Tag Archives: Liberal Party
One Week Down
Today kicks off the second week of Canada’s federal election campaign. So what has happened in the first seven days of this five-week marathon that ends September 20? I’ve been a little surprised at the performance of the governing Liberals. There seems to be a general media consensus that there is no reason for this pandemic election […]
Canada finds itself in a pandemic election. The logistics are easy. The Prime Minister hopes the outcome is favorable. When the PM told everyone in the spring that Parliament was functioning well and there was no need for an election, no-one believed him. His lust for a vote, to capitalize on COVID fears was palpable. […]
Who Is In Charge?
I always thought Canada was a democracy and Parliament, the maker of laws, was supreme. Apparently the governing Liberal Party and the Prime Minister don’t think so. They are suing the Speaker of the House of Commons, an MP from their own party, over the release of doocuments that Parliament has asked for and the […]
Ballot Casting Time
Back in Canada I have been feeling a little conflicted as to what should be filling this space. So today a compromise. There is so much happening in Canada, politically and socially, stuff that has nothing (or at least very little) to do with COVID-19. However, I have the impression that sometimes when I delve […]
It’s A Secret!
The last thing they want is for the people to know why they made the decision. Because it probably wasn’t “science-based” at all. The government of Canada has been taken to court over its imposition of mandatory hotel quarantine on some travelers to Canada. Those arriving by air have to pay for a three-day hotel […]
Not Your Ordinary Denial
Of course they believe in climate change – most of them anyway. They aren’t stupid. But they are upset. They decided to make a point. Last weekend, delegates to the Conservative Party of Canada policy convention defeated a motion that acknowledged climate change as real. It was embarrassing for leader Erin O’Toole, who has been […]
Democracy In Action – Your Turn
Today is an important day for Canadian democracy, though my guess is most people in Canada are unaware of it. Not surprising given the usual level of political awareness and engagement. In a presidential system the leader of the country is elected directly by the people. In the Westminster parliamentary tradition the Prime Minister is […]
Taking Aim At Gun Crime
One of the big differences between Canada and the United States is the attitude towards personal firearms. I don’t know if two nations with so much in common could be farther apart than on this issue. Americans think it is a constitutional right to “bear arms” and woe betide anyone who tries to take away […]
Stepping Down
Andrew Scheer resigned as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada Thursday, the same day I received this Christmas card from him. I guess he remebers me from when I worked on Parliament Hill. He really had no choice. After the October election Scheer said he was staying on the job and would fight the next […]
An Act of Bravery or Political Suicide?
In 2015, as I remember it, a young woman running as a Liberal candidate in Calgary had her candidacy revoke by the party. Some old Facebook posts had surfaced, anti-Semitic statements she had made at 16. She said she no longer held those views, but that wasn’t good enough for the party. They replaced her […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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