liberal Archives — Page 2 of 2

Chretien predicts Liberal-NDP merger… soon or not at all

Published on September 7, 2011 in Daily Indygestion/Email Indygestion/Journalism by TheIndependent.ca

“It will be done one day. It will come very quickly or not happen. Look at the way that Harper did that — Harper had MacKay there. [He] made a solemn promise in writing that never he will talk merging with the Reform [Party]. He’s now the minister of defence. Things happen and they happen, sometimes, at moments unexpected.” In 2003, the Progressive Conservatives, led by Peter MacKay, merged with now-Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Canadian Alliance. The Reform Party was the forerunner to the Canadian Alliance. Liberal and NDP officials have denied rumours that Chrétien and NDP stalwarts Ed Broadbent and Roy Romanow chatted occasionally about the possibility of the two parties merging. Source: CBC

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CAW boss supports an NDP-Liberal merger

Published on September 2, 2011 in Daily Indygestion/Email Indygestion/Journalism by TheIndependent.ca

Yesterday Ken Lewenza, the president of the Canadian Autoworkers Union, wrote to NDP MP Pat Martin — copying other members of the NDP caucus — praising his courage for promoting the idea “in suggesting that the next leader should work towards a merger or some type of alliance with the Liberal Party.” Martin, an outspoken Winnipeg MP, said this week that he will support a candidate for the NDP leadership who will commit to co-operating with the Liberals, with a view to creating an electoral coalition that could unseat the Tories in the next election. If no other candidate supports the idea, Martin said, he will run. Potential NDP leadership candidates Brian Topp, Thomas Mulcair, Peter Julian, Robert Chisholm and Megan Leslie have all rejected the idea, and so has Liberal Leader Bob Rae, but Martin said he has heard from senior New Democrats who support the idea. The CAW…

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NDP – Liberal merger talk heats up

Published on August 30, 2011 in Daily Indygestion/Journalism by TheIndependent.ca

‘Musings’ from two former Liberal leaders about an NDP-Liberal union have helped spur growing calls to ‘unite the left’ with the intent of balancing Canada’s political landscape. The idea has attracted the backing of former Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien, who, according to a Quebec columnist, boasted on a return flight from Mr. Layton’s funeral that his plans for a Liberal-NDP merger would have stopped the Conservatives from taking power this year. Meanwhile, former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said on his Facebook page that Liberals and New Democrats all care about generosity, justice and hope, adding it was a pleasure to “imagine what the future of our country might look like if we put those values first.” However current Liberal leader Bob Rae and a majority of Liberal MPs shot down talk of a merger or a coalition as a waste of time, even as they acknowledged that they face a…

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How a Newfoundland and Labrador legacy fund could work

Published on August 23, 2011 in Featured/To Each Their Own by Hans Rollmann

Plus: Stephen Harper’s Typology of Promises!

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A self-defeating argument

Published on August 16, 2011 in Featured/Through the Fog by Kieran Hanley

If Kevin Aylward and his Liberals are to have any chance in this election campaign, it won’t be through attacking Muskrat Falls.

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Noseworthy running for PCs in tough riding

Published on August 16, 2011 in Daily Indygestion/Journalism by TheIndependent.ca

Despite rumours that he was interested in the leadership of the provincial Liberal party, former Auditor General John Noseworthy has decided to run in the upcoming election for the PC party instead. “I intend to seek the PC nomination in the district of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi,” John Noseworthy said on his Twitter feed. Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi is the riding held by NDP leader Lorraine Michael, and has been an NDP stronghold since 1987; PC ‘star’ candidate Jerome Kennedy once ran against Michael in 2006 and lost. Noseworthy is best known for a series of 2006 reports that shook politics in Newfoundland and Labrador to the core. His investigations into what is still known as the legislative spending scandal resulted in four politicians — former Tory cabinet minister Ed Byrne, former Liberal cabinet ministers Jim Walsh and Wally Andersen and former New Democratic MHA Randy Collins — being sent to jail.…

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Women being shut out of provincial election?

Published on August 11, 2011 in Featured/Journalism by Hans Rollmann

So far all three parties are seeing significantly lower numbers of women candidates coming forward for the October provincial election

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… meanwhile Gerry Byrne calls for an election delay

Published on August 11, 2011 in Daily Indygestion/Journalism by TheIndependent.ca

Federal Liberal MP Gerry Byrne is calling for Premier Kathy Dunderdale to delay the timing of the Fall election for one month to give all parties a fair chance – saying that Yvonne Jones’ unfortunate resignation could not have been predicted and that it is the ‘democratic’ thing to do. Source: VOCM

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The unsung heroes of elections

Published on May 25, 2011 in Through the Fog by Kieran Hanley

Through the Fog does its best to cut through the surface of politics in our province and our country, and tell the story of how it really works and what it all means to us in our daily lives.

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Election 2011

Published on May 2, 2011 in Journalism by TheIndependent.ca

The Indy’s one-stop shop for Election news and info.

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No easy catch

Published on April 26, 2011 in Featured/Journalism by Daniel Miller

Election candidates brave enough to face the crowd and talk solutions for the fishery

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Coalition speculation heating up

Published on March 24, 2011 in Daily Indygestion/Journalism by TheIndependent.ca

In national news — with an election campaign likely to begin on Saturday and the Conservatives enjoying a healthy lead in the polls, talks inevitably surface once again about the possibility of the formation of a coalition government. This idea will emerge in full force near the last days of an election only if the combined support of the Liberals and NDP is greater than that of the Conservatives. Harper will use the idea as ammunition against other parties as he did successfully in 2008, despite the fact other countries like Germany, Australia, and the UK have them and are functioning. For their part, Jack Layton of the NDP is not skittish about publicly discussing a coalition, but Michael Ignatieff of the Liberals sidesteps the question, insisting he is intent on forming a Liberal government. However, it is hard to ignore his mantra in 2008 — ‘a coalition if necessary,…

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