A national and international challenge: Easter
PARLIAMENT HILL–On Feb. 12, Solicitor General Wayne Easter announced in the House that the government had added three more groups classified as terrorist groups under the Criminal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act, bringing the total to 19 designated since last July. He added the Abu Nidal Organization, the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the Sendero Luminoso […]
Billy’s Angels?…
Billy’s Angels?… Okay, I know I am going to get stick for calling them that (and after giving John Manley heck I should perhaps know better). But I just couldn’t resist using it as an opener to congratulating Kathleen Harris, veteran star reporter for the Ottawa Sun, on her new job as a member of […]
Not all cloning is alike: MPs must not let outrageous claims of Raelians drive national policy development
Over the past few months, Parliamentarians have heard a lot of commentary on the policy issues associated with reproductive and “therapeutic” cloning. In many respects this dynamic debate is ideal, as it should inform the final political debates on Bill C-13, The Assisted Human Reproduction Act. We realize that amendments to this bill, particularly in […]
Budget Holiday…
Budget Holiday… Past February budgets have tended to be in the last week of sitting before a one-week March break. The idea behind this was to provide three days for debate in the House and then have government members fan across the country to sell the package to constituents. But this played hell on the […]
Manley team to open up campaign offices
OTTAWA–Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister John Manley’s undeclared leadership campaign team is currently in the process of setting up offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary, senior Manley sources told The Hill Times last week. Operating under the umbrella organization of “Friends of John Manley,” the Manley (Ottawa South, Ont.) team is currently setting up […]
MPs’ and Senators’ Birthdays
*Liberal MP Janko Peric, 54, Feb. 24, 1949 *Alliance MP Chuck Strahl, 46, Feb. 25, 1957 *Tory Sen. Bill Doody, 72, Feb. 26, 1931 *NDP MP Libby Davies, 50, Feb. 27, 1953 *Liberal MP Bob Speller, 47, Feb. 29, 1956 *Liberal MP Gary Pillitteri, 67, March 1, 1936 *Chief Government Whip Marlene Catterall, 64, March […]
Ottawa needs a reality check: No more excuses, clean up campaign finances
OTTAWA–Let’s review the reasons to oppose Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s new political fundraising bill. “The appearance of this legislation at this time is too driven by internal Liberal politics,” says Stephen Harper, suggesting the Prime Minister is only using the bill as to “whitewash various scandals from his record,” and to undermine his rival Paul […]
C-12 gets interesting
The fate of Bill C-12, junior sports minister Paul DeVillers’ fairly innocuous bill to promote physical activity and sport, will be interesting to follow in light of new measures promised in last week’s budget that would force arm’s-length foundations to table their annual reports in Parliament. Last December, the bill was amended in the Senate […]
Canada’s place in world has been devalued and diminished: Canada-U.S. relationship weakened by waffling
PARLIAMENT HILL–I am pleased to see that the list of terrorist groups has been expanded now to 19 under the Criminal Code and Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Act. [The newly-listed groups are: the Abu Nidal Organization, the Abu Sayyaf Group, and the Sendero Luminoso organization]. I am concerned, however, by the inefficiencies and the fact that many […]
Where’s Francie?… [Ducros]
Where’s Francie?… It’s been a couple of months since Francie Ducros left her job as Jean Chretien’s communications director and I got to wondering what she was up to these days. “Enjoying being a private citizen,” she said when contacted at home by Heard on the Hill. We’ll. Okay, there was a bit more to […]
