Weep for our media, times are bad
TORONTO—Fittingly, it took a small-town radio station to ask The Question. It came on Dave Glover’s drive-time show on CFWN in Northumberland. “What,” I was asked, “do you think about Postmedia’s purchase of the Sun Media newspaper chain?” “Thank you for asking that question,” I told Glover and his co-host. “As someone who […]
Conservative caucus may not have been as ‘morgue’-like as maladroit MacKay suggested
TORONTO—First things first: we now have conclusive proof Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi is not infallible. Nenshi, much-adored by progressives everywhere, predicted Alberta’s PCs would win a minority government. “I suspect the PCs will win,” said Nenshi. Um, no. They didn’t. It was in all the papers on Wednesday morning. In fairness, Nenshi wasn’t the only […]
Benoit Sauvageau 1963-2006
Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe “My first thoughts go to his wife, Jacinthe, as well as her four charming daughters. I fully understand the pain that they must feel. Together, they built a marvelous family. For us Benoit was also a member of the family, a brother.” -statement released Aug. 28 Prime Minister Stephen Harper […]
Igantieff putting colleagues up for sale in online auction
People remember former prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau for many things-pirouettes behind the Queen’s back, driving a convertible Mercedes, single red roses. MPs who knew him in Question Period might remember one day in February, 1971 best, when he was accused of telling opposition Members to “fuck off.” Or, as transcribed in Hansard, the official […]
Better late than never
An end-of-summer barbeque for Tory staffers and directors of communications hosted by PMO communications supremo Sandra Buckler came perilously close to turning out the social non-event of the season. Many of the original evites, which were sent out several weeks prior to the event, fell afoul of the government-wide anti-spam filter, and consequently never made […]
Gagliano to release telling autobiography this month
“The future of this country is more important than the future of the Liberal Party,” Jean Chrétien once said. That was when he was told that supporting Jean Charest, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, in his bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party in Québec, was bad for the Grits. This anecdote and […]
John Baird and comedian Todd Butler host fundraiser
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6 An Evening with John Baird and Political Humourist Todd Butler-Join Treasury Board President Baird for dinner and some humour. 5 p.m. VIP reception, 6 p.m. cocktails, 7 p.m. dinner. The Westin Edmonton, 10135 100 St., Edmonton, Alta. $250.00 for dinner and VIP reception, including $125 tax receipt. $150.00 dinner only, including $75 […]
A minister, a bureaucrat and a lobbyist walk into a bar…
Who says Conservatives don’t have a sense of humour? This Wednesday, the Edmonton Centre riding association hosts an evening of “dinner and humour”with Treasury Board President John Baird (Ottawa West-Nepean, Ont.) and political humourist Todd Butler. Tickets cost $150 per person for dinner, plus an additional $100 to attend a special VIP cocktail reception with […]
May’s strategy is to win Canadians’ attention with presence on the Hill
The Green Party of Canada’s strategy to win seats in the House will be to break down a “psychological barrier” in the minds of Canadians that has been built up by the party’s lack of a presence on the Hill, says the party’s new leader, Elizabeth May. “I think the only real barrier to electing […]
Will the Tory government say goodbye to Status of Women?
Liberal MP Maria Minna (Beaches-East York, Ont.) wants to know where the Conservative government stands on the Status of Women, after REAL Women of Canada called for its dismantling. “The Conservative grassroots community is actively campaigning for the demise of this important agency which promotes the rights of women in Canada,” Ms. Minna said in […]
