Author: Owen Gray

                                                       https://twitter.com/ The polls are all over the place. But, if you go to political events — even Stephen Harper’s invitation only events —

                                                 http://www.blazingcatfur.ca/ Did Stephen Harper make his comments about banning niqabs from the public service because he was drawn off script? David Krayden writes: First off, there is no room for improvisation in a Stephen Harper script. When cabinet ministers receive their speaking notes from the PMO for

                                               https://www.reddit.com/ The differences between the Liberals and the Conservatives are getting starker. Susan Delacourt writes: If this election is distilling down to a potentially ugly culture war in the final two weeks before the vote, much could rest on how Canadians feel about the people living around

                                                 https://www.pinterest.com/ Joe Oliver announced at the end of last week that the Canadian economy had grown by 0.3% in July. And he said he doubted we were ever in recession. Now his buddies are waiting to announce that the Trans Pacific Partnership has been signed. Another shiny bauble to

                                          http://buckdogpolitics.blogspot.ca/ Give Tom Mulcair credit. He stuck to his guns last night on the question of niqabs. A native son, he is well aware of the xenophobic streak that runs through Quebec society — and which is occasionally fanned by

                                              http://www.ctvnews.ca/ Stephen Harper  tried to boil this election down to two issues: economy and security. The economy plank hasn’t worked so well form him, given the problems in the oil patch.  So now he’s emphasizing security — and railing about niqabs. Michael Harris writes: According to senior sources in

                                                   http://www.dailymail.co.uk It’s clear that Lynton Crosby is now in charge of the Harper campaign. How else do you explain the prime minister’s railing about niqabs in the face of two court rulings? David Krayden writes: Everything is transpiring according to the playbook, and Crosby — who probably can’t believe

                                                    http://enviroshare.info/ The Harper government hopes that concluding the TPP deal will be its October Surprise. Constitutional convention dictates that, in an election campaign, the sitting government becomes a caretaker government. But this government is contemptuous of all constitutional conventions. Scott Sinclair writes: This would not be the

                                                http://www.metal-archives.com/ At tonight’s Munk debate, Stephen Harper will claim that — just as he is  a master of economic policy — he is also a foreign

There was a lot of sound and fury last night about niqabs.  But they are red herrings. The central question in this election is, “Who do you trust?” Michael Harris writes: This week has seen another trainwreck for CPC credibility. How funny is it that the guy who campaigns in

                                        https://www.psychologytoday.com/ Stephen Harper has always treated his political rivals with contempt. But these days, David Krayden writes, he is equally contemptuous of his base. Consider the case of the Canadian Firearms Association: Leave it to the ‘tough guys’ of Canadian politics to pick fights in all the

                                              https://jerazol.wordpress.com/ The Harperites have always lived inside a bunker. During this election, they’ve fortified the barricades. Lawrence Martin writes: In the election campaign, the Conservatives have barred