Rookie NDP MP Angus makes waves in political Ottawa
Charlie Angus’ defining political moment came in October 2000 when he was standing on a road blockade outside of the Adams Mine near Kirkland Lake in northern Ontario, protesting the use of the abandoned mine as a garbage dump from southern Ontario. “I was with farmers watching as the OPP came over the hill with […]
The Spin Doctors: What do you think of the Bloc Quebecois’ $400,000 radio and newspaper ad campaign against the Liberals and Gomery?
Leslie Swartman Liberal Strategist “I think it’s a waste of $400,000!! “It was clearly conceived and produced prior to Prime Minister Martin’s exoneration by Justice Gomery. It shows that the BQ doesn’t want to hear the truth and that it is prepared to smear reputations of anyone who poses a threat. “And it reminds me […]
Recently released [Access to Care, Access to Justice] [A Soldier’s View] [Angels, Mobsters and Narco-Terrorists] [A Perfect Hell] [The Pilgrimage of Stephen Harper] [Starlight Tour] [Too Close for Comfort] [Holy Terror] [Rescuing Canada’s Right] [Searching for Justice] [Bora Laskin] [Life on a Press Pass] [Confessions of an Innocent Man]
Access to Care, Access to Justice: The Legal Debate Over Private Health Insurance in Canada, edited by Colleen M. Flood, Kent Roach and Lorne Sossin. University of Toronto Press, 611 pages, $35. From the preface: “In its best light, the Supreme Court’s majority decision of June 9, 2005, in Chaoulli v. Quebec (Attorney General), should […]
PARLIAMENTARY CALENDAR: Access to Information Commissioner to talk about life after Gomery at the National Press Club on Wednesday
MONDAY, NOV. 14 The House – The House of Commons returns from the Remembrance Day break week. For more information, please call the Speaker’s Office at 613-992-5042. Public-sector Shared Services: How to Deliver Value for Your Organization – The Conference Board of Canada will host a two-day conference addressing the top shared services challenges faced […]
The right thing to do: why Canada is poised to lead world
It’s time to ask not what more our companies can do for the government, but ask what the government can do for our companies. Sharing the risk is a start. “A risk-shared basis.” This was the phrase used in the press release emanating from the most recent health ministers’ conference as they focused on the […]
Whatever happened to former Public Works DM Ranald Quail?
The former deputy minister of Public Works Ranald Quail, who is now retired, received a special appointment from Jean Chretien’s Cabinet in 2001 as a senior adviser in the Privy Council Office. He left the post in 2003. Accused of “abdicating” his responsibilities, the man who could have stopped the sponsorship scandal in its tracks […]
Former MP returns to Liberals
After turning his back on the federal Grits last spring, Andre Harvey says anger over the sponsorship program is subsiding in the sovereigntist heartland. He thought he had no chance of winning as a federal Liberal last spring, but former MP Andre Harvey is returning to the party to fight for his old seat in […]
House’s election fever
The House has election fever, but if the three opposition parties really want to defeat the federal Liberals, then they should muster up some courage and do it. The Conservatives, the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP should introduce a non-confidence motion in the House this week to bring the Liberals down and put the Liberals […]
Ottawa media like former prime minister Jean Chretien’s schtick
He is delightfully quotable and makes good copy, in reporters’ jargon. Journalists have always been an appreciative audience, and Chretien returned the favour by repeating the same shtick over and over at his recent press conference. He seemed wistful his last days in office. On Sept. 18, 2003, Jean Chretien stood outside Ottawa’s Laurier House […]
Harper’s proposed lobby reforms ‘like killing a fly with a hammer’
Many lobbyists say the five-year “cooling off” period for ministers and Hill staffers is overkill and that the proposals to curb the “revolving door” between government and the private sector may, in fact, wind up hurting both. Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper’s proposed reforms to lobby laws are like “killing a fly with a hammer,” […]
