Nelson Wiseman
Nelson Wiseman is the director of the Canadian Studies Program at the University of Toronto.
Nelson Wiseman is the director of the Canadian Studies Program at the University of Toronto.
Leadership is in Avi Lewis’ family’s DNA, but leadership requires taking risks. Contesting Beaches-East York might seem risky, but there are really no downsides. Diefenbaker and Douglas proved it. Lewis’ grandfather discovered it after losing his first attempt at getting elected to Parliament in 1940. Lewis should go for it.
In that riding, the Bloc Québécois vote increased by eight percentage points and the Liberal vote increased by 10, while the Conservative and NDP votes declined by 15 and two percentage points, respectively. Turnout was 50 per cent, unusually high for a byelection.
A breaking point with the U.S. can no longer be waved off. If Canada’s wagon were hitched to the EU’s horse, it would be a major player in the organization, its fourth largest economy. The theory behind the EU—an integrated entity of sovereign democratic states—is consistent with Carney’s vision as articulated at Davos.
Perhaps Canada should be spending less, but smarter on defence. What will NATO and Donald Trump do if Ottawa fails to meet the five per cent target? Spain has drawn its line at two per cent, but no one is proposing to expel Madrid from the group.
The NDP is unlikely to become the official opposition in any foreseeable future, but its third or fourth party status is secure. Winning 12 seats, thus regaining status as an official party in Parliament, is its most important challenge.
Canadians like getting the world’s attention because it counters the view that we are boring. Mark Carney’s impact at Davos boosted Liberal popularity to 51 per cent in a Mainstreet poll. Speculation swirled that he might call an election to capitalize. He won’t. Carney prefers governing to politicking on the hustings.
The Parti Québécois has preached separation for more than half a century. Clear the air sooner rather than later. This half century has been like Waiting for Godot.
In last April’s federal election, Quebecers and Québécois were more concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive threats to Canada’s independence. But perhaps association with those ‘maudites Anglais’ in the rest of Canada is not so bad.
How has Mark Carney performed? Brilliantly, and I’m not a partisan. He has been bold, determined, visionary, and in tune with current public sentiment. He is less concerned about being ‘politically correct’ than with producing results.
Debate over the ideal size of a legislature is nothing new; it goes back to the ancient Greeks. The reality is that there is no commonly accepted standard for determining the best size for a Parliament. What matters is how Parliament is used, its practices, procedures, and processes. Size is secondary.
Alberta conservatives have been obsessed with building a ‘firewall’ between their province and Ottawa, while in Quebec, nationalists eye another separation referendum.
Where does Canada fit into the new reality, if at all? Providing more humanitarian aid in the form of food and medical supplies is the easy part, but it is doubtful that Ottawa would contribute any soldiers as part of the temporary stabilization force envisaged in Trump’s plan.
In last year’s presidential election, Americans voted for stupid. In reaction, Canadians voted for smart.
The Conservative leader must moderate his
tone by jettisoning his simplistic sloganeering and attack dog persona. Coming across as a brawler is off-putting to many voters, especially women and seniors.
In assessing people’s access to political rights and civil liberties in over 200 countries, Freedom House ranks Canada higher than Britain, France, Germany, Australia, and the United States.
Despite its current malaise, the NDP is too thoroughly embedded in the fabric of Canada’s political culture to unravel completely.