Perceived or seen
Regarding Claire Hoy’s column “Manley’s big gaffe,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 13). I can’t resist the temptation to correct him in a phrase in his article to date — “what’s this phrase that justice should not only be done but seen to be done.” The word is “perceived.” My Funken & Wagnel has it: “perceived: […]
Political finance bill to hurt ‘maverick’ MPs
The Prime Minister’s sweeping legislation to reform political campaign financing could place “maverick” or unpopular MPs at a serious disadvantage, backbench Liberals cautioned last week. The proposed legislation would give registered parties an annual subsidy equal to $1.50 per vote obtained in the previous general election, provided that they obtain either two per cent of […]
Of trust funds and fiefdoms
A few years ago, when then-Alberta Reform Party MP Ian McClelland wanted to publicly release his riding association bank account sheets to The Hill Times, he had to ask the riding to take a vote. His Edmonton Southwest riding association president initially asked The Hill Times to pay “10 bucks” to see it and said […]
We can contribute after war
Our fence-straddling about whether to join an attack on Iraq has become, not merely clumsy and more than a bit cowardly, as indeed it’s always been, but — much more seriously — irrelevant. Not irrelevant for the obvious reason that no one would notice, except politically, whether or not our troops were tagging along for […]
Campaign Finance Bill
Government House Leader Don Boudria introduced the long-awaited Campaign Finance Bill last week (Jan. 29) in the House of Commons and some of the top PMO players were out spinning the merits of the bill. Eddie Goldenberg , the PM’s chief policy adviser, briefed reporters in a “lock-up” during Question Period before the bill was […]
Fed up with Libs
Is it not time to make our elected officials accountable for their action? A Cabinet minister sells Canadians on the idea of gun control at a cost of $2-million. The cost to taxpayers escalates to $865-million. The minister now has a new job and accepts no responsibility. Who is running the show? Who is ultimately […]
Budget notes…
Budget notes… All eyes seem to be looking to Feb. 25 — the traditional “last Tuesday in February” — for Finance Minister John Manley’s first budget. Some of Mr. Manley’s thunder will likely be stolen this week, however. If he is true to form, Mr. Chretien will stamp his name all over the healthcare issue […]
House takes fight to Supreme Court
The House will fight to prevent Commons’ employees from taking discrimination complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission and has decided to bring the battle all the way to the Supreme Court. Canadian Alliance MP John Reynolds (West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast, B.C.), a spokesperson for the Commons Board of Internal Economy which represents the House on […]
Really, we’re just like you: It is occasionally useful to celebrate similarities between U.S. and Canada
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Throughout most of last year, Canada and the United States celebrated differences. Indeed, we have belaboured them, sometimes in pointedly political terms. Examining differences is useful and helpful; after all, even identical twins raised together will have clear differences to a discerning observer. And U.S. diplomats have been cautioned for years that saying, “You’re […]
Diverse opinions in media?
TORONTO–A funny thing is happening at the God channel. People are taking notice of it. It’s not really the God channel, of course. It’s Crossroads Television Systems, or CTS. And, as the name implies, it is licensed under CRTC’s religious programming, broadly defined by them as “anything directly relating to, inspired by, arising by, or […]
