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 […]
Alliance and Tory merger all about trust
Regarding Tory MP Inky Mark’s “Canadians don’t trust Alliance: Mark,” (The Hill Times, June 23). Mr. Mark is correct, it is about trust. The question is, ‘Does anyone truly trust Inky’s recently-passed judgment on Stephen Harper?’ Mr. Mark was critical of Stephen Harper “jumping ship” after working for the PC Party and then choosing to […]
‘Langley, we’ve had a problem here’: There’s been a systemic error in the intelligence assessment of Iraq: David Jones
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Those with a sense of history may recall the Apollo 13 Space Mission to the moon where an incipient catastrophe on the spacecraft prompted the laconic comment “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” In the end, while the world watched, a combination of brilliant extemporaneous engineering and good luck resulted in the survival of […]
Reynolds’ ludicrous assertion
Regarding Alliance House Leader John Reynolds’ letter-to-the-editor “Mr. Gwyn’s ludicrous assertion: Reynolds,” (The Hill Times, June 23). If the Alliance is serious about some form of cooperation with the Tories, John Reynolds has a funny way of being welcoming. His reassertions that the Alliance is ready to win all on its own combined with his […]
Media studies crucial
Regarding “Senate’s doing one of the most ambitious media studies in history,” (The Hill Times, June 30). I believe that the media studies research and especially getting its conclusions out to the largest possible audience is crucial to all of us. Personally, I have been especially distressed about The Independent in London’s policy to charge […]
Libs poised for boisterous caucus next month
Governing Liberals are poised to meet for what’s expected to be a boisterous and the final annual summer caucus meeting under the leadership of Prime Minister Jean Chretien next month in North Bay, Ont. George Radwanski’s resignation as Canada’s Privacy Commissioner and the upcoming probes into the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, which will be […]
Radwanski scandal could change way government works
The House Government Operations and Estimates Committee’s recent scathing report that accuses former privacy commissioner George Radwanski of deliberately misleading Parliament by “falsifying” documents and “concealing” expense information could prompt significant policy reforms for all Officers of Parliament, say leading experts on government and Parliament. And Members of the House of Commons Government Operations and […]
“What’s your take on John Manley’s recent comments that he would be pleased to serve in a Paul Martin’s Cabinet?”
Warren Kinsella Liberal Strategist “I’m assuming his statement that he’d be willing to serve in the cabinet of Prime Minister Copps was left out of that part of the story. “Me, I don’t know who is going to be elected Canada’s next Prime Minister for sure. The one thing I do know for sure is […]
First Nations Governance Act is dead: Chief Coon Come
It has been the subject of one of the longest and most fractious series of committee hearings in Canadian Parliamentary history, but as the spring session wound to a close in mid-June, the much-maligned First Nations Governance Act, which had been considered to be among the bills with the highest priority for pre-recess passage, found […]
