Straight Goods News
Election Coverage 2011
News Articles

Read our coverage of the 2011 election... and help add to it.

Last updated: May 03, 2011

Please send info, links or clippings relevant to the 2011 election to Election2011@straightgoods.com

Canadians cheated again by voting system – 03-May-2011
  Ripped off: outcome does not accurately reflect how they voted - Fair Vote Canada

Orange wave rolls but fails to stop Harper – 03-May-2011
  Layton vaulted NDP over both Liberals and Bloc to form official Opposition for the first time - Toronto Star

Liberal meltdown gave Stephen Harper his majority – 03-May-2011
  Que sera sera election strategy backfires - CBC News

Hébert: No common ground left in the Commons – 03-May-2011
  Right and Left will be going head to head after Monday - Toronto Star

Stars who won't be back on the Hill – 03-May-2011
  A dozen well-known incumbents who lost their seats Monday night - ipolitics.ca

Duceppe resigns as Bloc leader after losing riding – 03-May-2011
  BQ leader's departure leaves his party on its deathbed - Globe and Mail

Ignatieff will not resign despite losing riding – 03-May-2011
  Liberal Leader took his party to history-making lows - Globe and Mail

NDP Tony Martin loses Sault – 03-May-2011
  Harperites dump 20-year veteran social justice campaigner and community hero - Sault Star

Behind Harper: the new face of the Religious Right – 30-Apr-2011
  Social conservatives have plunged determinedly into electoral fray - Marci McDonald

Final polls: Cons lead by 2-6 points – 01-May-2011
  NDP could surge forward or splits could give Harper majority, say pollsters - various sources

US cables dissect Canada's leaders: WikiLeaks – 01-May-2011
  Harper called controlling - CBC News

Why is there an election? – 01-May-2011
  Because the boss, Parliament, finally said, "That's it. Out!" - Tim Lash

Harper supporters are heckling the media – 01-May-2011
  Boosters yell "Shut down the CBC" at Richmond Hill event after similar incident earlier in week - National Post

Urgent action needed to prevent Harper majority – 30-Apr-2011
  Strategic voting now required to stop NDP, Liberal vote splitting - Catch 22 Campaign

Sun burnt – 30-Apr-2011
  A good sign: The mouthpiece of the Harper Conservatives smears Jack Layton - Now Magazine

Which Canada will you vote for? – 30-Apr-2011
  Comic strip graphically illustrates Harper record and direction - compellingcomics

Star endorses NDP – 30-Apr-2011
  The New Democrats have been reinvigorated under the leadership of Jack Layton - Toronto Star

Reid says NDP still climbing, Nanos suggests stall – 30-Apr-2011
  Federal election polls start to disagree again - various sources

Liberals ready for final push: Ignatieff – 30-Apr-2011
  Iggy says Liberals will 'hoover up' undecided voters - CBC News

[Surprise...] Toronto Mayor Ford endorses Harper – 30-Apr-2011
  Citing: 'We will have subways when Stephen Harper is prime minister'... - CBC News

NDP within 5 points of the Tories – 30-Apr-2011
  Nanos, Ekos, Harris-Decima, Ipsos-Reid all have the "Orange Surge" closing in on the Conservatives - CBC News

Vote Compass: What is it? – 28-Apr-2011
  Fill out a simple questionnaire, compare your views to the federal parties - CBC News

Muttart affair draws attention to Conservative-Sun link – 28-Apr-2011
  Columnist dropped for dissing Harper - Ottawa Citizen

Cons now lead NDP just 34-31 – 28-Apr-2011
  Tories would lose seats and Bloc would go to just three - National Post

Tory strategist dumped over bogus Ignatieff photo – 28-Apr-2011
  Patrick Muttart "has no further role...": Party war room - CBC News

Fiery Chrétien rallies Liberal faithful – 28-Apr-2011
  "The country your grandchildren will have may not be the country you wanted them to have." - CBC News

Rappers call for "Canadian Revolution" – 28-Apr-2011
  Musicians seek a new Green/NDP Party - Gaiaisi

