Lobbyists need a strategy of their own, talk about guilt by association: why don’t you
What is a lobbyist to do? The daily onslaught of front-page coverage heralding “corruption,” “conflict of interest,” “ethical transgressions” and the “integrity challenged” invariably also includes reference to the “activities of lobbyists.” Talk about guilt by association! The irony is that many, though not all, lobbyists have a central role in how these stories play […]
Patry third candidate to announce candidacy for Liberal Party: ‘I love politics, we both love politics, but we’re able to talk about something else too’: Francoise Patry
Francoise Patry, president of the Quebec wing of Liberal Party of Canada and wife of Quebec Liberal MP Bernard Patry, is running for one of the party’s top jobs. Ms. Patry is the third person to officially declare her candidacy in the race to replace Liberal Party President Stephen LeDrew. The campaign will cost each […]
Grit Senator attacks Liberals’ nuclear bill, calls it ‘very biased’ [Bill C-27, the Nuclear Fuel Waste Bill]
A government bill to set up a $550-million agency designed to develop Canada’s long-term nuclear waste policy is coming under fire by a Liberal-dominated Senate committee because the body won’t be subject to the Access to Information Act or the Auditor General’s Office. “We’re having quite a bit of trouble with that bill,” declared Alberta […]
So what do the pollsters say? ‘Just can’t brush it off’: Ipsos-Reid’s Darrell Bricker [Byelection losses in Windsor West and Gander-Grand Falls]
National pollsters are criticizing Prime Minister Jean Chretien for downplaying his two byelection losses in Liberal strongholds last week, saying his party failed to deliver even though it was playing from a position of enormous strength. “These are two ridings that the Liberals have held for a long time,” said Darrell Bricker, president of public […]
PM loyalists push for later dates [for delegate selection for 2003 convention]
Top pro-Chretien loyalists are pushing the party’s national executive to move delegate selection meetings for next year’s Liberal biennial convention to December or January rather than this fall, says a Liberal insider. According to the same Liberal insider, Prime Minister Chretien (Saint-Maurice, Que.) is likely to get a 75 per cent to 80 per cent […]
Public Works audit cleared sponsorships in March: Problems were known two years ago and ‘fixed’ [Internal audit]
Public Works and Government Services Canada’s new internal “Audit and Ethics” Branch gave its stamp of approval to the department’s entire sponsorship program last month just weeks before the Auditor General called in the RCMP to investigate the same sponsorship contracts. The Liberals are now facing allegations of corruption and sleaziness in the House and […]
Lunch with Mel Cappe: Clerk of PCO spends $61,000 on travel, meals
Mel Cappe, the Clerk of the Privy Council and the most powerful public servant in the land, spent $61,000 on travel expenses and meals over a 19-month period between April 1, 2000 and Nov. 8, 2001. The figures are found in expense claims recently released by the Privy Council Office through the Access to Information […]
Liberals lack any real leadership on Kyoto: Tory MP John Herron: Name one regulation or incentive whereby the government fostered industrial response to greenhouse gases
I can demonstrate how void the government has been when it comes to taking action on this Kyoto file or actually providing any kind of leadership. The government has been vigorous in engaging industry on this issue and has wanted to reward early action taken by industry. For instance, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters has […]
Give MP Jim Pankiw the boot: He’s still caught between DRC and Canadian Alliance
Saskatchewan MP Jim Pankiw remained in limbo as of late last week, caught between the now- defunct Democratic Representative Caucus and the Canadian Alliance. If Alliance Leader Stephen Harper wants to do the best thing for his party, he should leave him there. Mr. Pankiw represents everything that the Alliance must get away from if […]
Eddie Goldenberg is the ‘man’: PMO staffers top list of Terrific Twenty-Five survey
The man who’s acted as Prime MinisterJean Chretien ‘s “eyes and ears” for over a quarter century, easily took top spot in “The Hill Times Terrific Twenty-Five” second annual survey of the best political staffers on Parliament Hill this year. PM Chretien’s (Saint-Maurice, Que.) veteran adviser “Fast” Eddie Goldenberg is “the man,” as one of […]
