As this election draws to a close, I am struck that, after four elections, the central issue remains: do Canadians trust Stephen Harper with a majority government? The sudden rise of the NDP late in this campaign suggests that a large number of Canadians see Jack Layton as the most credible way to deny Harper a … Read more
It was Kim Campbell who famously quipped that elections were no places to discuss serious issues. We all know that seriousness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder but one big issue that has been absent from the current campaign is the idea of a national energy strategy. There is no shortage of … Read more
Here is my view. A shock wave is on its way. The Bloc will lose 20 or more of its seats. The NDP will gain five or six or more seats mainly in Montreal. It will emerge as the killer force, inadvertently fractioning the left as left-of-centre Québécois try to find an alternative to the … Read more
The national story heading into the federal election campaign’s final stretch is the NDP surge flowing from Jack Layton’s strong performance in the debates, particularly in Quebec, the fading of the Liberals, and the Conservatives coming just within range of a possible majority. With a possible majority in reach, every seat counts, and both Conservative … Read more
In an ideal world, each of the 308 ridings in Canada would be of equal importance to the parties trying to form the next federal government – but they’re not. Some are so solidly supporting one party or another that, barring a major catastrophe between now and election day, the results are pretty much a … Read more
There are still two weeks before Canadians go to the polls, but thinking further ahead to the NEXT election, there are at least four changes to the way elections are run in this country that should be made. Shorten the writ. The last time the elections act was amended the minimum length of time for … Read more
The release of party platforms used to be the seminal event of a party’s election campaign. In Britain, this is still largely the case where party leaders sign ‘pledge cards’ and release manifestos at the outset of a campaign. Fleet Street and the political punditry across the pond opine for weeks. Party leaders use their … Read more
The striking thing about the election so far in Quebec is that nothing is really changing. If anything changes at all, it could be that the Bloc increases its number of seats by two or three. The Conservatives are having a tough time keeping their present seats, the Liberals are having an even tougher time … Read more
Going into last night’s Leaders’ debate Michael Ignatieff had everything to gain and very little to lose. His personal levels of support were in the low teens. Expectations were low and for an accomplished debater it should have been all upside for him. Unfortunately for Mr. Ignatieff, comparative overnight polling done by Ipsos shows that … Read more
Because Ontario has more than a third of the seats in the House of Commons, for a political party, forming government has always been contingent on winning Ontario. While most polls show the Conservatives with a commanding national lead, they also show a tightening race in Ontario. Since merging the Progressive Conservative Party and Canadian … Read more
