PM Harper on Middle East crisis
Stephen Harper in London, United Kingdom, July 13: “Israel has a right to defend itself. I think Israel’s response under the circumstances has been measured. I think it’s tremendously disappointing that these attacks are coming from areas that Israel voluntarily evacuated. So I think the onus to end this escalation is on the other side, […]
The Spin Doctors
Mike Storeshaw Conservative strategist “The Prime Minister has stated the obvious in plain terms: the current hostilities in the Middle East were provoked by actions of extremists, namely Hezbollah, and they must be held responsible. The goal of these extremist forces is not peace; they oppose peace in principle. Their goal is to destabilize the […]
Summit magazine to develop a ‘procurement blueprint’
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to the federal government’s $13-billion a year in procurement is its overall purpose, say members at a roundtable discussion organized by Summit magazine last week in Ottawa. “The federal government is not a big corporation, it has a different mandate,” said one roundtable participant. “It extends beyond […]
POLITICAL STREETER ON MIDEAST CRISIS
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay Central Nova, N.S. “We’re not concerned about the politics of this right now, really, domestically. What we’re concerned about is the evacuation of Canadian citizens from Lebanon, those who are in harm’s way. We’re not doing this exercise to deal with the broader issues, we’re concentrating and focusing our efforts […]
A look at some of the staffers on Liberal leadership campaigns
Liberal leadership candidate Stéphane Dion A number of the key people behind Liberal MP Stéphane Dion’s (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.) leadership campaign are ex-ministerial staffers, although Mr. Dion’s national campaign manager Mark Marissen, who works in the private sector in public relations for Burrard Communications in Vancouver, B.C., never did work for a Cabinet minister, he used […]
Prospect of large numbers of visitors from Chinese mainland revives ethnic stereotyping by domestic, international media
This tourism season it is not asking too much to give foreigners a polite welcome. Just don’t mention the incident at the First World Hotel. Communist China is preparing to place Canada on a government-approved list of holiday destinations. The prospect of large numbers of visitors from the Chinese mainland has revived ethnic stereotyping by […]
Regulate content, not ownership
There is no positive outcome of Bell Globemedia’s takeover of Chum Television, announced last week, says NDP MP Charlie Angus. “The merger brings to the forefront a growing concern over media concentration,” he told The Hill Times. “The market is getting smaller and smaller and there is not a single upside for public interest in […]
Accountability Act is a long, contradictory and, in the end, impossible menu
Friends of the Harper government are divided on how they got their version of government accountability reform so badly wrong. Some believe that the Prime Minister’s genuine rage at Liberal abuse of power for partisan purposes and his disgust at the role that lobbyists played in helping them got in the way of his strategic […]
MPs make more use of Air Canada’s Maple Leaf lounge
The House’s Board of Internal Economy has allowed MPs a new perk: to buy memberships for access to Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge in various airports across the country to a maximum of $100, which can be charged to the MP’s Office Budget. Most MPs who fly frequently already have free access for achieving “elite” […]
When a Canadian soldier dies in Afghanistan
Canadian soldier Cpl. Anthony Joseph Boneca, 21, was killed and two others were wounded in Afghanistan in what the media reported as “a brutal” firefight in the Panjwei district west of Kandahar City on July 9. Cpl. Boneca, who was fighting as part of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry battle group, was a reservist […]
