(Here's a release from pollster Nik Nanos) The recent national survey of Canadians conducted by SES Research found that the federal Liberals and Conservatives were statistically tied (Liberals 34%, Conservative 33%) on the national ballot. NDP support is at 18% followed by the Bloc Quebecois at 9% and the Green ...   more »

William Stairs, the subject of a nice profile in his hometown paper just yesterday, has departed the Prime Minister's Office as its Director of Communications. He is to be replaced -- immediately -- by Sandra Buckler, who, until yesterday, worked one floor down from CTV's Ottawa bureau at GPC Public ...   more »

In the February issue of The Walrus, Gwynne Dwyer makes the case that Canada may well be a vaccine superpower. He does this in the context of a review of the world’s ability to avert/prepare for/deal with a pandemic outbreak of avian flu:

“In 2001, the Canadian government contracted with ID ...   more »

An essay that is sad, angry, and horrible:

In Darfur genocide is taking place in slow motion, and there is vast documentary proof of the atrocities. Some of the evidence can be seen in the photo reproduced with this essay, which was leaked from an African Union archive containing thousands ...   more »

Craig Alexander, (left) the deputy chief economist for the Toronto-Dominion Bank, takes a look at how the new government might affect federal fiscal policy. He says, for example, that he does not expect the Conservatives to move forward with their campaign promise to introduce a deferral on capital ...   more »

Former Prime Minister Paul Martin is in Europe right now but just issued the following statement about the defection of David Emerson, who Martin himself once recruited as a star candidate for the Liberals in Vancouver:

"On February 6, after David Emerson became the Minister of International Trade in Stephen ...   more »

Jane Stewart (left), last seen in Jean Chretien’s cabinet as the Minister of Human Resources, has agreed to be be Chief of Staff to Bill Graham. Graham, of course, is the Liberal MP who is Leader of the Official Opposition to Stephen Harper’s government.

"Jane Stewart will be a ...   more »

NDP Leader Jack Layton announced his caucus (caucus pictured left) critics for the start of the 39th Parliament.  Bill Blaikie is Layton’s deputy and Libby Davies is his House Leader, reprising roles they had in the last Parliament. Judy Wasylycia-Leis was re-elected by her caucus colleagues to the position of ...   more »

Ezra Levant decided to publish in his newsmagazine The Western Standard the cartoons that many Muslims around the world have found offensive. Late today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper had this to say about the issue:

“Free speech is a right that all Canadians enjoy; Canadians also have the right ...   more »

Nearly 37,000 people dropped by this blog in January, a decent figure but well down from the all-time high of about 55,000 that visited last August (oddly enough those numbers came while this blog was in hibernation.) The blog was reactivated with the recent Canadian federal election and, since then, ...   more »