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David Moscrop

David Moscrop

National Observer

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Doug Ford doesn't need a mandate — he needs an excuse

Doug Ford doesn't need a mandate — he needs an excuse

Far from a response to Trump, Doug Ford's apparent plan to call an early election has been brewing for months. Rather than delivering stability,...

23.01.2025 20

National Observer

David Moscrop

Carney speaks human, Freeland speaks expert in the battle of the technocrats

Carney speaks human, Freeland speaks expert in the battle of the technocrats

Freeland and Carney will be locked in a battle over who can connect quickly with voters, and the early advantage goes to Carney — with a caveat or...

16.01.2025 10

National Observer

David Moscrop

The messy, mixed legacy of Justin Trudeau

The messy, mixed legacy of Justin Trudeau

As all legacies are, Trudeau’s is mixed – but may be instructive for future governments as a guide for what to do and what not to do.

09.01.2025 20

National Observer

David Moscrop

There's a way to force leaders out if they overstay. Canada's political parties just need to use it.

Prime ministers in Canada tend to overstay their welcome. That’s a problem. With an iron hold over their party, government, and caucus, there are...

03.01.2025 9

National Observer

David Moscrop

Buckle up for two lousy elections, Ontario

Next year, Ontarians are set to spend roughly one out of every five days in an election. The federal writs are due by the fall, and Ontario premier...

27.12.2024 5

National Observer

David Moscrop

Tipping Isn’t about Service – It’s a Psychological Con Job

I f you’ve recently paid for a coffee at a java joint, you might have been prompted by a point-of-sale payment device to add a tip of 15 percent....

11.12.2024 4

The Walrus

David Moscrop

Canada's health care system is nothing to brag about

The US spent the weekend gripped by the story of a man who assassinated the head of a healthcare insurance company notorious for denying claims. It...

11.12.2024 4

National Observer

David Moscrop

With friends like this, why bother with a border?

If ever Canada had an ambition, it is to become the 51st state. Every child in the country knows it growing up, as we do, reciting the pledge of...

05.12.2024 3

National Observer

David Moscrop

A united Canada must take Trump seriously and literally

We’ve spent nearly a decade now talking about how to handle Donald Trump – and whether to  take him seriously , literally, or some combination of...

28.11.2024 4

National Observer

David Moscrop

For a law-and-order premier, Ontario's Doug Ford is not interested in either

If you’re being charitable, you might argue there are inconsistencies in how Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government speaks and how it...

21.11.2024 2

National Observer

David Moscrop

Doug Ford's diplomatic foray has all the tact of a wrecking ball

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is putting Mexico on notice. Earlier this week, in the wake of Donald Trump’s election win, Ford complained that Mexico...

14.11.2024 4

National Observer

David Moscrop

Trump is back. It won't help Trudeau.

There’s a theory circulating that the Liberal Party was hoping for a Donald Trump win. It’s the sort of thing that pops up online and in the...

07.11.2024 4

National Observer

David Moscrop

Ford's $200 bribe hits Ontario mailboxes before early vote

If you’re a resident of Ontario, the Ford government is  sending you a cheque for $200. The move was announced in the Progressive Conservatives’...

31.10.2024 4

National Observer

David Moscrop

Time to twist arms: BC Greens should hold legislature hostage

For now, the British Columbia New Democratic Party is set to govern the province with a minority in the legislature. Saturday’s election was as...

24.10.2024 2

National Observer

David Moscrop

Doug Ford’s private gravy train adds new passengers

Last week, Doug Ford added two new parliamentary assistants to his already bulky roster in the Ontario legislature. The Progressive Conservative...

17.10.2024 2

National Observer

David Moscrop

What a case of scurvy tells us about Canada

Canada is a wealthy country. It’s certainly wealthy enough that you wouldn’t expect to read that doctors are being  warned to watch for scurvy,...

10.10.2024 2

National Observer

David Moscrop

The Liberals are caught in the balancing act of their lives

That politics is about power ought to go without saying, but we who write about those who govern us must occasionally say so nonetheless. When the...

03.10.2024 3

National Observer

David Moscrop

Byelections suggest the Liberals are in fact cooked

The traditional wisdom in Canadian politics is that byelections don’t really matter. Perhaps, they are of some note to the local constituents...

18.09.2024 1

National Observer

David Moscrop

Is Mark Carney the Liberals' saviour — or just more of the same?

The news that former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney is heading a Liberal Party economic growth task force has ushered in...

12.09.2024 2

National Observer

David Moscrop

Why Pierre Poilievre disowns the extremists he flirts with

Last week, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre claimed he’d never heard of the “potentially dangerous” Diagolon during an interview with...

09.08.2024 3

National Observer

David Moscrop

Poilievre's 'worst crime wave' rhetoric is political nonsense

Canadian politics has long been thoroughly reduced to sloganeering and sound bites. The decline of whatever capacity we had to sort through issues...

01.08.2024 2

National Observer

David Moscrop

A Kamala Harris administration won’t be a free ride for Canada

As news broke that President Joe Biden was ending his re-election campaign, Canadian media got right to wondering what an administration run by the...

24.07.2024 2

National Observer

David Moscrop

Our politics should not be violent, nor should it produce threats

It didn’t take long for the American and Canadian right to weaponize the assassination attempt on Donald Trump against the left. In the United...

17.07.2024 1

National Observer

David Moscrop