Feelgood a tangled web of powerful political relationships: it’s all about Eddie, the press secretary, who tries to put the final touches on PM’s keynote speech
Just in time for the Liberal Party leadership convention, the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) is mounting a production of Feelgood, a political farce by Alistair Beaton, British playwright and former speechwriter to Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer. Based on the spin-doctoring and backroom blunders of the Labour Party convention where British Prime […]
Small and medium business: engine for Canadian economy: it’s time Paul Martin step forward for small and medium enterprises and the economy
The numbers show that the growth and prosperity of small and medium businesses is critical to the Canadian economy and job creation. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) provide employment for approximately 60 per cent of Canadians, create the bulk of new jobs and account for almost 50 per cent of Canada’s GDP. It is incumbent […]
It’s important we grasp NATO’s importance now: NATO is and will remain the cornerstone of the defence of its members
LONDON, ENGLAND–Defence Ministers usually observe or receive reports on exercises from a distance, but sometimes it is good to be put to the test ourselves. This week, John McCallum and I will attend the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Colorado, we will take part in a study seminar aimed at helping us understand how well […]
Boudria strikes new committee to study pot bill: private member’s bill opposed by the government gets through House on a rare voice vote
Government House Leader Don Boudria says he remains committed to getting the Liberals’ bill to decriminalize marijuana possession adopted this fall, adding that he will move to strike a new committee this week to study the legislation. The Cannabis Reform Bill, C-38, has been languishing on the Order Paper for weeks amid speculation that its […]
Parliament is broken, shows new televised documentary: series part of an ‘underground royal commission’ showing waste, lack of accountability is endemic [Does your vote count?]
As part of its continuing series showing that Canada’s Parliamentary system has broken down, Toronto-based Stronoway Productions is launching a television documentary series on Oct. 7 featuring an impressive array of MPs, bureaucrats and political insiders who lament the sorry state of democracy in this country. It makes for sober viewing. The event kicks off […]
Inside House Finance pre-budget consultations: ‘our testimony will take care of whoever is Finance Minister having this testimony on-record’
The House Finance Committee is plowing ahead on its pre-budget consultations and plans to wrap up hearings on Nov. 7 before the House breaks, but it’s uncertain if the usually influential report will be released this year, before the next federal budget, says the committee’s leader. Liberal MP Sue Barnes (London West, Ont.), chair of […]
Don’t misrepresent Canadian Alliance’s position: Sampson released because of aggressive Brits, not ‘soft diplomacy’ from Canada
Disagreeing with somebody’s position is democratic and expected. Misrepresenting somebody’s position ignorantly is regrettable — deliberately it is unacceptable. Bhupinder Liddar’s recent screed, “Where was the Alliance when Bill Sampson was in Saudi jail?” (The Hill Times, Sept. 29), delivered without fact or tact, assailing a Canadian Alliance policy position should be assigned to the […]
The spin doctors: “Has Sheila Fraser’s audit on George Radwanski ‘cranked’ up pressure for Parliamentary reform and on making the government and its bureaucrats more accountable?”
“Has Sheila Fraser’s audit on George Radwanski ‘cranked’ up pressure for Parliamentary reform and on making the government and its bureaucrats more accountable?” Warren Kinsella Liberal Strategist “I don’t know where this one is going to go: it has already taken so many unexpected twists and turns, anything is possible. “Mr. Radwanski will answer the […]
We can work it out: Alliance and Tory strategists: contentious issues of leadership selection, grandfathering of MPs are resolvable
John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Conservative Prime Minister, said it best, “Treat them as a nation and they will act as people generally do — generously. Call them a faction and they become factious.” [Graph Not Transcribed] [Graph Not Transcribed] [Graph Not Transcribed] Enough with the factions and the divisions, it is time to move […]
Grits want some policy at Liberal convention
It won’t be a policy convention, but a government backbencher says next month’s Liberal leadership convention should definitely include more policy workshops as well as briefing sessions on the impact of the new and controversial Campaigns and Elections Financing Bill C-24 as incumbents and candidates prepare for the next federal election. Grit MP Walt Lastewka […]
