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Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Canadian conservative leader mounts comeback after Trump-linked defeat
Experts say Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre may struggle to regain momentum in a political arena still heavily shaped by the US president. (AFP pic) TORONTO : Pierre Poilievre, who is running to reclaim a seat in Canada's parliament next week, was on track to be prime minister until Donald Trump upended Canadian politics. But even if the Conservative Party leader wins Monday's by-election in one of the country's most right-wing districts, experts say he may struggle to regain momentum in a political arena still heavily shaped by the US president. Poilievre's Conservatives blew a massive polling lead in the run-up to Canada's April general election, as voters backed the new Liberal leader, prime minister Mark Carney, to confront Trump. In a stinging humiliation, Poilievre lost to a Liberal in his own constituency, an Ottawa-area district he had represented for two decades. But the Conservatives performed solidly overall and deprived the Liberals of a majority, allowing Poilievre to suppress calls for him to go as party leader. To return as opposition leader, Poilievre needed to get back into parliament. The MP for Battle River-Crowfoot – a rural district in the western province of Alberta where Conservatives dominate – offered to step down so Poilievre could run for his seat. Poilievre is the favorite but faces an uncertain path should he rejoin parliament, in part because some voters continue to see him as 'a little Trump,' said Frederic Boily, a University of Alberta political scientist. In Canada, that is not a good brand. Trump tension New Gallup data puts Canadian attitudes towards US political leadership at record lows. While the president's threats to make Canada the 51st US state have subsided, his trade war is hurting crucial industries. The Gallup survey shows only 15% of Canadians approve of Washington, the lowest level on record in data going back to 2008. The next lowest approval rate – 16% – was recorded in 2018, during Trump's first term. Seventy-nine percent of Canadians disapprove of US political leadership, a figure only three points better than attitudes towards Vladimir Putin's Russia. Canadian faith in their own leadership has also jumped to 59%, a rise of 19 points since Carney replaced former prime minister Justin Trudeau. Poilievre has sought to make clear that he sees Trump as a rival, but one that Carney is failing to confront. 'President Trump is the one putting these tariffs on Canadians, but Mark Carney is the one who promised Canadians he could 'handle him' and 'win,'' Poilievre said this month. 214 candidates For Donald Abelson, an expert on US-Canada relations at McMaster University, Poilievre is trying to 'feed off the frustration and disillusionment in Canada about the imposition of tariffs and the bullying (while saying) that he, unlike Carney, is prepared to stand up to Trump.' The strategy is limited, Abelson argued, as Canadians want a long-term plan to realign the country away from the US – a central Carney talking point. 'If Poilievre overplays the Trump card, he's making a mistake,' Abelson told AFP. Boily, the political scientist, said Poilievre faces an additional problem – an enduring attachment within his base to issues Trump has elevated. 'It's tough for any conservative leader not to talk about the fight against globalists and wokism because it's the new conservative reality,' Boily told AFP, arguing Poilievre's 'DNA' is more aligned with traditional conservatism, not Trump-inspired populism. If Poilievre loses Monday's election, voter confusion will be the likely cause. There are 214 candidates on the ballot, a record number caused by the Longest Ballot Committee protest group, which wants electoral law reform. Poilievre was targeted by the same group in April, but organizers claim they are not motivated by partisan ideology. Voters on Monday will have to write the name of their preferred candidate on their ballot, not tick a box, an exceptional measure designed to spare people finding the correct name on a 214-candidate list.
