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 […]
House standing committees run out of money, again: ‘House leaders and whips play games,’ says Grit MP Walt Lastewka
OTTAWA–The ongoing dispute among House leaders over private member’s business – which has resulted in a freeze on most committee travel – has made managing the House’s multi-million dollar budget for standing committees a major pain, says the chair of the Liaison Committee. “The system is really awkward because the House leaders and whips play […]
Human shields? It’s assisted suicide in fact: Britain’s anti-war poster child Grace Trevett is the pathos du jour
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Every war — and every run-up to war — generates the tug-at-your-heart-strings, “human interest” stories. The farewell embraces; the teary-eyed stay behind family; the forlorn family pet (usually a dog). Follow up stories morph into “the fatherless child,” “the missing hero,” “the horribly wounded/mutilated/forgotten veteran.” All stock figures for journalism. The pathos du […]
Rock on a roll again…
Rock on a roll again… Glad to see Industry Minister Allan Rock is throwing himself into his work now that he’s out of the leadership race. That’s not to suggest he was neglecting his duties before, but it must be easier to focus without the immense distractions and demands on time that a leadership campaign […]
Media study in limbo
The Senate’s latest attempt to launch a wide-ranging study into the country’s increasingly concentrated media industry has hit another snag. Members of the Transport and Communications Committee, who have been pushing for the move for the past year, have been asked to take their idea back to the drawing table. Last November, Liberal Senator Joseph […]
MP spams ‘toxic’ email to thousands of bureaucrats: But controversial independent MP blames House’s antiquated email system
An e-mail sent to thousands of federal public service employees by controversial Independent Saskatchewan MP Jim Pankiw, asking them “bogus” and “leading” questions about the bureaucracy’s bilingualism policies, has rankled Grit MPs as well as public service union leaders who have taken up the case with the Speaker of the House of Commons. The matter […]
On Nelson Mandela
Regarding The Hill Times’ Sixth Annual All Politics Poll: 2002 (Jan. 6, 2003). Clare Demerse and Kathryn Ritter’s article, “The ballots are in and 73 MPs have voted the best and worst in Canadian politics,” refers to Nelson Mandela as “the former first black president of South Africa.” How, exactly, does someone become a “former […]
