We are less than a week away from Canada’s 45th federal election. Which way will it go?

There has been a lot said about this election being the “most consequential“ in modern history. It could be for the Conservatives. They had been sailing along with a 20+ point lead on the Liberals for more than a year. All they needed was an election.

So, they pushed and pushed, doing everything they could to force an earlier election. For a brief moment it looked like their efforts had paid off. The NDP pulled the plug on their alliance with the Liberals. Trudeau stepped down from internal pressure, and so it seemed the stars were aligning for Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.

But, politics can turn on a dime. With Mark Carney now leading the Liberals, a dramatic shift has unfolded. If the polls are to be believed, the Liberals now have a significant lead.

Our Unpublished.vote question asks:

Which party will you vote for in the upcoming election?

You can log on and vote right now. Don’t forget to email your MP afterwards using our tool, to them why you think what you do.

All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be entered into a draw for a one year membership.

Guests: 

Marvin Ryder of McMaster 

Richard Johnston of UBC. 

Andrew Enns, Exec VP of Leger.

Here in the drudge of an Ontario winter, the Province’s voters are gearing up for an election. Did we need it? 

February 27th Ontarians head to the polls to elect our government. The PC’s had a majority in the Legislature with a fixed election date 15 months away. Premier Doug Ford says he needs a strong majority to deal with tariffs and Trump. 

Our Unpublished dot vote question asks: 

Did Ontario need to go to the polls 15-months before the next scheduled election? 

• Yes
• No
• Unsure

You can log on and vote right now at Unpublished.vote. 

Don’t forget to email your MP using our tool to tell them why you think what you do. All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be eligible to win a one-year free membership to Unpublished.ca. Free memberships are awarded monthly. 

Guests: 

Coming up on the show today: 

1. Stefan Dolgert, Brock University
2. Lori Turnbull, Dalhousie University
3. Andrew Enns, Leger

Five horses in the race to take the reins of the federal Liberal party. Who would want it? Who will win? Karina Gould, Ruby Dhalla, Frank Baylis, Christia Freeland and Mark Carney have all made the initial payment of $125,000 or the $350,000 total to enter the race. 

Our Unpublished dot vote question asks: 

Who do you think will make the best leader of the Liberal Party of Canada? 

Gould, Dhalla, Baylis, Freeland, or Carney? 

You can log on and vote right now at: Unpublished.vote! 

Don’t forget to email your MP afterwards using our tool to tell them why you think what you do. All comments on the Unpublished.ca website are eligible to win a one-year membership to Unpublished.ca. Memberships awarded monthly. 

Guests: 

Joining us today to discuss the Liberal Leadership contest is:

1. Warren Kinsella, former special advisor to PM Jean Chretien. 
2. Frank Graves, Ekos Research 
3. Jack Jedwab, Association of Canadian Studies

Since when did the truth become a problem for people? It seems the “truth” is up for sale in some circles. 

With a US election less than a month away and a Canadian federal election on the horizon next year, misinformation and disinformation is rampant. The FBI has shut down Tenet Media in Tennessee, which was run by two Canadians, because it was discovered that the Russian owned RT (Russian Today) channel was funnelling money to Tenet to amplify it’s pro-Trump stance. 

That’s called “propaganda “. It has massive implications for our democracy. 

Our Unpublished.vote question asks: 

Should attempts by foreign agents to sway voters in an election, be considered an attack on a Nation? 

• Yes 
• No
• Unsure

You can log on and vote right now. Don’t forget to email your MP afterwards using our tool to tell them why you think what you do. All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be entered into a draw for a one-year membership to Unpublished.ca. 

Guests: 

Joining us to discuss the problem of misinformation and disinformation on today’s show are: 

1. Yuriy Novodvorsky, Founder of the Russian-Canadian Democratic Alliance
2. Marcus Kolga, Director of Disinfowatch 
3. Lori Turnbull, Dalhousie University 

Canada had a front row seat to the Donald Trump show in 2016. What would Trump 2.0 mean for us and the rest of the world? 

A recent Angus Reid poll found that two thirds of Canadians believe Trump will be bad or terrible for Canada. Meanwhile, in the few weeks Kamala Harris has been in the race, she has jumped ahead in the polls. But polls don’t win elections. 

Our Unpublished dot vote question asks: 

Which candidate in the US Presidential election would be better for Canada? 

1. Donald Trump
2. Kamala Harris 
3. Unsure 

You can log on right now and vote at Unpublished.vote. Don’t forget to email your MP afterwards using our tool, to them why you think what you do. All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be entered into a draw for a one-year membership. 

Guests: 

1. Warren Kinsella, Political strategist. Former advisor to PM Jean Chretien. 
2. Colin Robertson is Former Canadian diplomat/ Sr. Advisor Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
3. Elliot Tepper Senior Fellow Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. 

