Losing NDP incumbents not a ‘five-alarm fire,’ but cause for concern: strategists
The NDP should be concerned that seven of its MPs have said they’re not running again in 2019, but it’s not yet a negative trend to lay at the new leader’s feet, say strategists. While two won’t be returning to the House of Commons this fall—Thomas Mulcair (Outremont, Que.) and Kennedy Stewart (Burnaby South, B.C.)—five […]
MacNeil steps in as chief of staff to Agriculture Minister MacAulay
Veteran Liberal staffer Vince MacNeil has landed in Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay’s office post shuffle, having taken over as chief of staff in early August, Hill Climbers has learned. He officially started on the job on Aug. 7. Mr. MacNeil was previously chief of staff to Dominic LeBlanc as fisheries and oceans minister. He’d started […]
Whither—or is it wither?—the NDP
CHELSEA, QUE.—Federal leader Jagmeet Singh isn’t the only New Democrat facing a daunting uphill climb this fall: trying to win a seat, losing veteran MPs to retirement, stumbling into unnecessary controversies. The entire party, federal and provincial, is a mess of contradictory policies, clashing priorities, tired or tentative standard-bearers, and few obvious signs of enthusiasm […]
B.C. byelection may be Singh’s last hope, as NDP exits further tarnish his leadership
OTTAWA—The New Democratic Party exodus continued last week, with two more veterans announcing they would not seek re-election. Linda Duncan and Irene Mathyssen joined five others from three different provinces who have already announced they will not re-offer. One has already stepped down to run for mayor of Vancouver, which gives Jagmeet Singh a chance […]
Candidate nominations for 2019 to ramp up this fall, Conservatives have big head start
After a summer of door-knocking and laying groundwork for the next federal election, the Conservative Party now has 128 official candidates for the 2019 election, while the Liberals have 21 and the NDP none. While there’s still a little over a year until the 2019 vote, strategists say the more work done now, the better. […]
Public services minister names a new policy director, as seniors minister staffs up
Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility Minister Carla Qualtrough has hired on a second director of policy to her office, Kristina Molloy, who’ll be focused on the minister’s accessibility file. Ms. Molloy was previously director of policy to Kirsty Duncan as the minister for sports and persons with disabilities. In the July 18 shuffle, Ms. […]
Putting off byelections until 2019 could help Liberals: strategists
Four federal ridings will soon be vacant, and strategists say putting off the byelections to fill them—including Burnaby South, B.C., where NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will fight for a seat in the Commons—would be to the Liberals’ advantage. “If I were the Liberals I would not hold that byelection [Burnaby South] before Christmas. No rush […]
Parties boosting internal security in face of foreign interference fears
Although they won’t get into specifics, the country’s main national political parties all say they’re boosting their internal security to protect against foreign interference in next year’s federal election. But, according to critics and experts, the real burden rests with the Liberal government to do the necessary work to ensure the 2019 election remains free […]
Will a B.C. byelection cure Jagmeet Singh’s troubles?
WASHINGTON, D.C.—NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has been missing in action and a byelection far away from his hometown in the GTA appears to beckoning him. Many have urged him to run for a seat in the House of Commons since being elected party leader in October of 2017, including former NDP leader and Question Period […]
Singh more fizzle than sizzle as NDP struggle to stay relevant
Jagmeet Singh is about to change strategy. Long has he disavowed entering the House of Commons, preferring to do the lonely work of a third party leader free of parliamentary duties. But now, Singh, it appears, will be seeking to run in Burnaby South in an upcoming byelection. The seat has been vacated by former […]
