Gagliano’s troubles could happen to any of us, says Alliance MP
Obhrai says cuts to Citizenship & Immigration means way more responsibilities for MPs’ constit offices Other MPs could easily run into the same problems that Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano recently experienced because of the sheer volume of immigration casework, says Canadian Alliance MP Deepak Obhrai. Mr. Gagliano (Saint-Leonard-Saint-Michel, Quebec) has been dogged by questions […]
Hey, what happened to the debate on diplomatic immunity?
Canada’s foreign affairs department must end culture of secrecy regarding diplomats who screw up The debate over diplomatic immunity is not dead yet. And perhaps it shouldn’t, because not much has been resolved since the unfortunate death of an innocent Ottawa pedestrian Catherine MacLean at the hands of a drunken Russian diplomat Andrei Knyazev. The […]
Bid to drop voting age to 16 among crop of private members’ bills: other MPs craft bills dealing with capital punishment, farm subsidies, child custody and Native veterans
Just about every MP has had one at some time or another, and a few have even had hundreds. While only a handful of Private Members’ Bills every get passed, their key points do occasionally make it into future government bills. At the very least, they’re an attempt to draw some public attention to an […]
Rich lobbyists should donate their time to community causes
Is lobbying only for the rich? That’s another question legislators might well ask during upcoming hearings on the Lobbyists Registration Act. At the risk of sounding Clintonian, it all depends on what you mean by “rich” and by what you mean by “lobbying.” Hell, it may depend on the meaning of “is.” It’s a dangerous […]
Controversial citizenship legislation not among rehashed bills: MPs ready to tackle Species at Risk bill in committee
With the Liberal government busy clearing the legislative deck of all bills that died in the fall, Little has been heard of C-16, the Citizenship Bill that died in the Senate last October. But Derik Hodgson, press secretary for Minister Elinor Caplan, said his boss hopes to table it again in the coming year. Caplan […]
Sheesh, Day just doesn’t get it
Pride, they say, precedes the fall. And of the Seven Deadly Sins – an important beacon for persons of deep religious belief, e.g. Stockwell Day-Pride may indeed be the most pernicious. Which brings us, alas, Day’s prideful refusal to face up immediately to his extraordinarily stupid April 1999 letter to his local newspaper maligning Red […]
Lord learns important lesson
The government of New Brunswick, as I said to the CBC’s Sheila Rogers, is having a bad hair day. A terrible, unmanageable, uncontrolable bad hair day. It’s as though the government decided to change its part from the middle of the head to the back of it, laterally. It’s been a mess, an image wreck, […]
No routine criminal checks at Customs: criminals go straight through with a valid passport
If you are a dangerous criminal wanted by Interpol, you’ve got a good chance of enjoying a long holiday in Canada provided your luggage is free of really dangerous stuff like cheese and lilacs. In an interview with The Hill Times, Derik Hodgson, press secretary to Citizenship and Immigration minister Elinor Caplan, says while there […]
Marleau takes position with Ottawa high tech firm
Not quite ready for the shuffleboard circuit… Recently retired House of Commons Clerk Bob Marleau didn’t take very long to find a new gig. Mr. Marleau, 52, who spent the past 31 years on the Hill, will advise MetroPhotonics on public affairs. The company’s CEO, John-Peter Bradford, says Mr. Marleau’s new volunteer position involves sitting […]
New party rules could hurt Martin [Convention rules]
Long-shots Rock and Tobin would benefit Paul Martin’s succession to the Liberal throne is about to suffer a set-back as the Liberal party executive prepares new rules that would favour leadership long-shots like Alan Rock or Brian Tobin in any future race. It is widely accepted among political observers that the Finance Minister would easily […]
