House Sgt.-at-Arms Cloutier battling illness: Cloutier, powerful figure on Parliament Hill, power to make things happen within his jurisdiction
The House Sergeant-at-Arms, the illustrious retired Maj.-Gen. Gus Cloutier, has been on sick leave since late January, the House Speaker’s Office confirmed last week, battling a serious illness. Heather Bradley, the House Speaker’s director of communications, told The Hill Times that Mr. Cloutier and his family do not want to reveal Mr. Cloutier’s illness. Mr. […]
Parliamentary secretaries get $90,000 boost in budgets
Prime Minister Paul Martin recently authorized a budget increase of $2.5-million, or $90,000 for each of the 28 Parliamentary secretaries, in response to a longstanding promise to bring in extra resources for the Cabinet ministers’ Parliamentary secretaries. The Parliamentary secretaries can use the money to hire exempt political staffers and to pay for other operating […]
No help for children with autism
I am the mother of a three-and-a-half year old girl from Langley, B.C. My daughter was diagnosed last September. It was easily the worst day of my life and my husband’s life. At the time that this devastating diagnosis was made, there was no help made available to us.The developmental pediatrician gave us a phone […]
PARLIAMENTARY CALENDAR: Senate Aboriginal Committee to visit N.W.T.: David Dodge to speak to National Association for Business Economics in D.C.
MONDAY, MARCH 21 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 May 6. For more information, call Francois Perreault at 613-992-1834. The Arar Inquiry-The Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials […]
Conservatives should be held up as great democrats who made minority Parliament work on budget strategy
It’s weird how far we are getting from politics based on cooperation and outreach. The unprecedented abstention by Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party on the final budget vote has been panned all around, rather than being seen as a new cooperative approach to politics. Canadians did elect a minority Parliament, after all, and really […]
THE SPIN DOCTORS: “Why has the Gomery Inquiry suddenly become such a TV hit in Quebec, and will this further damage the Liberal Party?”
“As a consumer of reality TV shows, I can understand the fascination with watching the Gomery Commission day in, day out.The ‘actors’have become household names, just like ‘Omarosa’from The Apprentice or ‘Ruben’ from American Idol. And a lot of it these days is broadcast in French, so no subtitles!! “It’s no secret that Quebecers feel […]
Stoffer, Poilievre inspirational on autism fight
As the mother of a three-and-a-half year-old little girl, Sophia, who has autism, let me remark that Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer has become a hero in my eyes. My 11-year-old son Joshua has been lobbying MPs and Senators about the autism crisis, and all his efforts have been so warmly met by those […]
The life of Charlie [Charlie Angus, MP]
Now and then, some MPs come along and rise above the rest.Take note of NDP MP Charlie Angus, no ordinary Member of Parliament. A federal politician who has chutzpah and a whole well of integrity, Mr. Angus, 42, is a rookie MP and a guitar-playing musician with the punk rock/folk band Grievous Angels. Born in […]
ON THE HILL [Mouktar Abdillahi]
Name: Mouktar (Mouki) Abdillahi Place of Birth: Somali Djibouti Education: BA political science at the University of Ottawa Position: Executive Assistant to Yukon Liberal MP Larry Bagnell, Parliamentary secretary to Natural Resources Minister John Efford How long on Parliament Hill: One-and-ahalf years Age: 26 Best thing about working on the hill: “The fact that I […]
Canada should re-examine granting visas to Sinn Fein: Kenney: But Liberal MP Pat O’Brien says Canada should not totally isolate Sinn Fein
Canada should re-examine its policy of granting visas to leaders of the Sinn Fein and other Northern Ireland political parties who come to Canada to raise funds, in an effort to send a clear signal to all parties involved in the Northern Ireland peace process that Canadians don’t want their money to be used in […]
