Rae On Peladeau
In this morning’s Globe and Mail, Bob Rae writes that — as a general rule — good businessmen don’t make good politicians: With the notable exception of Silvio Berlusconi, corporate…
Owen Gray
The Worst In History?
When historians eventually get around to rendering judgement on the Harper Government, they will point to many things. They will certainly cite the gutting of Statistics Canada. Jeffrey Simpson writes:…
Leaving Them Behind
When Stephen Harper was the Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Mitrovica writes, he sought out journalists: He courted press coverage enthusiastically. (There’s a word commonly used in Ottawa to describe…
Living In The 19th Century
Yesterday, with great fanfare, Stephen Harper signed a free trade deal with South Korea. He claims that the deal signals prosperity for Canada. There will be winners. But, Tom Walkom…
The Flim Flam Men
Listening to Pierre Poilievre defend the “Fair” Elections Act, you really have to ask yourself: Just who is this guy? He insists that voter fraud is a major problem. But…
The Price Of Conservatism
Robert Reich writes that, in the three decades after World War II, the United States created the largest middle class the world has ever seen: During those years the earnings…
The Economics Of Coercion
The British economic historian Avner Offer believes that the gap between our economic model and our economic reality is now similar to the gap between Karl Marx’s Communism and Leonid…
Alarm Bells Should Be Going Off
The Harperites didn’t consult Marc Mayrand when they drew up their election “reforms.” And there was a reason they did everything they could to prevent him from testifying before the…
What Leaders Read
Earlier this week, Angela Merkel worried that Vladimir Putin was living “in another world.” Leonoid Bershidsky writes that Putin does indeed inhabit another world — not because he’s crazy, but…
The Circular Course Of Things
Yesterday, Pauline Marois announced that Quebecers will be going to the polls on April 7th. She is prepared to defend her Charter of Values. But she has said nothing about…
Manning Knows His Man
The report from Elections Canada on irregularities in the 2011 election is due at the end of the month. Lawrence Martin foresees three possible scenarios unfolding: One is that Elections…
The Coming Implosion
Michael Harris writes that the Harper Party keeps moving closer to its own self destruction. Last weekend, the Manning Conference stripped Mr. Harper naked. He is no longer the leader…
No Solutions
Jeffrey Simpson writes that, in what used to be called “The White Commonwealth,” Margaret Thatcher’s children are in charge: Mrs. Thatcher’s children, intellectually speaking, are prime ministers in four countries:…
Under The Bus
Andrew Coyne writes that there is a distinct difference between conservatives and Conservatives. That difference was on display at this weekend’s Manning Conference: The Conservative party is supposed to be…
Me And Thee
This week, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation handed out its Golden Pig Awards for profligate public spending. And — world of wonders — Jason Kenney’s ministry, Employment and Social Development Canada,…
The Munchkin Brigade
John Baird and his brigade are in the Ukraine this morning. Tim Harper writes that it’s interesting to examine the composition of the group: The delegation on the ground in…
The Road Not Taken
Stephen Harper is obsessed with the name Trudeau. When he arrived in Edmonton, a university drop out, he admired Pierre Elliott Trudeau. By the time he graduated from the University…
Justin’s Main Stream Economic Vision
The details are lacking, Tom Walkom writes, but Justin Trudeau’s economic vision is becoming clear. First, there is his focus on the middle class: Trudeau’s argument here is that both…
Where Are The Big Ideas?
Murray Dobbins writes that none of our political parties are adopting big ideas. It’s not that they’re not out there. He points to the Alternative Budget which the Canadian Centre…
The Inconvenient Truth
If the Harperites read their own internally generated research, they know why Justin Trudeau is a threat. The Globe and Mail reports that a document prepared last October by Employment…