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Five new trends to watch for in Canada's 41st Parliament

peter goffin

With the House of Commons set to start back up again on June 2, Canadians will get their fist glimpses of the 41st Parliament. Given that the tumultuous campaign period, dramatic results, and overload of post-poll dissection nearly a month behind us, it may seem as though all the excitement in Ottawa has died down. […] More »

How the Iraq War sank Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals

John Michael McGrathWebsite

Listening to Michael Ignatieff address his few remaining dispirited supporters on election night, I couldn’t help but picture the room dotted with the ghosts of Baghdad. I wonder whether Ignatieff saw them too, like so many Banquos’ ghosts in the room that night as he took responsibility for his party’s dismal showing in the 2011 […] More »

Thought this election was crazy? Just wait until the next one

nick taylor-vaisey

It was only a few years ago that elections in Canada were mostly predictable. For a few solid years, we could bet on Liberals, and some NDP candidates, sweeping the country’s biggest cities. We knew the Conservatives would sweep Alberta, take most of Saskatchewan and dominate much of British Columbia. In Quebec, the Bloc Québécois […] More »

After G20 & "Not"-gate, Ruth Ellen Brosseau barely registers on Scandal-o-meter™

peter goffin

Newly elected NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau, who is suddenly embroiled in one of the smallest political scandals ever recorded, would do well to learn the prevailing lesson of our most recent electoral proceedings, namely that even widely covered scandals do not have a major impact on polling results. More »

5 things that changed in Canadian politics last night, and 2 that didn't

Graham F. Scott

Last night’s election was extraordinary in more ways than we would have thought possible a few weeks ago. Canadian politics has been shaken up in a serious, permanent way, and this election will be studied for years to come. As we start to digest the result and its consequences, there are some clearly identifiable changes […] More »

Michelle Rogers has some modest proposals for improving leaders' debates

dylan c. robertson

The debate happens tonight. Canadians across the country will be gathered in pubs and nestled over Twitter — is the hashtag #db8 or #db841? — to watch the leaders duke it out. This year’s debate will include a new format, with six-minute one-on-one debates, followed by a 12-minute round for all four leaders. There’s been much […] More »

Here's what will happen to 5 bills that died when the election was called

This Magazine Staff

We profile five legislative initiatives that died on the docket—and find out which of them will be re-attempted after the election Compiled by Dylan C. Robertson & Victoria Salvas This election means death. Not only have Ottawa scrums, filibusters, and drawn-out committees been killed, pieces of legislation making their way through parliament have all met […] More »

How Budget Day became all about election-watching, not money

Nick Taylor-VaiseyWebsite

The governing Conservatives are about to table a budget that spends many billions of dollars. It sets the agenda of virtually every government department and it means a lot to anyone who pays taxes in Canada. But when the budget is introduced by the finance minister tomorrow, the prevailing Ottawa groupthink says it’s not about […] More »

Will California-style "voter recall" legislation catch on in Canada?

dylan c. robertson

You can vote a politician in, but wouldn’t it be fun to vote one out? Well you can — in the US, in Switzerland, in Venezuela, and even in BC. Voter recall—known in political science as a citizens’ initiative—is best known for taking place in the basketcase democracy that is California. In 2003 the “Dump Davis” campaign was launched a […] More »

A brief history of political attack ads in Canada

dylan c. robertson

This week the Green Party launched an anti-attack ad criticizing other parties for their sensational advertisements. The meta attack ad aims to benefit from Canadians’ supposed distaste for ad hominem vilification and mudslinging. It’s commonly believed that the first attack ad was the iconic 1964 “Daisy Girl” commericial, which threatens American voters with the prospect of nuclear war […] More »

Canada loses out in bid for Security Council seat, Conservatives blame Ignatieff

kevin philipupillai

Before yesterday’s vote by the General Assembly of the United Nations, the message from Canadian government officials was one of cautious optimism. There might be tense moments and flustered diplomats, but Canada had not lost a vote for a Security Council seat in 60 years. Prime Minister Stephen Harper made two big speeches to the […] More »