Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 11:58PM EST

Coalition redux: The shape of the deal

Brian Topp

In part two of six, the NDP strategist explains how the first day of face-to-face negotiations with the Liberals unfolded

Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 1:00PM EST

Wrong way? So what

Bruce Anderson

Why there's little desire to replace Stephen Harper even though many voters are concerned about the direction in which Canada is headed

Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 9:45AM EST

Happy sesquicentennial, Federation!

Andrew Steele

Sadly unheralded, the 150th anniversary of the first major event on the road to Confederation - George Brown's St. Lawrence Hall address - passed this month

Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 7:50AM EST

Hot air

Norman Spector

The reality is Barack Obama does not have the political capital to persuade the Senate to ratify anything close to a global climate deal

Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 7:32AM EST

HST

Harmonized Sales Tax

Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 11:27PM EST

Coalition redux: The Prime Minister makes a big mistake

Brian Topp

In the first of six parts, the NDP strategist looks back at the pact that nearly brought down the Harper government

Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 11:00AM EST

Advise and consent

Douglas Bell

Stephen Harper would do well to consider sovereignty as he weighs whether or not to call a public inquiry into torture allegations

Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 10:36AM EST

Sid Ryan cools off

Andrew Steele

Once a cackling labour firebrand, the new OFL chief's moderate stance could make him a far more dangerous foe for Dalton McGuinty

Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009 10:03AM EST

Harper takes heat

Norman Spector

But the Prime Minister's decision to align with Obama on climate is sound economically and politically

Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 11:11AM EST

The HST trap

Robert Silver

While understandably seen as a clever trap set by Harper to snare Ignatieff, the tax bill is not without risk for the Prime Minister

Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 7:34AM EST

Dear Prime Minister

Norman Spector

Skillfully painting Ignatieff into a corner aside, you might consider a public inquiry into torture allegations lest you end up in the ICC dock

Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009 2:47PM EST

Yes, Guy

Adam Radwanski

In Giorno's old stomping grounds, Stephen Harper's chief of staff is not viewed as unkindly as you might think

Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009 7:41AM EST

Stabbing Canada in the back

Norman Spector

A climate-change letter to the United Nations makes clear why federalist parties should steer clear of the Bloc Québécois

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 6:41PM EST

Lantern-jawed intellectuals and other Canadian species

Douglas Bell

The Liberals are being mocked for thinking big - but it's not like the Tories don't have 'ideas' of their own

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 6:13PM EST

10 simple HST myths

Andrew Steele

Unless Tim Hudak finds a better policy rationale, he's in danger of adopting the weaknesses of the current U.S. conservative movement

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 1:45PM EST

Tim Hudak's bad week

Robert Silver

If he wore thick eye-make up, the Ontario PC Leader's silly antics would up there with Adam Lambert's appearance on the AMAs

Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 8:49AM EST

Canadians are still dying

Norman Spector

Troops will be at risk between now and the end of 2011 - a point that all MPsshould keep in mind as they deal with the prisoner transfer issue

Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 5:15PM EST

Finish the job

Douglas Bell

Shortly the question of troops will be on Harper's desk, and by then worrying about the Colvins of this world will seem like a luxury

Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 9:15AM EST

David Mulroney must speak

Tim Powers

The opposition, who accuse the government of stifling dialogue, is now behaving in the same manner

Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 8:44AM EST

Green recruit, Grit fallout

Norman Spector

Elizabeth May is to name a deputy, which should end some speculation about Dion's wife - over whom Liberals are still smarting

Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 4:40PM EST

NDP running dead average

Robert Silver

In fact, at 15.9 per cent in the polls, they are trailing where Jack Layton has had the party during his tenure

Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 3:40PM EST

Straight to the border

Andrew Steele

The latest example of customs officials seizing 'obscene' gay-themed materials crystallizes the issue like none before

Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 9:29AM EST

Continental breakfast

Tim Powers

It's shocking to see those pablum-eating gentle Liberals playing rough with one of their own

Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 8:04AM EST

Headline For The Day

Dan Cook

Dion's wife goes rogue: Family spat spells more PR misery for Liberals

Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 7:58AM EST

Credit the NDP

Norman Spector

With Dion's wife hinting at defection and the party taking the lead on Afghan detainees, it's time to stop giving New Democrats short shrift

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 12:48PM EST

Ugly stalemate on Afghan torture

Bruce Anderson

For this issue to shift votes, there needs to be more corroborating evidence and a process that fuels momentum and appears fair

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 12:16PM EST

Credibility and the Colvin debate

Tim Powers

There are holes in his story and the Liberals could pay a price for inflating him to some sort of prophet of absolute truth

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 11:54AM EST

Afghanistan: PM mum, others not

Norman Spector

A roundup of stories on torture and war that Stephen Harper refuses to take questions on

Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 8:26AM EST

Advice for the PM

Norman Spector

Stephen Harper would be wise to punt the issue to a judicial inquiry - unless his government truly has something to hide

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 2:49PM EST

Steady as she goes

Brian Topp

Overall polling data suggest the Conservatives and New Democrats have done well this fall, but nobody is running away with the show

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 9:46AM EST

In other Afghanistan news...

