Max Fawcett

Calgary

Lead Columnist at National Observer

Lead columnist for Canada's National Observer.

Articles

The CBC matters more than ever

1 week ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

That's because for all of his newfound discretion on this issue, Poilievre still has plenty in common with Trump. Last week, for example, the US president called for NPR and PBS to be "DEFUNDED by Congress, IMMEDIATELY" on his Truth Social platform. He described them as "arms of the Radical Left Democrat Party," an accusation that sounds an awful lot like how Poilievre used to describe the CBC.
The NDP needs more economic literacy

1 week ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

This vulnerability became particularly evident once Justin Trudeau, another leader with a less-than-enthusiastic approach to economics, left office. With Mark Carney in office and a more explicitly pro-growth agenda on the table, Singh's NDP started hemorrhaging voters from both flanks, with the party's older supporters suddenly flocking to the Liberal tent.
How Alberta keeps wrecking Pierre Poilievre's campaign

2 weeks ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

At least he still has his rallies. While public polling shows a large and durable Liberal lead, and global betting markets putting overwhelming odds on a Mark Carney victory on April 28, Pierre Poilievre can still comfort himself with the fact that thousands of people are willing to line up to hear him talk.
Mark Carney's housing plan is a big step forward

2 weeks ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

Doing it by emphasizing the role of prefabricated home builders has the added advantage of supporting Canadian manufacturers at a time when they're under threat from America. As Carney last March, "scaling up factory-built housing could speed up construction times, reduce costs and fast-track climate-smart features.
Canada's Conservatives still want to bet on America

2 weeks ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

The much-anticipated Poilievre pivot has apparently begun. After months of dismissing or discounting the threat posed by Donald Trump, the Conservative Party of Canada leader has started to talk tough - well, tougher - about the American president and the economic war he's waging against Canada.
Rehashing Bill C-69 isn't going to save Poilievre's campaign

2 weeks ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

For all of his experience as a central banker and economist, Mark Carney is still relatively new to the business of politics. That showed on Tuesday, when he made the fatal mistake of giving a straight answer to a question from a journalist about Canada's Impact Assessment Act. "We do not plan to repeal Bill C-69, to answer your question directly," he said. Conservative MPs and proxies immediately clipped this response and started sharing it on their social media channels.
Pierre Poilievre's gender gap

3 weeks ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives are behind in the polls, but they're getting absolutely trounced when it comes to women voters. Some of this is a result of Poilievre's proximity to Donald Trump, both in tone and policy. Some is a function of his inherently - and often proudly - abrasive personality.
Danielle Smith's separatism shell game

3 weeks ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

It will revolve around Ottawa's apparent hostility towards Alberta's economic interests, which in her telling are indistinguishable from those of the oil and gas industry. It's worth reiterating that the Liberal government has done more to improve the economic competitiveness of said industry through the construction of TMX and the support of LNG Canada than any Conservative government in Canadian history.
Growing Canada's population isn't radical

3 weeks ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

Most Canadians don't know who Mark Wiseman is, much less why they should care about him. But in their increasingly desperate attempts to reach for any available straw, Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada are trying to change that. Wiseman, who has agreed to advise Liberal leader Mark Carney, is the former chair of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation and former president and CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Does he sound staid? Boring, even?
Abundance Liberalism has arrived

4 weeks ago | nationalobserver.com | Max Fawcett

In this, Carney has both distanced himself from the previous Liberal regime and captured the broader progressive zeitgeist. In the United States right now, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's new book "Abundance" has been the subject of widespread debate and discussion, with some - including, of course, its authros - suggesting that it can serve as a blueprint for a progressive revival.