NDP, “Progressives” and the battle to be the political alternative: lots of room in centre-to-centre-left, most hopeful sign is newly-hatched Progressive Policy Canada initiative
Maybe it was the sultry, late summer weather by lakeside. Or the comforting company of about a dozen long-standing friends. Or maybe it was just the way-too-much scotch that fuelled the talk. But there was one fascinating discussion on the Rideau Lakes a few weeks ago. The topic: what would it take for the NDP […]
“Terrorism must be seen as a Nuremberg crime,” says MP Cotler
Anti-terrorist expert Liberal MP Irwin Cotler says struggle against terrorism must involve multi-layered strategy At a time when Ottawa’s unelected officials are taking on major roles in constructing Canada’s counter-terrorism policies, one elected government back-bencher is trying hard to be heard. As a special adviser to Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley, Irwin Cotler (Mount-Royal, Que.) […]
Airlines don’t deserve bailouts, lobbyists working on cabinet
[Graph Not Transcribed] Air Canada is consistently a top Liberal donor — last year they gave the party more than $50,000 Last week’s $160-million aid package for Canada’s airlines was just a fraction of the billions of dollars Air Canada was requesting of the government. But airline lobbyists are still hard at work pressing politicians […]
Chief Whip Catterall “jokingly” threatens new PS McCallum
Justice Minister Anne McLellan to table on Oct. 15 long-anticipated anti-terrorism legislation in House [Graph Not Transcribed] It’s the kind of story House reform advocates like to point to when they argue why Commons committee chairs should be freely elected. But to understand the strange event in last week’s House Finance Committee, a flashback to […]
These were “terrorist” attacks
[Graph Not Transcribed] Here’s how my mammoth Random House Dictionary of the English Language defines the word objective as it pertains to, let us say, journalism: “Free from personal feelings or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased.” And here’s how the same dictionary defines the word terrorism: “The use of terrorizing methods; the state of fear […]
Prime Minister Chretien has been a puzzle: Yank observer
Tony Blair may be a socialist twit so far as American conservatives are concerned, but he’s now ‘our’ twit [Graph Not Transcribed] WASHINGTON, D.C.–As we reach the four-week mark after Black Tuesday, it might be useful to review the bidding a bit. First, Afghanistan Is in Ruins. The country is devastated and its people in […]
Swissair has collapsed, can Air Canada be far behind?
Okay, if no one else is going to say it… Do we really need a national carrier? In the wake of the collapse of premier airline Swissair and Belgium’s Sabena Air, industry experts in Britain are predicting only five super-national airlines will still be operating in Europe within a decade, with a handful of smaller […]
French minister checks out Canada’s public service renewal plans
Former Privy Council Office clerk Jocelyne Bourgon gives French minister tips on cutting public servants [Graph Not Transcribed] [Graph Not Transcribed] Word of Jocelyne Bourgon’s cost-cutting ways during her tenure as Clerk of the Privy Council from 1994 to 1999 has made it across the Atlantic Ocean. It seems the French government is interested in […]
We Canadians are slow to judge
[Graph Not Transcribed] Perhaps we should revisit our long-lasting predilection for anti-Americanism. For many of us who enjoy being Canadian and who see the differences between Canada and the United States, America remains a nice place to visit, especially in winter, but we wouldn’t want to live there, especially in the summer. I am often […]
Tories grumbling, want some credit from Clark [Visit to World Trade Center site]
What’s with some of these press secretaries… Gotta wonder what Tory Leader Joe Clark’s press secretary Marie-Chantale Lepine was up to two Saturdays ago in New York. It sure wasn’t getting her boss any coverage during the visit by Jean Chretien and the leaders of the four opposition parties as they visited Ground Zero in […]
