Lefty think-tank the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has just published “The Harper Record,” a new book analyzing the record of the Conservative Government under Stephen Harper, just in time for the election. Even better for curious readers out there, the whole thing is available to download as a free PDF. The CCPA swears up […] More »

So far, the Conservative Party has made a real push for votes in Quebec. Harper recently asked Quebecers to ignore the Bloc Quebecois, saying the party would do nothing but come “empty-handed”. And the Conservatives were doing quite well in the polls — beating the traditional favourites, the Bloc, infused with the sense that this […] More »

The Liberal and the Green party share at least one thing in common this election: they both have carbon-tax plans. The specifics, of reducing income taxes and increasing taxes on fuel and other carbon emitters, are almost exactly alike. Well, except for Elizabeth May’s superior presentation. Speaking of Stephane Dion, she says: “I can explain […] More »

Jack Layton’s online games. In the September/ October issue of This Magazine, two writers commented on presidential nominee Barack Obama‘s insurmountable online presence (see Chandler Levack and Jordan Heath-Rawlings‘ takes on Web Obama) and though the success of his web campaign has been undeniable, it seems that our Canadian party leaders have been hesitant to […] More »

Although a lot of us would hate to admit this, myself included, we are, in at least some very significant ways, determined by our genes. We are open to new experiences; dogmatic; and open-minded, among other personality traits, because of genetic inclinations. But what’s more, researchers are now saying these traits affect our political orientation. […] More »

If any of you readers have been following the polls and surveys regarding this election as obsessively as I have, you’ll know that Stephen Harper and his sweater have been taking a slight nosedive in our nation’s popular opinion, according to the most recent data put out by the Canadian Press/Harris-Decima. While Harper is still […] More »

IN MONTREAL As a self-employed worker, a full-time student, and a mother with a child in a provincially-run daycare, I can see myself in many of the campaign promises each of the parties is making. But Stephen Harper lost me when he trotted out the Tory savings to the “typical” Canadian family. In his world, […] More »

NDP candidate Nicolas Thibodeau with his bike PHOTO DOMINIQUE JARRY-SHORE While the party leaders have all (except for Stephen Harper) made very public efforts to run a carbon neutral election campaign, it’s safe to bet the hundreds of lesser-known candidates running in ridings across the country have not. Running a campaign office and getting to […] More »

It’s been a busy week, with the election and the stock market drops and the announcement that Britney will put out a new album in December, so it was easy to miss the Tuesday release of a study commissioned by the Canadian Urban Transit Association, a group that represents the public transit industry, that looks […] More »

I once remember Andrew Sullivan, that tireless blogger and commentator on American politics, distinguishing government from politicts in a very interesting way. Government, he said, is an incremental process involving detailed legislation and backroom negotiation. Politics, on the other hand, is something more theatrical and personality-driven. It is about convincing people to share in a […] More »

I spent the earlier part of this month blogging about celebrities, kind of hoping those in town for the Toronto International Film Festival would drink too much, say something stupid and get in a fistfight caught on a cellphone camera then put up on Youtube for everyone to see. Turns out members of the Conservative […] More »