Arno Kopecky

1 month ago | thewalrus.ca | Arno Kopecky

It’s a discouraging moment for global climate policy. Temperatures are through the roof, yet instead of reducing emissions, countries around the world appear to be lowering their ambitions. Canada, a leading cheerleader of the Paris Agreement, is setting new records in oil production. The US has essentially declared war on renewables.

1 month ago | nationalobserver.com | Arno Kopecky

I admitted I had not. But that refrain, which I'd heard so many times throughout Poilievre's April campaign, went quiet by the time the sun was down. The polls had barely closed in British Columbia before CTV and Global News were calling a Liberal victory; the only question was whether Mark Carney would lead a majority or minority government. That was the end of the cheering at Conservative headquarters. Instead of supporters streaming in, they started trickling out.

1 month ago | nationalobserver.com | Arno Kopecky

After Pierre Poilievre's rally in Vaughan, Ontario on Tuesday night, I joined a small crew of his fans for dinner at a restaurant nearby. There were about 12 of them, conservative influencers and hangers-on. I was invited on the condition that it all stay off the record. But there's one thing I can share. As we waited for our meals, I fell into conversation with a soft-spoken woman from the area. She was telling me how bad crime has become over the past few years.

1 month ago | nationalobserver.com | Arno Kopecky

We get four questions at every press conference. Poilievre's staffers choose the reporters, but they don't vet the questions. So every day we wonder, who will get the question? Can someone provoke a human reaction from Poilievre - anger, reflection, humour, contempt - anything more revealing than the slogans and sound bites that comprise Poilievre's usual public speech? It does happen.

1 month ago | ledevoir.com | Arno Kopecky

Dans une campagne qui a évité le sujet autant que possible, il n’est pas surprenant que le changement climatique n’ait pas été le thème principal des débats des chefs cette semaine. La performance de Poilievre n’a pas non plus fait sensation, même si les Canadiens ont pu voir une version plus douce que d’habitude du chef conservateur, qui a failli verser une larme lors de son discours de clôture chargé d’émotion le deuxième soir.