Ottawa

Tom Mulcair’s enemies forget about Tom Mulcair’s allies

Tease the day: The NDP leader’s position on energy is reviled by oil sands advocates, but he has friends elsewhere

NDP leader Tom Mulcair

Pissed off. There’s no other way to describe the reaction of oil sands advocates to NDP Leader Tom Mulcair’s stateside criticism of the Keystone XL pipeline. This morning, Postmedia‘s Michael Den Tandt eviscerates Mulcair’s position on the pipeline, which he calls “poorly researched, half-true or spun-up by ideological assumptions.” Den Tandt basically dismisses the NDP’s prospects for forming government thanks to the party’s plan for oil sands development. He goes further than that, even, calling the party’s energy strategy “the same-old, same-old, dooming the NDP to return to the Stygian depths from whence it came: third place.”

From that seething column, we leap to the pages of the Toronto Star, where Chantal Hébert writes about the lack of a federal Liberal presence in Quebec—even at the convention that, this past weekend, elected a new provincial Liberal leader. Philippe Couillard, the new leader, hopes to bring Quebec into Canada’s constitution. That means reopening those increasingly age-old constitutional debates buried by history. Justin Trudeau, likely the next Liberal leader, has no desire to go down that road. So, Hébert suggests, Couillard” is more likely to prefer Thomas Mulcair’s NDP as a federal dancing partner.”

All that to say: oil sands advocates may just about hate the NDP and its leader, but Mulcair has allies waiting to be courted. Canada is a big country.


What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s plans to cut spending as the Canadian economy weakens. The National Post fronts Philippe Couillard’s election as Quebec Liberal leader, and wonders about his connection to disgraced businessman Arthur Porter. The Toronto Star goes above the fold with the relative ease with which Canadians can sexually abuse vulnerable people overseas. The Ottawa Citizen leads with the dramatic jail break of two Quebec inmates who escaped in a helicopter—before being caught, eventually. iPolitics fronts the remains of an abandoned mine in Mexico formerly run by a notorious Canadian company. CBC.ca leads with the jail break in Quebec. National Newswatch showcases a Hill Times story about a major federal cabinet shuffle this summer, followed by a Speech from the Throne in the fall.


Stories that will be (mostly) missed

1. Missile defence. The U.S. military is considering installation of a new missile defence site that could end up near either the Ontario border near Ottawa or in northern New Brunswick. 2. Naheed Nenshi. The popular Calgary mayor has political enemies lining up to challenge his vision for the city in the upcoming fall election—including several city council candidates.
3. Darlington. Plans for a refit of the Darlington nuclear plant east of Toronto were approved by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission after they cleared an environmental assessment. 4. Lord Stanley monument. The location in Ottawa of a monument dedicated to the man who donated the Stanley Cup to reward Canada’s best hockey clubs will be announced later today.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: