PolitiCoast

The first head-to-head-to-head debate of the 2017 BC Election happened yesterday and we're here to break down who won, who lost, who hulked out and who politely raised his hand. Then, we touch on housing policy in Ontario and the surprise call for a UK election. In our last segment, we have an interview with Victoria Beacon-Hill Green Party candidate Kalen Harris that pulls back the curtain on how...

A special midweek election bonus episode for you. Ian & Scott sat down on Sunday evening with the leaders of Your Political Party and the BC Libertarians. Then Ian sat down in Victoria with University of Victoria economist Lindsay Tedds to break down the economics of the platforms that have been released to date.

The BC Liberals and BC NDP have released their platforms but will they hold the weight of their supporters' ambitions? The federal Liberals have released their draft cannabis act but is it more than a lot of hot smoke? And a clip from our interview with BC Greens Communications Coordinator Ryan Clayton. Make sure to check out This is Lotusland for the whole interview.

The BC Ombudsperson released a report into the BC Government's decision to fire eight key Ministry of Health employees in 2012. Will this scandal stick to Teflon Christy Clark? Next, the provinces have finally agreed a free trade agreement with the federal government. Will Canada finally be a free market oasis? Then we take a look at the politics around Trump's decision to launch missiles at Syria...

The Vancouver Housing Reset Report, the BC Greens have some policy and a New Conservative Dinner Party.

The Trudeau Liberal's 2017 budget is out. Did they manage to find enough red ink to get it printed in time? Next, the Conservative leadership race is embroiled in another scandal as over 1300 inappropriately signed up members are struck from the party's list. Then a quick dive into Alberta politics as we catch up on how Jason Kenney is making waves in the province.

The Trudeau Liberals are proposing some changes to the way the House of Commons functions. Ian & Scott look at whether these will improve civility or stifle opposition. Then, Christy Clark's bill to solve BC's fundraising scandals is out and it's somewhat underwhelming. What really was the point of this? And we look at the state of the NDP leadership race following their first debate - or, mor...

A massive story this week in The Globe and Mail demonstrates that BC does actually have at least one campaign finance law - and it may have been broken in BC. What will this mean for the BC Liberals and will they fix it next week? Then, we delve into a series of stories about efforts to point the blame and provide patchwork solutions to the Vancouver housing crisis. Will any of them actually work?...

And they're off! Three candidates are in and two to three more are expected. We take a look at who's in the race to succeed Tom Mulcair and lead the federal NDP. As part of that discussion, we get into the rules of the race, what Guy Caron's Basic Income idea is all about and whether the Leap Manifesto will come up again. Then we look at Trudeau's recent trip to BC and his latest comments on marij...

Fourteen enter but only one will emerge victorious. Who has what it takes and who's an also ran? Ian and Scott take a deep dive into the Conservative Party of Canada's leadership race and whether it's worth joining the party just to block Kevin O'Leary and Kellie Leitch from becoming leader.

It's an election year so that means the BC Liberals budget is all about tax cuts and spending increases. Who wins and who loses and what will the opposition do? Next, we look at the sad state of the BC Conservative Party and wonder how a party can survive on 45 Twitter followers. And in our quick takes, a BC-federal health deal, Vancouver votes to file a judicial review to stop the Kinder Morgan p...

The final throne speech before the BC election has come out but we're left wonder, are the BC Liberals just running on cruise control? With nearly every Conservative leadership candidate tripping over themselves to be the most opposed to denouncing Islamophobia, we delve into whether the Conservatives are courting the dark forces by stoking debate over M-103. Then, did Trudeau actually do anything...

Why are BC's political parties so incompetent? Christy Clark spent much of the week claiming the NDP hacked her website when really, the BC Liberals probably just didn't update their WordPress plugins. Meanwhile, Micah comes back to discuss the return of the Court Challenges Program (sorry for the audio quality Micah!) and we discuss what the census data mean for federal representation and the Van...

Our first segment: Ding dong, electoral reform is dead. We all sort of expected a long, slow process, but Trudeau seems to have given it a compassionate assisted death (which is legal now). Will this egregious promise breaking bite the Liberals? Was there possibly a more unceremonious way they could have killed this? In our second segment we examine the what's in the BC NDP's Climate Plan (or more...

What has the first week of Trump's presidency meant for Canada? Did the government's MyDemocracy.ca survey find anything useful? It's time for another edition of PolitiCoast!

Sick of President Trump already? Let’s talk about who everyone’s calling Canada’s Trump instead: Kevin O’Leary! Yes, he’s finally entered the Conservative Party leadership race, but will he get eaten in the shark tank? Next, a real newspaper - The New York Times even - noticed BC politics. Will their expose on BC’s “kafkaesque” fundraising rules swing the election? And Prime Minister Justin Trudea...

Trudeau shuffles his cabinet to to get burned by the Washington dumpster fire. The Prime Minister’s ethics are questioned after revelations of a secret vacation with a family friend, the Aga Khan who also runs a nonprofit receiving government funding. The Prime Minister’s flight to the island on Khan-Air likely broke the Conflict of Interest Act. The BC government gives approval to Kinder Morgan w...

Ian and Scott share their thoughts on the year that was 2016 and what to look forward to in 2017.

Fundraising scandals continue to plague the Trudeau Liberals, particularly as new controversy surrounds the Trudeau Foundation. Next, Micah calls in to add a legal take on BC NDP leader John Horgan’s claim that the federal government would have to invoke the notwithstanding clause to force the Kinder Morgan Pipeline through. Then we take another look at the state of the Conservative leadership rac...

Alberta premier Rachel Notley comes to BC to win support for the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. The Trudeau Liberals launch MyDemocracy.ca, yet another tool to consult Canadians on electoral reform, this time to wide ridicule on social media. Then Ian & Scott discuss cash for access controversies and the dark side of Alberta politics.

The honeymoon might be over for Justin Trudeau as his government announces its approval of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline and the wheels come off the electoral reform bus. He's also attracted controversy for a glowing eulogy for Cuban President Fidel Castro. Meanwhile, BC posts a budget surplus while Ontario's Auditor General delivers a scathing indictment on the Kathleen Wynne Liberals...

Justin Trudeau kills the coal industry. The Globe and Mail exposes how many farms in Agricultural Land Reserve are being used for mansions and hotels. Trudeau bought some new fighter jets, Charlie Angus mulls an NDP leadership bid, Vancouver mayors announce the start of the first phase of transit expansion and the BC government puts money into affordable housing.

Vancouver has introduced its empty home tax, but is it a solution in search of a problem? Former Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge thinks it’s a supply problem and BC NDP leader thinks dumping cash into co-op housing is the solution. Meanwhile, the Trudeau Government seems to be continuing to find ways to walk back from its electoral reform promises, with vague statements by Minister Maryam Mons...

A bonus long weekend episode with a focus just on BC & Canada! Ian and Scott discuss the Conservative Party Leadership Debate, the BCTF vs BC Government Supreme Court of Canada verdict, PEI’s electoral reform vote and the new spill response plan for the west coast.

Scott and Ian share their thoughts on the recent US Election and the implications for BC and Canada. Warning there is a lot of swearing.