I haven’t commented much on the latest out of the federal Libs’ camp. But I’ll quickly expand on the similarities noted by Paul Wells between Justin Trudeau and some of his predecessors – who did so much to alienate progressive Canadians during their s…
Continue readingTag: by-elections
Calgary Grit: Role Reversal
Now I know how Conservative candidates running in tight Ontario races must feel whenever Rob Anders opens his mouth during a federal election campaign: Rae forced to apologize after David McGuinty says Alberta Tories should ‘go home’ Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae has apologized for a colleague who suggested Alberta Conservative MPs are shills for the oil industry and should “go home.” Rae says Ottawa MP David McGuinty’s comments were a mistake and certainly not helpful, coming less than a … →
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On competitive questions
There’s been plenty of talk in recent weeks about how the Calgary Centre by-election might serve as either the time for an inter-party pact to limit voters’ options opposing the Harper Cons, or a spur to future movement on the same front. But before we…
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Liberal Heartland Calgary
Wednesday was not a typical day for Calgary Grits. While leadership candidates must all fly into town, knowing the party’s weighted-by-riding leadership system makes a vote there far more valuable than a vote in Toronto, I have never seen a serious candidate launch their leadership campaign from the heart of Conservative country. But there was Martha Hall Findlay at the Stampede grounds, declaring her intentions to run for Liberal leader. It’s tempting to write off the Calgary launch as a … →
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – The Toronto Star’s Public Editor Kathy English discusses the wall being built around information by the Harper Cons. But at least as interesting to me is the Cons’ determination to put up roadblocks in the way of information which can obviously be obtained
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Jim Coyle wonders whether or democracy is in decline, and cites as evidence the utter disconnect between the primary functions of elected representatives and the way politics are covered in the media: (R)eal influence and authority has left the precincts — drifting
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: MLA Bill Routley Stands Up For Democracy-Calls For By-Election!
Bill Routley Cowichan NDP MLA-Wants A Democratic Byelection For School Trustees The out of date undemocratic treatment Cowichan School Trustees faced when they dared speak of the negative impacts of cutbacks is unacceptable by any measure. It can only be addressed through a by-election says a fired up Bill Routley,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Stephen Kimber makes the case for a financial transactions tax in Atlantic Business: (W)hat can supposedly sovereign nations do when individual governments seem powerless in the face of rampant globalization and footloose capital? Well, they could get together to create an international
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: The End of the Blue Grit?
Yes, last night’s Kitchener-Waterloo by-election resulted in a resounding victory for the Ontario NDP and new MPP Catherine Fife. But perhaps more noteworthy is the signal the result sends to the McGuinty Libs – as well as his partymates elsewhere in Canada. In effect, the Libs’ by-election message boiled down
Continue readingCalgary Grit: A Reminder of the Unpredictable Nature of By-Elections
Just 17% of Kitchener-Waterlooians voted NDP provincially last fall – nearly the same number who voted NDP federally last spring, in the midst of the orange wave. They hadn’t won the riding since 1943, when they were known as the CCF. So this isn’t a riding with deep NDP roots.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – There wasn’t much doubt from the recent storm of astroturfed Twitter messages that NDP candidate Catherine Fife stood to do well in tomorrow’s Kitchener-Waterloo provincial byelection. But I’m not sure anybody anticipated she’d have a sixteen-point lead over all comers – and the
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Horwath skips vote on Southwestern Ontario Economic Development Fund and runs Rob Ford supporter in Vaughan – what does her NDP stand for?
Kitchener-Waterloo NDP candidate Catherine Fife is running on a slogan of “Leadership that delievers”, but a look at the actions of NDP leader Andrea Horwath and her fellow NDP candidate in Vaughan raises questions about what exactly she wants to deliver. Yesterday, the Ontario Liberals gave new support to the Southwestern Ontario Economic Development
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: "Students putting students first" – Ontario Student Trustees’ Association calls Putting Students First Act "a fair deal", but will the NDP and Catherine Fife listen?
The NDP and Catherine Fife have already come out against the Putting Students First Act, but will they listen to the students of Ontario themselves or their big union money interests? Here’s what the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association says about the Liberal government moving to make sure students are in
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Why is Eric Davis running in Kitchener-Waterloo?
Here’s a great piece by Kitchener-Waterloo Liberal candidate Eric Davis answering the most basic question that anyone running for public office has to answer: Why are you running? Eric’s two big reasons are simple but moving: Public service and family. Eric has a long track-record of local leadership in Kitchener-Waterloo,
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: With education on the line, will Tim Hudak flip-flop on a wage freeze like he did on full day kindergarten?
We know Tim Hudak’s position on full day kindergarten for Ontario families has gone from this: To this “Tim Hudak…condemned the program, which is to be fully rolled out by 2014″ with Hudak’s double flip-flop backed by Kitchener-Waterloo Progressive Conservative candidate Tracey Weiler: “Weiler said that she “supports the leader’s position”
Continue readingCalgary Grit: The Dog Days of Summer
Pauline Marois will make Quebecers long for the tolerant Premiership of Jacques Parizeau With politicians away from Ottawa and politics the last thing on the minds of Canadians, the summer news cycle usually slows to a crawl. Short of extraordinary events – war, disaster, or the great Census crisis of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Afternoon Links
Assorted content to end your day. – For those wondering what might become of Nathan Cullen’s leadership campaign plan to work with progressives of all party stripes, we now have part of the answer: in advance of the Calgary Centre by-election, Cullen will be reaching out to discuss how to
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Oda Out
Newspapers across the country must now retire the most unflattering stock photo ever While most will toast Bev Oda’s departure with a $16 glass of orange juice, to me, she’ll always be the Cabinet Minister who doctored government files and got away with it. In some respects Harper oews his
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Evening Links
Assorted content to end your day. – Thomas Walkom highlights why we should be nothing but dubious about the austerians’ call to slash public supports: The Harper Conservatives are scaling back spending on national parks to save about $20 million. But at the same time they are planning to spend
Continue readingNot an Official Green Party Canada Site: Elections Canada has some serious evidence this time: Things are looking VERY grim for Conservative Del Mastro
Oh boy, the timing could not have been better if M&M planned it. I posted a couple of days ago when the first M&M article was released, telling us that Del Mastro was being investigated for overspending, with a copy of a personal cheque he wrote to cover election expenses.
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