I liked Brian Mulroney. He was just full of that rascally Irish charm. And a rascal he certainly was. Taking envelopes with large sums of money in hotel rooms from shady characters is not what one expects of a Canadian prime minister, particularly one who was highly successful in all
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Views from the Beltline: The last progressive conservative?
In December 2003 the Progressive Conservative Party merged with the Canadian Alliance (formerly the Reform Party) to become the Conservative Party of Canada. The “progressive” disappeared in both name and philosophy under the leadership of Stephen Harper. Last Tuesday one of the last truly progressive Conservatives was also lost to
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Trudeau’s future—past as prologue?
According to a recent Angus Reid study Prime Minister Trudeau’s approval rating while low is still better than most of his recent predecessors. It currently stands at 40 percent, not exactly wild popularity. But, compared to his predecessors, not at all bad. He has been our PM for eight years
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: How Alberta populists wrecked conservatism
Brian Mulroney recently said he no longer recognized himself in the Conservative Party. I’m no conservative, but I sympathize with him. The current Conservative Party just isn’t the conservative party we knew for most of our history. It seems to be focussed on the economy at the expense of everything
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Are the new Conservatives the old Conservatives?
Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives showed a new face during the recent campaign. A surprisingly progressive one. The leader said the party has let Canadians down, citing climate policies and engaging with working Canadian and union leaders. Not only the electorate was surprised. Many Conservatives were as well. When did we start
Continue readingMaking Canada a leader in the world again
Canada has a distinguished record of contributing to the use of hard power in the world, as our performance in two world wars and Korea attests. As a third-rate power militarily, however, we are always a follower, never a leader. In the realm of soft power, things are rather different.
Continue readingJohn Baird, Barrick Gold, and the corruption of democracy
In February, John Baird, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced his resignation from cabinet and as an MP. Within two months he was on Barrick Gold’s international advisory board, the board of the CPR, and an international advisor to Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li. He is expected to receive $235,000
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