Butts is back; Scheer and Singh warn Canadians the SNC-Lavalin team is 'back together'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former top adviser Gerald Butts is back in the fold as the Liberals prepare their campaign strategy for the upcoming federal election, a senior party official confirmed. Butts' new role will be as an advisor to the PM and senior leadership during the campaign period.
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/gerald-butts-is-back-helping-the-liberals-plan-for-the-federal-election-source-1.4516600
">CTV News</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://ipolitics.ca/2019/07/22/ipolitics-am-poilievre-hits-hill-media-circuit-to-react-to-gerry-butts-reported-return-to-liberal-campaign-team/
">iPolitics</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.hilltimes.com/2019/07/22/politics-this-morning-279/209112
">Hill Times</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://torontosun.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-the-return-of-butts-speaks-volumes
">Toronto Sun</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-gerald-butts-returning-to-take-on-important-role-in-liberal-re/
">Globe and Mail</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/AndrewScheer/status/1152617997909016578
">@AndrewScheer</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/HannahThibedeau/status/1153151009591648257?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Enews%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
">@HannahThibedeau</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SeanPrevil/status/1153074800472051713?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Enews%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
">@SeanPrevil</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/sunlorrie/status/1152643447347732492
">@sunlorrie</a> 
It would have been unwise to believe, back in February, that Gerald Butts would not be involved in the 2019 federal re-election campaign for the Liberal Party of Canada. In a senior advisory role to the Prime Minister? No surprise here. The fact of the matter is Butts was one of the key architects of the 2015 election. His resignation in February amid the SNC-Lavalin scandal was temporary, and purely for the optics.
The major parties are already hammering the Liberals, warning Canadians this is the type of politics the Grits play. The team that brought them SNC is right back in the mix, nothing has changed. But will it matter for voters in the Fall, we'll see in 87 days.
Maxime Bernier says People's Party would cap immigration levels at 150K
Maxime Bernier says the People's Party of Canada would limit immigration to between 100,000 and 150,000, if his party formed government after the next election.
Butts is back; Scheer and Singh warn Canadians the SNC-Lavalin team is 'back together'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former top adviser Gerald Butts is back in the fold as the Liberals prepare their campaign strategy for the upcoming federal election, a senior party official confirmed. Butts' new role will be as an advisor to the PM and senior leadership during the campaign period.
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/gerald-butts-is-back-helping-the-liberals-plan-for-the-federal-election-source-1.4516600
">CTV News</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://ipolitics.ca/2019/07/22/ipolitics-am-poilievre-hits-hill-media-circuit-to-react-to-gerry-butts-reported-return-to-liberal-campaign-team/
">iPolitics</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.hilltimes.com/2019/07/22/politics-this-morning-279/209112
">Hill Times</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://torontosun.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-the-return-of-butts-speaks-volumes
">Toronto Sun</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-gerald-butts-returning-to-take-on-important-role-in-liberal-re/
">Globe and Mail</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/AndrewScheer/status/1152617997909016578
">@AndrewScheer</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/HannahThibedeau/status/1153151009591648257?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Enews%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
">@HannahThibedeau</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SeanPrevil/status/1153074800472051713?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Enews%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
">@SeanPrevil</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/sunlorrie/status/1152643447347732492
">@sunlorrie</a> 
It would have been unwise to believe, back in February, that Gerald Butts would not be involved in the 2019 federal re-election campaign for the Liberal Party of Canada. In a senior advisory role to the Prime Minister? No surprise here. The fact of the matter is Butts was one of the key architects of the 2015 election. His resignation in February amid the SNC-Lavalin scandal was temporary, and purely for the optics.
The major parties are already hammering the Liberals, warning Canadians this is the type of politics the Grits play. The team that brought them SNC is right back in the mix, nothing has changed. But will it matter for voters in the Fall, we'll see in 87 days.
New Leger poll finds Conservatives with lead over Liberals; Greens ahead of the NDP
In a web survey conducted earlier this month, the polling firm Leger found 36 per cent support among decided voters for the Conservatives and 33 per cent for the Liberals. The firm says support for the Tories has dipped by two percentage points since the last time it conducted a survey in June, while support for the Liberals has gone up by four percentage points.
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5687135/liberals-conservatives-snc-lavalin-election-poll/
">Global News</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/07/26/snc-lavalin-cloud-lifting-for-liberals-as-they-face-close-fight-with-tories-3/#.XTq_3PJKiUl
">National Newswatch</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/
">CBC Poll Tracker</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/EricGrenierCBC/status/1154744598968897538
">@EricGrenierCBC</a> 
Another national poll featuring the same back and forth between the Conservatives and the Liberals. Of note however, is Elizabeth May's Green Party polling ahead of Jagmeet Singh and the NDP. The Greens' online presence has been strong throughout most of the summer although it has cooled off in the last week. With their leader polling the highest among her counterparts, expect the Green Party to continue driving their message in BC as well as in Southwestern Ontario.
