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Political and Policy Analysis
The Niagara Independent, September 6, 2019 — On the eve of the call of the Canadian federal election, here is a snapshot of polling numbers and trends on voter intention, compiled on Labour Day from available public opinion data. Liberals enjoy a lead based on support in Ontario and Quebec Politicking through the summer…
Liberal MP Connie Denesiuk with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Denesiuk has already published media spots without Trudeau. The Niagara Independent, August 30, 2019 — In 2015 the Liberals successful election campaign was energized with the images of Justin Trudeau. Indeed, many unknown Liberal candidates rode the Leaders’ popularity to victory and to their seat in…
Unifor president Jerry Dias with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Unifor represents thousands of reporters from mainstream media. The union has vowed to be Andrew Scheer’s worst nightmare. The Niagara Independent, August 23, 2019 — Can Canadians trust their media regarding its coverage of national politics? Based on a string of events over the past few…
The Niagara Independent, August 16, 2019 — It was an explosive spectacle this week when Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion made public his findings on the conduct of the Prime Minister and his Office respecting their obstruction of justice in the SNC Lavalin scandal. It was as if all of Ottawa was caught up in some…
The Niagara Independent, August 9, 2019 — The Fraser Institute published its annual tax study recently and it shows the tax burden on Canadians has risen again through the past year. It is a fact in our country that an average family will spend more on their taxes than any other single expense. Given that…
The Niagara Independent, August 2, 2019 — As surmised in the February 22, 2019 Niagara Independent column, “There’s much more to this Gerald Butts story.” And it now appears, perhaps, the puppet master never truly left the Liberal Party’s backrooms. Liberal Party “insiders” recently leaked that the former PMO Principal Secretary and Justin Trudeau’s best…
The Niagara Independent, July 12, 2019 — Perhaps this news item did not register beyond Ottawa’s political corridors and the national press corps, but to those in the epicenter of national politics Professor Amir Attaran caused quite a stir this week. On Saturday, Liberal-friendly polling firm Abacus Data released a new poll stating the “tight…
The Niagara Independent, July 5, 2019 — Over the next three and a half months leading up to the election, this column will periodically review the polling numbers and voter intention trends by way of a snapshot. This particular snapshot has been taken with the available public opinion statistics and data compiled on Canada Day….
The Niagara Independent, June 28, 2019 — The Liberal Government has passed Bill C-69, which revamps the federal environmental assessment process for major resource projects, and Bill C-48, which places a moratorium on oil tanker activity along the BC coast. Western Canadians and industry leaders have forewarned that these Bills will bury the oil and…
The Niagara Independent, June 25, 2019 — In the dying days of this 42nd Parliament of Canada, the Trudeau Government has passed two major pieces of legislation that could possibly sound the death knell for Canadian resource development. Liberals hail their new measures as a major step towards a greener country. Critics view these measures…
The Niagara Independent, June 21, 2019 — Having recently announced he will not seek re-election this October, Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson sat down with me in his Ottawa office to discuss his views of the Canadian Parliament. This is the second of two columns from that interview. As you leave this place, do…
The Niagara Independent, June 14, 2019 — Having recently announced he will not seek re-election this October, Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson sat down with me in his Ottawa office to discuss his views of the Canadian Parliament. Rob Nicholson is the longest serving MP in the Conservative caucus, having first been elected 35 years…
The Niagara Independent, June 7, 2019 — The final report of the National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) was made public this week. Though this report is a voluminous 1,200 pages, filled with heart-wrenching personal accounts, and includes 231 recommendations for government, lawyers and police, it appears it may be…
The Niagara Independent, May 31, 2019 — Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Minister, had a Twitter moment this week. She tweeted out a candid video of herself – then deleted it. Most Canadians will likely never know about her moment because it has gone unreported and Ottawa’s political pundits have been silent about…
Conservative MP (and former news anchor) Peter Kent rails against the Liberals recently announced $600 million bailout of some of Canada’s newspapers. Photo: Global News The Niagara Independent, May 24, 2019 — What will “freedom of the press” mean in his country if two media-related initiatives recently announcement by the Trudeau government be implemented? Originally introduced…
The Niagara Independent, May 17, 2019 — Now what? For years Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was stuck in a legal quagmire that sullied his reputation, dishonouring his career and character. It appears that the same cast of political operatives who brought us the SNC-Lavalin scandal undermined our Canadian legal process. They consulted with Crown prosecutors and…
The Niagara Independent, May 10, 2019 — The headlines were damaging to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Government: “Norman case collapses” and “Mark Norman’s Vindication.” However, this week’s negative media coverage for the federal Liberals pales with what might have been if this intriguing court case had proceeded. Imagine if Canadians were entertained with…
The Niagara Independent, May 3, 2019 — Having just walked down the aisle a week prior, newlywed Elizabeth May reentered the House of Commons this week with a new spring in her step. The Green Party Leader is now looking to the October federal vote with renewed hope that her lengthy courtship with the Canadian…
The Niagara Independent, April 26, 2019 — It is a group that politicians like to promote as the focus of their attention, the targeted benefactors of their support initiatives. Yet, Canada’s middle class is not only decreasing in numbers, it is managing worse than past generations. This reality may cause trouble for any political Party…
The Niagara Independent, April 19, 2019 — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was having great fun addressing his supporters at the Liberal Party of Canada convention in Mississauga last weekend. The PM was mocking his opponent, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, suggesting he and Ontario Premier Doug Ford were populist rubes dangerously appealing to the lowest common…