Political Canadiana October 18–28, 2019
Nov 2 · 8 min read

Some of the most interesting political and historical Canadiana for October 18–28, 2019:
The federal election is over, and the Liberals were re-elected while being reduced to a minority in Parliament:
- Paul Adams writes for Policy Options about how the federal parties went negative during the election, abetted by the media.
- James Bowden writes on his blog about how Andrew Scheer wasn’t exactly wrong about the party that gets the most seats in an election getting to form government in Canada.
- Andrew Coyne writes for the Ottawa Citizen about how Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system contributes to dividing Canadians.
- The Counterweights editors write about the challenges Justin Trudeau faces with a minority government and whether it could be a ‘Pearsonian Liberal’ minority.
- Rachel Emmanuel and Charlie Pinkerton write for IPolitics about how the Liberals’ strategic voting push made the difference in their campaign.
- Alan Freeman writes for IPolitics about how the election glass is ‘definitely half full’.
- Jonathan Gatehouse writes for the CBC about the voting turnout, voter anger, and political gamesmanship that should be observed with the election results.
- Melanie Green and Omar Moslegh write for the Toronto Star about immigrants and visible minority people who vote for right-wing parties that want to reduce immigration.
- Kelly Harris writes for IPolitics about how and if the Trudeau government could fall on a confidence motion after the election.
- Matthew Hayes writes for The Conversation about what the election could have looked like with proportional representation.
- Chantal Hébert writes for the CBC about why many Québécois voters are returning to support the Bloc Québécois because of a fear that other provinces are ‘ganging up’ on Québec.
- Chantal Hébert writes for the Toronto Star about how the election results reflect a divided country.
- Maxime Heroux-Legault writes for The Conversation about how the Liberals paved the way for the return of the Bloc Québécois.
- Lyle Hill writes for the Two Row Times to Indigenous people considering whether to vote and his concerns about Jagmeet Singh’s promise of a ‘blank cheque’ to fix the water problems on First Nations reserves.
- David Kilgour writes for the Ottawa Citizen about how the election results show Canada needs a proportional representation electoral system.
- Anita Li writes for Policy Options about how the election offers a ‘glimmer of hope’ for cultural pluralism.
- Neil Macdonald writes for the CBC about how Justin Trudeau’s non-answers cost him on election day.
- Ryan McMahon discusses in Ricochet Media about how Canadians were unable to discuss climate change and its impacts on Northern Canada during the election.
- Jonathan Montpetit writes for the CBC about how the Bloc Québécois returned from the political dead thanks to the other federal political parties making themselves look out of touch with modern Québec.
- Jonathan Montpetit writes for the CBC about the decline and fall of the NDP in Québec.
- Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry writes for Ricochet Media about the ‘troublemaker’ role Québec played during the election.
- Alain Noel writes for Policy Options about the ‘real losers’ in the election.
- Kady O’Malley writes for IPolitics about what the election results mean going forward.
- Pam Palmater writes for Canadian Dimension to analyze the federal parties’ platforms on Indigenous issues.
- Mitch Potter writes for the Toronto Star about the indifference Canadians showed towards populism and movements like the People’s Party of Canada.
- Judy Rebick writes for Canadian Dimension on what the NDP can take away from the election results.
- A writer with the screen name ‘Rural’ writes on their blog about the history of coalition governments in Canada.
- Michel Seymour writes for The Converation about why the Bloc Québécois revived itself.
- Erika Shaker writes for the Behind The Numbers blog about the progressive potential of the new minority government.
- Dale Smith writes on his blog about Justin Trudeau’s first political steps after the election ended.
- Sarmishta Subramanian writes for The Walrus about the polarization in Canada and how it could impact the election.
- Tanya Talaga writes for the Toronto Star about how Jody Wilson-Raybould was re-elected as an independent candidate.
- John Paul Tasker writes for the CBC about how Andrew Scheer and Justin Trudeau warned that voting for the Bloc Québécois would lead to a third Québec referendum on separation.
- Stephanie Tomblin writes for the CBC about how Canada is more divided after the election, and how it will impact Newfoundland & Labrador.
- Sarah Turnbull writes for CTV News about Maxime Bernier’s losing his own riding and his insistence that the People’s Party of Canada ‘has a future’ despite failing to get any candidates elected at all.
- Paul Wells discusses how things have changed after the election and how it’s time to ‘do better’.
- Aaron Wherry writes for the CBC about the difficulty Justin Trudeau would have getting re-elected when the political landscape was shifting.
- Alvin Yu writes for the CBC about the issues driving young voters to the polls for the first time, ranging from student debt to Indigenous reconciliation.
One of the major issues is the anger in Saskatchewan and especially Alberta over what they view as the Justin Trudeau government’s failure to get pipelines built to tidewater, and the anxiety many people in both provinces feel over their economic futures:
- Nicole Bogart writes for CTV News about the regional divides in Western Canada that have led to the rise of the ‘Wexit’ movement.
- The Broadbent Institute writes about how Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system is fueling talk of Alberta separatism.
- Sean Carleton writes for Canadian Dimension about the end of the hunger strike to protest ongoing land fraud at Kanesatake and the Mohawks’ invitation to Justin Trudeau to discuss the problem.
- CBC Radio show Cross Country Checkup hosted a radio show that showed the economic anxieties people in Alberta feel and the environmental concerns people in B.C. feel, and how they both relate to the TransMountainX pipeline.
- Yolande Cole writes for the Calgary Herald about how the Trudeau government won’t dare abandon the TransMountain pipeline even with its minority government.
