Culture part of Canadian identity goes beyond NAFTA, says Minister Frulla: After winning a recent UNESCO victory over Americans, federal Heritage Minister Liza Frulla says local industry can survive
When the Montreal Symphony Orchestra held its first concert following a lengthy labour dispute that ended last month, Liza Frulla was one of the first spectators in line. “They played beautifully,” Ms. Frulla (Jeanne-Le Ber, Que.) said.”It was so emotional.” For the minister of Canadian Heritage, culture is a part of her life. “I am […]
Adscam whistleblower still waiting for apology: Allan Cutler warns there are many missing pieces to prevent future such scandals
Another sponsorship scandal in government would be unlikely today, but there’s nothing to protect future whistleblowers who might denounce other scandals in the future, original whistleblower Allan Cutler is warning. Nearly a decade after he tried to denounce abuse in the now defunct Public Works Sponsorship Program, retired civil servant Allan Cutler says no one […]
Conservative MP Forseth hires Casey as executive assistant: Davy Coyle joins Quebec Liberal Senator Lucie Pepin’s office as executive assistant
Conservative MP Paul Forseth,who has represented New Westminster-Coquitlam, B.C., for four terms, recently hired veteran Hill staffer Sean Casey in his MP’s office in Ottawa on Parliament Hill. Mr. Casey, who most recently served as an operations manager in the Leader of the Opposition Stephen Harper’s (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) office until last summer and also […]
LETTERS
Poor, arrogant David Dingwall Poor little David Dingwall. Are we, the taxpayers, ready to pay for the legal fees, disbursements and settlements of another arrogant, self-serving politician? When will we, the taxpayers step up and fight back? I would like to know if Canadians are interested in forming a coalition, wherein, if reasonable and probable […]
La Presse Canadienne’s Rodrigue enjoys world of political reporting
Isabelle Rodrigue, a Parliament Hill reporter for La Presse Canadienne, says the best part about covering federal politics is when a story can actually improve peoples’ lives and, eventually, effect change. Ms. Rodrigue points to the Kashechewan, Ont., story as an example, saying the aboriginal people living in the northern Ontario reserve had been drinking […]
PM’s departure required to cleanse Liberal brand
Watching Paul Martin three days after the Gomery report was tabled last week, one would be tempted to conclude that the Prime Minister is in pretty good shape. He seems, after all, to have managed to wade through the sponsorship minefield without losing a limb. But impressions can be misleading. In fact, from the moment […]
John Gomery redefines ministerial accountability and blames both Jeans, Chretien and Pelletier
There is widespread agreement that the accountability concept needs to be firmly re-established. But how to get there is a big problem in federal politics. From Judge John Gomery’s own plainspoken words, it is evident that his beliefs in how our system of government ought to function played a key role in his decision to […]
Lobbyists bracing for the worst in Gomery Inquiry Part II: Some seasoned lobbyists say they’re concerned about amendments to the Lobbyists Registration Act
Many lobbyists in Ottawa are bracing for the worst after seeing Justice John Gomery’s first report on the federal sponsorship program. For some, the hundreds of pages of findings offer an unsettling preview of what Mr. Gomery’s recommendations will be in February to ensure a spectacular scandal of the same magnitude never happens again. “My […]
MPs bitterly fighting over franking privileges, House-funded partisan pamphlets
There were a lot of long faces in the opposition benches where the Bloc Quebecois MPs sat last week, former Cabinet minister Denis Coderre told The Hill Times. “These are people who are nervous,”said Mr. Coderre (Bourassa, Que.), who raised a question of privilege over mail-outs that Bloc MPs are sending to their constituents, linking […]
Sheila Copps scrums, Transport Minister Lapierre attacks her
Former heritage minister Sheila Copps raised some eyebrows on the Hill this week as she weighed into a scrum with Transport Minister Jean Lapierre (Outremont, Que.). The newly-minted columnist for the Sun media chain repeatedly asked the Prime Minister’s Quebec lieutenant where the Liberal Party got the money it’s using to repay the $1.14 million […]
