Author: Cam Holmstrom

There are many things that go into successful election campaigns, much more than most people typically see from the outside. Yes there’s the policy, the money to run the campaign, the advertising, the signs and the leaflets. And there are the leaders, the candidates and the thousands of volunteers. It

When getting ready for election campaigns, all parties put together their various platforms. Inside each of those platforms are ideas that are well-known to the public, some that have been long-standing planks. We also see some newer ideas, ones that haven’t been a part of the debate thus far. And

Something you may have noted about me from reading this blog is that I’m a big believer in not just acting right, but actually doing things the right way. For me, that means dealing with issues directly, respectfully, and above all, in a constructive manner. This is doubly true for

Elections have consequences; that is not a controversial statement at all and is really just a statement of fact. Who we elect determines what direction our government goes in, the decisions that are made and therefore, the consequences that come from those decisions. In most average elections though those issues

Looking ahead to the fall election, many people are speculating on what might happen and are looking at many different angles to try to figure out what the end results might be. The 2015 election was a unique one that saw some different things happen, that lead to a different

This afternoon I had the chance to talk with CFRA’s Anna Desmarais on their Strategy Session. Along with Sabrina Grover, we talk about the Premiers Meetings starting in Saskatchewan, new developments in the Saskatchewan Carbon Tax case and how this all might play into the 43rd election in the fall.

2019 has been a rough year in our politics so far, and with a big election coming in the fall, it seems to be sure to get harder before it gets any better. Some of that will come from policy differences that have existed since the very beginning of the

Today I was happy to be able to record and post the newest episode of the Magpie Brûlé podcast. In this episode I talk about the “Quiet Season” at Queen’s Park, the fall out of the scandals building there and how they will affect the Federal Election. Then I go

July is supposed to be a quiet month for most politicians, or at least it’s usually among the quietest for them. Elected people are back at home in their ridings, away from the crush of the press gallery and are usually keeping a low profile. For governments that are going

One of the most important parts of a well run party in the 21st century is a solid organizing team, one that is able to not only get members activate but can also find those big time candidates to run for them. While we keep downplaying the importance of individual

Canada is a massive country, a huge swath of land stretching to the eastern, western and northern extremes of the North American continent. Being such a geographically large country brings about unique challenges that require unique solutions, and sometimes technology isn’t enough to overcome the gaps that exist. Also as

We’re very early in the run up to the 43rd general election, and the start of July kind of unofficially marks the end of the 42nd Parliament. Everything that is going on right now in Canadian politics is being looked at through the lens of the vote in the Fall,

In our lives, if we are lucky, we have some good people who come into it and become a part of it, even if only for a while. Some of us are also lucky to have people who helped us get to where we are, who took a chance on

It’s been said by many observers so far, myself include, that the upcoming fall election promises to be an especially vicious one. In the last few years, we’ve seen some online groups form that have stoked a lot this, put out all kinds of fact-free and inflammatory stuff intended to

Since my first day working in political Ottawa, there have been many moments when I’ve been reminded of where I am, what I was doing and what that meant. I’m Métis and very proud of that fact. But as such, I’m always reminded of what it means to have had

As I noted here a couple of days ago, the troubles for the Ford Conservatives at Queen’s Park don’t seem to be close to being at an end. While the “resignation” of Ford’s Chief of Staff Dean French was something that many believed had to happen at some point, the

With the fall election getting closer and closer by the day, we are starting to see the different parties ramp up in different ways. Between the floods of emails soliciting emails and phone calls for the same, the parties are doing what they can to get the resources in place

When Doug Ford adjourned the Ontario Legislature for five months, until well after the Federal election in the Fall, all the talk out there about this move was that this was an attempt to try to lay low and stay out of the news to help Andrew Scheer. And while

Social Media has changed so much in our modern world, but probably in no greater way than in politics. This hasn’t all been good, but instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater I believe we need to ask ourselves some serious questions about how we can do better.

Everyone gets involved in politics for their own reasons, and those reasons can be quite varied. For many though, when it comes to those reasons for getting involved they are quite passionate about them. It is those reasons or issues that drive them, and sometimes define what they do with