Justin Trudeau's co-campaign chair: The 2015 general election campaign has started

Katie Telford and Daniel Gagnier are the co-campaign chairs for the Liberal Party of Canada. The 2015 general election will be their first test and it will be a big one. Their Liberal predecessors in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011 under-performed. Their NDP and Conservative opponents — Brad Lavigne and Jenni Byrne respectively in 2011 — delivered big results for their parties. Continue reading Justin Trudeau's co-campaign chair: The 2015 general election campaign has started

Final push in Brandon-Souris with letters to voters and front page political ads

False Front of Brandon SUn

In the federal riding of Brandon-Souris — and in three other federal ridings — voters will elect a new MP Monday. Brandon-Souris holds the promise of a big upset. It’s been Conservative or Progressive Conservative for pretty much forever with one exception. In the Kim Campbell wipeout election of 1993, the Progressive Conservative candidate at the time, Larry Maguire, lost to the Liberals. Well guess what? Maguire’s name is on the ballot again, this time as the Conservative candidate, and he could lose what should have been a sure thing to Liberal Rolf Dinsdale. Continue reading Final push in Brandon-Souris with letters to voters and front page political ads

Byelections are a go for Nov. 25

The race is on in the federal ridings of Toronto-Centre, Provencher, Brandon-Souris and Bourassa.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper just announced that byelections to fill those four vacant seats will be held Nov 25.

Opening betting lines: Liberals are heavy favourites to hold Toronto-Centre and Bourassa. The Conservatives are heavy favourites to hold Provencher and Brandon-Souris.

We’ll have full coverage from now until e-day Monday-to-Friday at 6 PM ET on my program, Battleground on  Sun News Network.

The quiet election: Where are the thunder sticks in the Nova Scotia election?

Campaign Thunder Sticks
In the 2012 provincial election, the Wild Rose Party deployed noisy thunder sticks at every rally for its leader Danielle Smith, as it looked to stage a high-energy television-friendly event every day. Wild Rose would lose this election but top political strategists like Brian Topp and Brad Lavigne say this kind of political theatre is a vital part of a modern campaign — except, apparently, in Nova Scotia. (David Akin/QMI Agency)

I and our Sun News Network reporters have been on campaign buses in federal elections and in elections in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and others. For the last four weeks, we’ve been following the New Democrat, Liberal, and Progressive Conservative leaders tours through the Nova Scotia election. (The campaign is nearing an end and the votes will be counted Tuesday).

One thing our reporters in Nova Scotia have noticed is how quiet — relatively speaking — the Nova Scotia campaign events are compared to others we have covered. Now, a lot of people might be happy to see a campaign free of those annoying thunder sticks, but I think you will find broad agreement among political operatives of all stripes, that putting together a tub-thumping, heart-pumping political rally can give a campaign some energy and help with voter turnout. Continue reading The quiet election: Where are the thunder sticks in the Nova Scotia election?

Can Dexter do what Clark and Redford did? Overcome a 20 point deficit?

Looking at the latest poll in the Nova Scotia provincial election, it looks like NDP Premier Darrell Dexter may have his chief challenger, Liberal Stephen McNeil, right where he wants him — 20 points ahead with three weeks to go.

A survey of 400 Nova Scotians published today finds that that 48 per cent are ready to vote Liberal while 28 per cent would vote for the incumbent premier. Jamie Baillie’s Progressive Conservatives are attracting 23 per cent of the support.

Dexter, on the campaign trail Friday in Hammonds Plains, NS, had only one comment about this poll: “Keep calm and carry on.”

Exactly.

Dexter can take comfort in the fact that, in the last couple of years, a lot of incumbents have come back to win even after being down by a few touchdowns in the first quarter. Continue reading Can Dexter do what Clark and Redford did? Overcome a 20 point deficit?

NDP buys front page of Halifax paper, much tut-tutting ensues

Halifax Metro Fake Front

This was the front page of the free commuter newspaper Halifax Metro today. Looking at it quickly, it might appear as if Metro‘s front page editors were making some editorial judgements about the winners and losers in the first debate of the Nova Scotia general election campaign, held yesterday evening at the CBC Halifax studios. The lead headline is “Dexter in tune with today’s families” while the sub-heads with Liberal leader Stephen McNeil reads “McNeil disappoints on jobs, health care” and with PC Leader Jamie Baillie, “Baillie dodges disastrous record.” Continue reading NDP buys front page of Halifax paper, much tut-tutting ensues

A reader writes: Inky Mark on Merv Tweed and Stephen Harper

Inky Mark
Inky Mark on Parliament Hill in 2005 (REUTERS/Jim Young)

Inky Mark, first elected to the House of Commons in 1997 to represent Dauphin-Swan River in Manitoba, never did like Stephen Harper much and didn’t much care for the way the Reform Party he first joined morphed into the modern Conservative Party. He quit federal politics in 2010, after Harper had won his second minority.

This week, upon learning that Merv Tweed would resign his seat in Brandon-Souris — Tweed’s riding lies directly south of Mark’s old riding , Mark sends along this note:

Now that Merv Tweed has taken a plush job with Hudson Bay Rail, what will happen to the vacancy in Brandon Souris?
Will Stephen Harper appoint his replacement as he has done in Dauphin Swan River after I retired from Ottawa in 2010? Will the CPC members in Brandon Souris demand that an open democratic nomination process be followed? Hopefully the new MP won’t be just another rubber stamp for Harper.

Yours sincerely,

Inky Mark,
former Member of Parliament.

Very special guest shows up in Nova Scotia Liberal pre-election TV ad

A couple of TV ads — I assume they’ll be on TV, do let me know if you see one — from both the Nova Scotia NDP, led by incumbent Premier Darrel Dexter and from the Nova Scotia Liberals and their leader Stephen McNeil. Let’s start with the NDP. This ad debuted last December but is being pushed around again today by the Nova Scotia NDP:

And now, the Liberals. This is new today. And when you watch this one, see if you can spot a very special guest:

Continue reading Very special guest shows up in Nova Scotia Liberal pre-election TV ad

Journalist McQuaig wants to be an MP

Toronto Star columnist Linda McQuaig will announce today she is seeking the NDP nomination in Toronto Centre. The Star‘s Susan Delacourt reports:

[McQuaig] recognizes that the prevailing winds in Toronto Centre and beyond may favour new Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, but McQuaig said that NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is her clear choice.“When it comes to issues, performance, brains, just sheer effectiveness, [Mulcair] just has (Trudeau) totally beat,” she said. “What’s important to me is that Mulcair and the NDP is more progressive.”

Read the rest: Columnist Linda McQuaig enters NDP race in Toronto | Toronto Star.