It's DAY 15 for John Wright and me on our daily #cdnpoli podcast - The WRIT Race. A few things you'll learn from today's show. 1) Writs don't get "dropped". 2) John give us a master class on how polls work 3) Justin Trudeau is emerging as a Ballot Question in this campaign. Take 20 minutes. Let us know what you think!
Mere hours after a suicide bomb attack at the Kabul airport, Conservative leader Erin O'Toole seemed to be heeding John Wright's advice on how to respond to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Liberal campaign insiders are telling the Toronto Star there is no plan to shift direction or hit the reset button on the campaign plan. But Keith Leslie suggested the Trudeau campaign would attempt to Ontario Premier Doug Ford into the campaign. Shortly after we wrapped our record...
John Wright says the bombings and ISIS attacked near the Kabul airport Thursday afternoon have squarely centred "Afghanistan" as the ballot question that will define the Canadian federal election campaign. And that raises a critical question for the Liberal team. How does Justin Trudeau answer the Afghanistan question? Is this Erin O'Toole's time to breakthrough, not only as the Conservative leader but a leader who is a veteran?
We engage in an unvarnished discussion with Amanda Galbraith about the state of the federal election campaign. (NOTE: Feminism is her second favourite F-word:) Amanda says we're into the "meh" phase but don't think for a minute that what happens in week's two and three aren't going to affect the outcome. She points to Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef referring to the Taliban as "brothers". It's an example of a Liberal campaign that can't get out of its own way.
Sussex Strategy co-founder, Brett James joins John Wright and Dave Trafford in the DAY 9 edition of The WRIT Race. In this episode we talk about everything from Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole's efforts to ingratiate himself to Canadian voters, even if that risks criticism from the right-leaning element of the party's core to the effect of digital campaigns. And we close by remembering Rolling Stones legend, Charlie Watts.
ICYMI: John Wright and Dave Trafford did the LIVE STREAM video version of the WRIT Race on Monday afternoon. Here's the audio from the show, if that suits you better. Otherwise, we'd encourage you to check out the YouTube show here. We're also broadcasting on Dave's Facebook page. We plan to do the video version every Monday over the course of the campaign and on Election Night. On Day 8, the Liberals get their hands slapped by Twitter for manipulating an Erin O'Toole video.
David Skok is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Logic. He joins us in this edition of the WRIT Race to discuss the media's role in covering the federal election campaign in Canada. And asks whether we're focused on the things that really matter. "This will be an election campaign framed as a referendum on Canada’s response to a global pandemic, with parties jockeying for position on how the governing Liberals did or didn’t manage the crisis. But I hope this election will also surface hard quest...
In this weekend edition of The WRIT Race, Tony Chapman, host and producer of Chatter That Matters, says the election of Tim Houston's Progressive Conservative in Nova Scotia should signal a shift in how major parties approach election campaigns. Bob Pickard, at Signal Leadership Communications, says the O'Toole Conservatives and Singh New Democrats won the communications battle over Justin Trudeau in week one. And John Cameron at Dalhousie University says some of the most experienced and importa...
Today on The WRIT Race - the daily #cndpoli #podcast, John Wright and Dave Trafford are joined by Keith Leslie and Erin Trafford, who offer up insights into what happened in the #NovaScotia election. Also, will the federal Liberal party be able to resist running against Doug Ford @fordnation in Ontario? And we highlight a Master Class by Sean O'Shea at Global News Toronto on how-to-hold -political-parties-accountable.
Today on The WRIT Race daily #podcast, John Wright and Dave Trafford ponder whether there can be such a thing as a national election platform when the needs of Canadians in Atlanta Canada are different from the issues faced in the prairies and the territories. Also, how will mail-in voting/voter turnout affect the outcome in some key ridings on election day?
Yes, it's early in the federal election campaign in Canada, but there are already indications that the traditional Liberal issues aren't top of mind as priorities for most Canadians. John Wright SVP at Maru Public Opinion says the NDP and Conservatives continue to frame this campaign in terms of affordability. John says external events like Afghanistan and the Progressive Conservative provincial election win in Nova Scotia have set Justin Trudeau back on his heels.
Day 2 of the federal election campaign in Canada and the agenda has been overtaken by the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan. The Taliban's lighting like win over Afghan forces that put up no defence of the capital Kabul has dominated the domestic political debate and has the Liberal leader on his back foot. Justin Trudeau is being forced to display leadership, to govern and to develop policy on a major international file he can't control. It means he's distracted, (at best), from his ...
Hey there! I know you come here for your dose of Ontario politics and we usually focus our attention on Queen's Park. But for the next 36 days, federal politics will be Ontario politics. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it official yesterday, we are going to the polls on September 20th. So, John Wright and I have decided to return to the daily podcast during the writ period. (That's the way this show started when the 2018 election was called in Ontario). Buckle up. I don't know if this will be...
Okay, it's been all but shuttered since 2012, so the redevelopment plans for Ontario Place on Toronto's waterfront are long overdue. But, it would appear that plan is getting some pretty good reviews. The back-to-school-plan - not so much. Premier Doug Ford had promised to present a comprehensive plan before the end of July. Well, they missed that deadline. We're told to expect details the first week of August - mere weeks before the kids are supposed to be heading back to class.
In this week's edition of On the Ledge, Ontario Real Estate Association and past Progressive Conservative leader in Ontario, Tim Hudak joins the podcast. Tim talks about his recommendations to get the province's tourism industry back to business. Does that mean we need to embrace a vaccine "passport" to ensure travellers and workers feel comfortable and confident to make that happen? Meanwhile, Ontario's Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and Manitoba's new Minister of Indigenou...
