Running on empty: Canada’s bilateral relationship now at its lowest ebb in a generation and shows no near term likelihood of improvement
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Over 25 years ago, during the Iranian 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, the Canadian Embassy and its ambassador, Ken Taylor, courageously secretly sheltered six U.S. diplomats from the Iranian revolutionaries. It was, without question, the seminal event of our post- World War II bilateral affairs and epitomized the mutually […]
Critics say Canada has not been able to reconcile its two faces on climate change, as Environment Minister Dion poised to chair COP11 [UN Conference on Climate Change]
He’s received a lot of positive media coverage, but what has Canada’s Environment Minister Stephane Dion actually done? It’s a crisp sunny fall day. Inside Centre Block, Environment Minister Stephane Dion is testifying before the House Environment Committee with Cassie Doyle, Associate Deputy Minister of the Environment. Mr. Dion is there to brief MPs about […]
Some 1,500 civil servants on two-year language waiting list
Government’s new bilingual requirements creating a massive nightmare for the Canada School of Public Service. Some 1,500 federal government employees are on a two-year waiting list to meet the second-language requirements of a new bilingual directive in the public service. Changes to the public service policy for federal government employees may have looked good on […]
Tis the season for BlackBerry thumb, but don’t over-use it
Forget about slippery sidewalks and icy roads. Candidates and party organizers should be cautious about overusing their BlackBerry wireless handheld devices, if they want to make it through the campaign without a trip to the disabled list. “Pretty much everyone who has ever used one has experienced pain in their thumbs,” said Toronto-based ergonomist Tania […]
Duffy on covering federal politics: ‘there’s no life like it’
CTV’s Mike Duffy has covered federal politics for more than 30 years. He says he’s not out to change the world, but is here to tell the stories. CTV’s Mike Duffy Live host Mike Duffy is a workaholic who lives and breathes federal politics which is why after more than three decades of covering the […]
Air India probe into Flight 182
After releasing his preliminary report, Lessons To Be Learned, Bob Rae announced last week that he will lead a limited inquiry to the 1985 Air India bombing that killed 312 people. His inquiry will be conducted under an order in council and will initially not have the power to subpoena documents or compel testimony. In […]
Parliamentary Precinct’s long-term vision and plan includes new security measures
A new vehicle screening facility for Parliament Hill could cost more than $34-million to construct, according to an estimate from Leroux, Chauhan, Ouimet & Associates Inc. Under the government’s long-term vision and plan for the Parliamentary Precinct, a new vehicle screening facility would be built for access to Parliament Hill. Leroux, Chauhan, Ouimet & Associates’estimates […]
Liberals decry own government’s lack of progress on boosting visible minorities in the federal government
“It was a shocker when I got here,”said rookie Conservative MP Michael Chong, first elected in 2004. “After several years on Bay Street, where you see visible minorities at all levels, I was shocked to see their absence in the House of Commons staff and in the public service.” He also said he could not […]
Government funding announcements in the last two weeks
Nov. 25: * $5-billion to fight aboriginal poverty Nov. 24: * $1.5-billion in softwood lumber loan guarantees * $755-million in emergency assistance to grains and oilseeds producers * $700-million to address problems associated with the backlog and processing of immigration files * Canada’s Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Program announcements to deploy broadband, […]
More than ever, star federal political recruits are crowded out by minor league players who have less incentive to hang up their skates
In the lead-up to the last federal election, Claudette Bradshaw resisted pressures to retire so that former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna could run in her Moncton seat. Sixteen short months later, Bradshaw has had a change of heart; she will not be running in the coming election but neither will McKenna. He is otherwise […]
