Month: May 2006

One of the most popular items that gets “A-TIPPED” — this weird word is used as a verb and it means “filing a request under federal Access to Information and Protection of Privacy legislation” — are the briefing books that newly sworn in cabinet ministers get. When you A-TIP or ATIP something, the government has 30 days to respond. But the ATIP rules allow for the responding department to abitrarily grant itself an extension of that time limit, so long as it cites one of the legislated reasons for an extension. Typically, the most often cited reason for an extension is that the government department has to “consult” with another government department to determine if the record requested can, in fact, be released. These extensions can be anywhere from 30 to 90 days.

So: With that preamble —– about 90 days ago or so, a new cabinet was sworn and I, like dozens of reporters, filed our ATIP requests to get at those briefing books. (We really do try to “dig” out the facts, dear reader, and we’re not always just moping about at the bar complaining about Harper and his press conference lists 🙂 ) Many of those briefing books, or at least parts of them, are now getting released.

What you find in these briefing books varies between departments but there is a general template:

• Describe the department
• Let the new minister know what legislation they’re responsible for
• Describe the “hot” or active issues
• Provide the basic policy framework for some of the policy discussions and, eventually, choices the Minister might make.

For the next few weeks, then, I’ll be going through briefing books and jotting down some notes here.

 

I learned today (and reported on CTV Newsnet a few minutes ago) that the Prime Minister may ramp up his confrontation with the Parliamentary Press Gallery by refusing to attend the annual Parliamentary Press Gallery Dinner.

My sources indicate that Stephen Harper plans to tell his caucus at a future meeting that he will not attend the dinner, which is to be held this year on Nov. 25 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

A senior PMO official, when asked about this, would only smile and say, “His schedule is not set that far out.”

Harper is to tell his caucus that while he is not going, caucus members are free to attend. And yet, many caucus members and almost all cabinet members may consider it a bit of a career-ending move to be seen at the PPG dinner because it might be interpreted by some as siding with the PPG rather than the PMO.

Pierre Trudeau is believed to be the last Prime Minister to snub the PPG dinner, an event which the press gallery says has been held since Confederation.

[Susan Delacourt, the bureau chief of the Toronto Star here in Ottawa, writes to say that Brian Mulroney would not attend press gallery dinners for a few years in the early 1990s. I have asked Sen. Marjory LeBreton about this. She served in Mulroney’s office at the time. She believes Mulroney was forced to cancel one appearance because his father-in-law was seriously ill but doesn’t believe he ever snubbed a dinner to spite the Gallery. Nonetheless, she said she’ll ask the former PM whether he ever snubbed a dinner and report back.]

Harper attended last year’s dinner (he was Leader of the Official Opposition at the time) and was a (surprisingly) big hit. He did a fabulous John McCallum impression, among other things.

The spat between the PPG and the PMO has boiled down, essentially, to a fight over who gets to decide who will ask the questions when the Prime Minister holds a press conference. The PMO communications staff prefers to canvas reporters ahead of the press conference, note the names of the reporters who wish to ask a question and then, once the Prime Minister arrives, a PMO official calls out a reporter’s name based on the list. It is not a first-come, first-serve sort of thing. Generally, the names called out alternate between reporters for the French-language outlets and reporters for English-language papers. Some print reporters complain that electronic media seem to get more questions than print reporters.

In any event, so far as I’m aware, there have not yet been any accusations that some reporter or organization is getting frozen out because the PMO doesn’t like someone’s reporting. That said, the concern that this could happen is reason enough, the Parliamentary Press Gallery believes, that a representative of the PMO ought not to be the one deciding who gets to ask the questions. The Press Gallery stands ready to maintain its own list — as has always been the practice for any press conference at the National Press Theatre — and moderate a press conference in a professional and dignified manner. When that happens, the outcome is the same — a politicians answers questions put to him or her by a reporter and the reporter gets a chance to ask the question once he or she is recognized by another journalist who acts as the moderator of the press conference.