Norman Spector

Beyond allegations of torture, there's news about our post-2011 deployment, U.S. diplomacy and Britain's domestic divisions

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 6:30PM EST

Words not the wordsmith

Tim Powers

'The impression has been created that I tried to smear Omar Alghabra. That was not my intention. I am sorry'

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 9:27AM EST

Dropping the A-bomb

Robert Silver and Tim Powers

Robert Silver and Tim Powers exchange fire over accusations of anti-Semitism and former Liberal MP Omar Alghabra

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 7:53AM EST

We need a public inquiry

Norman Spector

There's only one effective way to get to the bottom of Richard Colvin's allegations of torture and cover up in Afghanistan

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 6:39PM EST

It's all Twitter's fault!

Robert Silver

Charlie Angus would do well to remember the NDP's infamous puppet press conference

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 1:34PM EST

Two and a half men in TO

Robert Silver

It's far too early to declare the Toronto mayoral contest a two-man race between George Smitherman and John Tory

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 8:50AM EST

Our politicized bureaucracy

Norman Spector

We're still living with the dubious practice of parachuting of political aides into public service positions

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 2:44PM EST

Backrooms or fish bowls?

Adam Radwanski

Nobody wins when political staffers, like those joining Peter Donolo in the OLO, become celebrities

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 11:26AM EST

Changes in Ottawa

Andrew Steele

Michael Inatieff's new chief staff Peter Donolo unveils the new OLO lineup

Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 8:48AM EST

Give peace a chance

Tim Powers

Thanks in part to Peter MacKay's efforts in Newfoundland, Danny Williams feels a new spirit of co-operation with federal Tories

Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 7:41AM EST

China hugs Harper

Norman Spector

Parsing Beijing's seemingly warm relationship with Stephen Harper - and its wariness of Barack Obama

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 12:17PM EST

The climate for sovereignty

Bruce Anderson

The Conservatives have succeeded in keeping their options open while Barack Obama fashions his environmental policy

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 11:55AM EST

APEC meet serves Canada

Norman Spector

We now understand that a successor to Kyoto will not come out of Copenhagen - and that Canada is not the problem

Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 10:45AM EST

Climate-change chatter

Why Jim Prentice refused a CBC interview - and why Canadians don't view Ignatieff as a prime minister

Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 2:30PM EST

A little more than nothing

Andrew Steele

By-election results might be circumstantial at first blush, but there are lessons to be learned - and they matter.

Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 2:20PM EST

World waits for Obama's Afghan signal

Bruce Anderson

If U.S. chooses to step up in Afghanistan, it will make a Canadian decision to step back much harder

Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 12:43PM EST

Supreme Court reaching too far

Norman Spector

The court (and Ottawa) have no business interfering in how the U.S. administers justice

Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 11:58AM EST

Meanwhile in Absurdistan

Douglas Bell

The idea that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed could receive a fair trial a stone's throw from Ground Zero is, well, absurd

Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 6:53AM EST

Coderre to lead Liberals?

Norman Spector

Liberals aren't exactly thrilled old wounds have been reopened

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 12:37PM EST

Liberal Leader Denis Coderre?

Dan Cook

'Life teaches you to be patient'

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 7:32AM EST

Denis Coderre's back!

Norman Spector

With Liberals licking by-election wounds, former Quebec lieutenant returns to political stage - leadership ambitions and all

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 12:18AM EST

The numbers don't lie

Brian Topp

By-election results encourage the NDP, mix worry and praise for the Tories and leave the Liberals nothing but grief

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 7:27PM EST

Remembrance Day

Dan Cook

Juno Beach

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 11:41AM EST

By-elections

Dan Cook

Liberals get the message

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 8:11AM EST

PM should thank Grits, media

Norman Spector

How the Liberal door-knob strategy - and critical stimulus coverage - boosted Stephen Harper's fortunes

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 4:26PM EST

The good soldier

Douglas Bell

After keeping a Princeton audience spellboud, Romeo Dallaire reflects on Canada's Afghan mission

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 3:42PM EST

Conservatives mum in B.C.

