It is likely to be a frosty Friday when Canada’s conservatives turn to former Quebec premier Jean Charest. They are just not that desperate, yet. It will be a while before the full field of candidates emerges for the race to replace Chuckles Scheer. Canada’s conservatives want a winner to
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Babel-on-the-Bay: The accidental Newsmaker of the Year.
“Tread lightly friend around a lady of a certain age.” You have been warned. Her fecund years behind her, she might be seeking the honours of her peers, the sisterhood, in new fields—and woe to the mere man who stands in her way. And prime minister Justin Trudeau tells us
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Redefining conservatism: A zero sum game.
Our conservative friends are all in a tizzy. They think they are going to get to redefine their party. Fat chance, is the only answer for them. In a party that was defined by conservative Stephen Harper, 20 years ago, there are few progressives. Conservatism in Canada is where you
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Chuckles Chucks It.
We are going to miss Chuckles. Sure, it is customary to think of something nice to say about the guy now he has announced he is quitting as leader of the conservative party. The first problem with Andrew Scheer is to think of something nice to say. The hair looks
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Does Kenney prefer Ottawa?
Alberta’s Jason Kenney spends an inordinate amount of time in Ottawa. This is hardly the norm for premiers—especially western premiers. It just maybe that the real prize tantalizing Mr. Kenney is Mr. Scheer’s job. Maybe this stretch at the funny farm in the Edmonton legislature has just been a means
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Singh sings Scheer’s song.
One of the questions we have always wanted to ask new democratic leader Jagmeet Singh is what makes him think he is a politician? When you have a question such as that, it is always best to just watch for a while. Now it can be asked. What ever gave
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A stealth pipeline?
You do realize, do you not, that the Trans Mountain pipeline is being twinned as you read this? Yes, the federal cabinet has obviously, and quietly, given the pipe people the go ahead. There are still some legal issues to resolve but the cabinet is acting as though they do
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: There has to be a pony in there.
You cannot have all that cast-off material from a barnyard without a pony in there somewhere. The speech-from-the-throne writers must have figured that if you have to use weasel words, you might as well use a lot. So, if you could stand one more reading of that speech, that the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Building bridges west?
I am not a fan of Toronto member of parliament Chrystia Freeland. While properly impressed by both her CV as a journalist and her books, I do not see her as a politician or deputy prime minister. I do not think she understands Donald Trump, Jason Kenney or Justin Trudeau.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Chuckles is doing a listening tour.
He should have listened before the recent election. We heard the other day that Andrew Scheer is on a tour to hear what the conservatives have to say about his election effort. The words he is hearing are not all that positive. Luckily, he has just fired his chief of
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Liberals think they won?
There seems to be a new definition of winning. There was a lengthy Insight article in the Toronto Star last weekend on how the liberals think they won the last election. Signed by the Star’s Susan Delacourt, it must have been dictated by the liberal campaign head Jeremy Broadhurst. Even
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: And now for some slow news?
It is now revealed. The Toronto Star tells us that what we write as instant commentary on a news event is called a ‘Hot Take.’ This was the same day as there had been something catastrophic at the Star’s out-of-town printing plant. The news about Hot Takes and Slow News
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: But who’ll fix the marijuana mess?
Swearing in the new cabinet at Rideau Hall was a painful process. Maybe it would have worked better if all the retreads with the same portfolios got sworn in together. It was only the cabinet changes that the media and public wanted to examine. And I, for one, think a
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: In the job nobody wanted.
Watching the West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson trying to interview Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois, on Sunday caused mixed emotions. Here is the guy who took on the job for the Bloc that nobody else wanted and he is running rings around the Global Television interviewer. And he is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Justin Trudeau lacks the political smarts.
An old friend is mounting an e-mail campaign to get prime minister Justin Trudeau to add some key members to his new cabinet. I have argued with him that it is not going to happen and frankly the problem is not so much the idea but the fact that the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
It seems that we are dealing totally in the small stuff these days. Imagine getting outraged by that blowhard on Coach’s Corner between the first and second period of Hockey Night in Canada. That is the viewer’s opportunity to get a fresh beer or to go to the washroom. I
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Now do the decent thing.
Green leader Elizabeth May did the right thing. The other major party leaders, Scheer, Singh and Trudeau should follow. None completed the recent election with honour. Scheer won the popular vote and lost the election. Singh lost ground for the new democrats. Trudeau lost the West but won Ontario and
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Canada’s elitist senate studies itself.
An argument in Canada’s senate recently was whether an independent member could spend public money to study the public attitude about the senate. While we are not entirely clear on why, it seems that independent senator Donna Dasko spent $15,000 of public money and expected it to be paid from
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A failure in leadership.
If conservative leader Andrew Scheer is looking for compassion, he is looking in the wrong places. There is no succor for losers in Toronto’s Albany club. Long the King Street hangout of the rich and famous of Canadian conservatism, there is no compassion there for someone rejected by the voters
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A surfeit of opinions.
For the first time, it seemed that there really were more than enough opinions on this election. Not only did we have the political blogs and usual social media postings but those handy newsletters from major media are now routine. The first to sign off was Kady O’Malley of iPolitics
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