Government uses Air Canada like a semi-Crown corporation: But Air Canada is essentially a monopoly operating in a free market environment, the worst of all worlds!
Years ago, air travel was a luxury, reserved only for the wealthy or people on important government business. Ordinary people took the train or drove in the family automobile. In more recent times, however, air travel became more accessible and affordable — until Sept. 11, 2001. For most of the world, Sept. 11 put a […]
Prime Minister Chretien hasn’t changed Ottawa’s scandal culture: If waste were a hanging offence in Ottawa, the city would be a charnel house, more scandals will become
Eggleton certainly did nothing illegal. The former defence minister’s ministerial discretionary fund was, by definition, his to disburse as he wished. True, he was wasting taxpayers’ money by paying $36,500 for a 14-page report (seven of the pages were taken up with a bibliography) on stress among soldiers, a topic already being studied by his […]
It’s going to get ugly, Liberals in fighting mood [Cabinet shuffle]
‘Flying’ back to Ottawa…Some 16 Liberal staffers and lobbyists were minding their own business and enjoying a lovely day last Sunday golfing in Mont Tremblant, Que., when cellphones started ringing on the greens, as reported last Monday morning on The Hill Times website and which was incidentally followed by The Globe and Mail last Tuesday. […]
Lib MP Sgro says Canada’s urban strategy all about cooperation: Developing strong urban partnerships between all orders of government key to transportation concerns
In the 2001 Throne Speech, the Liberal government committed to a dialogue with partners across Canada about the opportunities and challenges facing urban centres. The Prime Minister’s Caucus Task Force on Urban Issues was mandated to conduct this dialogue and suggest how the federal government can improve its role and relationship with urban Canada. The […]
Journalists should ask how existing rules were brazenly broken: Hoy asks why just fire Eggleton? Granted, can’t expect Chr tien to fire himself but he set tone on sleaze
Here’s the deal. Context, as we know, is everything. So when recently-deposed defence minister Art Eggleton insisted, as he did in an interview this week with The Toronto Star, that, “I did nothing wrong,” he has a point. Not that handing out an untendered contract to a former girlfriend is appropriate. But — and here […]
There’s a storm a brewin’ ’round here, run for hills
A little pathetic fallacy perhaps… It’s not every day that the wheather provides a perfect backdrop to what’s going on inside Parliament. Last Thursday evening, CBC was reporting that after weeks of scandals, the Liberals were slipping in the polls. At the same time, CTV’s Craig Oliver was reporting that Prime Minister Jean Chretien had […]
Dear Paul Letter: Read Chretien’s letter to Martin
Dear Paul: It is with sadness that I confirm that you are leaving the cabinet. As I told you, I will always be grateful to you for your remarkable work as Minister of Finance. There are very few Canadians who have ever served in a cabinet with such distinction. Together we have achieved a great […]
Listen up, NATO has a role to play in preventive diplomacy: And preventive diplomacy can sometime only be effective if one is carrying the proverbial big stick, Canada
The new National Defence Minister John McCallum’s success will be judged on how much more money he can secure for the department, according to Liberal MP David Pratt. Mr. Pratt’s committee last week tabled a report “Facing Our Responsibilities” that calls for the defence budget to be increased from $12-billion to a hefty $18-billion. While […]
House history on conflict studies
*July 17, 1973–The Green Paper entitled “Members of Parliament and Conflict of Interest” was tabled in the House of Commons. *July 18, 1973–Prime Minister Trudeau revealed additional guidelines for Cabinet Ministers in a statement in the House of Commons. Ministers would be required to resign certain corporate positions, sever business associations, and dispose of certain […]
Auditor General II
A few days after Ken Dye retired as the colourful Auditor General of Canada in April 1991, he told to The Hill Times: “I like Ottawa, but what I won’t miss will be the overly sophisticated responses to some things. They make things overly complicated here at times and there’s a certain deviousness to the […]
