Levitz — Toronto Star — A law that allows MPs to eject fellow members from their caucus encourages abusive behaviour inside political parties and that’s unacceptable, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said Friday. Her comments came in the wake of revelations by the Star that some fellow Conservatives have been threatening Rempel Garner with expulsion from the party’s caucus under […]
Jun 24 2022 — Stephanie Levitz — Toronto Star — Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner walked away from running for leadership of Alberta’s United Conservative Party on Thursday, citing the inhospitable internal political environment she’d inherit and a lack of time to fix it. But the high-profile MP is not returning to an overly hospitable federal political environment either. The Star has learned some of […]
Jun 22 2022 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Almost half of Canadians polled last month are not entirely sure Donald Trump lost the last presidential election in the U.S., according to the newest release from Abacus Data. “Almost 5 million Canadian adults (16 per cent) think it’s definitely or probably true that ‘the U.S. election was stolen from Donald Trump,’” Abacus reported. “Another […]
Jun 22 2022 — Althia Raj — Toronto Star — Death threats. Panic buttons. Home security. Emergency escape routes. MPs are now increasingly concerned about physical risks. The toxic political climate that is poised to move online threats to real life is pushing many of MPs to look introspectively at what they — and their political opponents — should do. Just three years ago, then-clerk […]
Jun 21 2022 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — What’s the female version of bromance? A sisterhood? Whatever it is, that’s what Chrystia Freeland and Janet Yellen have clearly developed — a common understanding on how the world should work, and a personal and intellectual bond that aims to be the face of progressive economic policy for the future. Canada’s first female federal finance […]
Jun 21 2022 — Rob Ferguson — Toronto Star — Former NDP leader Andrea Horwath has sent her strongest signal yet she will run for mayor of Hamilton in the fall. The longtime MPP for Hamilton Centre dropped hints Monday after Mayor Fred Eisenberger announced he would not seek re-election Oct. 24. “I’m humbled that Fred considers me a strong candidate for mayor of our […]
Jun 20 2022 — Toronto Star — A potential bid for the leadership of Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party by MP Michelle Rempel Garner may hinge on whether she can get a waiver from party rules, the Star has learned. Multiple sources tell the Star the UCP’s caucus meets later Monday to debate whether the fact Rempel Garner hasn’t been a member […]
Jun 19 2022 — Chantal Hébert — Toronto Star — To look back on the first stretch of Justin Trudeau’s third term is to be reminded there is a reason why no prime minister has succeeded in securing a fourth consecutive election victory in more than a century. Based on the recent past, governments do not age well. On that score, think back to Stephen […]
Jun 19 2022 — Jaime Watt — Toronto Star — Four days remain until the House of Commons rises, and politicians trot back to their constituencies to hit the infamous summer BBQ circuit. While they will surely be grateful for the break, anxiety about a litany of economic harbingers will surely cloud their summer mood. We are now firmly in the claws of a bear […]