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Ad Watch
Last election, I stuck up a slew of polls asking readers here to rate commercials released throughout the campaign. For those wanting a nostalgic trip down memory lane, the highest rated commercials can be seen here. Since we may very well be into a campaign in a mater of weeks days, it’s time to play […]
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They’re Going Neg
The Green Party rolls out an attack ad…on attack ads. In my mind, this is a great ad. Likely the best so far of the pre-election cycle. It’s well produced but, as the Tories have shown, production value isn’t the most important trait of a political ad. The key is to have a the right […]
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(Not) Confidence motion coming this week?
I heard the rumour from three different people over the weekend, and it has exploded today thanks to a Hill Times story – there’s a possibility we could be into an election campaign by week’s end. The cause of this is an obscure parliamentary procedure, allowing MPs to move a vote of non-confidence after a […]
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Money and the Ethnic Vote
The news of the day is of a leaked memo from Jason Kenney’s office asking Conservative riding associations for funds to help target ethnic voters in the next election. There’s the predictable kerfuffle over Kenney using government resources for partisan activities, but in the long list of Conservative transgressions this one seems fairly minor. Compared […]
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Three Weeks
That’s how long it might be until we’re in an election campaign. Jim Flaherty confirmed the rumours today – budget day will be March 22nd, setting up a confidence vote later that week and a trip to the polls on May 2nd or May 9th. This isn’t the first time Ottawa has come down with […]
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And so it begins…
With a spring election highly possible (70% possible according to well placed and shockingly anonymous sources), the air war has started, with new NDP and Conservative ads released today. The NDP ads start with “average Canadians” raising an issue – it’s a cute trick, since it shows Jack responding directly to Canadians. There are BC […]
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The only person who talks about coalitions more than Stephen Harper…
From Christy Clark’s victory speech last night: “Our party is a coalition, it is a great coalition, and I am proud of the support that I have received from all elements of that coalition.” Clark’s talk of the BC Liberal “coalition” is a direct response to her largest challenge – keeping the right flank of […]
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Making Sense of the NDP Gains in Quebec
In my mind, Chantal Hebert is the finest political columnist in Quebec. But I have a hard time understanding how she put deux et deux together in her column today. Here’s the underlying thesis: That hope is not totally unfounded. Over Jack Layton’s tenure, the NDP has gained a lot of strength in Quebec — […]
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This Week in Alberta – Bored Now
After the political earthquake we felt in early February, everything else feels like minor aftershocks. All we had this week was a throne speech and a budget. Yawn. Tuesday was the throne speech, which typically outlines a government’s priorities and vision. Mind you, outside of his bold promise to change Alberta’s license plate motto, we […]