MPs worried permanent voters’ list drives down voter turnout
Some provincial and federal politicians say the permanent voters’ list is driving down voter turnout provincially and federally, and point to the historic low turnout of only 57 per cent which swept Dalton McGuinty and his Liberals into power on Oct. 2 in Ontario. Sean Conway, former Ontario Liberal MPP who did not seek re-election […]
Former PM says television dumbs down MPs and Parliament: idiot box has turned Canada’s Parliamentary system into a presidential-type of government: Turner
Television has long been blamed for irrevocably transforming our culture, not for the better in many cases. As Neil Postman argued in his famous book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, it has turned all matters of public affairs – be it politics, religion, news, education, or business – into a form of mindless entertainment. Last Monday, […]
Izzy was a great Canadian
TORONTO–One of the problems inherent in speaking well of the dead is the perception — which is often the reality too — that you’re only saying it because they’re dead. The old taboo that we should not speak ill of the dead is still pretty strong in society. Among the many reasons people still remember […]
Parliament girds for early adjournment: MPs operating on assumption House breaks in mid November, won’t be back for six months
On Parliament Hill, government backbenchers are feeling increasingly torn about the coming legislative weeks. Most Grit MPs say they don’t want Parliament to sit beyond next month’s Liberal leadership convention, fearing the guaranteed spectacle of two Liberal leaders turning up in the House of Commons for four remaining weeks scheduled in the House calendar. Yet […]
Brink of a Middle East crisis
According to local people, the Ein Sabeh training camp for terrorists just north of Syria’s capital of Damascus that Israel attacked this week hasn’t been used for a long time. Of course, the locals may not have known what was going on at Ein Sabeh, or they may have been lying. Yet, it’s certainly odd […]
Unite-the-right buck will stop at the grassroots: many Alliance voters would vote Liberal before they would vote Tory
Observers suggest that the only issues to be resolved in the merger talks between the Progressive Conservative and Alliance parties are related to power politics at the top. What they are overlooking are the more perilous politics at the bottom. [Graph Not Transcribed] Based on the results of the last election, even if you could […]
Schwartz, Reisman to be influential players when Martin takes over
TORONTO–Canada’s power couple Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman will be influential players when Paul Martin becomes Prime Minister. That’s the word on the street. Mr. Schwartz, president of Onex Corporation, and the top corporate fundraiser for Paul Martin’s successful leadership campaign, will have helped raise an estimated and whopping $11-million by the Nov. 15 leadership […]
Hey, if California Republicans can get a movie star, why not Canadian conservatives?
Hey, if it’s good enough for California… CTV copied American Idol and found itself with a big ratings winner in Canada. Perhaps Canada’s conservative federal parties could copy America’s Republicans in choosing an action movie hero who (all groping aside) epitomizes the American dream to compete for, and win control of, the world’s fifth largest […]
Fall reading: 20 great reads on government and politics
[Graph Not Transcribed] [Graph Not Transcribed] [Graph Not Transcribed] [Graph Not Transcribed] – Breaking the Bargain: Public Servants, Ministers and Parliament, by Don Savoie, University of Toronto Press, 337 pages. – Juggernaut: Paul Martin’s Campaign For Chretien’s Crown, McClelland & Stewart, by Susan Delacourt, 368 pages, $34.99. – Paul Martin: The Politics of Ambition, by […]
Improved Canada-U.S. relations under PM Martin?: ambassador Kergin is technically correct but disingenuous in Martin predictions
WASHINGTON, D.C.–In 1992 I visited the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. as part of my preparation for assignment to Ottawa. At that juncture, I met with Michael Kergin, then political counsellor and now ambassador. He provided an informative if anodyne review of our bilateral relationship under then prime minister Mulroney. It was an interesting counterpoint […]
