Grits to officially launch leadership campaign Monday
Prime Minister Chretien to visit Mexico City this week MONDAY, FEB. 24 Black History Month — Black History Month was officially recognized by the Government of Canada in 1995. There are activities ongoing throughout the country for the month. For more information, please visit the Canadian Heritage’s website at http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca House Sitting — The House […]
A national and international challenge: Easter
PARLIAMENT HILL–On Feb. 12, Solicitor General Wayne Easter announced in the House that the government had added three more groups classified as terrorist groups under the Criminal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act, bringing the total to 19 designated since last July. He added the Abu Nidal Organization, the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the Sendero Luminoso […]
Cruel and unusual punishment… [Smoking rooms]
Cruel and unusual punishment… It may not be politically correct to sympathize with smokers these days. But being locked up in a totally non-smoking building for five hours while under pressure to digest the biggest spending budget in close to 40 years and have stories ready to file the moment the embargo is lifted…well that […]
Kroeger speaks out on C-24
One of the federal bureaucracy’s most respected former mandarins, Arthur Kroeger, who served as a deputy minister in several departments over a 17-year stretch before retiring, told a Commons’ committee last week that the government’s new public service bill will come to naught unless Parliamentarians learn to accept that civil servants are allowed to make […]
Not all cloning is alike: MPs must not let outrageous claims of Raelians drive national policy development
Over the past few months, Parliamentarians have heard a lot of commentary on the policy issues associated with reproductive and “therapeutic” cloning. In many respects this dynamic debate is ideal, as it should inform the final political debates on Bill C-13, The Assisted Human Reproduction Act. We realize that amendments to this bill, particularly in […]
It’s not only children who say the darndest things…
It’s not only children who say the darndest things… Perhaps there are parts of the budget speech that John Manley would like to do over again, but the statement he surely really wishes he never made was the one given to reporters the day before last Tuesday’s budget, when he visited the Greenboro Daycare Centre […]
Easter vows to make Libs more ‘transparent’ on security: Plans on bringing back national security statements in the House of Commons
OTTAWA–Stung by recent criticism that the government is not communicating to Canadians about the state of national security, Federal Solicitor-General Wayne Easter says he plans on making a speech in the House of Commons within the next few weeks on national security issues facing the country, bringing back a practice that fell into disuse under […]
MPs’ and Senators’ Birthdays
*Liberal MP Janko Peric, 54, Feb. 24, 1949 *Alliance MP Chuck Strahl, 46, Feb. 25, 1957 *Tory Sen. Bill Doody, 72, Feb. 26, 1931 *NDP MP Libby Davies, 50, Feb. 27, 1953 *Liberal MP Bob Speller, 47, Feb. 29, 1956 *Liberal MP Gary Pillitteri, 67, March 1, 1936 *Chief Government Whip Marlene Catterall, 64, March […]
New gas study
The Commons approved a motion from the Industry Committee to study the recent increase in gas prices which have skyrocketed of late and reached as high as 80 cents per liter in some regions. Chaired by Liberal MP Walt Lastewka, the committee plans on calling on Industry Minister Allan Rock as well as representatives of […]
Canada’s place in world has been devalued and diminished: Canada-U.S. relationship weakened by waffling
PARLIAMENT HILL–I am pleased to see that the list of terrorist groups has been expanded now to 19 under the Criminal Code and Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Act. [The newly-listed groups are: the Abu Nidal Organization, the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the Sendero Luminoso organization]. I am concerned, however, by the inefficiencies and the fact that many […]
