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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Expect more of the same in politics: C.D. Howe Institute
Canada’s political future will consist of more of the same embattled minority governments, concerns over national unity and further deterioration of Canada-U.S. relations, says C.D. Howe Institute president and CEO Jack Mintz. In a prediction of Canada’s state of affairs in 2006 for Canadian Business magazine, Mr. Mintz said that the election outcome will result […]
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 […]
At the present rate of progress, women won’t share equally in political power in Canada for another four generations
It’s not just that so few women are running in this election, but so few are campaigning in winnable ridings. The four major parties have already nominated most of their candidates. So far, less than a quarter of those nominated are women.That’s a little better share of candidacies than in 2004 but not by much. […]
