Battleground Southwestern Ontario: Electoral Maps Compared

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The federal Liberal caucus arrives today in London, Ont. for its two-day winter caucus retreat. As Jane Sims notes in today’s London Free Press, this part of Ontario was been a “Grit barren land” in the last general election. The electoral map, above, from J.P. Kirby’s excellent Election Atlas, illustrates that point pretty clearly. This is what happend in the 2011 general election. In fact, so far as southern Ontario goes, the Liberals now have precisely five seats west of Yonge Street, and four of those are in Toronto. The lone Liberal island otherwise in Guelph where incumbent Frank Valeriote will pass the torch this fall to a yet-to-be-nominated Liberal candidate.

But look at the same electoral map after the 2004 election, (below) Continue reading Battleground Southwestern Ontario: Electoral Maps Compared

Spirit of Radio: Ad wars pitch Conservatives versus Liberals

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Across the country this holiday season, voters who listen to radio will be hearing pitches from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and from Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.

Maybe.

The Liberals have announced that they have two different radio ads ready to go. You can listen to them on their Web site but, so far at least, I have no reports that anyone has actually heard them in the wild. Continue reading Spirit of Radio: Ad wars pitch Conservatives versus Liberals

Justin Trudeau's partisan brain trust on foreign affairs

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Your correspondent meets Syrian child refugees at Za’atri Refugee Camp in Jordan while covering Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit there earlier this year. Harper’s approach to the Middle East — aligning Canada much more strongly with Israel than previous Liberal prime ministers, for example — would be one of the defining characteristics of his foreign policy. Liberals recently opposed the combat mission against ISIL in Iraq.  (Look closely to find PostMedia’s Mark Kennedy among the kids there).

Today, the Liberal Party of Canada has announced a council  of “non-partisan” experts to provide advice and be a sounding board for leader Justin Trudeau on international affairs issues, from military procurement to international aid to global security threats.  The professional qualifications and accomplishments of the members of this council are impressive but it cannot be accurate to brand this group as “non-partisan”.

Indeed,  this council is made up of 14 individuals, 11 of whom are Liberals MPs, current or former Liberal candidates, or Liberal donors.  No one should be confused: This council does not believe that the way Stephen Harper has positioned Canada on the world stage is a good thing. And eight of them – the current or hope-to-be Liberal MPs — would have voted with their leader against the current combat mission against ISIL in Iraq. Nothing wrong with that. But let’s avoid the marketing sheen of “non-partisan.” Continue reading Justin Trudeau's partisan brain trust on foreign affairs

On key terrorism question, Trudeau stands with Harper, RCMP; Mulcair does not

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Were last weeks attacks in Quebec and on Parliament Hill acts of terrorism? The government was quick to label them as such. Today, after their first caucus meetings since last Wednesday’s Parliament Hill shooting, both NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau were asked this question. Both had different answers.

Here’s Thomas Mulcair: Continue reading On key terrorism question, Trudeau stands with Harper, RCMP; Mulcair does not

Trudeau would undo any Harper income-splitting scheme

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The picture here was taken by Adam Scotti, Trudeau’s official photographer, on Oct. 17, 2014 during a visit by Trudeau to Ste. Adèle, QC. You can find Scotti’s work at Trudeau’s Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/justintrudeau

Two ‘ifs’: IF The Harper government brings in a scheme to allow couples with children under the age of 18 to transfer up to $50,000 of taxable income to the other spouse for purposes of income splitting at tax time and IF Justin Trudeau forms a government next fall; Trudeau will undo Harper’s income splitting scheme. Statement just out from Trudeau spox Kate Purchase: Continue reading Trudeau would undo any Harper income-splitting scheme

A test for Trudeau? Canada's Liberals split on Iraq combat mission

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Liberal leader Justin Trudeau (C) stands to vote against a government motion to participate in U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State militants operating in Iraq, The motion passed 157 to 134. (REUTERS/Chris Wattie)

Justin Trudeau is facing the first serious test of his leadership of Canada’s Liberals in the wake of a parliamentary vote to send Canadian fighter jets to Iraq.

Trudeau and most Liberal MPs voted agains the idea.

But Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, a former justice minister and a globally recognized human rights defender, abstained from the vote, saying in a statement that his “principled absention”, as he called it, was a result of his recognition that military intervention against Islamic terrorists in Iraq and Syria is required but that the Harper government’s proposal lacked “clarity.”

Cotler, former Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and former Liberal cabinet ministers Lawrence MacAulay and Mauril Bélanger were also absent from Tuesday night’s vote. Continue reading A test for Trudeau? Canada's Liberals split on Iraq combat mission

Asked and answered: Trudeau's Iraq questions and Harper's answers

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On Wednesday, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party distributed a list of what it called the “Prime Minister’s Unanswered Questions On Iraq.”  Let’s look at those questions and see if any were answered by Prime Minister Stephen Harper today in the House of Commons. (Short answer:  Answers were provided for most) Continue reading Asked and answered: Trudeau's Iraq questions and Harper's answers

Pancakes, politics, and parades: Stephen, Justin, Xavier … and Captain Kirk

Harper and Trudeau at the Calgary Stampede

Cool pic (above) taken at the Calgary Stampede and published on Justin Trudeau’s Flickr feed. Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomes Xavier Trudeau to Calgary, as dad looks on. Continue reading Pancakes, politics, and parades: Stephen, Justin, Xavier … and Captain Kirk

By-election scorecards: How have party leaders fared?

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Since Stephen Harper became leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, he has led his side through 30 by-elections. His party’s record in those by-elections? Pretty good. Conservatives held 7 seats in which they were the incumbent, stole 4 seats from another incumbent party, and suffered 1 loss. In the rest, they were neither the incumbent nor were able to steal.  Continue reading By-election scorecards: How have party leaders fared?