Only a miracle can save Grits: Some political dynasties just fade away and the sudden death of others arrives with a bang
Only a miracle can save the Grits as the true horror of the sponsorship scandal reveals systemic looting of the public purse. Peer below the scummy surface of the crisis now swamping Paul Martin and see more than Gomery Inquiry revelations, a Liberal brand fading toward worthlessness in Quebec, or even the ambitions of Stephen […]
Debate in the House the day Jean Brault testimony released
Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan: “Mr. Speaker, it was the Prime Minister who established the Gomery Commission. It was the Prime Minister who said we would get to the bottom of this. It is our party that today had our counsel before the Gomery Commission arguing for an uplifting of the publication ban. We want […]
Big Pharma must be brought down to size: Even George W. Bush wants to restrict costly legal machinations of Big Pharma: Masse
As part of its’”smart”regulations strategy, the federal government announced another $170-million for the regulatory regime that governs pharmaceutical products in the 2005 Budget. What is being proposed for the pharmaceutical industry? Simplify the drug approval process (a.k.a. less rigorous control of the review process); the use of U.S. or EU reviews of drugs (a.k.a. drug […]
Ethics Commissioner unplugged: ‘I’m not trying to please the opposition to show them I’m independent, that would be crazy,’ says Bernard Shapiro
From egg rolls to ethics, that’s how Bernard Shapiro describes the path that has taken him from the ivory towers of academia to Queen’s Park, and now to his new role as Canada’s first Ethics Commissioner. Mr. Shapiro’s most recent position was principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University, but he began his working career in […]
Ottawa’s like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: If there ever was a wackier time in national politics, can’t recall it: Powers, Kinsella
Election Speculation Powers: Warren, isn’t it sort of fitting that this year is the 30th anniversary of the making of the classic film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? Ottawa has, if this is possible, gotten crazier with rampant rumours about an election. Nurse Ratched Martin’s poor prescriptions, the media’s incessant desire for that “election […]
Healthcare costs need to be brought down to earth: Kicking the healthcare system’s drug habit is a needed first step
In the last 20 years, prescription drug expenditures have grown faster than any other area in a health system characterized by skyrocketing spending. As the population ages, governments and individuals will likely fork over ever-greater chunks of their budgets to pay for prescription drugs. Individuals and government must take immediate action to reduce the impact […]
PARLIAMENTARY CALENDAR: Deputy Government Leader Belanger to speak on democratic reform at National Press Club on April 12
MONDAY, APRIL 11 The House-The House of Commons returns. For more information on the House Chamber schedule, call the Government House Leader’s Office at 613-952-4930. Gomery Inquiry-The Gomery Inquiry, or officially, the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, headed by Mr. Justice John H. Gomery, will hold hearings in Montreal until […]
A GNAT’S WHISKER AWAY FROM ANOTHER SOVEREIGNTY REFERENDUM
Parti Time… Amid all the spring election scenarios and speculation – from the Conservatives and NDP trying to engineer one without coming across as bad guys, to the Liberals trying to engineer their own defeat – the most solid involves the Bloc’s desire to see a quick election call. The word from some quarters in […]
Secrecy is undermining Canada’s drug approval process: ‘The cynicism around drug approvals is compounded by the secrecy of important data’: Crowder
It is absolute common sense: a patient is the first person to know about an adverse drug reaction. So why do so few patients report their drug reactions? It is an important question.The Canadian Institute for Health Information estimates that over $22-billion will be spent on drugs this year.That doesn’t include the natural health products […]
Recently Released Political Book [Canada and the Liberation of the Netherlands, May 1945]
Canada and the Liberation of the Netherlands, May 1945, by Lance Goddard/Foreword by Richard Rohmer, Dundurn Press, 236 pages, $29.99. Blurb: “The Nazi Germany invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940 marked the beginning of five years of terror for the Dutch people. They faced oppression and death with remarkable stoicism, but nothing could save […]
