Mark Bourrie

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 Mark Bourrie.

Pierre Poilievre, the politician, is a man of many promises. I wrote the book on him, and these are the ones I think he’s most likely to keep

Pierre Poilievre, the politician, is a man of many promises. I wrote the book on him, and these are the ones I think he’s most likely to keep

The first thing people ask me when I give a talk or an interview about my book “Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre” is what the title means. The answer is easy: at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote a piece saying there are two kinds of politicians, “rippers” and “weavers.” Rippers are...

Two veteran political journalists on the making of Pierre Poilievre — and what could unmake him

Two veteran political journalists on the making of Pierre Poilievre — and what could unmake him

The following is a conversation between two journalists who have been covering Canadian federal politics up close for decades. Stephen Maher — author of The Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau — spoke to Mark Bourrie on March 22 about his latest book, Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre, a thoughtful and unsparing examination of the life and career...

Poilievre Finally Gets the Election He’s Been Dying For. But Is It Too Late?

Poilievre Finally Gets the Election He’s Been Dying For. But Is It Too Late?

The “Canada Is Broken” candidate faces a changed national mood. RICHARD LIVES in a pup tent in downtown Ottawa, next to the Bank of Canada and about a block from the temporary home of the House of Commons. He’s a thin, tough man in his sixties. Or he could be in his fifties. When you’ve worked outside for years as...

Read an excerpt from Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre

Read an excerpt from Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre

Pierre Poilievre has better political instincts than the journalists and politics watchers who generate conventional wisdom. He understood Carleton’s past as a safe Tory seat and could do simple math. Door-to-door canvassing convinced Poilievre the seat was winnable – if Martin’s minority fell. The Liberals only held the seat because of the Reform–Progressive Conservative split. Now this was behind them...