Roundup: Triple by-election day

It’s by-election day in Calgary Centre, Durham, and Victoria! While Durham is expected to be a Conservative hold, and Victoria likely to stay NDP (though the Greens are really pushing for a second seat there), all eyes will be on Calgary Centre. Over the weekend, at the final debate, Conservative candidate Joan Crockatt was making bizarre statements, like only a government MP could help you if you lost your passport while in Mexico because they could go across the hall to the minister’s office – which is patently not true (especially since you would go to the nearest consulate for non-partisan, civil service assistance). But then again, Crockatt has made a campaign of saying terribly wrong things about our political system, so why should she change now? (Recall this particular post after one of her very wrong statements early in the campaign. Yeah, this is a problem).

In the wake of the Trudeau apology, Aaron Wherry digs up some great moments in regional politics history, like the “no more prime ministers from Quebec” ad that the Reform Party launched – and Harper defended. Peter Armstrong wonders if Alberta has become the new Quebec. In this clip, Paul Wells makes some additional observations of the context of the interview that Trudeau said the aforementioned comments. And yes, Conservative Party headquarters has a big binder full of controversial things that Harper has said in the past. One wonders if the Trudeau camp is now compiling their own, so as not to be surprised when the next impolitic quote is dredged up.

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Roundup: Khadr repatriated

Omar Khadr was repatriated to Canada from Guantanamo Bay on Saturday morning. Vic Toews sent out a churlish press release to highlight the crimes that Khadr confessed to as part of his plea bargain (though there is doubt about the veracity of the claims), and to basically instruct parole officials about him. Khadr will serve the remainder of his sentence in the Millhaven penitentiary, and will now be subject to Canadian parole laws, rather than have no restrictions (as would have been the case had he served the remainder of his sentence in Guantanamo Bay). That parole hearing could come by next summer. Aaron Wherry reminds us what the Liberal government said of his predicament ten years ago.

Susan Delacourt looks into the grey area of privacy laws where political parties are concerned.

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