Norman Spector

Stephen Harper attempts to come to grips with a province he admittedly doesn't understand

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 12:07PM EST

In the aftermath

Tim Powers

Five things to keep in mind about last night's by-election results

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 11:20AM EST

A bad night for the Liberals

Robert Silver

The dismal by-election effort suggests the vaunted 308 riding strategy is still a tiny bit of a work in progress

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 1:20AM EST

Middling, gaining and falling flat

Brian Topp

Harper gets what he had in 2008, Layton is a solid second, improving nicely - and Ignatieff leads Liberals to fourth place, behind the Bloc

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009 12:57AM EST

The big winner in Quebec

Norman Spector

Despite worries about gun-registry fallout, Stephen Harper gets what he needs from rural voters

Monday, Nov. 09, 2009 1:42PM EST

A test nonetheless

Tim Powers

Ignatieff could still wear defeat in the four by-elections as another sign of poor expectations management

Monday, Nov. 09, 2009 11:45AM EST

What we're remembering

Monday, Nov. 09, 2009 10:18AM EST

What we're remembering

Brian Topp

A look back, and forward, at the the gentle heroes who fight on our behalf in wars many call insane

Monday, Nov. 09, 2009 8:50AM EST

A silly test

Robert Silver

The Liberals weren't contenders in any of the by-election ridings under Chrétien, so why would they be under Ignatieff?

Monday, Nov. 09, 2009 8:27AM EST

Grits caving on climate

Norman Spector

If you thought Ignatieff would take umbrage at an allegation that Chrétien sold out Canada's interests at Kyoto, you'd be mistaken

Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 9:48PM EST

Well, that was awkward

Adam Radwanski

George Smitherman's departure from the Ontario cabinet doesn't go as smoothly as he might have hoped

Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 2:15PM EST

Hang on to your toques

Douglas Bell

Expect even more vitriol about Canada's inherent depravities as the U.S. health-care fight moves to the Senate

Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 12:05PM EST

Why Copenhagen
is already a success

Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 11:59AM EST

Copenhagen already a success

Bruce Anderson

Climate deal or not, the fact is our behaviours are changing and markets are forming to alleviate environmental stresses

Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 11:06AM EST

U.S. health care's from Mars

Norman Spector

The anti-abortion amendment tacked on to the House bill exposes the planetary divide between us and them

Friday, Nov. 06, 2009 8:24PM EST

A whole new game

Andrew Steele

The rebirth of the harmonized sales tax as a jobs issue puts Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak in a box

Friday, Nov. 06, 2009 1:47PM EST

Victims of their own success

Adam Radwanski

Why Conservative strategists might not be thrilled by the elimination of the federal gun registry

Friday, Nov. 06, 2009 12:42PM EST

The 'good war' comes home

Norman Spector

The Fort Hood attack makes Barack Obama's decision on Afghan troop deployment all the more daunting

Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009 3:37PM EST

Guts matter most

Andrew Steele

From making pasteurization mandatory in the 1930s to tax harmonization today, courge is what counts in politics

Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009 7:47AM EST

Bloc guns for NDP

Norman Spector

As by-election nears, Duceppe sets his sights on Layton's lame excuse for allowing some of his MPs to side with Tories

Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 2:40PM EST

It ain't about Obama

Andrew Steele

Democratic losses in Virginia and New Jersey are merely the continuation of a decades-old trend

Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 2:21PM EST

Mother's intuition on flu

Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 1:04PM EST

A vice-regal salute

Tim Powers

It's good to see those who are seen as ceremonial players use their posts to send important symbolic messages

Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 12:41PM EST

Why we matter

Douglas Bell

A quiet cosmopolitanism among Canadians living abroad marks our contribution to the world

Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 12:02PM EST

No dance if there's no partner

Brian Topp

There is not the slightest evidence of any interest aming the current Liberal leadership to explore a deal with the NDP

Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 9:30AM EST

Mother's intuition on flu

Bruce Anderson

The H1Ni crisis is keeping Canadian women up at night. Is it doing the same for Stephen Harper?

Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 9:18AM EST

Ship Money and the HST

Andrew Steele

Charles the First, who was put on trial and beheaded, could have learned from Tory tax policy

Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 8:50AM EST

Obama can't

Norman Spector

Gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey prove the struggling President has no coattails

Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009 8:02AM EST

Knee-capping Prince Charles

Norman Spector

One has to wonder why Buckingham Palace announced Prince William's sojourn on the same day his father set foot in Canada

Monday, Nov. 02, 2009 3:05PM EST

How Ignatieff swung the axe

Bruce Anderson

The Liberal Leader can't afford to let his team think Ian Davey's dismissal was a telling 'glimpse into his soul'

Monday, Nov. 02, 2009 12:17PM EST

All roads lead to Windsor

Adam Radwanski

Michael Ignatieff wasn't the only one struggling to find the right tone at the Ontario Liberal convention

Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009 4:30PM EST

Halloween

Dan Cook

24 Sussex Drive

Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009 2:32PM EST

Will greens shift?

Bruce Anderson

Outrage and pessimism are oversold, which makes last week a very bad one for environmental activists