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 […]
John Gomery Commission denies leaks to The Globe and Mail
Justice John Gomery’s first report on the sponsorship scandal was not leaked to the media before its official release on Nov. 1, said Gomery spokesperson Francois Perreault. Despite reports in The Globe and Mail, and other newspapers in the days leading up to ‘G-Day,’Mr. Perreault said none of the reporters were getting their leaks from […]
Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Quebecois parties considering their options in election chicken game in national politics
Federal opposition parties still have not decided what they will do with their opposition days next week. Conservative House Leader Jay Hill (Prince George-Peace River, B.C.) said the party will decide only a few days before Nov. 15, the Conservatives’ first opposition day and their first opportunity to introduce a non-confidence motion.”I talked about it […]
Gomery Report, Who’s Responsible: some briefs
“The report that follows chronicles a depressing story of multiple failures to plan a government program appropriately and to control waste – a story of greed, venality and misconduct both in government and advertising and communications agencies, all of which contributed to the loss and misuse of huge amounts of money at the expense of […]
MP Angus says Kashechewan is ‘Paul Martin’s New Orleans’
NDP MP Charlie Angus says he didn’t get into federal politics to be comfy and play the game. But the rookie MP sure played the game when he shook things up recently. The Kashechewan reserve is “Prime Minister Paul Martin’s New Orleans,”says NDP MP Charlie Angus, the MP who helped force the issue of deplorable […]
The Spin Doctors: “A recent Leger Marketing survey found that more Canadian voters were more likely to reject a politician with an alcohol problem than one who had smoked a joint. What’s your take?”
Leslie Swartman Liberal Strategist “Considering we’ve had party leaders parading about in leather cowboy vests, shower caps and wet-suits, Canadians have the right to wonder what on earth these guys were smoking!! “Seriously though, the comparison between ‘an alcohol problem’ and having ‘smoked a joint’ is not fair. Let’s compare apples to apples. I would […]
Canadians tend to look to Ottawa in times of crisis and at such times, voters also usually prefer activist governments
From one incident to the next, the Martin team has become more adept at tailoring its response to the national mood, not necessarily to the most pressing needs in the afflicted areas. To Paul Martin and Stephen Harper, a crisis is a leadership vote at their party conventions or a confidence motion in the Commons. […]
