The four-day Liberal convention closed yesterday setting the stage for 2015. Despite a leaked Conservative memo suggesting attempts to disrupt the convention, the events continued as though they weren’t there. The Conservatives and media did try to surface negative publicity, but recent polls show Liberal support is on the rise as the Tories and NDP prepare for the most negative campaign seen since 2006.
A party that is divided and in turmoil is perceived as unfit to run a government. Hence why the Conservative Party wanted to try to reignite old divisions in a strengthening foe next week – only to find out they were throwing rocks in a glass house.
Following Snowden documents revealing metadata was collected from thousands of Canadians during a two week period through the free wifi at an airport, Canada’s security experts demand answers and government officials are defending the legality of the act.
Canada’s veterans are fuming over the Conservative government’s recent decision to close 8 offices and merge veterans’ services with Service Canada. After a recent fallout with Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino, who refuses to reconsider the closures, veterans are urging Canadians to give the Tories the boot in 2015.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau turned the Senate and pundits on their heads this week following his announcement that Liberal Senators would cease to sit in the Liberal caucus in a bid to remove patronage and partisanship from the scandal-plagued Upper Chamber.
Keystone proponents have flooded the American airwaves with ads trying to convince Americans and President Barack Obama to either accept or turn down the Keystone pipeline. This ad, slotted to air during tomorrow’s State of the Union address, shows how heated the debate can get as the Keystone project has been framed as being of greater benefit to the Chinese than to average American consumers. The spot features a picture of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Chinese ex-premier Wen Jiabao shaking hands to the narration of “a sucker’s deal for America.”
The Conservative government has shut down hundreds of federal and world renowned research facilities as part of their war on science. The bulk of facilities affected pertained to the climate science that has actively gotten in the way of the government’s coveted pipeline projects. The Conservatives are silencing their critics as they cut scientific funding in the name of ideological gain.
While the Conservatives would say the economy is “still strong,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty warns “the economic recovery remains fragile ” amid 45,900 in job losses in December – the steepest since the 54,500 drop in March. When all months are considered, only 102,000 jobs were created in 2013 and the unemployment rate rose 0.3% to 7.2% – which is higher than that of the United States (6.7%) for the first time since 2008. In addition, the US registered a 74,000 net increase for December.
Who said Canadian politics is boring? This year has been a news-maker filled with controversy and action. From the battle that wages over the economy to the one being waged in the senate, Canadian political junkies had ample opportunities to gather popcorn or join the discussion over the issues that matter to them.
Some economists are raising red flags on the topic of the economy which has been dear to the Conservatives’ electoral strategy. Job creation has been the weakest in a decade for a non-recession year and the low quality of these limited jobs are cause for concern. If that isn’t enough, the national deficit ticked $1.3 billion upward this year.