Month: November 2006

Who wants to be CRTC chairman?

The federal government began interviewing candidates this week to replace Charles Dalfen as the chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). There are, industry sources tell me, five candidates who are getting a look-see from the Privy Council Office. The early favourite was (and probably still is) former broadcast executive Fern Belisle but we are now hearing that former telecom executive George Addy is the favourite of top officials at the Privy Council Office. Others who are getting an interview include Mulroney-era cabinet minister and former CBC supremo Perrin Beatty, CRTC executive director for broadcasting and telecommunications Leonard Katz, and former Lucent Canada CEO and current dean of the Ivey School of Business at UWO Carole Stephenson.

The next chair of the federal agency is expected to be an “agent of change” at the CRTC. Industry Minister Maxime Bernier recently issued a rare rebuke to the commission, overturning a decision the commission had made about regulating voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services. The CRTC wanted to regulate incumbent telcos like Bell and Telus but Bernier wants the market to determine pricing and availability for all the players. Bernier and others in the government will want to see the CRTC tread more lightly in the future, relying as often as it can on market forces. This was one of the main recommendations of the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel.

The showdown between Belisle and Addy is an interesting one if only because it pits the preferred candidate of the Prime Minister and his cabinet — Belisle — against the candidate — Addy — that is being backed by Kevin Lynch, the Clerk of the Privy Council. The broadcasting and telecom industry is also keen to see how this plays out. In Ottawa, cablecos, telcos, and broadcasters had generally agreed that Belisle would be a good compromise pick that wouldn’t necessarily line up with any one particular group. Belisle once worked at Corus and had earlier served on the commission when Mulroney was in charge. He looked after the broadcasting part of the commission’s work with a competency that seemed to be unique during Keith Spicer’s topsy-turvy reign as chair.

The cable companies — mostly Shaw and Rogers — would be nervous about Addy taking the job because until he joined the Toronto law firm of Davies Ward Phillips and Wineberg in 2002, he was the executive vice-president at Telus Corp., the nation’s second largest telecommunications firm.

 

 

Bernier on "Environment Myths"

Maxime BernierWith the federal government taking a public relations hit on the environment file, cabinet ministers are talking up their plan, to put their message in front of as many groups as possible. Industry Minister Maxime Bernier (left) did just that this week, departing from the usual stuff that industry ministers talk about, to address his government’s work on environmental issues. I’ve excerpted a portion from his speech below. He gave the speech in Montreal, in a province, not coincidentally, where concern about environmental issues appears to be stronger than in many other provinces. Some pundits have linked falling voter preferences for the Conservatives in Quebec to their stand on environmental issues. So, with that preamble, here’s a chunk of Bernier’s speech — and you’re almost certain to hear some of these lines repeated wherever you may hear any cabinet minister speak over the next week or two:

… I want to dispel three myths that have been taken as truth in the past few months.

Myth number one: Canada has withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol.

False.

Canada has signed the Protocol. We are counted among the minority of countries that do pay their yearly contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat.

We have taken our rightful place in presiding over the table of signatory countries, which, incidentally, are responsible for only 30 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions.

Canada also works to raise awareness among non-signatory countries, which are responsible for 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada actively participates in international cooperation efforts against climate change.

However, the day after our election, we told Canadians and our international partners that the Kyoto commitments made by the former government were unattainable.

We are sending the same message to everyone. We tell the truth.

Which brings me to myth number two, that Canada's Kyoto objectives are attainable.

I repeat: It's impossible.

At Kyoto, in December 1997, the former government committed to reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions to 6 percent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. However, these emissions today are 27 percent higher than 1990 levels.

This commitment was not based on any scientific assessment or any real consultation with industry. The government at that time, if you don't mind my saying so, was simply flying by the seat of its pants.

Moreover, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development at the Office of the Auditor General, Johanne Gélinas, published a report showing the Liberal government's total lack of preparation and thoroughness with respect to Kyoto objectives.

The majority of signatory countries had done their homework, but not Canada. Several countries announced at Kyoto in December 1997 that their GHG emissions would go up. They undertook to curb the increase of emissions. Australia, for example, committed to an 8-percent increase. Iceland committed to 10 percent.

It was entirely predictable that Canadian GHG emissions would go up, if only because of oil. We have some of the most plentiful petroleum resources on the planet, and the rest of the world depends on them.

We live in a world that is thirsty for oil. We can't just turn off the tap.

The people who are scolding us today about Kyoto are the same ones who gambled away Canada's reputation. They rolled the dice — and they lost.

And there's more.

In December 2005, the 11th United Nations Climate Change Conference was held here in Montréal. The election was in full swing.

