This week [in Parliament]
Parliament enters its fourth week of sitting since the holiday break but there seems to be no signs that the House leaders are ready to settle their differences over private member’s business. The Alliance, led by its House Leader John Reynolds, continues to allow most Commons’ committees from travelling, and has now blocked most government […]
Jack Layton ran against Dennis Mills only once
In his Feb. 3 “Heard on the Hill” column in The Hill Times, Sean Durkan writes “So Mr. Layton wins in a byelection, but goes back to his hometown Toronto at general election time to try, for the third time, to unseat veteran Liberal MP Dennis Mills in the city’s Toronto Danforth riding.” In fact, […]
Media hype anti-Semitism
TORONTO–Maybe it’s just a coincidence. When former prime minister Brian Mulroney told a conference on anti- Semitism in Toronto that Canadians must confront growing anti-Semitism at home and abroad, and that “Israel has, in effect, become the new Jew,” it was front page news. When University of Arizona historian Leonard Dinnerstein, an expert in the […]
Public Accounts told government debt ‘understated’: AG shows most of $7.4-billion transferred to foundations has never been used
Auditor General Sheila Fraser implored the Commons Public Accounts Committee last Wednesday to consider why the government has transferred billions of dollars to various arm’s-length foundations, most of which have been sitting in bank accounts collecting interest for years. Ms. Fraser highlighted the fact that, since 1996-97, $7.4-billion transferred to these foundations – such as […]
Happy with Hoy
Regarding Claire Hoy’s column, “Diverse opinions in the media?” (The Hill Times, Feb. 3). This was a pleasure to read. J. Visser R
The Mommy Returns…
Commons Speaker Peter Milliken apparently loves directing Question Period so much, he won’t even let pneumonia keep him away. He took only two days off at the end of January when he came down with the illness and has been at work ever since, even though he is still recovering, says his director of communications […]
Committee business
British Columbia NDP MP Libby Davies’ lengthy campaign to have Parliament study the country’s sex trade finally paid off. On Feb. 7, the House approved her motion to have the Justice and Human Rights Committee review federal laws relating to solicitation. Chaired by Liberal MP Andy Scott, the committee – which is already undertaking a […]
Hypocrisy At Its Finest
On April 28, 1998, I stood outside the House of Commons and asked MPs to vote their conscience that night during the controversial vote on Hepatitis C compensation. I was thrown out of the House of Commons following the vote when I clapped sarcastically after witnessing an incredible event. One by one, federal Liberal MPs […]
It’s show time for Mr. Manley
TORONTO–When Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister John Manley tells us how the federal government plans to spend more than $170-billion this year in his first budget to be released at 4 p.m. in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Feb. 18, it will be the result of months of complicated talks and the work […]
Beaumier’s trip to Iraq
Regarding last week’s article, “MP Beaumier says Iraq trip attempt to bring ‘a human face’” (The Hill Times, Feb. 10). Two unanswered questions remain after perusing this article. First, was Colleen Beaumier used as a propaganda tool by the Iraqis? The answer is contained in the text: obviously the Iraqis had very little to do […]
