I watched the Macleans leadership debates again on Youtube, and noticed a few things that I hadn’t picked up on when watching it live. For one thing, Thomas Mulcair was the only one of the four to have to use a script, when delivering his closing remarks. We saw one awkward moment when
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Accidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Crawford Kilian reviews Tom Mulcair’s Strength of Conviction and describes what we can expect out of an NDP federal government as a result: He seems likely to be a very pro-family PM, if only because his own family clearly shaped him that way.
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Leaders Debate: No One Won And Why It Doesn’t Matter
Tempting though it may be for those of us in the peanut gallery to rattle on about who won and who flopped in the Leaders Debate, the really important question is this: did we learn anything new about the men who would be king, er, prime minister? A healthy economy?
Continue readingAlberta Politics: When propaganda becomes memory: Pierre Trudeau and the National Energy Program
PHOTOS: Pierre and Justin Trudeau back in the day, with possibly quite a few Liberal supporters in the background. Below: Prime Minister Steve and Defence Minister Jason Kenney. Everybody in Alberta knows Pierre Trudeau and his National Energy Program laid waste to Alberta in the 1980s, and that would include
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: B.C. residents choose Mulcair as prime minister in post-debate poll
British Columbians polled just after last Thursday’s Maclean’s leaders debate would pick NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair for Canada’s next Prime Minister. The post B.C. residents choose Mulcair as prime minister in post-debate poll appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: No losers except Canadians in last night’s ditchwater-dull debate
PHOTOS: Zzzzzzzzz … Why are these men smiling? Below: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, sneering; Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair, smiling unnervingly; Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, doing his best to look pugnacious; Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, happy to be there. Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair stayed calm, smiled and looked prime ministerial
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: How Thomas Mulcair Dashed the Hopes of Millions of Canadians
On July 17, 1996, Bill C-35 came into effect, which redefined the federal minimum wage to be the adult minimum wage, in the provinces where the work was performed; by those employed in industries that fell under federal jurisdiction.At the time, federal minimum wage was just $4.00 an hour, while in B.C., for instance, it was $7.00
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: The US May Have Trump; But Canada Has An Alien
Let’s put it this way; we could have used the swagger and unexpectedness Donald Trump presented in last nights US Republican debates in the Canadian leaders debate. Instead, the first hour the Canadian debate consisted of Conservative leader Stephen Harper doing what he does best which is misleading Canadians on facts. Green Party leader Elizabeth […]
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: And the verdict is…
Having set out my criteria for watching tonight’s leaders’ debate in today’s column, I’ll offer a quick rundown as to my evaluation. Justin Trudeau was by far the weakest of the lot in terms of both depth and flexibility of thought from the very beginning, answering Paul Wells’ question about
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Is it good news or bad news for the Conservatives if Stephen Harper trumps Trump tonight?
PHOTOS: Stephen Harper, as imagined during tonight’s TV debate. (Photo of Donald Trump by Gage Skidmore.) Below: The real Mr. Harper and another shot of the real Mr. Trump. Now, about that debate tonight, the big question has to be whether it will help the Conservatives or hurt them when
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, with my suggestions as to what viewers should watch for in tonight’s leaders’ debate – particularly in a campaign where we’ll have ample opportunity to see everything but interaction between party leaders. For further reading…– David Reevely describes the staging behind most of the campaign events we’ll see between
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: How We Are Helping Stephen Harper Destroy Our Democracy
This year, the Organization for Security and Economic Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), will be sending a delegation to Canada to monitor our upcoming election. This is primarily in response to sweeping changes to our electoral system, as a result of the Conservative’s so-called Fair Elections Act. Those concerns include: whether the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Michael Hiltzik discusses how corporate apologists are trying (but failing) to minimize the existence and importance of income inequality. Lawrence Martin notes that the rest of Canada’s economic indicators are similarly signalling that Conservative dogma is of absolutely no use in the real
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Why Mulcair Could Be in Trouble Over Bill C-51
I think by now most people realize that the NDP stance on Bill C-51 was crafted to make Justin Trudeau look bad. Before their vocal opposition, Mulcair had not yet decided how to handle the bill. In fact, he told Tom Clark that he would not necessarily repeal Bill C-51
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On control freaks
While we’re on the subject of Stephen Harper’s campaign to insult Canada, let’s note the significance of his choice of attacks on Tom Mulcair. As others have pointed out, the “career politician” complaint makes absolutely no sense as an attempt to contrast Mulcair against Harper – who has been in
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: NDP vaults past Conservatives, Liberals after 2015 election call: Poll
A Forum Research poll conducted after Stephen Harper officially called the 2015 federal election on Sunday shows that 39 per cent of Canadian voters would vote NDP if the election were held today. The post NDP vaults past Conservatives, Liberals after 2015 election call: Poll appeared first on The Canadian
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Election Called, Media in Crisis, International Observers Called In
Yesterday Prime Minister Harper dropped the election writ, and Canada is now in it’s 42nd election since confederation. There has been much speculation around the timing of the writ dropping. This election will be one of the longest and most costliest elections in modern times, which could cost Canadian tax payers close to $1 billion+ […]
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: The New National Dilemma After Our Sharp Right Turn
I dug out a little book that I’d bought a while ago at a book fair: The National Dilemma and the Way OutIt was published in 1975, and co-written by Winnett Boyd, chief designer of the Chinook jet engine and the nuclear reactor at Chalk River. He was also a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: This just in: Prime minister calls early election … I mean, calls an election early … What could possibly go wrong?
PHOTOS: The prime minister of Canada in a Navy hat. The new kind. Yeah! A macho Navy cap! Now where’s Tommy Flanagan, now that we need him again? No, not that Tommy Flanagan! The political strategy guy. Below: Former prime minister Joe Clark, former Alberta premier Jim Prentice and current
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The One Question to Ask a Conservative Candidate in This Election
He did it. Stephen Harper dropped the writ and we’re heading into a 78 day election campaign. Oh joy! I’m serious. I intend to have a real conversation with my Conservative MP, the ditzy Joan Crockatt. I expect our conversation to go something like this: Ding dong. (Dog erupts into
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