Thoughts on BC Politics and More

                      The most-recent update to the Nanos four-week rolling poll certainly got some attention. It placed the Liberals just two pointsNDP, Conservatives up on the NDP — for third place . Memories of Michael Ignatieff came rushing back. But, as usual, people might just be overreacting to a shocking poll ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Conventional wisdom has it that Conservative Party of Canada forms a majority government when there is a vote-split between Liberal Party of Canada and the NDP.    But it is likely that, as the cliché goes, “This time it’s different”   CLICK HERE for the full commentary

  A number of MPs say Canada's democracy is under pressure on a number of fronts, thanks in part to the impacts of social media and extreme partisanship.   But the eight MPs who took part in a series of one-on-one interviews with CBC's The House over the summer also expressed a hope that changes to the Canadian system, and a deeper understanding of one another, could lead to better politics.   MPs from across the country sat down with CBC reporters for conversations in their home ridings. They aired as a special summer series on The House  called "Backbenchers Backyards" ...    CLICK HERE for the full story

In an online poll this week, Village Media readers overwhelmingly thought that the Liberals would be better off if they went into the next election with a new leader   The polls are surely causing the federal Liberals some sleepless nights. The Conservatives have been consistently in the lead since October of last year. 338Canada, a poll aggregator, predicts  a 50 per cent chance of a Conservative minority, and a 40 per cent chance of a Conservative majority.  Now, there are structural factors in Canadian politics that make Liberal votes more efficiently distributed than Conservative ones, but there are also trends that will worry them, like eroding support in Atlantic Canada, which has long been both a reliable bulwark of support for the party and has a disproportionate number of seats in relation to its population.  It isn't as if Canadian party leaders haven't won four consecutive elections in the past, but it isn't common ... CLICK HERE to read the...

It’s Day Seven ... time to look back at the most read commentaries and stories of the week -- today also marks the 848 th post on this blog. The first, regarding democratic reform of our political system was from May 25 th , 2015 – it was entitled, “ Political reform does not need to wait until the next parliament; reform is an ongoing process ” It’s a theme that I have often been vocal on ... and other writers who have kindly consented to contribute their thoughts to this blog have occasionally done so as well. Democratic reform of our political system shouldn’t just be a string of buzz words that get drug out occasionally -- especially when so type of scandal or controversy takes place.   It’s something we should be demanding, it’s something our elected officials should be thinking of at all times when new laws are being considered and brought before the House of Commons, our Legislature, or municipal council tables. Is this something that wi...