Bill Blair Now Officially a Liberal Candidate

Although it was probably a foregone conclusion, former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate for Scarborough Southwest yesterday afternoon. Despite recent polls indicating that the Liberals are struggling in third place against a surging NDP, picking up Blair as a star candidate is still seen as a coup by the party, who optimistically is now caught in a three-way race with the Conservatives and the New Democrats. Continue reading “Bill Blair Now Officially a Liberal Candidate” →

Rona Ambrose Loses Her $#!% Over SCOC Cannabis Ruling

It must have been weird for a Conservative cabinet minister to push for “clinical trials” and “scientific evidence” but I guess when the choice is between the Supreme Court of Canada and government scientists, Health Minister Rona Ambrose chose the lesser of two evils. In another loss to the government in their dealings with the Supreme Court, a unanimous decision by the Justices has opened the door medical marijuana users to be lawfully allowed to ingest their medicine in other forms like edibles. Continue reading “Rona Ambrose Loses Her $#!% Over SCOC Cannabis Ruling” →

Justin Trudeau? Shia LeBeouf says ‘Just Do It!’

From the guy that brought you wearing a bag over his head to his own movie premiere, and sitting in an art gallery all day to have people come in an yell at him, comes Shia LeBeouf’s latest art project: standing in front of a green screen yelling motivational gibberish at the camera. The point of this has its own weird explanation, but some industrious Canadians saw an opportunity to inject a little “Beef” into our upcoming election. Continue reading “Justin Trudeau? Shia LeBeouf says ‘Just Do It!’” →

MacKay Joins the March out the Conservative Caucus Door

In a shocking news item this morning, Justice Minister Peter MacKay announced that he would not be seeking re-election in this fall’s Federal Election. It’s another sudden loss for the Harper government that is going into this coming election with a further diminished bench that includes the previously announced loss of former Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Shelly Glover. Continue reading “MacKay Joins the March out the Conservative Caucus Door” →

Ad Wars 2015 – Part I

Today both the Conservatives and the New Democrats released brand new ads, and they make a pretty clear statement that the 2015 election campaign is now unofficially underway. The battle lines are drawn here between the governing Conservatives and the upstart NDP: you’re either going to vote for strong, steady leadership, or you’re going to leave behind cynicism and embrace morning in Canada. Continue reading “Ad Wars 2015 – Part I” →

6 Months to Election Day

Exactly six months from now, Canadians will go to the polls to elect a new federal government. Already, each of the major parties is telling us that this will be the most important election in Canadian history, and although the more meta-aware candidates recognize that this line is said almost every election year, could they be actually right this time? There are 30 new seats up for grabs thanks to the re-configuration of district lines, making a majority sweep just a little bit harder to achieve. On the issues, there’s the Stephen Harper legacy, whether or not a balanced budget is enough to make people forget the myriad of scandals his government’s incurred over the last decade. And the Opposition, is Thomas Mulcair’s prosecutorial method of holding the government in line going to keep the Orange Crush crushing, or is the face of youth and vitality in Justin Trudeau going to be more appealing? Continue reading “6 Months to Election Day” →

Open Sources/RadiOPIRG Interview with Michael Harris

Michael Harris recent book Party of One is a thorough and vicious dissection of the nine years of governance by Stephen Harper and Conservative Party of Canada. From robocalls, to veterans affairs, to the muzzling of scientists and the disenfranchisement of loyal and dedicated public servants, Harris leaves no stone unturned to make sure the reader’s convinced that Harper and Company have been up to no good for the past decade.

Not convinced yet? Well, Harris is coming to Guelph on April 19 at Harcourt United Church courtesy of Fair Vote Guelph to tell you in person. In anticipation, Open Sources Guelph with RadiOPIRG got the chance to interview Harris by phone from Ottawa about his work on Party of One, his ongoing coverage of the Harper government, and what the future and the upcoming election might hold. Continue reading “Open Sources/RadiOPIRG Interview with Michael Harris” →