Martin behind Cullen ousting [Ottawa West-Nepean riding]
Score one for Martin’s people…Federal Finance Minister Paul Martin’s local Ottawa supporters helped to orchestrate the surprising nomination defeat of Liberal MPP Alex Cullen in Ottawa West-Nepean, Ont., two weeks ago. Mr. Cullen was ousted by fellow Liberal and Nepean City Councillor Rick Chiarelli, a second cousin to Regional Chairman Bob Chiarelli, who is a […]
APEC controvery hits home for backbench voters
Suppressing civil rights ain’t pretty…While Prime Minister Jean Chr tien faces questions about his role in RCMP manhandling of protesters at last year’s APEC summit in Vancouver, B.C., Ontario Liberal MP John McKay kicked off an almost surreal plea for protection of religious tolerance when the House returned last week. In the Commons, Mr. McKay […]
Question period: the prime minister said that his staff may have told the RCMP what to do at APEC. Should he be held responsibile for his PMO staff?
“I think the question of his own personal responsibility or the actions he should take afterwards is mitigated to some extent by whether he knew what his staff was doing. He can’t be like the king who ordered the murder of Thomas Becket and just say, ‘Why won’t someone rid me of this man’ and […]
PM appoints new senators, Reformers vow Alberta won’t forget it
Prime Minister Jean Chrtien appointed four new senators last Thursday, including one for Alberta, causing an uproar among Reformers in Alberta gearing up for an election to select two”senators in waiting” on Oct. 19. Reform Party strategists failed to get an injunction from the Federal Court in the summer preventing the prime minister from appointing […]
MPs flock to freebie trips to Taiwan [Includes list of third-party trips from January 1997 – May 1998]
Nothin’ like a free lunch…Taiwan was the most popular destination for MPs this session. According to the MPs Travel Registry kept by the House of Commons, 20 MPs have registered for 22 trips which are paid for by third parties in the first session of the 36th Parliament. Fourteen of these excursions were to Taiwan, […]
Liberal backbenchers prepare to run for leadership [of regional caucus chairs]
Vote for me…With the House back, government backbenchers will step up their lobbying efforts for the regional caucus chairs this week. Votes are expected to be held before the House rises for the Thanksgiving break in the second week of October. National caucus chairman Joe Fontana said he wants to take a crack at a […]
Question period: should prime minister Jean Chretien have to appear before the commission investigating the actions of the RCMP at last fall’s APEC summit?
Absolutely. Hes got to be held accountable for the action, for the incident at the APEC conference. There is too much evidence of political interference in this matter for him to not be held accountable. This is a very serious development, the thought of our prime minister and our federal government being involved in the […]
Some lobbyists want more scrutiny of public officials, from deputy ministers to political advisers [Lobbyists Registration Act looks at lobbyists, not the lobbied]
For 10 years, federal lobbyists have been required to register their activities under the Lobbyists Registration Act. But after nearly a decade in place, there hasn’t been a single case of a lobbyist being found in violation of the act, and only a handful of investigations have been conducted. Is the absence of any actionable […]
Down under, Australian Parliament follows US reforms, leaves Canada trailing
He’s been billed as yesterday’s man, someone desperately trying to catch up with the end of the 20th century while aspiring to lead this country into the twenty-first. He’s gambling that voters will support his stand on the GST to keep his Liberal Party in power. He’s fighting against an upstart, right-wing political party, whose”grassroots” […]
Six Health Canada scientists say pushed to approve unsafe drug [Health Protection Branch hearings begin]
When six Health Canada scientists told Hill media last week that their department has hidden evidence about the dangers of a genetically engineered hormone that boosts milk production in cows, some high-profile political critics used the opportunity to highlight the fact that the current consultations on the”transition” of the department are nothing short of a […]
