MPs out to remind civil servants who’s the boss: ‘in the worse possible case, Parliament has the authority to put someone in jail’: Szabo
More than 300 years ago, a group of long-forgotten British MPs adopted the following resolution: “That if it shall appear that any person hath given false evidence in any cause before this House, or any committee thereof, this House will proceed with the utmost severity against such offenders.” The year was 1700. But the words […]
Grits to debate Senate reform
The candidates vying for the Liberal leadership are gearing up to address Senate reform at the governing party’s caucus retreat next month. The three contenders – former finance minister Paul Martin (LaSalle-Emard, Que.), Deputy Prime Minister John Manley (Ottawa South, Ont.), and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps (Hamilton East, Ont.) – will each outline their plans […]
Manley proposes Minister of Lifelong Learning
Having worked since 1993 to bring the federal government back from the brink of financial and political crisis, we are now working to restore this level of government to its proper place in Confederation. While that proper place does not include running the elementary and high schools, the colleges and the universities, it does include […]
Robillard: C-25 represents first major reform of legislative framework governing people management in 35 years
Over the last decade, we have seen a profound evolution in what Canadians expect from all levels of government. Citizens are rightfully demanding greater transparency, more open access to decision-makers as well as faster and more cost-effective services. At the same time, the environment in which public policy is developed is becoming increasingly complex. There […]
Longtime Hill staffer, 67-year-old Jacques Vanasse has no plans of quitting politics after 39 years in the business
When Jacques Vanasse was growing up in his native Hull, Que., he would look across the Ottawa River and ask his mother what the “big clock” was for. At the time, he was too young to know the meaning of the word “Parliament,” let alone predict that he would be working underneath that “big clock” […]
Creating a public service for the 21st Century: libs have not tackled public service reform from a market and motivational point of view
The “performance pay” given to senior executives has garnered headlines across the country. Information that I obtained through Access to Information demonstrated that across the federal government, 96 per cent of all senior bureaucrats received bonuses for their work. This is when we read about scandals every other day from the Radwanski affair to the […]
Sen. Carney in possible conflict of interest
Politically seasoned British Columbia Tory Senator Pat Carney’s involvement in the Senate Transport and Communications Committee’s media study is raising eyebrows and questions about the appearance of a conflict of interest. Sen. Carney is a director on the board of Rogers Media, one of the corporations being studied by the Senate committee. Sen. Carney has […]
Humanitarian intervention
Although it failed, the Canadian proposal for defining when a “humanitarian intervention” by outsiders into the affairs of a troubled state is legitimate represents exactly the kind of foreign policy initiative that Canada is going to have to undertake if we’re going to make worthwhile contributions to today’s international order. Last week, Prime Minister Jean […]
Nomination: l’Association miniere du Canada
Le president et chef de la direction de l’Association miniere du Canada (AMC), M. Gordon R. Peeling, est heureux d’annoncer, au nom du conseil d’administration, la nomination de Maggie Papoulias au poste de directrice des affaires gouvernementales. La nomination prend effet le 7 juillet 2003. Madame Papoulias apporte a l’AMC une riche experience du double […]
Farewell to British High Commissioner Sir Andrew Burns and welcome to newcommish
Robbie Burns night in July… If you were driving along Sussex Drive at about 6:15 p.m. on July 20, you may have noticed the flag at the British High Commissioner’s residence, Earnscliffe, being lowered to the baleful sounds of bugles. Fear not. The Royals are all fine, as far as I know. The flag ceremony […]