Liberals and Conservatives outspending all other parties in Facebook ad spending
The Liberals ($92,307) are outspending all parties, but the Conservatives ($87,441) are close behind — and are spending more per ad than any other party. The Green Party has spent a total of $1,036, and the Bloc Quebecois has shelled out $384. Canada Proud, a registered conservative-leaning third-party group, has spent $20,466 on Facebook ads since the beginning of June. While Engage Canada, which ran ads targeting Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, spent $72,552 on ads in June.
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://ipolitics.ca/2019/07/26/morning-brief-poll-suggests-close-race-in-whitby/
">iPolitics</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/natnewswatch/status/1154530622536335362
">@natnewswatch</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/KaleighRogers/status/1154523280981680128
">@KaleighRogers</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/petercoffin
">@petercoffin</a> 
Under Bill C-76, passed in December, new rules require websites with a "large number of visitors to create databases of all political ads run from June 30 through the election." We are seeing these third-party actors like Engage Canada, Canada Proud, and North99 outspending three political parties. These groups will be the ones driving content and engaging with the Canadian electorate on Facebook who tends to be older than Twitter's audience. Furthermore, these third-party groups are focused on amplifying the Liberal or the Conservative message in ways the official parties cannot.
Liberals deny preventing ex-ambassador from commenting on China
The federal Conservatives are accusing the PMO of inappropriately attempting to silence David Mulroney from commenting on Canada's China policy. A spokesperson from Foreign Affairs said that neither the minister’s office or the PMO “would ever attempt to prevent any former Canadian diplomat from speaking freely and publicly."
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-pmo-asked-former-envoy-david-mulroney-to-clear-public-comments-on/
">Globe and Mail</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/is-dictating-what-former-ambassadors-can-say-about-china-a-thing-now-politics-insider/
">Macleans</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/lraitt/status/1154187550749319169
">@lraitt</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/markmackinnon/status/1153974523428868097
">@markmackinnon</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/roth/status/1153984717068349441
">@roth</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/stevenchase/status/1154161220389392384
">@stevenchase</a> 
First it was John McCallum, now it is David Mulroney. Ex-envoys to China are making life difficult for Chrystia Freeland and Justin Trudeau. Mulroney said yesterday that people in Ottawa "don’t invoke the PMO frequently or lightly. It is done to intimidate + obtain compliance." Attempting to 'muzzle' a former senior career bureaucrat adds another headache for the Canada-China file.
New Research Co. poll finds Liberals with a slight edge over the Conservatives; Elizabeth May has the highest approval rating among party leaders at 42 per cent
The new poll released today has the Liberals at 34 percent, Conservatives with 31 percent, NDP with 17 per cent, Green Party with 10 per cent, BQ with 4 per cent, and the PPC with 3 per cent of support.
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/liberal-party-has-slight-edge-ahead-of-federal-election-poll
">Vancouver Sun</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/2019/07/24/approval-ratings-canada-federal-election-poll/
">Winnipeg CityNews</a> 
<a target="linkFrame" href="https://biv.com/article/2019/07/poll-finds-voters-no-mood-majority-federal-government
">BIV</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/davidakin/status/1154009386551074817
">@davidakin</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/EricGrenierCBC/status/1153730261965840385
">@EricGrenierCBC</a> 
<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/CityNewsWPG/status/1154071260214759427
">@CityNewsWPG</a> 
Research Co.'s first national release is the latest in a string of polls indicating a tight race. Of note, the environment was not the top issue Canadians who were polled listed. Instead, a more traditional and familiar issue was number one: the economy and jobs. Justin Trudeau will campaign on the fact the Liberals have created over a million jobs. Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives will try to break through to voters by offering them a more prosperous future, putting more money back in the pockets of middle-class Canadians.
How the Bloc’s fortunes in Quebec could impact the federal election
Could the Bloc Québécois be a game changer in the fall federal election?
Canada asks companies to pitch replacements for CF-18 fighter jets
The federal government is asking four aerospace companies to submit their proposals to replace Canada's aging CF-18 fighter jets.
Conservative MP slams Liberals over return of Gerald Butts after SNC-Lavalin scandal
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre slammed the Liberals after it was reported Gerald Butts would have a key role in the 2019 Canadian federal election campaign.
Gerald Butts helping Liberals with election campaign
Gerald Butts is rejoining the Liberals as a senior advisor on the 2019 election campaign.
Friday, July 26th
New data released by Facebook revealed the Liberals ($92,307) and Conservatives ($87,441) are spending far more money on the social media website's ads than any other party. By contrast, the NDP have spent $392. Meanwhile, a new Leger/Canadian Press poll found the Conservatives ahead with 36 per cent of support compared to 33 per cent for the Liberals. The Greens, with 12 per cent, are ahead of the NDP who are polling at 11 per cent.
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna remains in Ottawa today as she visits Carleton University for a green infrastructure funding announcement, while Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is in Sherbrooke this morning at Agropol. Stay tuned for more #elxn43-related coverage and Sussex's unique insights on all the major issues.
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