Corrections
In the Dec. 19 issue, The Hill Times incorrectly reported that the Carisse Cafe Studio is owned by Jean-Marc Carisse, the former official photographer to former prime minister Jean Chretien.The cafe is owned by Mr. Carisse’s wife, Patricia Penzin Carisse. * In the Dec. 19 issue of The Hill Times in the Ninth Annual All […]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Incorrect use of word ‘racist’ When Lynn Truss became so fed up with sloppy and inaccurate punctuation, she transcribed her lamentations into a book (Eats, Shoots and Leaves). When letter-writers such as Walter Daschko and Richard Pearson (The Hill Times, Dec. 12) bandy about the word “racist”to describe comments made by Jean Augustine, I feel […]
For incumbent Prime Minister Paul Martin, the best-case minority scenario could also be the most dangerous
A minority Liberal government that had a bit of time ahead of it might be more tempted to change the guard quicker than one whose survival would hang by a thread. Will Paul Martin or Stephen Harper be Prime Minister of Canada at this time next year? Or will the PM be someone other than […]
Harper praises Trudeau
Paul Martin is no Pierre Trudeau, Conservative leader Stephen Harper told representatives from Toronto’s various ethnic community media outlets during a meeting last week. Mr. Harper said he cannot figure out why those communities continue to support the Liberals in large numbers. “I can’t answer to that question other than to say that the Liberal […]
Hold on a minute: a more balanced look at Whistleblower Bill: Conservative Sen. Oliver responds to Gualtieri’s criticism on Bill C-11, says Senate didn’t ram it through
In the Dec. 12 issue of The Hill Times,you carried an opinion piece by Joanna Gualtieri “Whistleblowers were sold down the river by Parliamentarians who publicly pledged to protect them, Senate rams it through,”in which she asserted that whistleblowers were not well-served when the Senate passed Bill C-11, last November, without amendments. In the spirit […]
Wiseguys’ take on: RCMP investigation and web bloggers: Political bloggers have had a pronounced impact on this election campaign 2005-2006, full stop
Income Trusts Powers: The Christmas break turned hectic when the RCMP announced it was launching a criminal investigation into the income trusts announcement. In law you are innocent until proven guilty. In politics you have a requirement to act responsibly when the activities of your organization are called into question and the subject of a […]
The ying and the yang of association lobbyists: ‘When you’re everything, you’re nothing’
Every job has its upside and downside, including being an association lobbyist. “When you’re everything, you’re nothing.” These words, from a disillusioned association lobbyist, speak to one aspect of this job: lobbying on behalf of many diverse members. Often, this means the GR message is so broad it’s often ineffective. When they lobby, associations find […]
Leaders’ debates need transparent and accountable rules
Given their importance, setting the televised debates’ rules should not be left to the ratings-obsessed networks and the political parties who have the most at stake. In 1992, U.S. presidential candidate Ross Perot came out as the surprise winner of the televised presidential debate. Previously dismissed as an eccentric by most observers, Perot’s performance in […]
The Spin Doctors: “Who won Thursday night’s televised debate and how important will the debates be in January in this campaign?”
Leslie Swartman Liberal Strategist “I think there were two winners. First, I believe that Paul Martin came out ahead, both in terms of substance and expectations. As Paul Wells (who is certainly no fan of the Prime Minister) noted, it’s harder to do the job of Prime Minister than to seek it. So despite the […]
LETTERS
Election campaign polling makes mockery of democratic process Re: “Pollsters warning: political environment ‘very volatile’”(The Hill Times, Dec. 12). Pollsters who ask citizens to divulge their voting preferences are wandering into the sacred territory of the secret ballot. Given that polls do influence the voting choices many citizens make, I believe that pollsters should be […]
