Liberals turn sights on social media giants in bid to boost elections bill
The Liberal government wants to push major online platforms to expand their political advertising registries north of the border, as part of a package of more than 60 changes it’s proposing to its already-sweeping elections modernization bill. When MPs return from their ridings on Oct. 15, members of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) […]
No job cuts at iPolitics in wake of Torstar deal, says founder
There will be no job cuts at iPolitics now that Torstar is the online news outlet’s new owner, says iPolitics founder and publisher James Baxter, who will be leaving the company once the transition is complete. “One of the terms of the deal is that everyone is kept on—that was important to me,” he said in a […]
Putin in ‘most dangerous’ mid-life crisis in history, says Tom Nichols
The goal of Russian interference and misinformation in Western democracies is to decrease civic engagement, says a former cold warrior. Speaking at a talk on ‘Russia’s Challenge to North American and European Security’ put on by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute on Sept. 27, Tom Nichols, a Sovietologist and professor at the U.S. Naval College, said Russian […]
Canada’s ranter-in-chief, Rick Mercer, to release unheard diatribes
Former CBC personality and comedian Rick Mercer is coming out with a book of his unreleased rants, Rick Mercer Final Report, on Nov. 6, 2018. Mr. Mercer, co-creator of This Hour has 22 Minutes, hosted the Rick Mercer Report for 15 seasons; the final episode of the show aired earlier this year on April 10. The Mercer Report included his […]
Power to the people: Maxime Bernier turns to social networks to boost base
Since announcing his exit from the Conservative Party in dramatic fashion last month, Quebec MP Maxime Bernier says he hasn’t had any contact with his former caucus colleagues, and is instead focusing on attempting to play spoiler in 2019 by using social media to drum up a new, engaged grassroots base. On Sept. 14, Mr. […]
Shine your dancin’ shoes: here’s your guide to the fall’s hottest shindigs
“I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties, there isn’t any privacy,” said outspoken Jordan Baker in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and whether or not you prefer your parties crowded or intimate, filled with food or with a rockin’ dance floor, Hillites can agree all around that there are plenty in Ottawa […]
Stepping back to look ahead: why this outspoken parliamentary secretary volunteered to be demoted
When Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes turned down the offer to serve another term as a parliamentary secretary, it wasn’t a decision made lightly, she says, nor was it solely based on the social media abuse to which she’s been subjected for being a woman, particularly a woman of colour, who speaks her mind. First elected […]
Every time Ford busts out the bazooka to get his way, he’s playing with fire
OTTAWA—Premier Doug Ford’s new Ontario government sure knows how to pick a fight. Question is: does it always have to be a racket? Hours after an Ontario court overturned the Ford government’s legislation to shrink the size of Toronto city council, the premier hauled out the bazooka—announcing he would invoke the notwithstanding clause to reset […]
Judge tosses defamation case against veterans minister
An Ontario judge has dismissed a defamation case against Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan, saying the need to protect the freedom of expression is more important than any harm alleged to have been suffered by an outspoken veterans advocate. Sean Bruyea, who represented himself in Ontario Superior Court, says he plans to appeal the ruling. […]
After MRIA’s demise, new polling industry group aims to set ‘high bar’
A month after a national polling association shut its doors, a new one has popped up. The who’s who of Canadian polling joined forces to open the currently nameless new polling association on Aug. 30. “We have a rare opportunity here to start fresh as an emerging industry association and to set a really high […]
