Let the sun shine in
The House passed Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s highly controversial Campaigns and Elections Finance Bill in a vote of 172-62 last Wednesday evening. The bill is expected to be passed by the Senate in July. The bill is a positive step in the right direction for more accountability and transparency. It also puts elections financing into […]
Western Canadian Tories feel burned by Maritime Tories
Maritimes Tories have pretty well burned their bridges to western Canada. Whatever they say, the answer is basically “go away,” “get lost” or “drop dead.” There’s nothing left to say to them. It’s truly over. John Stark Richmond, B.C. Maritimes Tories have pretty well burned their bridges to western Canada. Whatever they say, the answer […]
Most Canadians are not anti-American
Every time an international crisis erupts, most critics on the left/liberal of the political spectrum either come out to vilify the United States for being selfish and isolationist if it doesn’t do anything or arrogant and unilateralist if it does something. Most of them criticized the United States when it took a long-due military action […]
I went to a garden party: PM entertains Hill media at 24 Sussex
Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his wife, Aline, entertained the Parliamentary Press Gallery at 24 Sussex Drive last Thursday at what is likely to have been their last annual garden party for the press. The Chretiens held the event in a big tent on the back lawn discreetly surrounded by about a dozen plainclothes Mounties, […]
Pomposity is in NYT’s DNA
TORONTO–For many people in the newspaper business — although not many who have been paying close attention — The New York Times has long been the ultimate arbiter of the business, a publication routinely referred to as “the gold standard” of American journalism. Well, even those who have long ignored its consistent small “l” liberal […]
It’s also Ukrainian
Great article in last week’s Hill Climbers column “Ukranian students say it’s a ‘life-changing’ experience,” (The Hill Times, June 9). However, the word “Ukrainian” was spelled incorrectly “Ukranian” as opposed to “Ukrainian” throughout the piece five times, including the title. Also, according to Canadian Press style, it is simply “Ukraine,” without a “the” preceding it. […]
MacKay has all it takes to be a phenomenal leader: But he doesn’t need party’s dead wood on his back to build party
TORONTO–Will Peter MacKay be the Conservative leader who will turf the Liberals from government? It’s a good question. Too many federal pundits have already quickly dismissed MacKay. Most answered this question by giving the thumbs down to the newly-elected leader. But I think the jury’s still out. Most of the smarty-pants pundits were caught off […]
Once again the Prime Minister misses the point: ‘They were attacked. We are part of their coalition against terrorism’: Jean Chretien
WASHINGTON, D.C.–In the midst of the current hissing match between Prime Minister Jean Chretien and the U.S. Administration there is no comment that more epitomizes our differences than Chretien’s off-hand rebuttal of criticism, “We are part of their (emphasis added) coalition against terrorism.” Not “our war against terrorism” or even “the war against terrorism” but […]
Air India is Canada’s enduring shame
It is to Canada’s enduring shame the way successive Canadian governments have displayed political cowardice in the face of the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history, 18 years ago later this month, when Air India Flight 182 blew apart over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985, a date that […]
Masters of their own proceedings
Tory Leader Joe Clark raised a good point last Tuesday in the House of Commons when he said it’s absolutely ludicrous that MPs can’t get the minutes of Commons committee meetings, or the blues, in both official languages, and, promptly. This is a huge problem and it’s been escalating over the past several weeks. It […]
