Stephen Harper has faced many a scandal before, and has weathered each one. In the lead up to the 2011 election, it seemed like something new popped up each day – there was Bev Oda’s orange juice and trouble with “nots”, Bruce Carson’s fraud charges and escorts, Jason Kenney’s use
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Calgary Grit: Moore is More
To win the leadership, Moore will need to court red Tories in Quebec. Partly due to his one-man government, and partly due to a series of spectacular flame outs among heirs apparent, there hasn’t been a lot of leadership speculation during the Harper era, beyond the occasional question about how
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Alberta Envy
From downtown Toronto, things aren’t looking so bad in “redneck” Alberta these days… Don Iveson is 34, supports public transit and the arts – and is Edmonton’s new mayor. …and this guy just got re-elected with over 75% of the vote.
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Today in meaningless polling
I really hate to post the results of a Forum poll. Especially for a by-election, where the stakes are low and turnout will be lower. But…wow. The fact that the Liberals are even in the game in a riding like Brandon is just stunning. No, they won’t win, but for
Continue readingCalgary Grit: “The Lowest Price is the Law, Unless Someone Else Offers a Lower Price”
David Johnson reads marketing slogans It’s easy to criticize throne speeches, especially throne speeches by governments that have fallen on tough times. Truth be told, I actually think there was a lot to like in yesterday’s government reboot. The hint of a free trade deal with the EU is good
Continue readingCalgary Grit: How I spent my summer vacation
Summer vacation lasted a bit longer for MPs than for the rest of us. If you’re just tuning back in now as our parliamentarians head back to the House tomorrow, here’s what you may have missed. For Justin, this was very much the summer of love. He ditched the suit
Continue readingCalgary Grit: The Red Wave
*Spoiler Alert* In a surprise twist, the Liberal Party isn’t dead after all. For a while, it seemed like PEI would be the last bastion of Liberalism in Canada. Nearly 10% of the Liberal Party’s parliamentary caucus hailed from the island, and with long-standing Liberal governments in Ontario, Quebec, and
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Dean Del Gonza
Liberals from coast to coast are revelling in a pot of schadenfreude tonight: Fifth Tory leaves Harper’s caucus in scandal OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper lost his fifth caucus member of the year to scandal, after his former right-hand man in the House of Commons was charged Thursday with
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Iggy Returns
Everywhere you go these days, there’s Michael Ignatieff. I’ve even seen him walking around Yorkville twice within the past month. For those who miss seeing Ignatieff’s face on every third commercial, you can read some juicy nuggets from his new book here, an excerpt on how he handled defeat here,
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Charter Polling Misses Mark
For those hoping Quebecers would abandon Marois over her utterly repugnant charter, this is an encouraging headline: Quebec Liberals jump to 7% lead over PQ as backlash grows over values charter A recent boost in support for the Quebec Liberals means the party could secure a “hair thin” majority in
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Chopping Bloc
The good news for the Bloc is that there’s now a bit more elbow room in the back of the caucus car: Maria Mourani, Member of Parliament for the federal riding of Ahuntsic, has been kicked out of the Bloc Quebecois caucus over her opposition to the controversial “charter of
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Nos Valeurs
It’s unclear if Habs jerseys count as religious symbols or not. This is going to be a hot topic for the foreseable future in Quebec, and since hot topics in Quebec have a way of becoming hot topics outside Quebec, expect to hear a lot about the PQ’s “Values Charter”.
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Stocking Stuffer
In “A Great Game” you’ll learn how hockey prospered, despite Wilfrid Laurier’s stifling taxes. For those taking bets on whether we’d see Harper’s long talked about hockey book before or after his 2011 election promises see the light of day, wonder no more. Harper’s hockey book, titled “A Great Game:
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Politics Done Well
Blogs and pundits love it when politicians fall flat on their face, but as a fan of politics I can also respect a flawlessly executed political manoeuvre. Think of Stephen Harper’s surprise piano duet with Yo-Yo Ma. In one swoop, Harper earned a month of good press and showed us
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Royal Baby
In case you were worried the Trudeaus just weren’t photogenic enough already… Justin Trudeau announces his wife, Sophie Grégoire, is pregnant with couple’s third child
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Poutinesque
With their raison-d’etre of separatism neutralized, one would have hoped the PQ would set to work trying to turn around Quebec’s economy. Instead…this: Quebec is heading into another fierce debate over the future of religious freedom in the province with the Parti Québécois government set to release a Charter of
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Dog Days of August
Georges Laraque claims to be an animal lover. But see if he gets PETA’s endorsement once they find out he used to beat up sharks, ducks, and penguins. It’s the third summer of the Stephen Harper majority government. Leadership races have been run, the Cabinet has been shuffled, but we
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Byelection Results Roll In
With most of the results in, it appears the Liberals have held Scarborough-Guildwood and Ottawa South, with the NDP winning Windsor-Tecumseh and London West, and Doug Holyday squeaking it out in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. On the surface, this is a disastrous result for Kathleen Wynne, losing three seats and seeing her party’s
Continue readingCalgary Grit: By-Election Day In Ontario
Holyday isn’t going to lose any votes because of the scandal surrounding the truck behind him. But he might because of the guy to his left. Ontarians head to the polls in five ridings today, to replace five outgoing Liberal MPPs. The fate of the government does not hang on
Continue readingCalgary Grit: King or Country
You may have missed it, since the story slipped largely under the radar, but a baby was born in England Monday. As this post will show, I’m a staunch republican (the kind who want the monarchy out of Canada…not the kind who want to arm fetuses). Still, I don’t take
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