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FIRST READING: Canada's Supreme Court is mounting an unprecedented PR offensive
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. TOP STORY The Supreme Court of Canada announced this week that its chief justice, Richard Wagner, would soon be embarking on a public relations tour of Yellowknife, N.W.T. Along with two other justices — Nicholas Kasirer and Michelle O'Bonsawin — he'll spend two days gladhanding with high school students, meeting with Indigenous elders and hosting forums about the glories of Canada's highest court. 'The Supreme Court of Canada is one of the country's most significant institutions,' reads an official media release, which adds that Yellowknifers will be informed about how the court is the stoic guarantor of their 'strong and secure democratic country.' Sitting judges do not traditionally embark on PR tours. Not in Canada, nor in any other corner of the English-speaking world. For much of the Supreme Court's 150-year history, in fact, the general idea was to avoid the spotlight as much as possible. But this has been happening a lot lately. As the Supreme Court of Canada keeps wading into controversy by striking down legislation or forcing parliaments to adopt new laws, they've simultaneously been leaning hard into a big-budget PR strategy framing themselves as the defenders of democracy. The Yellowknife visit is one of five goodwill visits scheduled this year for the Supreme Court of Canada, all of them to celebrate the court's 150th anniversary. A two-day visit to Victoria in February ended with a $135-per-plate 'engagement' dinner that was billed as a chance to participate in a 'historic moment.' This year saw the court team up with the Royal Canadian Mint to issue a commemorative Loonie. 'The new $1 circulation coin serves as a shining tribute to (the Supreme Court of Canada's) unwavering dedication to the rule of law, and its service to Canadians — past, present, and future,' reads promotional literature. The court commissioned a children's book which features Chief Justice Wagner teaming up with an anthropological owl to teach a class of wide-eyed school children about how the Supreme Court makes 'decisions that affect all Canadians.' Children are also being invited to submit artwork and essays praising the court's work, with winners to be awarded with an 'in person or virtual meeting with the Chief Justice of Canada.'The Supreme Court of Canada happens to be the only public institution in the country where the incumbents are honoured with triumphal artwork. At Rideau Hall or Parliament Hill, they wait until office-holders have retired before rendering them in portraiture. As has been covered multiple times by the National Post, the Supreme Court of Canada's Grand Entrance Hall features a bronze bust of Wagner that likely cost around $18,000. Curiously, however, the Supreme Court of Canada has consistently denied knowing who paid for it and why. The statue was funded by an anonymous donor, and Wagner has said he doesn't know who it is. 'We don't have gifts, it's more like tokens of appreciation that we receive,' he told National Post in court is even commissioning a literal makeover. Since its 1875 inception, the Supreme Court of Canada's official regalia has consisted of fur-trimmed red robes inspired by English legal traditions that date back as far as the 17th century. But those are now being discarded in favour of something more modern. 'The moment has come to have new robes that better reflect Canadian identity. The new robes will be made in Canada,' Wagner told the official publication of the Canadian Bar Association. Oxford-based legal critic Kerry Sun called it a 'Year Zero move.' The Supreme Court also continues to be particularly active on social media, although notably not on the one platform where it's received the most criticism: In February — right around the time that many left-leaning users were leaving the platform in political opposition to owner Elon Musk — the Supreme Court appeared to do the same. 'Dear subscribers — moving forward, we will be focusing our communication efforts on other platforms. We invite you to follow us on our LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts to continue receiving our updates. Thank you for your support!' read a statement. Naturally, all this extra travel, promotional literature and communications work is not coming cheap. As recently as 2017, it cost $34,882,922 to keep the doors open at the Supreme Court of Canada. Over the next year, their budget is expected to top out at $47,967,792. That's an increase of 37 per cent; roughly on par with the ballooning costs charted by nearly every other federal agency since the 2015 election of a Liberal government. All the while, the rates of cases being decided by the court is at historic lows. In the late 1990s, the Supreme Court was disposing of about 80 cases per year. Last year, the court issued 50 decisions. The year before that, just 36. But if the Supreme Court of Canada is suddenly ramping up its PR strategy, it's occurring amid a period of heightened controversy for the top court. Although its decisions are few, they disproportionately have the effect of rewriting or compelling legislation. Just last month, the Supreme Court of Canada rewrote a section of the Youth Criminal Justice Act making it more difficult to apply adult sentences to youth offenders. In 2022, the Court threw out a law requiring mass-killers to serve consecutive sentences for each one of their victims, deeming it 'cruel and unusual punishment' to deny parole eligibility to the perpetrator of a mass shooting at a Quebec City mosque. That particular decision yielded a rare statement of condemnation from former prime minister Stephen Harper. 