“5 Questions” Interview(s) With Ontario Liberal Party Candidates: Michael Coteau
If you were to search through my archives, you would find back in 2012 that I did a series of “5 Questions” with Ontario Liberal Party leadership candidates who were…
Canadian Politics
Victory in defeat
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh at a capaign event in Parksville Beach, BC. Photo by Wayne Polk (Flickr). When the news broke that the Liberals had won every riding in the…
The ten reasons Andrew Scheer lost the election
1. He’s a Western social conservative and most Canadian voters are neither Westerners nor social conservatives. 2. He allowed himself to be defined (see above) before he defined himself. 3.…
Federal election results show why abandoning ‘social license’ was a dumb idea for Alberta’s oilpatch
Seeking “social license” for Alberta’s fossil fuel industry was said by the NDP government of former premier Rachel Notley to be a way to win approval for more pipeline capacity…
#elxn43: my (completely mundane) thoughts on the results
Since I posted my useless blather just before the recent Canadian federal election, I feel like I should weigh in on the outcome. My thoughts are not trenchant or incisive,…
Breaking news: opposition research firm does opposition research
From CBC, earlier today: On his Kinsellacast podcast, an unapologetic Kinsella said the campaign to spotlight racists who attached themselves to the fledgling party was not supposed to extend into…
Alberta is Alberta again! The poor little rich kid of Confederation brings down a budget
Happy St. Crispin’s Day, Alberta! Appropriately enough, it’s time for those of us who live here in Wild Rose Country to cry, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once…
Election 43 Aftermath: Free Advice For The Conservative Party
Find a new leader that is a bit more moderate on social issues (Rona Ambrose, Michael Chong, Lisa Raitt even) and bring back more progressive policies. Regarding Climate change; if…
Kenney to Trudeau: Adopt Andrew Scheer’s energy platform or Alberta will hold a meaningless equalization referendum!
If you concluded as New Brunswick’s Conservative premier just did that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s somewhat reduced victory in Monday’s federal election indicates a certain level of support for carbon…
What a strange, strange night it’s been: Andrew Scheer snatches defeat from the jaws of victory!
Well! There’s certainly no shortage of safe Conservative seats in Alberta Jason Kenney could use to saddle up and ride back to Ottawa to save conservatism after Andrew Scheer’s disastrous…
N.B.’s Blaine Higgs showed the proper path to power after a close vote, but don’t expect Albertans to believe it
If the Conservatives led by Andrew Scheer should win the most seats in the House of Commons tonight but Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refuses to hand over power on…
#elxn43: the choice is clear, as always: progressives who vote liberal are not progressive at all
Jagmeet Singh marching with striking hotel workersin Vancouver. For weeks now, I’ve ignored all commentary and punditry about the upcoming Canadian federal election. I feel that literally no one has…
NDP’s Jagmeet Singh’s upriSingh has been the big breakthrough in Canada’s Federal Election
THEPROVINCE.COM Michael Smyth Mike Smyth: All eyes on B.C. as the federal election comes down to the wire Opinion: The bloom came off the Trudeau rose in a nasty…
Federal Election Facebook Posts
Another significant endorsement! STRAIGHT.COM Video: Grand Chief Stewart Phillip endorses NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh “Absolutely everyone is talking about this man, Jagmeet Singh,” the president of the Union of B.C.…
Massive Edmonton rally greets eco-activist Greta Thunberg; tiny truck counter-protest ignored by all but media
It would have been a remarkable accomplishment for any group to summon a throng the size of the multitude that enthusiastically greeted 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg in Edmonton…
Electoral dilemmas and participatory theatre
A voting sign hangs in the window at 85 Thorncliffe Park Drive in East York, Toronto. Photo by Melissa Renwick/Toronto Star. It’s that time again when we get to exercise…
NDP repudiates Quebec’s Bill 21 but falters in its explanation
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh delivers a stump speech in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Photo from Instagram. The NDP is fighting for its life in Quebec, where the Bloc Québécois supported by the…
Dude, where’s my bus? How the election failed public transit
Public buses line a busy street in Ottawa. Photo by Dylan Passmore (Flickr). We are now only days away from the federal election, with the Liberals and Conservatives locked in…