The then-government, and its minister of the Environment, who today is a Liberal leadership candidate, literally duped the international community.

They had in their possession a still-hot Environment Canada report that clearly stated that Canada's Kyoto targets were unattainable.

Continuing to insist that Canada could meet its objectives was nothing more than a con game. That government compromised Canada's long-term reputation for short-term electoral gain.

And that's the long and short of it. While they were carrying on in that farce, others were making progress in the implementation of concrete measures.

While on the subject, I must congratulate the Government of Quebec on its climate change strategy. It is an inspiration for other provinces.

Way to go, Quebec!

We have come to the third myth that I will debunk today, that is, that we are doing nothing to combat climate change.

Again, this is not the case.

To Canada's new government, it is a given that climate change is one of the main challenges facing humanity.

And we are acting responsibly so that Canada can truly face that challenge.

With our first budget, we earmarked $1.3 billion for mass transit.

We introduced tax incentives to encourage Canadians to use public transportation and leave their vehicles at home.

We have set up a system for having an average of 5 percent renewable content in all fuels by 2010.

In October, we tabled the Clean Air Act, which sets out our approach for the coming years.

This act casts a wider net than does the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol only goes after GHGs, which we are doing as well, but we are including in the list of controlled substances several other atmospheric pollutants that are detrimental to people's health.

NIk's numbers: It's a tie

Pollster Nik Nanos says Liberals and Conservatives are in a statistical tie so far as national voter preference goes. But when looking only at Quebec, Nanos' firm SES Research has found that Conservative support has plunged 14 points. The BQ are the main beneficiaries of the drop, gaining 9 points.
“This illustrates the appeal that the Harper-led Conservatives had among soft nationalists in Quebec,” said Nanos in a release this morning.
The Conservative Quebec cabinet ministers, led by Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, have been spending this week spread out across the province making several announcements. Senior aides to those ministers concede that the Quebec cabinet ministers — Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Maxime Bernier, Josee Verner and Michael Fortier– need to raise their profile in the province and, in doing so, boost Conservative fortunes.
Nationally, the Conservatives are the first choice of 34 per cent of voters surveyed. The Liberals are the preferred choice of 32 per cent. The poll was conducted by telephone between Nov. 5 and Nov 9 and the pollster says it is accurate to within 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The pollster did not indicate the size of the polling sample.
The NDP is at 16 per cent nationally, the BQ is at 13 per cent nationally, and the Green Party is at 5 per cent.
In Quebec, SES finds the Conservatives at 12 per cent at Nov. 9, down from 26 per cent support on Aug. 25. The margin of error for the Quebec sample, the pollster says is 6.6 per cent.

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The surplus keeps on growing

Spurred on by overflowing income tax revenue, the federal government’s budget surplus is now at $5.3–billion for the period between April 1 (the beginning of Ottawa’s fiscal year) and the end of September.

Personal income tax revenues were up 8.9 per cent in September 2006, compared to September 2005, representing an additional $700–million for federal coffers. That said, the government nonetheless, ran a deficit in September of $1.4–billion compared to a surplus of $200–million in the same month last year. The Department of Finance says the deficit in September was largely the result of “a one-time adjustment to reflect an under-accrual of pension costs in prior months.”

 

Woodward's self-doubt?

Franklin Foer, editor of The New Republic, is given a page in the New York Times Book Review to tell us what he thinks about Bob Woodward's most recent book State of Denial:

“…State of Denial isn’t a continuation of his previous work as much as a repudiation — the installment in which [Woodward] takes a mulligan and attempts to correct for past obsequiousness. …
After writing All the President’s Men, Woodward became one of them…
With State of Denial, you sense this (somewhat overwrought) critique has rattled Woodward. It has forced him to change his style. There’s less of his signature omniscience here — a style that not only reflected his proximity to power, but captured the self-confidence of the Washington Establishment. In its place, he has grown self-referential, nervously mentioning his past books, as well as inserting himself as a character into his own tale. That Bob Woodward has strayed from the Bob Woodward method tells you a lot about the state of American journalism.”