- Chris Corrigan writes on his blog about the ‘splintered politics’ in Canada after the election.
- Colby Cosh writes for the National Post about how Western Canadians who support Wexit need to ‘want it in their hearts’ first.
- Dave Cournoyer writes on his blog about why Albertans should stop saying that their province doesn’t matter in the federal election.
- Dave Cournoyer writes on his blog about what the minority Liberal government could mean for Alberta.
- Martha Hall Findlay writes for the Canada West Foundation about Canadian unity after the election, and the need to consider both economics and ecology in policy decisions.
- Graham Fox writes for Policy Options about why Trudeau needs a Western advisor with influence over the federal agenda.
- Bryan Labby writes for the CBC about a panel discussion of Albertans generating ideas on what Albertans want from Ottawa.
- Bill Longstaff writes on his blog about whether Trudeau can make a future with Alberta.
- Stephen Maher writes for Macleans about how Western separation is not a serious option.
- Jason Markusoff writes for Macleans about how Trudeau would need an ‘Alberta unity strategy’ if he won the election (which he did) and how it would have to include pipelines.
- Scott Matthews writes for Macleans about how regionalism is nothing new in Canada.
- Peter Mazereeuw writes for the Hill Times to question whether Justin Trudeau really ruined Alberta’s economy.
- Jess Morgan writes for Loonie Politics about how Manitoba won’t join a separate Western Canada.
- Rex Murphy writes for the National Post about how Western anger has dramatically increased after the election results.
- Jesse Snyder writes for the National Post to talk to seven prominent Western voices about the post-election mood out West.
- Stephanie Tobin writes for the CBC about the disturbing vitriol some Albertans directed towards Newfoundlanders and Labradorians after the election results started to come in.
- The Toronto Sun writes in an editorial that Canada’s climate change discussion is lacking in nuance.
- Roberto Wakewell-Cruz writes for the Post Millennial about whether Wexit would even work.
- Brad Wall writes for the National Post about what a new deal between the federal government and Alberta and Saskatchewan could look like.
- Paul Wells writes for Macleans about how and even whether Trudeau could respond to Alberta’s anger.
- Susan Wright writes on her blog about how Alberta got to Wexit.
The day after the election, independent Senator André Pratte quit the Canadian Senate:
- Bill Brownstein writes for the National Post about why Pratte quit the Senate-notably, he felt it was too divisive.
- Pratte writes for the Toronto Star to explain his decision in his own words.
- Dale Smith writes for Loonie Politics to criticize Pratte’s decision, stating that party negotiations and ‘horse trading’ are a normal part of politics.
Other items of interest:
- Hillary Beaumont writes for The Walrus about what it might require for Canada to take the First Nations drinking water crisis seriously.
- Daniel Béland, André Lecours, Gregory P. Marchildron, Haizhen Mou and Rose Olfert write for Policy Options about the challenges facing Canada’s equalization program.
- Chantelle Bellrichard writes for the CBC about how some First Nations feel that the TransMountain Indigenous consultation process is fatally flawed even with extending the timeline for consultation.
- David Bell writes for the CBC about Suncor CEO Steve Williams criticizing climate change deniers and the politicians catering to them.
- Eric Bohne and Ed Whalen write for the Tyee about how Ottawa allowing Chinese plants to supply steel for LNG pipelines is costing Canadians jobs.
- James Bowden writes on his blog about when a political party such as the Conservatives should drop a leader like Andrew Scheer.
- Scott Clark and Peter DeVries write on their blog about the federal government’s ongoing budget issues.
- Sidney Cohen and Jonathan Last write for the CBC about Caroline Cochran being elected Premier of the Northwest Territories.
- Kevin Dougherty writes for IPolitics about how Québec Premier François Legault is giving the Bloc Québécois the cold shoulder.
- Alan Freeman writes for IPolitics about how Québec is no longer participating in the national conversation.
- John Geddes writes for Macleans about how new pipelines could be approved in the future based on how legislation like Bill C-69 is rolled out.
- Dallas Hunt writes for The Walrus about how settler Canadians should try and find Halloween costumes that don’t degrade Indigenous people.
- Andrew Jackson writes for the National Newswatch to criticize the Liberal focus on cutting taxes after the election.
- Vassy Kapelos writes for the CBC about how the struggle to keep Canada together will be harder in some provinces than others.
- Jason Markusoff writes for Macleans about how the Alberta city of Lethbridge is using an Indigenous greeting to greet visitors.
- Dan McCarthy writes for the Globe and Mail to advise that MPs could bridge Canada’s divides by traveling across the country and meeting different Canadians.
- Cory Morgan writes on his blog that rural crime in Alberta will eventually kill someone.
- Julian Brave Noisecat writes for The Walrus about how the Haudenosaunee’s Great Law of Peace offers ways to avert ecological, social and political crises.
- Kady O’Malley writes for IPolitics about whether the Conservatives will hold a leadership race after the election.
- Colin Osmond writes for Active History about the centuries-long resistance the Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia have raised against the development and pollution of ‘A’Se’k’, or Boat Harbour, Nova Scotia.
- Charlie Pinkerton writes for IPolitics about former Prime Minister Kim Campbell’s statement that Andrew Scheer’s problem is that he’s ‘hard to trust’.
- Tanya Talaga writes for the Toronto Star about B.C. being the first province to enact the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in its legislation.
- Rita Trichur writes for the Globe and Mail about how Canada needs to not rely so much economically on the United States and expand more in the European Union.
- Paul Wells writes for Macleans to advise the Conservatives against dumping Andrew Scheer as leader.
