So, it’s the NDP’s policy convention. So far, there’s been discord with the party’s socialist caucus, who has been agitating against changing the party’s constitutional preamble, and others who want them to forgo hearing from US Democrat speakers in favour of keeping the focus on their policy discussions, of which they only managed to pass six of the 102 on the docket yesterday. John Ivison writes more about that crack in the party unity, and how Mulcair has taken to quoting Joseph Stiglitz (who addressed the convention yesterday, and spoke about inequality – in America). Chantal Hébert writes about the leap of faith it will take for some party members to follow Mulcair’s path to what they hope will be electoral victory.
Paul Wells sees this weekend’s NDP convention and Liberal leadership as the starting blocks toward the 2015 election. While he’s right on most of it, I’m not convinced about his point on why Harper has been sloppy in attacking Mulcair. It’s my considered opinion (and having spoken to some people much closer in the know) that Harper hasn’t seriously been trying to damage Mulcair because he’d rather devastate the Liberals fatally than the NDP, because then he can set up a more oppositional two-party dynamic with them. Andrew Coyne offers up a scathing missive about how, coming out of this weekend, the three main party leaders are all devoid of principles, but hey, they’re all disciplined and pragmatic, and that’s apparently what matters, while We The Media enforce their iron-fisted party discipline for them. Brilliant stuff.
The government looks like it’ll be unveiling its Cyber Security Strategy Action Plan™ – no seriously, that’s what they’re calling it – sometime in June, after getting cross-department input.
Joe Oliver says that climate scientists have said the warnings about two degree climate change was exaggerated – but can’t point to where he read this, which has environmental scientists and activists stunned and worried.
Despite having passed away in August 2011, Jack Layton – or at least his estate – remains one of the top donors to the NDP.
Laura Stone has lunch with Nathan Cullen, where he waxes poetic about “PMO creep” and how awful it is for pro-life Conservatives to raise money on an issue that they can never raise in the House – and yet refuses to look at his own party’s culture of stifling internal dissent and ensuring that it is “unseemly” to not be unanimous on all things or stepping out of line.
On behalf of PostMedia, Michael Den Tandt has a lengthy interview with Justin Trudeau on the eve of his leadership victory. Canadian Business takes their own look at Trudeau, and wonders if he might be better for the Canadian economy than the Conservatives – while still pointing out some of his inconsistencies, like the insistence on defending supply management while nevertheless being in favour of more liberalised trade in other areas. Meanwhile, former Conservative-turned-Independent MP Bill Casey has also registered and voted for Trudeau, which must mean that he’s appealing to Red Tories as well.
Here are the three things you need to see from last night’s political shows, including Thomas Mulcair bizarrely blaming Newfoundland and Labrador premier Kathy Dunderdale for Peter Penashue, because she’s “in the same party,” even though there are actually no links – and a fair bit of antipathy – between the provincial Progressive Conservatives and the federal Conservatives.
And Susan Delacourt looks at the challenge of creativity in a political messaging climate that is stiflingly dull because everyone is afraid of taking risks.