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Poll: Religion on the way out in Europe

The history of Europe for much of the last 1,500 years has often been the story of the battles of one religious group against another. Religion was what states and empires went to war over. Yes, yes, I know: The cynical marxian historian in me (and perhaps you) might say that various religious elites across Europe through the Middle Ages and beyond were just like any other elites — they were rich property owners just trying to protect or advance their commercial interests and often used war to do so. Still — for those spearchuckers and sword carriers who did the actually massacring of the Huguenots or volunteered for the Crusades or for those citizens who showed up to cheer on a witch burning — a keen, perhaps obsessive, interest in a particular religion was, if not a motivating factor, an enabling factor.
So with that pretext, it seems an interesting development to me that just 17 per cent of France's population expresses any interest in a religion, according to a new survey done by Angus Reid for Maclean's.
“The trend towards secularism has been evident in France during the presidency of Jacques Chirac. In February 2004, the French government implemented a ban on religious symbols in schools as a measure to reaffirm the country’s secular identity. Former government minister Bernard Stasi headed the panel, which concluded that some garments—such as Islamic scarves, Jewish kippas and crosses—represent a “conspicuous” sign of spiritual affiliation that should not be allowed in the classroom.”
So how about Canada? Survey says:
“In North America, a change in Canadian perspectives has been evident over the past 14 years. In 1992, 61 per cent of respondents said religion was very important for their daily lives. This year, the number dropped to 39 per cent. In the United States there was also a decrease, from 83 per cent in 1992 to 63 per cent in 2006.”

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Remembering

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark the 88th occasion of Remembrance Day:

“On this solemn day, Canadians gather together to honour the soldiers, sailors and airmen and women, who served and continue to serve our country, and we pause to remember the more than 116,000 men and women who have laid down their lives in defence of Canada.

Today, as Canadians have done for the past 88 years, we pay tribute to the sacrifice made by generations of Canadian military personnel for the protection of our fundamental values and thank them for our freedom. 

“November 11 is a time to mourn. It is also a time to celebrate the proud military traditions of our great country.  Canada has always answered the call to stand up for freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law.  Our commitment to these values is being tested yet again in Afghanistan, and Canadians are rightly proud of the work our brave soldiers are doing to help those less fortunate than us.  Their courage and devotion to duty inspires us all. 

“I know I speak for all Canadians in expressing unequivocal support and heartfelt gratitude to all our troops and their families.  We are holding the torch high.  The Canadian heroes who lie beneath the poppies in Flanders fields can rest in peace.”  

Liberals scream for Dean

Howard DeanThe Liberal Party of Canada announced today that Howard Dean (left), Chairman of the [US] Democratic National Committee, will be the keynote speaker at the party’s leadership and policy convention in Montreal next month.

“We are proud to have Gov. Dean address our Party. Aside from our obvious affinity with the Democratic Party, Liberals are excited to hear the Chairman’s views on a modern democracy and the role of the Democratic Party in the new U.S. political environment. And the timing couldn’t be better,” said Steven MacKinnon, General Secretary of the Convention.

Dean, of course, was one of the architects of the Democrats electoral success this week in the United States.

 

Salongate — well, almost

Rona AmbroseSome Conservative supporters who have commented at this blog wonder why reporters like me can’t turn the “hairdresser” comments directed at Environment Minister Rona Ambrose (left) into the same kind of media circus that Peter MacKay was subjected to over the alleged dog comment.

Well, we stand ready and willing, of course, but those darn Liberals won’t co-operate. Today, during Question Period, we had our Salongate reporters and anchors all primed for action for there was Liberal John Cannis, the MP for Scarborough Centre, heckling Ambrose with comments that sounded like “she’s too busy at the hair salon to do her job.” We could see Tories like John Baird nearly jumping out of their seat as they pointed across the aisle with an accusatory “A-ha!” Here were Liberals engaging in the same kind of sexist behaviour that they had so high-and-mightily accused their Foreign Affairs Minister of engaging in!

But, unfortunately for all of us who would have been keen to pursue Salongate for the next five days, the Liberals refused to play fair. For as soon as Question Period ended, Cannis hopped to his feet and confessed to the House that he had behaved badly and was sorry. “I … made a comment while the Minister of the Environment was speaking, referring to a hair salon. I wish to withdraw those words. If they were offensive and offended anybody, I wish to apologize..”

But a faint glimmer of hope for those who wish this to dominate our news coverage for the next week: Maybe it wasn’t Cannis! Maybe it was his seatmate, Raymond Bonin, the MP from Nickel Belt, who slurred the Environment Minister. At least that’s what Conservative House Leader Rob Nicholson thought, for he rose to his feet immediately after Cannis apologized, to solemnly accuse Bonin of behaving badly.

“The member for Nickel Belt(‘s) … comment was overheard by my colleagues… saying that she should go back to the hair salon, so they were similar to the comments made by the hon. member for Scarborough Centre. These are sexist comments and an insult to everyone in the chamber and I wonder if he would withdraw those comments as well?”

But Bonin, sadly, is no Cannis.

“Mr. Speaker, the member might have heard someone from this area, but I can assure you on my honour that I did not say that.”

And with that, we redeployed our Salongate reporters to the fiscal imbalance.