Rookies take shot at Ontario caucus chair
Make me your leader…The class of 1993 is turning its back on the largest provincial caucus. As the 156-member Liberal caucus gets ready to hold their annual caucus elections, the race to lead the monster 101-member Ontario Caucus is so far only being fought by rookie and outspoken Mississauga West Liberal MP Steve Mahoney and […]
Public Works replaces Duncan [Director-general]
Public Works swiftly named Bruce Lorimer as the acting director-general for the Parliamentary Precinct Directorate last week, after the former DG Glenn Duncan abruptly left his job after he told a reporter that the Parliament Hill renovations have run wildly over budget and could cost nearly $1-billion. Mr. Duncan’s departure for a two-year stint with […]
Gun owners, hep-C victims battle for protest space on Hill [when House resumes]
Gun advocates and hepatitis-C victims have been battling for Parliamentary turf to stage their protests when the House returns in two weeks. Both groups had tentatively booked rallies to be held on Sept. 21, the same day MPs return to the House after a three-month summer recess, and the fall session begins, but it turns […]
Tory leadership candidates target moribund ridings: PC strategists try to win over voters on Tory-hostile turf
It was supposed to bring direct democracy to leadership selection process. But Tory strategists may be discovering that the new system means the secret to winning this race is to target moribund ridings where the number of active party members is lower, not higher. Under the PC constitution, for leadership election purposes, all ridings are […]
Jake Hoeppner threatens to quit federal politics
Reform Party MP Jake Hoeppner is threatening to quit politics as his party faces a credibility crisis. Mr. Hoeppner (Portage Lisgar, Man.), a 62-year-old grain farmer from southern Manitoba who was first elected in 1993, told The Hill Times last week that he is seriously thinking about not coming back when the House resumes sitting […]
Reform Party in turmoil: official opposition looks into the abyss as it faces credibility crisis [Caucus meeting in Banff]
It was supposed to be a fall session of highs for the Reform Party, the party that swept into Official Opposition in June 1997 and proved capable of tackling some controversial national issues. Instead, it was a summer of hell. The Reform Party’s former star justice critic is facing sexual assault charges, MPs are openly […]
Journalists make little effort in Hull story [Moscow Times allegations of racism]
Those of us of a certain age well remember Bobby Hull as the exciting Golden Jets flying down the ice and launching one of his patented slap shots into the top of the net. Or, a less happy memory, of the hockey star who got into legal problems for domestic abuse. But that was then, […]
[Former cabinet minister from Mulroney years appointed to IOF board]
And off the Hill to the private sector: Former cabinet minister from the Mulroney years Barbara McDougall has been appointed to the board of directors for the Independent Order of Foresters (IOF). Ms. McDougall was minister of Employment and Immigration before the Liberal sweep in 1993. She had also served as minister of state for […]
Question period: in the light of the recent decision of the Supreme Court regarding the secession of Quebec, what do you think is a clear majority?
“Well, I think obviously in a democracy and in a system that is based on democracy, we’ve always measured it on 50 plus one … I can understand the prime minister’s concern and everyone else’s, but it’s not right to change democracy for issues that are more crucial or more important than others. Unless there’s […]
MPs wary of judges going public: it would blur the lines, says critic [Peter MacKay, Tory party]
MPs say they can sympathize with the frustration felt by Supreme Court justices when their decisions are misinterpreted by the public. But they are hesitant about allowing judges to publicly explain their rulings afterwards. Tory Justice critic Peter MacKay warns allowing judges to speak outside of court will change how decisions are treated “It would […]
