Liberals should shake, rattle and roll on campaign trail
Campaign ’98 in Quebec will go down in history as a short and sweet little exercise of democratic expression. At 33 days, it is indeed quick. The pre-campaign, however, cannot exactly be described as short and sweet. Let’s face it, the two parties have been on the road, selling their ideas and making promises since […]
Federalists and separatists have same agenda: exploitation of federalism the real threat to unity of this country
There are three groups of citizens in this country: separatists, federalists and Canadians. To the first group belong all those whom, we are told, want to break up our country. To the second group belong those who anointed themselves our saviors from the first group. To the third group belong all the people, 96.7 per […]
They get no respect: new report on political ethics has some simple advice for MPs [A Question of Ethics: Canadians Speak Out by Maureen Mancuso & Michael Atkinson]
Canada is not facing a true crisis of legitimacy, but public confidence in political leaders and in our democratic system is sagging, threatening to crumble our political structures which have been weakened by neglect and continued lapses of ethical judgment, says a recent report. But according to the extensive cross-country survey conducted by five political […]
Italian MPs score on House committees: Bevilacqua, Volpe and Guarnieri get some key Commons committee chairs
Members of the so-called Italian Liberal Caucus, once frustrated by being shut out of influential posts on Parliament Hill, have taken over the helm of three of the House’s top committees. Government backbencher Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.) traded his Parliamentary secretaryship to the health minister to take over the Health Committee and Maurizio Bevilacqua (Vaughan-King-Aurora, […]
Conservative MP expected to quit caucus [to run as candidate for Jean Charest’s Liberals in Quebec]
Quebec Tory MP Andr Harvey is expected to tell his caucus this week that he will step down to run as a “star” candidate for Jean Charest’s Liberals in Quebec later next month, leaving the Tory caucus with just 18 seats in the House of Commons. Mr. Harvey (Chicoutimi, Que.), the party’s whip, told The […]
Tories head into uncharted territory to elect leader on one person-one vote
Was that it? After almost three months in progress, during which — at times — it seemed to nearly fall off the national radar, the Tory leadership race grinds to a finish this weekend. There’s one more party event — speech night, to be held at the Harbour Castle in Toronto this Friday, on the […]
Devastating report could doom Falardeau-Ramsay’s chance for Supreme Court: senior politicans were angry when she lashed out at the federal government on pay equity [Auditor General’s report]
Last week’s devastating auditor-general’s report on the Canadian Human Rights Commission may doom any chance that the commission’s chair will find a seat on the Supreme Court of Canada. Auditor General Denis Desautels questioned whether the commission, headed by Michelle Falardeau-Ramsay, and the Human Rights Tribunal panels are resolving complaints “quickly, impartially and expertly,” as […]
Stoffer contemplates running for House fisheries chair: Hubbard favored to take over for popular Baker
An opposition member of the House Fisheries Committee says he wants to take a run at leading the politically-charged committee, after the government was accused of bouncing its controversial chair veteran Liberal MP George Baker from the post last week. NDP fisheries critic Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore, N.S.) said he is considering putting his name […]
Murphy’s jab at Reform exposes media attitude towards sex stories [Rex Murphy at National Conference of Editorial Writers]
Last week, a group of opinion writers from across Canada and the United States gathered for the National Conference of Editorial Writers to do what editorial writers do: party and debate issues. On the final day of the event at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, we’re told via a report by Tod Mohamed in The Ottawa […]
Government MP Joe Volpe says CRTC doesn’t protect consumers: government task force on broadcasting questions CRTC delegration, plans to hold weekly Monday meetings [Liberal caucus task force headed by Sarmite Bulte]
The government MPs who formed a caucus task force on broadcasting last spring to seek a greater voice in public policy decisions say the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has no power to protect consumers. After a feisty closed-door meeting on Parliament Hill last week, at which MPs questioned members of the CRTC, Liberal MP […]
