Canadians would rather have clean air than more puffers: Bennett
Carolyn Bennett was a backbencher under the Jean Chrétien government, and throughout her campaign for leadership of the Liberal party, she has presented herself as a seasoned, life-long Liberal without the baggage of a previous government tarnished by the image of scandal and waste. But it is a message the media has mostly ignored. Ms. […]
Former supporter challenges Benoit’s riding nomination
Five-term Conservative MP Leon Benoit is facing a serious nomination challenge from a former supporter, and Tory insiders are predicting this to be a nail biter with a “strong possibility” that the veteran incumbent MP could “very well lose the nomination battle.” Mr. Benoit (VegrevilleWainwright, Alta.), who is chair of the Commons Standing Committee on […]
An update on Liberal leadership candidates and some of their supporters
Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett: Ont. Attorney General Michael Bryant Ont. MPP Mary Anne Chambers Ian Delaney Judy Erola Sheila Fmestone Former Ont. Lib leader Lyn McLeod Ont. Lib MPP Richard Patten Former Lib Sen. Landon Pearson Beth Webster Liberal MP Scott Brison: Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett: Ont. Attorney General Michael Bryant Ont. MPP Mary Anne […]
HEARD ON THE HILL
Prime Ministerial access barricades: To storm together or not to storm? The Press gallery executive moved swiftly in reaction to last week’s revelation that CanWest had decided to break off from the media pack and go onto the Prime Minister’s list. By Wednesday morning, an announcement went out to the full gallery membership, inviting all […]
The American and Canadian ‘primaries’ in all their colours
Canada and the United States are in the midst of “primaries.” For Canada, these are the political efforts that will end with the selection of a Liberal Party leader in December. For the U.S., they are the state-by-state exercises to select candidates for November national elections (combined with the slow motion minuet/campaign for the 2008 […]
The Spin Doctors
Mike Storeshaw Conservative Strategist “Conservatives take them all in a landslide. “Okay, maybe not. The Quebec political landscape is as competitive as it has been in decades, because Conservatives have made it that way. We are the only federalist party that understands and respects provincial jurisdiction, with a real commitment to restore fiscal balance. We […]
Former chief of staff to Ambrose joins Ottawa lobbying firm
Former chief of staff to Environment Minister Rona Ambrose has joined a lobbying firm in Ottawa as director of research. Daniel Bernier, who left Minister Ambrose’s (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alta.) ministerial staff abruptly in June, joined Summa Strategies last week. Since June, there has been no official explanation available for Mr. Bernier’s exit from the top […]
To the best of my knowledge, I’m not aware of any MP in the Liberal caucus who represents the riding of Lebanon South
The non-events of last week at the Liberal caucus retreat in Vancouver have confirmed what we knew since Jan. 23. Prime Minister Stephen Harper will lose his job only if he decides to quit after winning a Lotto 6/49 jackpot (and that’s an unlikely possibility), or if some hotheads in his caucus accumulate nostalgic feelings […]
How did CanWest get its scoop? By going on PM’s list
Any faint hope that the summer break might have cooled tensions between the press gallery and the Harper PMO was dashed after a hastily scheduled press conference on the softwood lumber agreement on Tuesday last week. After showing up at the appointed time and place-the House of Commons foyer, not the National Press Theatre, which […]
NDP policy convention Sept. 8 to 10 in Quebec City
MONDAY, AUG. 28 Parliamentary Delegation to South Africa-Speaker of the House Peter Milliken will lead MPs Jay Hill, Karen Redman, Yvon Godin and Michel Guimond on a Parliamentary Delegation to South Africa between Aug. 27 to Sept. 3. The delegates will meet with their counterparts Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria to discuss Parliamentary democracy and […]