It is a “stain” on our electoral process, according to Marie Jose Hogue, Canada’s Commissioner of Inquiry into Foreign Interference. Hague’s report indicates there were attempts in the 2019 and 2021 elections, although it did not impact the overall outcome. While Justice Hogue said the outcome of the election was not impaired, it is troubling. 

Our Unpublished.vote question asks: Will Canada’s new Foreign Influence Transparency Registry make you more confident in our elections? 

• Yes
• No
• Unsure

You can cast your vote on this topic at Unpublished.vote. Don’t forget to email your MP afterwards using our tool to them why you think what you do. 

All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be entered into a draw for a one-year membership to Unpublished.ca. You can log on and vote right now at Unpublished.vote and have your voice heard.

Guests: 

1. Charles Burton, Senior fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute and former diplomat at Canada’s embassy in Beijing;
2. Tom Parkin, NDP strategist and commentator
3. Marvin Ryder, DeGroote School of Business McMaster University

Change, change, change. We all want change. Talk to any pollster in Canada and that is the pervading theme across the country. It’s strange because human nature doesn’t like change. Yet, Canadians are clamoring for it. But what kind of change do Canadians want? 

Concerning Canadian politics, our Unpublished Vote question this week asks: 

What kind of change do you want to see most?

• A. Change in Liberal Party leadership
• B. Change of government
• C. Cabinet shuffle
• D. Electoral Reform
• E. Other
• F. No change

Share your opinion on this topic at Unpublished.vote by voting in our audience poll, commenting on Unpublished.ca and emailing your MP using our tool to tell them why you think what you do. 

All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be entered into a draw for a one-year membership to Unpublished.ca. You can log on and vote right now at Unpublished.vote to have your voice heard.

Podcast Guests: 

1. Mario Canseco, President of Research Co.
2. Lori Turnbull, Dalhousie University and 
3. Aaron Wudrick, Macdonald Laurier Institute 

You would have to live under a rock in this country if you haven’t heard the clarion call, “Axe the tax!’ 

The federal government’s latest increase to the carbon tax is set to rise on April 1st. First introduced in 2019 at $20 a tonne, the latest increase will see it rise from $65 a tonne to $80 a tonne. Has it become Politicized? 

Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre calls it a 23% increase. The Liberals point out it’s about 3 cents a litre. 

Our Unpublished Vote question asks: 

Do you receive the Canada Carbon Rebate? 

• Yes 
• No
• Unsure 

You can cast your vote on this topic at Unpublished.vote. Don’t forget to email your MP afterwards using our tool to them why you think what you do. 

All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be entered into a draw for a one-year membership. You can log on and vote right now at Unpublished.vote and have your voice heard. 

Guests: 

Joining us to discuss the carbon tax is: 

1. Christopher Ragan, Associate Professor and Director, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University
2. Ralph Torrie, Director of Research for Corporate Knights
3. Jon Roe, Angus Reid Institute

Since October 7th, the world has been littered with horrific images from the attack by the terrorist group, Hamas on unsuspecting Israelis. The pushback from Israel has been strident and expanding. In the middle are five million Palestinians who have seen destruction of their homes as the Israeli military pursued Hamas. While the violence is half a world away from Canada, there has been a huge uptick in violence and antisemitism here at home. 

Our Unpublished Vote question asks: 

Do you feel police in Canada are addressing the violence and antisemitism professionally? 

• Yes
• No
• Unsure

You can cast your vote on this topic at http://Unpublished.vote. Check out the supporting articles and then email your MP afterwards, using our tool, to them why you think what you do. 

All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be entered into a draw for a one-year membership. You can log on and vote right now at Unpublished.vote and have your voice heard. 

Guests: 

1. Warren Kinsella: Political commentator, author, and former special advisor to PM Jean Chretien
2. Joe Adam George: Research analyst specializing in Middle East and South Asia Affairs. Macdonald Laurier Institute contributor.
3. Richard Robinson: Director of Research and Advocacy at B’Nai Brith, Canada

Will Canadians be going to the polls federally in 2024? Will the Grits or even the NDP have a leadership change? Can Canada tackle affordability housing shortages? South of the border, what can we expect in November? 

So many questions. But by far the biggest one is whether or not Canadians will go the polls in 2024? 

So we ask in our Unpublished Vote question this month: “Do you expect a Canadian federal election in 2024? 

• Yes
• No
• Unsure

You can cast your vote on this topic at http://Unpublished.vote. Don’t forget to email your MP afterwards using our tool to them why you think what you do. All comments on the Unpublished.ca website will be entered into a draw for a Free 1-year membership. 

You can log on and vote right now at http://unpublished.vote and have your voice heard.

Guests: 

1. Darrell Bricker CEO Ipsos Public Affairs @darrellbricker
2. Stephanie Chouinard Associate Professor Dept. Political Science Queen’s University @DrSChouinard
3. Lori Turnbull Chair, Public & Int’l Affairs Dept. Political Science Dalhousie University @LoriLturnbul