During the last election campaign, incidentally, the Prime Minister Paul Martin’s communications staff kept a list of reporters who wanted to ask questions and then they would call out a reporter from that list — just like the current PM is doing. During the week I was with him, covering the Martin for CTV News, I got all of two questions. We learned later that Martin’s team was very unhappy with our coverage of his campaign. Mind you, we weren’t as bad apparently in Martin’s eyes as The Toronto Star. During the week I was on the campaign with Martin, the Toronto Star reporter that week, Sean Gordon, got precisely zero chances to put a question to the Liberal candidate.

So that’s why the PPG believes that it’s more appropriate for journalists to decide who gets to ask the questions and the PPG executive stands prepared to conduct a dignified, professional news conference but one in which the list of reporters who will ask questions is maintained by the Press Gallery and not by a politician.

While I am a member of the Press Gallery — CTV pays my PPG dues on my behalf — I am not a member of the Press Gallery executive.

 

 

 

The Canadian Forces public relations personnel issued this note this afternoon, in the wake of Capt. Goddard’s death.

Today, women represent approximately 15% of the Canadian Forces population. More than 7900 women are currently serving in the regular force and more than 4800 women are serving in the primary reserve.

We opened all occupations to women in 1989 and throughout the 90's encouraged women to join the combat arms. The introduction of women to the combat arms increases our potential recruiting pool by about 100 per cent. It also provides for opportunities for all persons to serve their country to the best of their abilities.

The Canadian Forces is a world leader in terms of the proportion of women in its military, and the areas in which they can serve. The CF is highly regarded as one of the nations with the most advanced policies and highest representation of women.

Please find attached current statistics (as of 31 Mar 06) regarding serving in combat arms:

REGULAR FORCE COMBAT ARMS

• Total 12054
• Male 11829
• Female 225 = 1.9%

Reg Force Officers

• Total 2640
• Male 2541
• Female 99 = 3.75%

Reg Force NCM

• Total 9414
• Male 9288
• Female 126 = 1.34%

Primary Reserve combat arms

• Total 13897
• Male 12972
• Female 925 = 6.7%

Primary Reserve Officers

• Total 1909
• Male 1832
• Female 77 = 4.0%

Primary Reserve NCM

• Total 11988
• Male 11140
• Female 848 = 7.1%

Minutes before Canada’s MPs began debating the idea of extending Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, the news reached Ottawa that a Canadian soldier was killed in a firefight earlier in the day south of Kandahar. The dead soldier is Captain Nichola Goddard (left). It is believed to be the first time a Canadian female soldier has been killed while in a combat role. “I believe it's safe to say she was the first woman in a combat arms military occupation (such as artillery, infantry, or armoured) killed in front-line combat,” said Lt. Morgan Bailey, a spokesperson for the Canadian Forces at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa.

Here is part of the text of a release from the Department of National Defence:

OTTAWA – A Canadian soldier was killed during a firefight with insurgents that occurred approximately 24 kilometres west of Kandahar. The incident occurred at approximately 6:55 p.m. Kandahar time (10: 25 a.m. EDT) on 17 May.
Killed was Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard who was serving with Task Force Afghanistan as part of the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) Battle Group. Captain Goddard was stationed with the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Shilo, Manitoba; her next-of-kin have been notified.
 The repatriation of Captain Goddard's remains is now being planned.
Capt Goddard was engaged in a significant operation, one in which Canadian soldiers were in support of Afghan authorities, when she was killed. That operation was a clearance operation by Afghan security personnel in Kandahar province north of the Arghandab River and west of Kandahar City.

 

Liberal MPs spent a long time at their national caucus meeting. When it finished, interim Leader Bill Graham had this to say about tonight’s debate and vote on whether to extend Canada’s mission in Afghanistan:

Our caucus is totally and utterly united around that mission and around that objective.  The problem that the caucus has ­and …­ is that we’ve had a gun put to our head and without knowing all the details of why a two-year prolongation is being made at this time. We are being told we will have a vote tonight.  We find this process abusive.  We find this process strange. 

We find it difficult to ask parliamentarians to go into the House tonight and say we must listen to this government and in the course of a debate of a few hours in the House make up our minds on an issue of this importance to Canada and Canadians and to our troops. But that is the situation we are in. 

We will not play politics with this and we will attend the debate in the House tonight and our members will listen and our members will consider what the government says and those members who believe that the government has made a case that the prolongation must be decided at this time by this House will vote in accordance with that.  And for others who believe that it is not appropriate to be doing it at this time we must give them an opportunity to vote with their conscience as well.

One of the hot topics in U.S. politics right now is claims, first reported in USA Today, that the government is eavesdropping on the phone calls made by Americans between other Americans living in America.

Today, Verizon, one of the largest phone companies in the U.S. issued a statement, which included the following:

One of the most glaring and repeated falsehoods in the media reporting is the assertion that, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Verizon was approached by NSA and entered into an arrangement to provide the NSA with data from its customers’ domestic calls.

This is false . . . Verizon was not asked by [National Security Agency] to provide, nor did Verizon provide, customer phone records from any of these businesses, or any call data from those records.

Verizon is following the lead of BellSouth, another U.S. phone giant, which says it never turned over phone records to the government.

USA Today has an article responding to these responses’. A USA Today spokesman said:  “We’re confident in our coverage of the phone database story. We will look closely into the issues raised by the Bell South's and Verizon’s statements.”

 

The Akin family stops a couple of times a year in Blind River, on Lake Huron’s north shore, most often for coffee at the Tim Horton’s there, but sometimes for an overnight stay or a meal. We do this because my wife is from Nipigon, Ont. and, as she hates flying, we make the 16–hour drive from southern Ontario to visit her family, now in Thunder Bay, once or twice a year.

That’s about the only connection I have with Blind River (photo, left, of the upper Blind River by Victor Hackett) but it was enough that I’m happy to see Blind River is celebrating 100 years of existence. The town’s MP, Liberal Brent St. Denis, had this to say about the centenary in the House of Commons today:

Mr. Brent St. Denis (Algoma – Manitoulin – Kapuskasing): Mr. Speaker, yesterday, May 14, marked the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Blind River as a town. For 100 years locals and visitors have enjoyed Blind River's beautiful natural surroundings and legendary norther Ontario hospitality. Even Canadian singing start, Neil Young, has immortalized Blind River in one of his famous songs.

The community's history has included forestry, being on the cross-Canada Voyageur route, tourism and an excellent history of relations with the neighbouring Mississauga First Nation.

I was born in Blind River (downtown pictured right) and as such it holds a special place in my heart. Located on the north shore of Lake Huron between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Blind River picturesque and friendly.

The town is famous for its community celebrations which have included being named one of the top 50 festivals in Ontario. The committee with a lot of volunteer help plans many special activities for this summer.

On behalf of town council, Mayor Gallagher and the residents of Blind River, and all of the north shore indeed who share this time, I invite all members, senators and Canadians to visit and celebrate with us. Please join me in saying:

Giv'er, Giv'er Blind River

I realize it's halfway through May but I'm finally able to find the time to look at what April's readers of this blog found most popular.
In April, 2004, I was thrilled to see 5,000 unique visitors to this blog, most of whom seemed to enjoy a post spoofing Tim Horton's Roll Up the Rim contest.
In April of 2006, there were just shy of 31,000 unique visitors who took a look at more than 106,000 pages.
Thanks for dropping by and Happy Mother's Day!
The most popular pages here are listed in order of popularity — in other words, these were the most viewed pages here for the month of April — with the date they first appeared here (only one post from April made the list):

1. A Porsche moment – Mon 10 Jan 2005
2. Hard at work – 05 Mar 2005
3. Air Canada and a new Celine Dion video — right here! – 01 Nov 2004
4. A tax break for hybrid car owners? – Mon 28 Feb 2005
5. The new Dodge Charger – Mon 17 Jan 2005
6. A hot morning in Cancun – Thu 30 Mar 2006
7. Gerard Kennedy jumps into federal Liberal race – Wed 05 Apr 2006
8. Ignatieff speech in Ottawa – Thu 30 Mar 2006
9. Who pays for this blog? Some disclaimers – Fri 13 Aug 2004
10. The New Air Canada uniforms – 01 Nov 2004

As I reported last night, there are a group of MPs from only — so far as I can tell — the Conservative and Liberal parties who would push for a vote in the House of Commons on any issue that would lead to the restriction or elimination of abortion access rights in Canada. Some of these MPs are part of a Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus but we cannot tell you who is a member of that caucus.

Two of its leaders, Liberal Paul Steckle and Conservative Maurice Vellacott, held a press conference yesterday related to abortion and would not say how big the caucus is; who is on it; or whether it includes any members of the Bloc Quebecois or the New Democratic Party. (An NDP caucus spokesman later said there are no NDP members of the Pro-Life Caucus).

Any move to change the status quo so far as abortion access rights goes seems doomed to failure in the current Parliament. For one thing, the Conservative party election platform, making good on a resolution of party grassroots at the March 2005 policy convention, pledged to do nothing to change abortion laws. That means, any push to to change a law will not have the backing of the government.

Secondly, even if there ever was a vote, the numbers in the Commons favour the status quo.

That’s because NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs would be whipped to support their party’s position to protect abortion access rights and so that, presumably, is 80 votes for the status quo right there (there might be two or three BQ MPs who might defy their leader and either be absent for such a vote or vote to overturn the status quo but, as we shall see, it won’t matter much). The leadership of the Liberals and Conservatives say their MPs would be free to vote their conscience on an abortion vote. Doing a very rough thumbnail estimate, I figure there might be 50 Conservative MPs who would vote to overturn abortion rights and maybe 30 Liberals so that means just 80 votes when 154 are required to win an issue.

The abortion issue, incidentally, was forced on to the policy docket yesterday largely by the 2,200 people (that’s my count, by the way, not an estimate) who arrived on the Hill’s front lawn to push lawmakers to ban abortion.

Several MPs participated in this rally as a speaker or by lending their name to supporters. Presumably, some of the following are members of the Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus although, as Steckle said yesterday, you’d have to ask each one. Here are the politicians I spotted on the speaker’s platform at the rally:

Conservatives

• Harold Albrecht (Kitchener-Conestoga)
• Norman Doyle (St. John’s East)
• Brian Fitzpatrick (Prince Albert)
• Galipeau, Royal (Ottawa-Orleans)
• Gary Goodyear (Cambridge)
• Jason Kenney (Calgary Southeast)
• Guy Lauzon (Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry)
• Lemieux, Pierre (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell)
• James Lunney (Nanaimo-Alberni)
• Kevin Sorenson (Crowfoot)
• Brad Trost (Saskatoon-Humboldt)
• Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin)
• Mark Warawa (Langley)

Liberals

• Paul Steckle (Huron Bruce)
• Paul Szabo (Mississauga South)
• Tom Wappel (Scarborough Southwest)

Also attending:

Sen. Michael Forrestall (Conservative – Dartmouth and the Eastern Shore)

If you can’t get enough political news and chit-chat on television, here’s good news for you. The producers of Mike Duffy Live will be replaying that show once a day. The show normally runs live on CTV Newsnet weekdays at 5 pm Ottawa time. Now, we’ve just learned, that show — which is produced out of CTV’s Parliament Hill bureau — will be replayed at 8 pm Ottawa time.

The show normally takes a break during the summer recess.