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 Tim Powers.
Conservatives gathered this week for the first time since the April 28 election. Hopefully they had a vibrant, open, and fulsome caucus meeting where nothing was off limits. It need not be, and should not be, about recrimination and settling scores, but more about accountability and the route for the best path forward. Much has been made since the election...
On a personal level, Preston Manning is a good and decent person. He is friendly, insightful, and kind. While I came from the Progressive Conservative wing of the conservative movement, I did not view him as the great destroyer of that once-great party. If anything, I saw him as provocative and an idea disruptor. All the ideas weren’t my cup...
The civil war drums are now beating loudly in the Conservative Party. It kicked off last week, and was inflated by a number of stories speaking to the apparent disconnect between the Conservative campaign and where Canadians actually are—worried about United States President Donald Trump. For now, I’ll resist piling on as there are nearly four weeks to go in...
There is no doubt United States President Donald Trump is dominating and shaping the current global political discourse. In Canada, his whiplash-inducing pronouncements have us spinning trying to figure out what is next. The main Liberal leadership candidates Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland have crossed all their fingers and toes hoping that whenever a general election does come, who is...
Barring any last-minute entries, it appears the field is set for the Liberal leadership race. In the Jan. 6 news conference announcing his impending departure, current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he hoped for a robust race. With more rumoured candidates announcing they won’t be running than those who are running, the thrill of pitched battles among a small candidate...
While the government certainly has the right to try to extend its useful life until October 2025, Canadians might like to hit the reset button. I am not looking to be the guy who puts the lump of coal in the stocking. But, with some exceptions, it feels like we have all had some of the black stuff thrown into...
Are there any direct lessons from president-elect Donald Trump’s recent win in the United States for Canadian political parties? Perhaps. But let me offer some choice observations because one country’s result doesn’t always slide nicely forward as a comparative for another, particularly when Trump is a central part of the narrative.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has survived the Cotton Revolution launched by some members of his caucus—for now. Unsurprisingly—and as predicted in this space last week—the PM did not bow to elements of his caucus who wrote him a “Dear Justin” letter in hopes he might break up with them. Nope. The marriage, as it is, continues.
With the Thanksgiving weekend approaching, there really are only a very few weeks—if not days—if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does want to step down. That would give his party a chance to select a new leader, and then give that leader some semblance of opportunity to compete in a future election. Yes, yes, the prime minister has said he is...
As summer winds down and we head into the Labour Day long weekend, there aren’t many signs that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his team have addressed the challenges that have beset them for a year. Maybe they possess a greater foreknowledge than the rest of us about the road ahead, and have that perfectly mapped out, but right now...
Chuck Strahl was a good man. An authentic character in a world of pretenders. Someone never intoxicated by Ottawa’s punch bowl of political ambitions, gone from us far too early at the age of 67. His death last week saddened all those who ever had the pleasure of knowing him. I got to know Chuck in the early 2000s when...
The aftermath of the assassination attempt on former United States president Donald Trump—officially the Republican nominee for his old job—is sadly reminiscent of what we normally hear following mass shootings. Regardless of your politics, a semblance of humanity and modicum of decency should see us all being relieved that the former president wasn’t felled by a gunman’s bullet in a...
Strategy can’t outplay the public’s deeply entrenched, times-up temperament. The snap elections in Britain and France are now done. The results may be surprising to only the incumbent governments who called them, as both the United Kingdom Conservatives and French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance no longer hold power in their respective countries.
Parliament has recessed and summer finally is upon us. However, with a little more than a year away from an election, the main political parties still have lots to do, with goals to set and a need to methodically lay out the pathway to the next vote. The challenge ahead for the governing Liberals is the starkest. It could get...
The air of desperation around the Liberal government is growing more intense. For once, though, this isn’t another column about whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will stay or go. Instead, it’s a rant of sorts about Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s introduction of a ways and means motion on changing our capital gains tax structure...
The Victoria Day long weekend has come and gone. An election is still well more than a year away. To the surprise of everyone but perhaps the prime minister himself, Justin Trudeau remains in both that job and that of leader of the Liberal Party. While he has earned that right, continuing to exercise it doesn’t seem to be to...
Something astounding happened last week. No, it wasn’t all the nonsensical shenanigans in the House of Commons. That was performance art more reflective of a playpen than a democratic legislative chamber. But who am I kidding? Parliament has seen bizarre childlike hijinks before, and will again.
Last week wasn’t a great one on the climate change front. If, like me, you know climate change is real, and recognize that one of the biggest remaining threats is a public discourse that educates, reinforces its legitimacy, and helps build consensus towards solutions, then last week was an epic fail. Ironically, a bulk of the failure came from the...
In recent weeks, both the Trudeau government and the federal Conservatives have stated that when it comes to mental health, medical assistance in dying (MAID) will be put on pause. While the Liberals have tabled a bill to delay that provision for three years, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed that should his party form government, there will be no...
Are you tired of all the nasty in politics? Nasty for the sake of nasty, as if somehow that is how problems will get solved: by brutalizing a person’s character and reputation, instead of just a forceful critique of their ideas. Well, even though you, me, and a few others may be fed up to the teeth with nasty, it...
Parliament returns next week after the holiday break. While the prime minister was apparently crashing on the most expensive friend’s couch in the world, others were also getting recharged for the stretch running between now and June. There will be lots of things to watch for that could shape the fate of the next election. With February just around the...
Another new year begins with a controversy about a prime ministerial vacation. What is new is old again as we launch 2024. Yes, there are far more important issues than what our prime minister does on vacation, or the fact that he takes one. But these sorts of stories capture attention because, unlike war, climate policy, or immigration challenges, this...
Last week, I was fortunate enough to be in France to attend the Rugby World Cup final. While in old Europe, it is not uncommon—if you are inclined—to have a beer or wine during an afternoon meal. So, on Oct. 26, I did just that. Not long after, I saw a news alert from Canada saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau...