This is one helluva political gambit. First, Chow pounds Toronto with an historic property tax hike. Then she sends a ransom note to Ottawa threatening even higher levies on us poor bastards unless the PM delivers big cash. The entire 416 has become Chow's de facto tax hostage

https://twitter.com/NatalieCTV/status/1745088311079666043

The politics are insanely high-risk. Chow is attempting an unprecedented double-barreled blast of blame assignment. Higher property taxes are the fault of past city leaders. Blame for additional levies belong to Ottawa. The responsibility is theirs, not the Mayor's.

This weekend @OntLiberal will select its next leader and would-be premier. I have stayed out of the race but as the time comes to cast my ballot, I’ve made up my mind. I have decided to vote for @bonniecrombie. FWIW here are my reasons and some thoughts on the race. #onpoli First, kudos to the party for putting together a competent, controversy-free race. It’s not been the sexiest, most sensational of leaderships. I still long for the backstabbing, wheel dealing of a delegated convention. But those days are gone like a wild goose in winter. #onpoli

So...the govt, in its zeal to take action (good), crush NIMBYISM (mostly good) and to get homes built (also mostly good), say yes to friendly rich developers (getting less good) who also donate large (mostly bad) started handing out MZOs like hot bagels at breakfast (bad) #onpoli

https://twitter.com/TorontoStar/status/1705901281754136906

What happens next is a tale old as avarice. Shady-ass middle-men, sometimes connected to the Ford govt, (getting very bad) recognizing an opportunity to score large vig, rush to the wealthy developers promising they have a wizard's wand that will grant MZOs #onpoli

For all the conspiracy hacks out there, given the scope of the bilateral relationship between India and Canada, you can bet your tin foil fedoras the fed govt would have dearly preferred to avoid this public confrontation with Modi. Which tells you a couple things. #cndpoli First, there can be little doubt the intelligence is compelling. Damning, would be my guess. If there was any opportunity to avoid the conclusion that India was officially involved in the assassination of a Cdn citizen, our govt would cling to that doubt greedily #cdnpoli

I've riled people with this take before but, I'll state my case again. I sincerely believe Biden should publicly declare that he will pardon Trump should he be convicted of any of the crimes with which he's been charged or is under investigation. With one condition. #TrumpArrest That condition is that Trump must admit his guilt - on that for which he will have already been found guilty. Don't demand that he forfeit his run for office. Just ask that he admit his crimes - and avoid jail. It's an approach that solves a huge number of challenges #TrumpArrest

I've had some pushback for slamming this idea that Tory should withdraw his resignation: 'Gee, I thought you liked the Mayor'. Yes, I do like John Tory. That's why I oppose this cancerous idea. IMO, no friend, no one with John's best interests at heart could support the notion

https://twitter.com/cristina_CP24/status/1625615129659187215

In fact, I'd argue that those whispering into his ear that he should renege his resignation range from the politically inept to the selfishly malignant. There's a reason(s) he resigned last Friday. It came after careful thought and thorough consideration of the alternatives.

It escapes me how any rational observer could conclude this past week was anything but a thorough success for the government. Not in the sense of 'we won'. No one wins. But the immense jeopardy that each minister, the PM and the PMO faced was averted entirely. #POEC Trudeau faced a grueling test today. Hours of televised, public testimony on technical, difficult and extremely important issues. And he provided controlled, compelling & in-depth explanations of his every move and consideration. He didn't take a single punch. #POEC

For Trudeau there are three keys to a successful outing today. First: Be Prepared. I assume this is a given. His Ministers and staff have appeared very ready. But remember the atypicality of this setting. Only the 3rd time in history a PM has appeared at a judicial inquiry. #POEC A PM is never subjected to the marathon of four straight hours of questioning. When any sentence can be your undoing. Requires huge concentration. And it's a lot harder to steal large chunks of time for prep from the PMs sked than a Minister's. #POEC

As PMJT appears today before Rouleau - only the third time in history a PM has testified under oath at a judicial inquiry (I happened to be around for the last one) - I think there's been something notable about the testimony from Ministers this week. Something overlooked.
#POEC A few other things, before coming to that. First, to varying degrees, I would say the Ministers have acquitted themselves well this week. No one has blown up. No one has become a raging news story. No one has broken down under questioning like a bad ep of Law & Order. #POEC

The mistaken assumption that the @TorontoStar and so many others are making right now is that Poilievre isn't already serious. Or that he's just posing, fishing for votes and he will, at some point, pivot/dilute/moderate his arguments and positions. This is assumed because...

https://twitter.com/TorontoStar/status/1535065466007584768

It is typical. But PP is atypical. He is a proudful, deliberate, explicit departure from convention. He and his people roasted O'Toole for campaigning as one thing and then becoming another. PP will NOT do that. AND he doesn't believe he needs to in order to win the country

I see people saying the #CPC has shown how divided it's become and now we'll witness a rollicking battle for the soul of the party. That's not how I see it. That battle is over and won. I think Conservatives know exactly who they are and what they stand for. #cdnpoli The #CPC will be a dedicated populist movement, harder-edged, more accommodating of online demagoguery, misinformation and feeding people's grievances back at them. They'll talk about the Harper coalition but it owes a lot more to the modern GOP - the DeSantises of the world #CPC

So, in anticipation let's try to put some structure to all of this. I recognize that there might be no alternative to these measures - that we've so failed to take proactive measures and the viral spread is so great that shutting society down might be the only option. #onpoli

https://twitter.com/robertbenzie/status/1477976361205739520

But what frustrates is the way in which the Ford government's approach is so consistently late, improvised and half-assed. Never acting in anticipation in order to mitigate, only responding in desperation with measures that may well be too overdue to achieve much good #onpoli

The G20 exists because Paul Martin & Gordon Brown recognized in 1997 that a gathering as unrepresentative as the G7/8 would find it impossible to manage transnational challenges in an interdependent world. It was sparked by the Asian Crisis but its logic persisted #G20Italy

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1454422868197101568

My old boss Mr. Martin was absolutely gripped by the issue. He began lobbying for a G20 while hosting the 1998 APEC Finance Ministers in Kananaskis, Alta (an event that gave me a classic Ralph Klein anecdote). We even had windbreakers made up with a nifty logo #G20Italy

Sadly, @CurseOfPolitics is down for the weekend so that we can attend to family and hangovers. But here's my take on yesterday's event. I thought it was by far the best and most effective outing we've seen yet from Trudeau. Starting with the message: which was a full-on bullseye

https://twitter.com/CherylFull/status/1431448572852064257

There is no issue of greater importance to Canadians than the preservation of public health, the need to combat a 4th wave and the crucial goal of preventing further lockdowns. Mandatory vaccines and vaccine passports are essential to meeting all those goals.

Three takeaways on #Budget2021 First, yes, it's chock full of spending but go back to that mandate letter Trudeau wrote for Freeland where he said, steer clear of new permanent spending. Some of these initiatives may create future pressures for renewal but... #cdnpoli There's relatively little that obligates the federal government to ongoing structural spending. In fact, you have to assume that at some point provinces and territories will move to make boosted transfers a signature demand. It's an inevitable future fight #cdnpoli

WARNING: Loud angry rant incoming.
Travel with me back in time to six - count em, six! - whole days ago when Premier Ford, flanked by the Minister of Health committed to opening up vaccinations to those aged 18+ in Toronto's hotspot neighbourhoods. #onpoli #topoli This was welcome news in my household. We are in a hotspot and prior to the announcement only those aged 50 and above (i.e. old-ass me) could receive the jab. I was even happier when the portal updated on the weekend and permitted bookings in the 18-49yo cohort. #onpoli #topoli

In moving forward, the Ford government faces 3.5 problems. First, this PO statement means the Premier knew Phillips was in St. Barts at some point between Dec. 13 and Dec. 29. On what date? And when did PO know? Because ministerial travel is tracked/approved by PO/PMO #onpoli More fundamentally, on the date that the Premier learned Phillips was out of the country - whenever it was - why wasn't Phillips ordered home immediately? Why was the Premier "disappointed" only after the public learned the news - Instead of when he learned it? #onpoli

Sometimes we ask too much of issues management. There's no "line" or comms strategy that erases the core judgement call: with cases exploding, hospitalizations rising + his govt advising ppl to sacrifice and stay home he chose to take a 3-4 week holiday trip out of country

https://twitter.com/TheHerleBurly/status/1343987857866702848

And, yes, I grant you that he will have done many meetings online and much work. But there's no spinning away the basic decision. Scream Aga Khan all you like but the act itself is plainly at odds with everything his own govt has been urging upon others. That's irreconcilable

A few observations re #CPCLeadership:

First, props to Erin O'Toole and his campaign. This thing should have been a foregone conclusion. MacKay entered with all the endorsements, all the name recognition, all the structural advantages. It should have been a slam for him #cdnpoli But MacKay - who has always seemed better at politics than he's actually been at politics - made a ton of unforced errors and emerged blurry. Still, the more significant factor IMO is that O'Toole ran a better campaign: a clear strategy...#cdnpoli #CPCLeadership

Here's why I like this appointment so much. And in case people think it's a partisan thing, remember that @BobRae48 was not a Liberal when I made my bones. And although I had some friends who were very close supporters, I didn't play in the leadership runs he contested. #cdnpoli

https://twitter.com/globeandmail/status/1280145620376752129

First and foremost, he's pure talent. Effortlessly competent. Curious about people, things and issues (such a necessary quality). Charming. And good at accomplishing things. So, no matter your politics we're lucky to have him. #cdnpoli

This, from Scheer, is the Murder Hornets of federal economic strategy. It's about 5 different kinds of deadly stupid. First, the CERB is designed to help provide a foundation of basic income to those who have suddenly seen their jobs or income disappear. #cdnpoli

https://twitter.com/cmaconthehill/status/1257318292991045633

Is there evidence that this express need has vanished? That businesses are now rehiring en masse? That incomes are steady and/or rising? That people are doing fine? No. There is no such evidence. And Scheer doesn't even attempt to provide such evidence. #cdnpoli