Job one: getting serious about transparency
OTTAWA–In all the babble about political-finance reform in recent weeks, several themes have surfaced. Regrettably, most of them are mere distractions from what should be the central issue: the integrity and transparency of our national political and public-policy decision-making system. First, there are the complaints from within the Liberal caucus about what some charge are […]
This week [in Parliament]
The government is set to start debating Bill C-24, Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s campaign finance bill which, if passed, would represent the biggest reform of the Elections Act in over 20 years. Meanwhile on the morning of Feb. 11, the House will return to Bill C-13, the reproductive technologies legislation. Monday and Thursday have been […]
Campaign bill III
Last week, in this space, The Hill Times wrote forcefully about Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s proposed Campaign Finance Reform Bill C-24 and, in particular, focused on whether or not the bill will effectively stop MPs from creating “trust funds” or slush funds. It turns out the bill does not. Last week, PMO spokesperson Steven Hogue […]
How’d you like PCO Clerk Alex Himelfarb’s big, stressful job, eh?
Who came up with these darned non-smoking rules anyway? You want to know who had the most stressful job at the First Minister’s Meeting on Health Care last week? Well, there were dozens of contenders, but as a slave to the demon weed myself, I would have to give the edge to chain-smoker Alex Himelfarb, […]
Iraqi situation ‘one of the most dangerous challenges’: British High Commissioner Sir Andrew Burns defends Briotish Prime Minister Tony Blair
OTTAWA–Britain’s High Commissioner to Canada says the international community must respond to “one of the most dangerous challenges there is” in Iraq and says the world must face up to the “very serious threat” presented by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Echoing the views of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush […]
Layton likes to have fun
OTTAWA–New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton is the latest, freshest, most exciting face on the Ottawa political scene in a long time. Mr. Layton swept the federal NDP leadership on the first ballot last month, and instead of a holiday, charged up to Ottawa to take over his Parliamentary caucus. But he had a rough […]
Canada should say no to war with Iraq
OTTAWA–Debating the validity of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s evidence that Iraq is in material breach of UN Security Council resolutions distracts us from the real question Canada has to answer: should Canada support war against Iraq? My answer is no. First, it does not follow that war is necessary because Saddam Hussein is […]
Questions swirl around CPAC licence
OTTAWA–The federal Cabinet is poised to debate this week whether to overturn a recent licence renewal granted to CPAC — Canada’s Political Channel — in the face of intense lobbying from backbench Liberals who claim the broadcast regulator has given an unfair advantage to the Parliamentary affairs channel. Last November, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications […]
Stand up for Canada
What this country needs (said he, with tongue only partly in cheek) is a good ol’ House Un-Canadian Activities Committee. First in the dock would be the National Post, followed by the Conservative Reform Alliance Party (CRAP) and the “Canadian” Council of Chief Executives. These quisling entities, by continuously bad-mouthing Canada in favour of the […]
Mock outrage over Wayne’s sweater comment
TORONTO–As political issues go, it’s hardly earth shattering. But that aside, there’s something extremely annoying about the recent mini-flap over Defence Minister John McCallum’s quip about Tory MP Elsie Wayne’s sweater. It’s just another case of political hypocrisy — do people really believe Wayne was “shocked” and “hurt” by the comments? — and the political […]
