While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from David McLaughlin.
Serious times call for serious politics. That means serious leaders offering serious solutions. If all this sounds like a campaign slogan for the establishment, you’re probably right. But its rising resonance may well prove the unravelling of the conservative populist rage that has been driving politics in Canada, the United States and Europe.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s separation referendum is federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s opportunity. If he takes it. Alberta is ground zero for the conservative movement in Canada. It has long asserted a more populist, free market, small government hold on the Conservative Party of Canada, past and present. It has outsized political influence on the direction of the party, given...
Canada’s public service has a new top dog. Michael Sabia, a former deputy finance minister and CEO in both the public and private sectors, was appointed by Prime Minister Mark Carney as Clerk of the Privy Council, cabinet secretary, and head of the public service. “I can’t think of a better person to be Clerk of the Privy Council than...
Spare a thought for Pierre Poilievre. What’s a guy to do when you lose an election you were winning for two years, the seat you held for 20 years, and the policy platform you pined for your whole life? All in less than three months. Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Change is hard – Prime Minister Mark Carney is finding that out. His second cabinet is a departure from his first cabinet, which in turn was a departure from all of Justin Trudeau‘s cabinets. The new PM went from 37 ministers (including Mr. Trudeau) to 24 ministers (including Mr. Carney), and is now back up to 29 including Mr. Carney...
Now that the election is called, time to riff from that part of my bio that says “campaign manager” and offer up regular assessments and analysis on what I think is going on. Check this space regularly for my campaign updates. You can judge my content for its value and biases on its own. But for the record, let me...
Canada’s Conservatives have a unity problem. Not with Canada but with themselves. The whole country united quickly and decisively against the threatening behaviour of U.S. President Donald Trump. Not so much, all Conservatives. Ever since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned and Trump won re-election, Canadian Conservatives have struggled with finding new footing in this rapidly shifting political landscape. United against...
The two most important jobs of any prime minister are to maintain the unity of the country and the flow of trade with the United States. An explosive new 25 per cent tariff threat on all Canadian goods exported to the U.S. by incoming president Donald Trump has done more to unite the country around this existential economic threat to...
The Conservative Party of Canada’s pre-election slogan is “Bring it Home.” This saying is dictionary-defined as making important things clear, understandable, and real with your solution. After a quarter-century of failed climate plans unable to meet targets, climate change policy in Canada could stand for a similar level of ” clarity, reality, and honesty from Conservatives. How? Through a “Made-at-Home”...
Two years ago, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised a “plain language law” for government laws and policies if he becomes prime minister. He wants bureaucrats and politicians to communicate simply and clearly to Canadians.
Is Canada’s public service quietly preparing for the change in government that voters are expected to deliver next year – or is the significant juggling in our bureaucracy just more of the same, in terms of senior-public-servant office churn? Just one year into his new job as Privy Council Clerk and the federal government’s top public servant, John Hannaford has...