'Today's decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of mass murderer Alexandre Bissonnette devalues the lives of his victims,' he said at the time. Most notably, Canadian politicians have become increasingly comfortable with discussing the use of the Notwithstanding Clause, a section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that effectively allows Parliaments to override the Supreme Court. A June review found that after 30 years of 'relative neglect,' the notwithstanding clause had been invoked in a record 'six different provincial laws since 2018.' During the 2025 federal election, meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to become the first prime minister to invoke the clause at a federal level in order to shield bail and sentencing reform from Supreme Court jurisdiction. The court has not reacted well to the newfound criticism. In 2024, when a Supreme Court decision used the term 'person with a vagina' in place of 'woman,' it drew a unanimous condemnation from the Quebec National Assembly. At his annual press conference that year, Wagner said he and his colleagues were 'witnessing attacks on our judges and our institutions.' 'Comments like this undermine public confidence in the justice system. We should be especially concerned when elected representatives say these things,' he said in French. On Oct. 6, the Supreme Court's new clothing is expected to be debuted at 'a ceremonial opening of the judicial year' — which is itself another Wagner innovation. While Supreme Court justices participate in the official opening of Parliament, they haven't historically bothered with high-production ceremonies for their own branch of government. Nevertheless, in June Wagner said in his annual press conference that it would be a chance for 'the legal community to come together and reflect on the issues facing our justice system.' It's not entirely unprecedented. The last time the Supreme Court held a ceremonial opening was a one-off in 1986. Perhaps tellingly, the opening was a bid to be more 'open and accessible' to Canadians during a period when the country had similarly begun nurturing concerns that their top court was exceeding its authority. The Supreme Court of Canada had just issued its decision on R v. Morgentaler which effectively abolished all laws governing abortion in the country — a legal framework that stands to this day. And, notably, it did so using a Charter of Rights of Freedoms that had only been made law just four years before — and whose champion, then prime minister Pierre Trudeau, had assured Canadians that it would never be used to rule on abortion. As one court-watcher, law professor Tim Christian, commented on the 1986 ceremonial opening at the time, 'people haven't yet grasped the degree to which the Supreme Court now has the authority to make final decisions on questions of constitutional morality.' IN OTHER NEWSJenni Byrne was in charge of the Conservative campaign during the 2025 election. And according to some Tory insiders, her inflexible approach is the reason they lost. While she hasn't been turfed outright from her influential position within the party, she did reveal this week that she won't be heading up the next Conservative campaign. Get all of these insights and more into your inbox by signing up for the First Reading newsletter. Housing crisis may get worse, new forecasts show Terry Newman: Let's talk about post-sex regret, baby
National Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Majority of Canadians unfamiliar with possible NDP leadership contenders, poll finds
A new poll suggests most Canadians are unfamiliar with nine possible NDP leadership contenders. Article content A majority of respondents to the Research Co. poll said they 'don't know who the person is' when asked about possible candidates like current NDP MPs Leah Gazan, Gord Johns, Jenny Kwan and Heather McPherson. Article content The same goes for other high-profile New Democrats like former House leader Ruth Ellen Brosseau, former Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart and filmmaker Avi Lewis. The poll also asked about former MP Nathan Cullen and Tony McQuail, an Ontario farmer who plans to enter the leadership race. Article content Article content Brosseau got the most positive response in the poll, with 18 per cent of respondents saying they have a favourable view of her. Kwan, meanwhile, had the largest number of poll respondents saying they 'definitely' or 'probably' want to see her run for the leadership — a combined 22 per cent. Article content Article content The polling industry's professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population. Article content On Tuesday, the party announced the formal launch of its 'review and renewal' process after former leader Jagmeet Singh lost his own seat and resigned as leader in the April 28 election. Article content The process will be led by human rights lawyer and former Ottawa NDP candidate Emilie Taman. Article content The NDP lost official party status after being reduced to just seven seats in the House of Commons, five shy of the 12-seat threshold for recognition. Article content Article content The party says the consultation stage of the review will begin 'in the coming weeks' and include discussions hosted by local campaign teams, listening sessions with party leaders and one-on-one meetings with current and former MPs, plus key campaign staff. Article content Article content Party members can also share their input through an online survey or by emailing the party. The deadline for these submissions is Sept. 19. Article content Article content
CBC
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Most Canadians don't know about the Air India bombing: poll
40 years on from the Air India bombing, some in B.C. fear history is being forgotten. An Angus Reid Poll survey finds few Canadians, around one-in-five, are able to identify the tragedy as the deadliest terror attack Canada has endured. To help us better understand this, CBC News spoke to Sachi Kurl who is the president of the Angus Reid Institute.
National Post
22-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Former Liberal cabinet minister John McCallum dead at 75, family says
Article content John McCallum, a former Liberal cabinet minister and a mainstay of 21st-century Canadian politics, has died at age 75, his family confirms. Article content A statement says McCallum passed away peacefully Saturday, surrounded by family. Article content McCallum was first elected to the House of Commons to represent the Greater-Toronto-Area riding of Markham in 2000 after a career that included stints as chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada and dean of arts at McGill University. Article content Article content He would go on to serve as a cabinet minister for three different Liberal prime ministers across a variety of portfolios. Article content Article content