Jewish block voting betrays progressive tradition – 26-Apr-2011
  A horrible new kind of reality judgement has descended upon many members of the Jewish community - Larry Solway

Seven in 10 BQ voters would vote NDP – Poll – 26-Apr-2011
  If Bloc did not exist, Bloquistes prefer Dippers to Grits by factor of ten - Leger Marketing

Opponents scramble to stop NDP surge – 26-Apr-2011
  Liberals and Conservatives spent Monday trying to harpoon Layton - Postmedia News

In lieu of flowers, please vote LIBERAL – 26-Apr-2011
  Political obit draws attention in Toronto - Globe and Mail

Harper quote collection could come back to haunt him – 26-Apr-2011
  Collected by Tory staff and obtained by Grits, quotes cover everything from abortion to Western alienation, going back to the 1980s - Globe and Mail

F-35s costs estimates double – 26-Apr-2011
  Pentagon report calls Harper numbers into question - CBC News

Parizeau stumps for Bloc – 26-Apr-2011
  Speech ridicules federalist parties and stresses sovereignty objective - Postmedia

BC Tory candidate's family to vote against her – 26-Apr-2011
  Estranged family members have launched three separate lawsuits against Dosanjh rival - CTV News

Harper in denial mode on health care, courts – 26-Apr-2011
  Visiting Northern Ontario, he tries to assure he would not hurt medicare or stack courts - Globe and Mail

Crime victims' agency a $6 million PR stunt – ex-Ombudsman – 26-Apr-2011
  First boss says it was just to score political points - Toronto Star

Ekos projects 100 seats for NDP – 26-Apr-2011
  Harper lead has dropped to single digits - Globe and Mail

Canadian Democracy at the Crossroads – 25-Apr-2011
  Fact Sheet prepared by daughter of famed Canadian constitutional expert, the late Eugene Forsey - Helen Forsey

"Harper's Canada" – 25-Apr-2011
  Canada Watch journal dissects the Harper minority government and its impact on the Canadian consciousness - York University

Harper says he would reform Senate on his own – 25-Apr-2011
  He claims he could make changes through legislation - Postmedia News

Standing ovation for Harper not what it appeared – reader – 25-Apr-2011
  Democracy well in Canada, just nowhere near Harper - Elka Enola

Muslims urged to vote – 25-Apr-2011
  Muslims and others – on May 2 give Canada your best – give it your informed vote! - Canadian Islamic Congress

To vote or not to vote? – 25-Apr-2011
  Why the "crisis of democracy" should give us pause - Ilan Kapoor

Criticize Harper, get fired from the Ottawa Sun – 24-Apr-2011
  Reporter Mike Harris let go after saying Harper no longer on high moral ground - Marjorie Robertson

Tories desperate to hold Vancouver Island North – 24-Apr-2011
  Seat went Conservatives in 2008 and NDP in 2006 - Globe and Mail

How Harper is courting some South Asians – 24-Apr-2011
  Cons wooing small segments of Asian community, soliciting votes from slices of the population - Toronto Star

Cons candidate has Air India terror links – 24-Apr-2011
  Dosanjh complains over school's support Tory rival - Vancouver Sun

Tories deny link to Air India terrorist – 24-Apr-2011
  Supporters at rally drowned out questions from reporters to give Harper cover from answering - Vancouver Sun

Gallant unlikely to lose Renfrew despite outrages – 24-Apr-2011
  Idiotic comments and actions have eroded the faith of stalwarts but Cheryl Gallant has a long way to fall - Ottawa Citizen

Layton draws record crowd in Montreal – 24-Apr-2011
  Tells record crowd of 2,000 in Montreal other party leaders are fearmongering - PostMedia

Layton shook up campaign by sticking to basics – 24-Apr-2011
  Being rewarded for being comfortable with what NDP stands for, what he has to offer - Toronto Star

Grits, Tories and Bloc target surging NDP – 24-Apr-2011
  Parties have changed messages in response to startling polls - Globe and Mail

Opinion: Anatomy of a "rumour" – 24-Apr-2011
  When the press becomes part of the conspiracy, we're all in trouble - Michael Cowley-Owen

