Tory Leader Harper is ‘standing up for the trades’ with a made-in-Canada approach: Conservative MP Van Loan
On Oct. 13, 2005 Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper announced a cornerstone of the Conservative Party’s platform for the upcoming election: “Standing up for the Trades.”A made-in- Canada approach, the aim is to tackle the shortages in the skilled trades. There are as many as 20,000 skilled trades positions that cannot be filled today, and […]
Layton earns rave reviews for performance at ‘hottest ticket’ in town event at Parliamentary Press Gallery Dinner
The new location, in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que., dazzled many. The VIPs at the podium elicited laughter and enthusiastic applause. And with nearly 600 attendees, this year’s Parliamentary Press Gallery Dinner, emceed by CBC Radio’s The House host Anthony Germain, was the largest such gathering on record. […]
Time to end the attack on collective bargaining: Christopherson: Collective bargaining rights should be and must be legislated and defended by government
The right to associate with other likeminded people in common cause is the very cornerstone of democracy. Other freedoms are tremendously important – freedom of expression, of religion, the right to a fair trial and so on – but it is the freedom of association which creates the possibility for citizens to win other freedoms. […]
Call it preventing Sponsorship Scandal for dummies: Treasury Board’s Alcock wants new ministers to take orientation course for civil service
Just call it Sponsorship Scandal 101. It’s an orientation course for rookie employees and managers in the civil service, and it may soon become a required class for new Cabinet ministers and their staffers. The class is being developed by the Canada School of Public Service to help employees adapt and learn the values and […]
The week ahead in Parliament: Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan to testify before Senate Defence Committee
It’s all about Gomery this week in Ottawa when Justice John Gomery releases his report on the $250-million ads and sponsorship program, but there are other issues. The House will debate the following priority bills this week: second reading of Bill C-67, the Surplus Bill; second reading of Bill C-66, the Energy Relief Bill; second […]
Liberals ramp up election preparation
The powerful Ontario wing of the federal Liberal Party is holding a campaign college and a series of workshops about how to run a successful election campaign on Oct. 29 for all Ontario riding candidates and MPs seeking re-election. The campaign college, to be held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Hamilton, Ont., from 1 […]
Governing Liberal lobbying scandal is 11 years old: And all this reveals is how the glacially slow-changing and still fatally flawed government accountability system is actually the real scandal
Canadians will finally get the honest, ethical, open, representative and waste-preventing federal government they need, and deserve, if the government does three things. Many federal government observers are claiming that the recent scandals involving questions about Liberal government-connected lobbyists David Dingwall, Richard Mahoney, John Duffy and others have revealed cracks in the federal lobbying regulation […]
Canada must improve its OECD ranking on a broad range of environmental indicators, says Grit backbencher
Canada is often touted as an economic leader among OECD countries. Northern tiger is one term that has been used to characterize Canada and its economy. Given Canada’s recent strong economic performance, especially in comparison to previous decades, this may be a fair description.The list of Canada’s economic achievements includes a steep reduction in debt, […]
The Spin Doctors: “Should an MP who crosses the floor be forced to resign his or her seat and run in a byelection, or sit as an Independent MP until the next general election?”
Leslie Swartman Liberal Strategist “Or the third choice – sit as a member of the new party and face the electorate at the time of the next general election. “It’s simply got to be a personal choice. Many things can happen that can cause someone to lose faith in their leader or their party. And […]
PARLIAMENTARY CALENDAR: U.S. Secretary of State Rice in Ottawa Oct. 24
MONDAY, OCT. 24 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Canada – Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from Oct. 24-25 in Ottawa to discuss a wide range of bilateral, hemispheric and global issues in which Canada and the U.S. share common interests. Ms. Rice will also […]
