Federal budget shows national debt not so serious a matter
Back in the 13th century, the strategy for destroying the feudal state and transforming the rabble into an ordered society was to centralize the administration for the purpose of collecting more taxes, more efficiently. It worked then and it still does. As a way to relate means to ends, or equate supply with expenditures, there […]
McTeague urges PM to stop gas hikes [using Energy Supplies Emergency Act]
Government backbencher Dan McTeague, a long-time consumer advocate, says contrary to the prime minister’s claim, Jean Chretien and the federal government can stop the rising price of gasoline. Arguing that this is a matter of “national security and welfare,” Mr. McTeague (Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge, Ont.) said the prime minister, the industry minister and the natural resources minister […]
Budget media spin, why Martin didn’t want “spends bundle” hit
Where you stand depends on where you were sitting when you got up. Which brings us, of course, to the blanket coverage of Paul Martin’s latest budget by the four Toronto newspapers (two of which, as you know, consider themselves “national,” even though they both have lower circulations than the two strictly Toronto papers.) The […]
[Chair appointment]
The Board of Directors of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is proud to announce that Mr. Paul McLellan, has been elected 2000 Chairman of the Board at the CCA’s 82nd Annual General Meeting last week. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Mr. McLellan is the General Manager of Sun Electric (1975) Ltd., President and General Manager of […]
Government MPs go after the high-horse Auditor General’s office [House of Commons national defence committee]
Auditing the AG … Liberals on the House’s National Defence Committee have picked a fight with the Auditor General’s Office over what kind of questions they can ask representatives from the House’s top accountant. Committee chairman Pat O’Brien tabled a report in the House last week dealing with a feisty exchange between Liberal MP John […]
Boudria bows to pressure from angry Grit backbenchers [Government motion on how opposition parties can stall or amend legislation]
Government House Leader Don Boudria bowed to pressure from some angry members of his own caucus last week, forcing him to withdraw a contentious motion that would have muzzled the opposition in their fight against the Clarity Bill. After holding an emergency government caucus meeting last Thursday with some 40 government MPs, Mr. Boudria (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, […]
Shepherd gives finance minister thumbs up: government backbencher Alex Shepherd says it’s not an election budget, not enough goodies [Annual post-budget analysis hearings in his riding]
Finance Minister Paul Martin’s move to index tax cuts took political courage but it may not get him much political credit, says a Liberal backbench MP whose annual post-budget analysis hearings in his Ontario riding have earned him some respect among his constituents. Liberal MP Alex Shepherd (Durham, Ont.), a former chartered accountant, held his […]
Question period: does your office use call display?
“The problem is, even using call display, the number is [sometimes] blocked or people will grossly misrepresent who they are. Unfortunately, it puts legitimate reporters at a disadvantage. Both my staff and myself are cautious of the fact there could be pranks. I have an excellent assistant, with 27 years of experience on the Hill, […]
E-commerce wave of the future [Parliamentary critics]
With e-commerce on the upswing in Canada, it is probable that the right-wing political parties must be elated by the opportunities that online commerce present to not only merchants, but consumers as well. Alberta Reform MP Eric Lowther was named deputy industry critic earlier this month. He’ll be focusing on telecommunications, the CRTC, the Internet, […]
Dube, Martin want HRDC boundaries aligned with 301 riding: opposition MPs want to be consulted on drawing of boundaries, they say riding-by-riding would be less confusion
MPs want to be consulted on the drawing of the boundaries which will be used to determine where billions of dollars in employment benefits and job creation funds will be spent. The Human Resources Development Department is starting to review the 54 economic boundaries that define the regions which the department uses to administer the […]