The battle for a crucial patch of Ontario – 23-Apr-2011
  Five key ridings in Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and Cambridge up in the air - Geoffrey Stevens

Letter from a reader – 23-Apr-2011
  Internet privacy, police surveillance & freedom of expression - Tim Lash

Carleton University Vote Mob – 23-Apr-2011
  Youth, George Strombolopolus, Rick Mercer say why youth should vote - YouTube

Gun registry saves money as well as lives – 22-Apr-2011
  Abolishing the registry to save $4 million at most, puts a low price on women's lives - Canadian Federation of University Women

NDP on track to win 60 seats: Ekos poll – 22-Apr-2011
  New Democrat Party in dead heat with Liberals - Jane Taber

The pick-up line that Canadian women like best – 22-Apr-2011
  A simple declaration of identity can set hearts aflutter - ShitHarperDid.ca

Co-ops Canada offers campaign platform – 22-Apr-2011
  Three major parties responded favourably to many recommendations in the co-op platform - Canadian Co-operative Association

Young Quebec woman addresses Stephen Harper – 22-Apr-2011
  Twenty-year-old rips into Conservative policies and phobias - YouTube

Promote food security and vote with your fork! – 22-Apr-2011
  Progressive farmers, consumers transforming food system but need policy support - Colleen Ross, National Farmers Union

Harperites drop below 38 percent – Nanos – 22-Apr-2011
  NDP and Liberals tied within the margin of error - Nanos

NDP surges ahead of the Liberals – 22-Apr-2011
  ... But Ipsos Reid predicts massive Harper majority - Postmedia News

The problem with strategic voting – 21-Apr-2011
  Websites lack local polling or rely on numbers released by parties - CBC News

Top 10 "kick-ass" social media election sites – 21-Apr-2011
  These networks and websites (and many others) may be the best thing to come out of this election - Xraymagazine

NDP jumps ahead of Bloc in Quebec – poll – 21-Apr-2011
  New Democratics lead Bloc Québécois 36% to 31% - Toronto Star

Immigration lawyers, professors warning not to vote Conservative – 21-Apr-2011
  Group says Tories misled the public, especially immigrant voters, with twisted statements about immigration and refugee system - Toronto Star

Harper abortion controversy back thanks to SK candidate – 21-Apr-2011
  Tightly-scripted election campaign enters damage control - Canadian Press

Layton surge, wild ride ahead – pollster – 21-Apr-2011
  Big question is whether NDP can sustain increase - Globe and Mail

Crime and Corrections – Myths and facts – 20-Apr-2011
  It makes more sense to invest resources to prevent the crime from occurring in the first place - John Howard Society

Rae positioning himself if Iggy falls – 20-Apr-2011
  It might not be long before Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff heads back to the halls of higher learning - Hill Times

Ignatieff offers new opportunity for Tory attacks – 20-Apr-2011
  CBC interview has reignited Harper's relentless campaign for majority - Globe and Mail

Coalition government acceptable to most Canadians – 20-Apr-2011
  Concept not as daunting to voters as it has been made out to be - TNS Canada

Dirty tricks plague Ottawa Liberal candidate – 19-Apr-2011
  David Bertschi disavows telemarketing calls claiming to be from his campaign - Bertschi campaign

The Harper marriage and the Globe – 19-Apr-2011
  Rumours have Mrs. Harper living in the Chateau Laurier while the Prime Minister remains at 24 Sussex - backofthebook.ca

Why Ms. Harper joined the PM's Christmas interview – 19-Apr-2011
  "In Ottawa, tongues have been wagging for two years about trouble in one political marriage..." - Norman Spector

A Harper Majority? Say goodbye to abortion rights... – 19-Apr-2011
  All that is required to recriminalize abortion is passage of a private members bill - Joyce Arthur

Tory minister's office hired niece of Carson's girlfriend – 19-Apr-2011
  Cabinet minister Lunn hired former prostitute and convicted fraudster related to con artist Bruce Carson - Globe and Mail

