Accidental Deliberations: On echoes

Plenty of commentators have pointed out the symmetry between this year’s election and that of 2008 in terms of low voter turnout and general dissatisfaction with the outcome on the part of all parties. But it’s worth noting the similarities between the two campaigns and their aftermath on the part

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Accidental Deliberations: #Elxn44 Roundup

News, notes and commentary from Canada’s federal election. – Heather Scoffield comments that there’s reason for hope in this election based on the options available to voters. Jaime Watt concludes that Jagmeet Singh is ideally positioned to provide aspirational leadership in an election where voters are more interested in future plans than a referendum

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Alberta Politics: On the 10th anniversary of his death, from the vantage of Election 2021, happy memories of Jack Layton and the campaign of 2011

Don’t mourn! Organize! — Joe Hill, Swedish-American union organizer Canadians still mourn the loss of Jack Layton, Joe Hill’s wise strategic counsel to social activists notwithstanding. Mr. Layton on one of his last visits to Edmonton during that campaign (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). I first made that observation on this

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Alberta Politics: Is the Conservative Opposition a national government in waiting or a separatist bloc? Andrew Scheer must decide

Who said, “At time of global economic instability, Canada’s government must stand unequivocally for keeping the country together”? I won’t tease you. It was Stephen Harper, on Dec. 3, 2008. Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper (Photo: Prime Minister of Greece). Prime minister Harper, desperate to avoid a non-confidence vote

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Alberta Politics: ‘Blue-Ribbon Panel’ report sets stage for full-blown austerity, private health care, soaring tuition and much more

The recommendations of the Kenney Government’s “blue-ribbon panel” on Alberta’s finances yesterday went further over the top than you’d even have expected from a report ginned up by a couple of Fraser Institute ringers, a former bank president, and a few additional followers of the government’s low-tax, market-fundamentalist ideology. As

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Accidental Deliberations: Juxtaposition

Some parties and leaders recognize the stakes in determining how to manage a minority Parliament: I asked Mr. Duceppe what he thought would happen if the prime minister refused to accept such an ultimatum. He replied that a government defeat so soon after a general election meant the Governor General

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