Anderson has no plan
Kate Malloy’s interview with Environment Minister David Anderson (“Cutting GHG ‘most important challenge facing the world,’” The Hill Times, May 26) shows that if the emperor had no clothes the minister has no plan. A plan, “noun: a way of making or doing something that has been worked out beforehand,” is more than just a […]
CanWest decimates bureau
A hell of a mistake… Even in these days of regular layoffs of reporters, the Bloody Wednesday axing of six veteran reporters from the CanWest (formerly know as Southam) News Service Hill bureau shocked the Parliamentary Press Gallery and the body politic alike. The condemned were called up to what is fast becoming known as […]
Manitoba’s unexciting election could be preview federally
Some senior Liberals are worried Manitoba’s no frills and lacklustre election campaign last week is a preview for the next federal election campaign under the Prime Minister’s Campaign and Elections bill. Manitoba Premier Gary Doer’s NDP swept to victory last week, capturing 35 out of 57 seats — making it the NDP’s largest majority in […]
Bravo to U.S. President Bush: Bush also tackles issue in first term as opposed to waiting until safety of his second term
Bravo to President Bush! Because of his efforts, there is new hope and momentum in the Middle East to resolve the lingering Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has claimed thousands of innocent lives on both sides. The United States President whom some least expected to tackle international issues is doing just that. However, Mr. Bush is familiar […]
Privacy and access should come under one roof: ‘There is not much conflict between the Privacy Act and the Information Act’: John Reid
Information Commissioner John Reid urged a Parliamentary committee last week to consider merging his office with Privacy Commissioner George Radwanski’s, given that the legislation governing the two offices are “joined at the hip” and that no other jurisdiction in the world operates in this way. Mr. Reid made the comments before the Commons’ Government Operations […]
‘Archives bill could have profound impact on 20th century’: Critics say the bill would extend copyright protection for anywhere from 14 to 34 years
Canadian historians and research librarians are crying foul over legislation before the House of Commons that includes a controversial clause that would extend copyright protection for unpublished works for up to 34 years after the death of the writer. Critics of the move claim that the clause, which is buried within the fine print of […]
Here’s the bottom line on PM’s Campaign and Elections Finance Bill: Highly controversial Bill C-24 back in the House this week
The government’s proposed political fundraising law, Bill C-24, has emerged from the House Affairs Committee and will be back in the House this week, with several key improvements. Perhaps the most significant change made by the committee was a reduction in the individual donation limit from $10,000 to $5,000. While this amount is still far […]
Ukranian students say it’s a ‘life-changing’ experience: Hill interns get exposure to ‘a more civil Parliament,’ Canadian society, volunteerism
Working on Parliament Hill in MPs’ offices in Ottawa for the last month has been a “life changing” experience, say Ukranian students who are currently in Canada as part of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program. The internship program, created for students from the Ukraine to work on Parliament Hill, has been in existence for the last […]
Maloney’s riding disappears, Whelan fights to keep farming area: MPs, Cabinet ministers plead their cases to Subcommittee on Electoral Boundaries Committee
A flurry of Ontario Liberal MPs, where the governing Liberals hold 98 of the 103 seats, has descended upon the Procedure and House Affairs Subcommittee on Electoral Boundaries on the Hill armed with maps, pens, pencils — and their own ideas about how the Ontario electoral map should be redrawn. The committee is hearing presentations […]
MacKay finishes the job
Peter MacKay has completed the job that Kim Campbell began of turning Canada into a one-party state. A decade ago, Campbell reduced the Conservatives from the alternate governing party to, with just two seats remaining, a bit of political nostalgia, still the possessor of an invaluable brandname but one that more and more Canadians, like […]