Private health care "workable" – Harper – 19-Apr-2011
  Chapter and verse of Harper's praise of privatization plans when he was NCC head - Hill Times

Conservatives in lead, NDP gains – EKOS – 19-Apr-2011
  NDP only party with improved prospects during the campaign - Hill Times

They dish it but they can't take it – Ignatieff – 19-Apr-2011
  The Liberals seek public input to replace quote misattributed to Harper - Globe and Mail

Blog photo exposes Tory hack in Guelph vote theft attempt – 19-Apr-2011
  Pix show campaign manager on cell phone beside ballot box, proving he was there in spite of his denials - Guelphvotes blog

No plans to topple Tory minority: Layton – 19-Apr-2011
  Tells Peter Mansbridge, "There's no question" Harper's goal in 2004 talks was to become prime minister - CBC News

Four parties respond to environmental survey – 18-Apr-2011
  Liberals, NDP, BQ and Greens willing to state their environmental policies - Pembina Institute

Reality Check - Tories get Fail – 17-Apr-2011
  The Conservatives and health-care transfers - CBC News

Tory majority key to stopping sovereignists: Harper – 17-Apr-2011
  Stephen Harper says Conservative majority is only way to stop Bloc/PQ - CBC News

Ignatieff pledges meeting on health care – 17-Apr-2011
  Layton says trust on health care becoming 'more and more' of an issue - CBC News

Tory candidate sues Harper government? – 17-Apr-2011
  John Koury appears to be party to a lawsuit - richardhughes.ca

Cheryl Gallant bails on debate – 16-Apr-2011
  MP claims Green candidate was excluded; Greens say not so - The Daily Observer

Election guide on Middle East issues – 16-Apr-2011
  Guide shows swing ridings, MP's paid visits to region - Canadians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East

Layton, Ignatieff, Duceppe as the Three Stooges – 16-Apr-2011
  Right-wing lobby group goes for lowest common denominator - National Citizen's Coalition

Jack is back, giving NDP only momentum in campaign – 16-Apr-2011
  His opponents might have known that he was not going to be pushed to the sidelines - Globe and Mail

Woman bites pig – 15-Apr-2011
  Maternal mortality rising; Harper budget funds research into pigs instead - Feminist Alliance for International Action

Fighting poverty – the party platforms – 15-Apr-2011
  How we treat vulnerable speaks of our country and values - Citizens for Public Justice

U of Guelph special ballot stands: Elections Canada – 15-Apr-2011
  Tories allege polling was not sanctioned despite Elections Canada presence - Guelph Mercury

Vote for Canadian Wheat Board – 15-Apr-2011
  Western farmers ask Canadians to vote for CWBA supporters in 57 western ridings – National Farmers Union

The decline of democracy under Harper government – 15-Apr-2011
  Rights to information, participation, accountability all undercut repeatedly - Bonny Pond

Parties must address lack of access to EI – 15-Apr-2011
  CLC says: too many unemployed being denied benefits – Canadian Labour Congress

Harper hacks crash Grit BBQ – 15-Apr-2011
  Tories sent to heckle Ignatieff at Eastern Ontario barbeque - Globe and Mail

Anti-Harper website attracts two million hits – 15-Apr-2011
  SMS wreaking havoc on the Conservative party's image - Vancouver Sun

Guergis affair comes back to haunt Harper – 15-Apr-2011
  CBC obtains letter from top Harper aide outlining allegations against Helena Guergis - CBC News

Women say: "It's Over Steve!!" – 14-Apr-2011
  If enough women vote, Harper's Regime will fall - itsoversteve

AG likely probing Conservative role in leaked G8 report – 14-Apr-2011
  "It's logical; war room operatives engaged in this breach of confidentiality..." – The Hill Times

CUPE members and staff run for NDP – 14-Apr-2011
  As leaders in their workplaces and communities, 22 CUPE members are running as candidates in this election, including Robert Chisolm, former leader of Nova Scotia NDP

How to elect a Prime Minister – 14-Apr-2011
  The quick answer is you don't – a PM is appointed by the GG – and can be from any party - from the Internet

