The latest episode of Bluesky Strategy Group’s “What You Need to Know: A #CdnPolicast” with my colleagues Tim Barber, Neil Brodie and Alyson Fair is now out. In this episode we talk about the fourth week of the 44th General Election campaign, the debates of the past week, the state
Continue readingAuthor: Cam Holmstrom
Magpie Brûlé: The Morning After: The Last Debate of #Elxn44
Last night we saw the lone English debate and the final debate of the 44th General Election campaign. With such a tight race, two previous debates in French that have barely moved the needle and so much for all leaders to gain or lose, the scene was set for a
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Reasonable Debate
The next two nights will feature what could be two of the most pivotal moments in this election campaign; the French and English national leaders’ debates. The old adage says that “debates don’t change elections, unless they do”, and there is a lot of truth there. But given the tight
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: “Our Position Hasn’t Changed”
This election campaign has not been what some had hoped for, and many had expected. The Liberals were expecting a sleepy, boring election that would naturally end with their return to Parliament with a glorious majority, which was why they sent us all to the polls in the midst of
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: What You Need to Know: A #CdnPolicast – #Elxn44 Week Three
The latest episode of Bluesky Strategy Group’s “What You Need to Know: A #CdnPolicast” with my colleagues Geoff Turner, Neil Brodie and Alyson Fair is now out. In this episode we talk about the third week of the 44th General Election campaign, the current state of the race, and what
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: MB Podcast – Halfway to Election Day
The latest episode of the Magpie Brûlé podcast is now live. In this episode, Cam & Alise talk about the latest developments from the 44th General Election, the tone of the campaign as it hits the midway point, the Liberal platform release, the upcoming party leader debates and a couple
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Talking the Protests During #Elxn44 Events on CTV News Channel
Saturday I joined CTV News Channel with Todd van der Hayden for the “True North Politics” panel along with Jamie Ellerton and Marcel Wieder. We talked about the growing number of disturbing protests at various campaign events during this election, the venom and anger found at them, why we’re seeing
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: The Message Sent, Intentional or Not
In every election campaign is seems that an announcement is made, or a promise is put on the table that really speaks a loud truth about the leader or party making it. It’s the kind of thing that may not be big or consequential alone by itself, yet when you
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: What You Need to Know: A #CdnPolicast – #Elxn44 Week Two
The latest episode of Bluesky Strategy Group’s “What You Need to Know: A #CdnPolicast” with my colleagues Tim Barber, Neil Brodie and Alyson Fair is now out. In this episode we talk about the second week of the 44th General Election campaign, the current state of the polling in the
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: When Trust is Lacking
We’re closing in on the end of the second week of the 44th general election campaign and things continue to get tighter in the race. The Conservatives and NDP are on the rise, the Liberals are slumping, and this supposed easy march to a Liberal majority government has turned into
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: MB Podcast – Week Two of #Elxn44
The latest episode of the Magpie Brûlé podcast is now live. In this episode, Cam & Alise talk about the latest developments from Afghanistan, the questions being asked of the current government, how this might impact the ongoing election, the state of play in the campaign itself, where the parties
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Talking the Resignation of Dr. Fisman from the Ontario COVID Science Table with Kristy Cameron
Yesterday I joined Kristy Cameron on CFRA’s “Ottawa Now” along with Lindsay Maskell & Kate Harrison for “Political Heat” panel. We talked about the resignation of Dr. David Fisman from the Ontario COVID-19 Science Table, what this says about the transparency from the provincial government on this, the politics that
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Talking the First Week of #Elxn44 on CTV News Channel
Saturday I joined CTV News Channel with Akshay Tandon for the “Political Pulse” panel along with David Zimmer and Marisa Maslink. We reviewed the first week on the campaign trail, the current state of the polling, the fact that the questions about why this campaign was necessary are still alive
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Talking Twitter Scolding the Liberals on “The Arlene Bynon Show”
This morning I joined Arlene Bynon on “The Arlene Bynon Show” on Sirius XM’s Canada Talks 167, along with Will Stewart. We discussed the start of week two of the 44th General Election campaign, the current state of the campaign, the Liberals getting their wrists slapped by Twitter, what that
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: Ten Years Ago Today
During the 17 months of the COVID pandemic that we’ve lived so far, there have been so many moments when so many of us have commented that time seems to be moving so fast. We’ve all had those moments, when either something that happened just prior to COVID comes up
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: What You Need to Know: A #CdnPolicast – #Elxn44 Week One
The latest episode of Bluesky Strategy Group’s “What You Need to Know: A #CdnPolicast” with my colleagues Susan Smith, Neil Brodie and Alyson Fair is now out. In this episode we talk about the start of the 44th General Election campaign, who had a good start & who struggled, the
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: A Bad Pandemic Candidate Vetting Fail
I keep saying that this election that we are now in is one that will be a good case study somedays, because of the unique circumstances that it’s happening in, namely the COVID pandemic. Obviously, that’s having some tangible effects on how the campaigns are running, how people will vote
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: MB Podcast – The Starting Line
The latest episode of the Magpie Brûlé podcast is now live. In this episode, Cam & Alise talk the start of the 44th General Election, the attempts at wedge politics at the start of this campaign (and the wedgies it brought), what the current state of polling tell us about
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: “Our Platform Language Stands”
During an election everyone has their strategies, their bases, their places for growth and the people they are trying to attract. Those competing priorities can create some very awkward and uncomfortable situations and decisions for parties to make, or to try to avoid making at all costs. When it comes
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: The Sideshow Heads to Cochrane
In all election campaigns most of the attention is paid to the “main event”; the major national parties, their campaigns and platforms, who’s up and who’s down, all that good stuff. Yet in every campaign, just like in life, there are sideshows that happen at the same time that sometimes
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