Grit leadership picks successive balloting for convention
Get ready for a long bloody night. The next leader of the Liberal Party will be elected through successive balloting which means the convention will be long, brokered and could mean a dark horse candidate will emerge the winner next December in Montreal, say Liberals. Liberals say it also means the campaign could be more […]
Conservatives should halt procurement reform initiated by Liberals: lawyer
The federal Conservative government, in its recently-tabled omnibus Accountability Act, is proposing a series of new measures to ensure that the $16-billion to $18-billion it spends on government procurement annually is “fair, open and transparent.” But one critic has emerged to say that the Conservatives should put a halt another procurement policy reform under way […]
Libs, Conservative government clash over timing and enforcement of upcoming bans on political donations
There’s significant confusion over whether the upcoming bans on political donations will affect the Liberal leadership race, but the Liberal Party of Canada and the Conservative government are currently disagreeing over the issue and Elections Canada can’t answer the question. The Treasury Board told The Hill Times that if the proposed Federal Accountability Act is […]
‘It’s an exciting time’ to be a federal public servant: PCO Clerk Lynch
Privy Council Clerk Kevin Lynch says it’s an exciting time to be a federal public servant in the 21st Century, but as Canada renews its organization and recruits the next generation of public servants, it must “make excellence its quest”and it must do a better job of recruiting, retaining, planning and transferring knowledge. Moreover, Mr. […]
Harper’s Accountability Act darkens any movement forward on access to information
The Accountability Act, released last week, puts on two shades of Tory blue: one that colours-in stronger conflict of interest, election spending, and lobby registration accountability rules; and the other that draws in immediate secrecy measures, and darkens over any movement forward for a brand new access reform bill. The official reason for delaying a […]
It’s called the new federal government for grown-ups, stupid
The social, political and economic upheavals of the last two decades, from globalization to 9-11, have left many liberals asking what socially progressive government should look like in the 21st century. Here’s a thought: the most progressive thing governments could do is treat citizens like grown-ups. Instead, government today acts more like an over-bearing parent […]
Don’t discount Volpe in Grit leadership race: Wiseguys
Accountability POWERS: In what is supposed to be my real and full-time job, I am a lobbyist. See I can say it. Indeed it is not a deep dark confession and the job is generally one I enjoy. So far I have not been disowned by my family for this career choice. The public should […]
FAA ushers in sweeping new changes to doing politics
As well, the New Access to Information Act could cost $120-million more than it does today. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s massive omnibus Federal Accountability Act promises to usher in bold and sweeping changes to campaign financing, lobbying and whistleblowing and to make federal deputy ministers more accountable to Parliament. Moreover, implementing a new Access to […]
Conservative Prime Minister Harper’s highly-touted federal Accountability Act a recipe for more broken rules
Rule One in the national capital is that rules are made to be broken. From the most stringent election statute to the most flaccid regulation, rules crack under the weight of self-interest and are then reshaped by the law of unintended consequences. A short stroll down memory lane is a reminder of how things work-or […]
Harper should do more to advance Pacific Gateway Strategy
In designating David Emerson, my former Liberal Cabinet colleague and fellow co-regional minister for British Columbia as minister for International Trade and the Pacific Gateway, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appeared to be recognizing the vital importance of Asia Pacific to Canada. However, there was no acknowledgement of this critical priority in the Speech from the […]