Canada watches its democracy erode – 14-Apr-2011
  Professor laments Harper government's record of duplicity and disrespect - Ramesh Thankur

Tories quit over Vaughan health-care money – 14-Apr-2011
  "The same people who helped Fantino are the same people receiving government funds." - CBC News

Harper won debate, Layton added support – poll – 13-Apr-2011
  Harper meets expectations, Ignatieff fails to impress, big winner could be Jack Layton - Ipsos Reid

Libs choose 'defining moment' – 13-Apr-2011
  "A majority? ... Majorities are things you earn..." - the Liberal Blog

This is not a hoax... – 13-Apr-2011
  Harper looking for people in ethnic costume for rally - blog entry

Women and elections fact sheet: Pensions – 13-Apr-2011
  Unstable future for pensions hits women hardest - Ad Hoc Coalition for Women's Equality Rights

Leaders' debates – tragedy or farce? – 12-Apr-2011
  To laugh or to cry: that's the question in the leaders' debates - Fair Vote Canada

Green leader to answer questions during debate – 12-Apr-2011
  Vancouver Sun to broadcast live video chat with Elizabeth May - Tiffany Crawford

Why young people should vote... – 12-Apr-2011
  Rick's Rant for March 29, 2011 - Rick Mercer Report

Check Harper's record on international affairs – 11-Apr-2011
  Conservative campaign so far has reinforced the image of Harper as a controlling, angry dictator - James Clancy for NUPGE

Tories misquoted me on summit costs: Sheila Fraser – 11-Apr-2011
  Fraser pens scathing rebuke of Tories for misquoting her in report on G8/G20 - CBC News

AG can't release audit report - Public Statement – 11-Apr-2011
  Watchdog reacts to news reports about the audit of the G8 Legacy Infrastructure Fund - Sheila Fraser

Reporters frustrated as Harper kept in bubble – 11-Apr-2011
  Media covering Prime Minister's re-election campaign frustrated by limited access - Hill Times

Parliament misinformed on G8 – Auditor General – 11-Apr-2011
  Draft report suggests $50M "misappropriated" from G8 fund for projects in Tory riding - CBC News

Did you know you can vote today by Special Ballot? – 11-Apr-2011
  Special Voting Rules - Elections Canada

Equality checklist – 11-Apr-2011
  If your candidate doesn't support these issues, then can you trust the government? - Ad Hoc Coalition for Women's Equality and Human Rights

"Five-percent" ridings key to election – 10-Apr-2011
  Only a few dozen of 308 ridings are likely to change their MPs - Geoffrey Stevens

Reframing this election – 10-Apr-2011
  Unraveling the web of lies around this campaign - Henry Mintzberg

Arts provide culture – and jobs – 09-Apr-2011
  CCA calls for more arts funding - Canadian Conference of the Arts

VOTE! – 09-Apr-2011
  Be part of democracy. Choose a candidate in your riding and vote! - Council of Canadians

Pembina reacts to Conservative platform – 08-Apr-2011
  Environmental think tank calls for Canada to tackle greenhouse gases - Pembina Institute

Tories vow to eliminate deficit early – 08-Apr-2011
  Party platform released Friday, promising to "control spending and cut waste"... - CBC News

KAIROS: federal election kit – 08-Apr-2011
  Climate change, sustainability, First Nations, human rights and democracy are main issues - KAIROS

Smart Economy – Strong Communities – True Democracy – 07-Apr-2011
  What the Networks don't want Canadians to know – the Green Party of Canada

Municipalities applaud NDP policing commitment – 07-Apr-2011
  Mayors like recruitment fund that would put more cops on the street – Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Questions for Stephen Harper on Bruce Carson – 07-Apr-2011
  The Thursday Edition – the NDP

'Vote mobs' shake up election – 07-Apr-2011
  Disconnect between politicians from all parties and the young electorate - CBC News

Co-operative enterprises build a better Canada – 07-Apr-2011
  Movement offers platform, questions for candidates - the Canadian Co-operatives Association

Harper apologizes over rally screening – 07-Apr-2011
  Says his party is encouraging people to come and listen to his message - CBC News

The Debate debate – 06-Apr-2011
  Will Harper or Ignatieff now play the democracy card? – John Deverell

CUPE's candidates – 06-Apr-2011
  Members and past members who are running in this election.

