Trudeau’s cabinet, in 240 characters or less

— 11.20.2019 03:15 PM

I have to say, he has done things mostly right since losing his majority. He’s stopped overselling stuff. He’s stopped sounding cocky. He’s cut out the selfies and the governance by social media. And he’s looked genuinely humbled – morose, even.

Will it hold? Who knows? But this cabinet shuffle/realignment was the most critical of his time in power.  It needed to to address the vulnerabilities on his flanks – surging nationalism in Quebec, surging alienation in the West, and the unhappiness of the more than one million Canadians who abandoned the Liberal choice.

I think it’s done that.



Comments (25)

“Everyone was in the loop.” Donald Trump is going to be impeached

— 11.20.2019 03:10 PM

There ain’t much doubt, now.

US Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified Wednesday there was a quid pro quo for Ukraine to announce investigations into President Donald Trump’s political opponents that came from the President’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani at the “express direction of the President.”

What’s more, Sondland provided House impeachment investigators with emails and texts showing it wasn’t just him and Giuliani pushing for the investigations outside government channels — Trump’s inner circle knew what was going on, too. He even said he raised concerns with Vice President Mike Pence that the freezing of $400 million in security aid to Ukraine was linked to the investigations.

Sondland’s testimony is the most damning evidence to date directly implicating Trump in the quid pro quo at the heart of the impeachment inquiry. His public remarks show a link between US security aid and a White House meeting and Ukraine publicly announcing investigations that would help the President politically. From the beginning of Wednesday’s hearing, Sondland’s comments dragged some of Trump’s senior most officials — including Pence, his chief of staff and his secretary of state — into the scandal.

“Everyone was in the loop,” Sondland said. “It was no secret.”

In his remarkable opening statement before the fourth day of public impeachment hearings, Sondland told House impeachment investigators that Trump “wanted a public statement from President (Volodymyr) Zelensky committing to investigations of Burisma and the 2016 election.”


Comments (26)

Daisy is growing again!

— 11.20.2019 10:03 AM

If you love politics, media, and helping some pretty amazing clients, we want to hear from you! Send your CV and letter of interest to Logan Ross, at logan at daisy group dot ca!


Comments (3)

A tale of two countries

— 11.19.2019 07:35 AM

From Angus Reid. Apart from the top finding (which seems wrong), and the deficit finding (which seems odd), the rest of it strongly suggests we are two nations within one.

Good luck, Mr. Trudeau. You’re going to need it.


Comments (11)

Met some guy from Texas. Nice guy.

— 11.18.2019 10:23 PM

And, in case you were wondering, in conversation he was smart, perceptive and very funny. (Very.)

This picture was taken backstage at the OREA event (more pix here and here and here).

We talked, for just a minute, about Kennebunkport, and about how I’ve been going there for years with my kids and family and friends. He said he plans to start spending more time there himself.

Listening to him, I was reminded of what my former boss Jean Chretien told us, when we wondered about the White House reaction to our decision to not participate in the invasion of Iraq.

“He’s a very nice guy,” said the Canadian Prime Minister. “He’s always been a very nice guy.”


Caption contest!

 


Comments (12)

I’m part of the warm-up act for a president

— 11.18.2019 06:35 AM

Today, at the kick-ass OREA conference – which earlier features Jean Chretien, Doug Ford, Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott – I’m on a panel (with my sister Adrienne, Kathleen and Chad). Just before George W. Bush!

How do you warm up a crowd for a US president? Can I tell Dick Cheney jokes? Do I wear a MISSION ACCOMPLISHED T-shirt? Do we shoot the shit about the Clam Shack in Kennebunkport?

Anyway. Should be a lot of fun. Later.




Comments (7)