Do you suppose Ontario retailers, barbers and nail salons will simply ignore the rules and open up for business on Canada Day? Perhaps the better question is, how many businesses will move to Step 2 on July 2nd (as originally planned) because it makes little or no sense to open up on Wednesday only to have to close down for the July 1st stat? We also wonder whether Premier Doug Ford has misplayed his hand bouncing longtime Tory stalwarts from his cabinet. And what action does the province need t...
This week on the podcast with John Wright, Keith Leslie and Dave Trafford, the province is on the verge of blowing through its vaccination targets, (will the Ford government accelerate plans to open the economy?), the NDP is the first out of the gate with campaign ads, the Tories have named their platform build team, AND.. Oh ya, while we're recoding the show, Keith gets a text telling us we may have a cabinet shuffle by the end of business on Friday!
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was ready to use the Notwithstanding Clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to cut Toronto City Council by half, bu the Court of Appeal spoil his historic flirtation when a three judge panel said he could do just that. Now, he's ready to lob the constitutional nuke so he can restrict third party spending during an election campaign. And with few exceptions, nobody seems too fussed by it.
The Ontario legislature is now in its summer break. MPP's will be back at Queen's Park in September. In the meantime, there is a good deal of speculation, if not expectation, that Premier Doug Ford will shuffle, maybe blow up, his front bench. The Toronto Star is reporting that Ford is considering a major cabinet shakeup as he prepares to present a team worthy of re-election a year from now.
What is keeping Ontario Premier Doug Ford from deciding whether kids will be returning to school this spring? Public health authorities across the province, including Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, says there's no reason why students can't be in class as early as this week. The "Science Table" is offering the same advice. Still, no decision from Queen's Park and Doug Ford's being labelled as "Mr. Dithers."
By most accounts, the Ontario government's three phased plan to re-open the economy over the summer months of 2021 is welcomed relief and a glimmer of hope. But will it be enough to reverse Premier Ford's slide in the polls a year out from the next election? We're joined this week by CTV's Queen's Park Bureau Chief Colin D'Mello to talk about the prospects for the Tories, the NDP and the Liberals and the idiotic call to change the name of this Victoria Day Weekend!
The Greater Toronto Area has been under a quasi-lockdown/stay-at-home order for nearly six months and Ontario Premier Doug Ford still finds it necessary to extend the order until June 2nd. It was a week of more flailing by the Ford government, engaging in a political slappy fight with the feds over who should shoulder the blame for their failures to manage the pandemic response. And so much for consulting the "Science Table". The premier cited "buddies" who like to carpool to the golf course and...
Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly supports his Minister of Long Term Care, despite Dr. Merrilee Fullerton's dumpster fire reaction to the Long Term Care Commission Report on the government's response to the COVID outbreaks that have killed thousands residents and staff at LTC facilities across the province. But that didn't quell calls for her to be fired. Minister Fullerton may be correct when she claims no one saw the pandemic coming but she should have seen this scathing report coming. Yet, s...
As we recorded this session, it was the first time in months that we could say, "Premier Ford didn't meet the media this week." (NOTE: He did so a few hours after we wrapped our recording). All in all, it marked a relatively better week for the Ontario government. There are still plenty of critical voices, pointing to the Auditor General's report on LTC during the pandemic, too few "paid sick days", and the Opposition managed to resurrect the Rod Phillips scandal. But the vitriol and steam have ...
Bad days have quickly turned into bad weeks for Premier Doug Ford and his Ontario government. Now, it's clear that the province's handling of the growing COVID crisis has shaken public confidence in Ford Nation. Polling by Maru Opinion indicates 8 in 10 Ontarians believe the Ford government is "flying by the seat of its pants" and only 1 in 5 would commit to voting for the Progressive Conservatives. An emotional news conference by Ford capped off what is becoming a disastrous month for him and h...
This edition of On The Ledge was recorded before Premier Doug Ford was scheduled to make his latest pronouncement on the province's strategy to slow the spread of COVID-19. We know it will be based on a series of layered closed door meetings with no indication of how the premier arrived at his decision. Politics has trumped public health so far. And it's becoming increasingly clear the Ford government is suffering on both fronts. We're joined in this episode by CTV's Queen's Park Bureau Chief, C...
Barely three days into a province-wide "lockdown", Ontario Premier Doug Ford decides it's time to issue a province-wide Stay At Home order. It's another sign suggesting the provincial plan to control the pandemic is being driven by guesses. It's a sign that we continue to chase the virus rather than getting out in front of it. Brampton Mayor, Patrick Brown joins us on this edition of On The Ledge. In many ways, his city has been ground zero for the pandemic. He's happy the province has finally s...
Five months ago, the On The Ledge crew asked the question: "Who's in control of an out of control pandemic?" That was the thrust of our discussion on November 12, 2020. We knew then we were facing the Second Wave. We knew then we faced out of control case numbers. We knew then that urgent measures were required. We knew then vaccines were on the way. We knew then we needed a comprehensive rollout and distribution plan for those vaccines. We know now the Ford government learned little from that e...
Why is it that an octogenarian who doesn't have a cell phone or a computer can't get a vaccine when he shows up at a clinic without making an appointment? We are overthinking the vaccine rollout. Now that the LTC residents and front line staffers have been taken care why are we so preoccupied by focussing on age cohorts and limiting access? The vaccine rollout continues to stumble along. The Ford government tables a "what else could we do budget". The Supreme Court of Canada rules in favour of O...
Doug Ford's approval ratings are dipping according to the latest numbers from Maru/Blue, but he's still 8 points better than he was when he won a majority at Queen's Park in 2018. Will the "COVID glow" last long enough to get Ford Nation re-elected next spring? Ontario announces plans to sunset 1500 fax machines. Yup. We're still using fax machines. And Keith Leslie is hearing that online re-sellers are booking provincial campsites!
