Calgary Grit

Keith Davey, Liberal “Rainmaker” dies OTTAWA — Keith Davey, the former senator and legendary Liberal organizer, died peacefully on Monday morning, surrounded by his family in Toronto. He was 84. Known as the “Rainmaker” for his formidable, winning political strategies, Davey came to national prominence in the early 1960s, when he arrived in Ottawa to […]

According the Conservatives, Michael Ignatieff’s cross-country tour is a sign he wants to plunge the country into a divisive election, something Stephen Harper has consistently opposed ever since September 2008. So the Conservatives have responded the way they respond to, well, anything – by launching a new round of remixed Just Visiting attack ads. So […]

And thus concludes a week in politics I would describe as more “typical” than any other over the past two years. Seriously, we’ve gotten to the point where we just spin a big giant wheel with news stories on it and print whatever comes out, regardless of current events. Here’s what was in the news […]

We’re inevitably going to see a slew of “5 year anniversary” articles later this month…after all, there’s only so many election speculation columns one can write before they become insufferable, not just to the reader but to the columnist writing them. To get a jump on this, the Liberals have released their recap of the […]

Brad Lavigne, today: “We know that we attract Liberal and Bloc voters, not by going into their seats and saying what bad people they are, but rather by our sharp criticism and contrast with Stephen Harper.” Brad, in August: NDP National Director Brad Lavigne set the stage for an election war for the left with […]

Now: VICTORIA — The B.C. Liberal Party’s effort to ration membership forms during its leadership race has provoked a backlash from candidate Christy Clark, who is concerned that she may not be able to sign up enough supporters before the Feb. 4 deadline. The party executive held a summit Thursday evening in hopes of resolving […]

The last round of by elections served as a good reminder of what unpredictable creatures they can be. The Tories took a riding they hadn’t held in 22 years, with the Liberals winning a Manitoba seat they got just 9% of the vote in last election. This should heighten interest in the upcoming Calgary Centre-North […]

As you’ve likely heard: Stephen Harper has appointed Toronto MP Peter Kent as Environment Minister, giving the former TV broadcaster the task of selling the Conservatives’ controversial approach to fighting climate change. He’s also given former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner Julian Fantino a junior cabinet post, making him minister of state for seniors. Diane Ablonczy, […]

So how much did you pay attention to politics last year? Given the kind of year it was, I sincerely hope the answer is “not much”. But if you want to reminisce about the year that was, you can take my year in review quiz*. *although I say “my quiz”, it’s possible some questions were […]