In his own words: Liberal candidate – 06-Apr-2011
  André Forbes forced to quit by party.

Conservative candidate dismisses Canada's poor – 06-Apr-2011
  Will Harper repudiate callous remarks? – The Liberal Party of Canada

Hey, Stephen Harper, stop creeping me on Facebook – 06-Apr-2011
  New Liberal ad lampoons blacklisting of citizens at Tory meetings - liberalvideo

Vote strategy targets 40 vulnerable seats – 06-Apr-2011
  Campaign gets 1,200 visitors daily on website - Catch 22

Ottawa's F-35 jet cost figures way off – 05-Apr-2011
  US analyst reveals the true cost and value of F-35 – Meagan Fitzpatrick, CBC News

Harper Criticism In Media Now Being Censored? – 05-Apr-2011
  Major news outlets across the country cutting articles critical of Harper government - The Sixth Estate

Conservatives slip out of majority range – Laurier Institute – 05-Apr-2011
  Seat projection based on blending polls shows a new Harper minority likely.

Why Harper must not have his majority – 05-Apr-2011
  There is no more pretence of principle, not even promising of improvement – Ralph Surette, Chronicle Herald

Compare federal election polls here – 05-Apr-2011
  A rolling summary of all public domain federal opinion polls...

Week one and Harper's flaws are clear – 05-Apr-2011
  Harper's priorities, ethics, economic policy all contribute to democratic deficit - James Clancy

An open letter to Canadian journalists – 04-Apr-2011
  Under Stephen Harper, the flow of information out of Ottawa has slowed to a trickle - the Canadian Association of Journalists

Pembina's federal election checklist – 04-Apr-2011
  Ask candidates to commit to specific policies on the climate and clean energy - Ed Whittingham

Conservative corporate tax cut malarkey – 03-Apr-2011
  Liberals say new programs not tax giveaways - the Liberal Party of Canada

April Fool joke... – 01-Apr-2011
  Fair Vote Canada announces name change - Press release

Harper, Flanagan argued for coalition, 1997 – 01-Apr-2011
  Obscure academic article calls Canada a "benign dictatorship" - Terry Milewski, CBC

Tories blasted on human rights – 01-Apr-2011
  Amnesty International says views out of step with the world - Mike Blanchfield

Most want majority, but not Tory or Grit – 01-Apr-2011
  Sixteen percent would prefer a majority led by Liberal Leader Ignatieff, 12 percent a Grit minority - Joan Bryden

Gallant apologizes again – 01-Apr-2011
  Offers Twitter apology to Ignatieff - Toronto Star

Democracy means sharing power – 31-Mar-2011
  "Coalition" is not a dirty word - Fair Vote Canada

Stephen Harper's desperation shows through – 31-Mar-2011
  Conservative leader out of step with most Canadians and he knows it - Kim Pollock, for the USW

The Canadian Nixon – 31-Mar-2011
  Harper's feud with Elections Canada is just the latest front in his war against government institutions - guardian.co.uk

More women nominated than in last election – 31-Mar-2011
  Many running in hopeless ridings or against other women - Equal Voice

Harper's hypocrisy on coalitions – 30-Mar-2011
  What was Harper engaged in, if not a coalition?

Coalition monkey dogs Harper – 30-Mar-2011
  NDP and Bloc bring up inconvenient reminders of his own plans - Bruce Campion-Smith

Conservative MP must apologize for "expiry date" slur – 29-Mar-2011
  Ageist remark insults all seniors: Anita Neville's office

42 percent say Canada worse off since Harper – 29-Mar-2011
  Léger online poll shows few feel better.

Harper Coalition 1.0 – 28-Mar-2011
  Stephen Harper in his own words... or, at least, his words back in 2004 - enoughharper
 

Please send info, links or clippings relevant to the 2011 election to Election2011@straightgoods.com