Month: January 2007

Kinsella says I'm sorry – or not

For Ottawa insiders,  a meeting held in April 2005 of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts was a must-see affair. That Committee was looking into allegations surrounding the sponsorship scandal.

On April 18, the committee heard from a witness list that included Chretien loyalist Warren Kinsella as well as two leading lights from the Martin camp: husband-and-wife team David Herle and Terrie O’Leary.

There is no love lost between Kinsella and Herle/O’Leary and, sure enough, the testimony that day was a Liberal bunfight — of great interest to Ottawa insiders who have seen such bunfights occur in private dozens of times over the years.

Kinsella certainly said something that annoyed O’Leary and now it looks like O’Leary has extracted her pound of flesh for this entry appears today on Kinsella’s blog, very much have the tone of a court-enforceable mea culpa (Kinsella mixes up his committees — there is no committe on public works):

January 8, 2006 – I provided testimony to the Standing Committee on Public Works (PAC) in April of 2005. I also authorized and presented to the Committee various documents. I regret any harm these statements may have caused Terrie O'Leary. At no time in any dealings involving myself and Ms. O'Leary or at any other time did I observe any evidence of any kind that Ms. O'Leary was ever personally involved in improper contracting activity.

 UPDATE: Kinsella disagrees with some of the conclusions I’ve made in the pre-amble and says so on his blog today:

January 9, 2006 – I posted a statement about a long-time political adversary yesterday. I offered to do so, and she did not force me to do so. No money exchanged hands, no apologies, just an expression of regret. My dictionary defines regret as this: “A feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different.”

That sounds about right. I wish her the best, and no lawyer told me to write that.

My crocus bulbs have sprouted — and it's January 5!

Where I live outside Ottawa, it has been wet and warm all week. Perfect weather for all the crocus bulbs I planted two months ago to wake up and decide that it's time to put up shoots — which emerged above the mulch today. The only problem is — it's January the bloody fifth! How do I tell my crocus bulbs to go back to sleep for three more months? And what about that holy lake and those new-born hedgehogs?
Perhaps John Baird can help us …

It's payday for our political parties

Today’s the day that Elections Canada sends out the cheques to every political party that won enough votes in the last general election to qualify for for an ‘allowances’. The annual allowances — they amount to $1.75 per vote per year for each party and are paid quarterly — are paid by you and I and every other taxpayer. So when the Conservatives howled about how they didn’t think convention expenses should count as donations because then the taxpayer would be subsidizing political party events . . .

…the bottom line is the Liberal Party wants to be able to give taxpayer subsidies to Liberals to attend conventions and I guess that’s the big difference here. The Conservatives felt that you shouldn’t get tax receipts. Hardworking families shouldn’t have to work a little harder and dig a little bit deeper into their pockets.
– Then Treasury Board President John Baird in a scrum, Sept. 20, 2006

So, recognizing that issuing tax receipts only means that the federal  government missed out on possible revenue earned from those who would have paid taxes on the $1,000 or whatever it was, we ask,  how might Conservatives like Minister Baird square the idea of taking $10–million-a-year allowance every year from that very same taxpayer?

Parties qualify for this annual subsidy so long as they earned at least two per cent of all votes cast across the country in the last general election or they earned at least five per cent in the electoral districts in which they ran a candidate.

Here’s how much each party received for the fourth quarter of 2006:

  1. Conservative Party of Canada — $2,515,737
  2. Liberal Party of Canada — $2,096,926
  3. New Democratic Party of Canada — $1,212,255
  4. Bloc Quebecois — $727,092
  5. Green Party — $310,867

So, for the year, here’s how much taxpayers ‘donated’ to each political party:

  1. Conservative Party of Canada — $9,388,357
  2. Liberal Party of Canada — $8,572,965
  3. New Democratic Party of Canada — $4,611.140
  4. Bloc Quebecois — $2,950,984
  5. Green Party — $1,199,287

 

Khan does the Liberals a favour

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion issued a statement and that’s all the press he’s doing today on the Wajid Khan defection. But a Liberal staffer e-mails me to make a point that you’d think Dion might have wanted to make, that being, that Khan is doing the Libs a favour by vacating a Toronto-area seat.

How’s that, you ask?

“He's done the party a huge favour by opening up a Toronto seat for a high profile candidate. We were having problems finding a spot in the event nobody retired,” my Liberal source says. “Could be Rae, Kennedy, Findley or someone else. Maybe even Rock.”

Mind you, Bob Rae might run against Jack Layton in Broadview-Greenwood; the thinking there being that, for Rae, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for him personally to lose and, just by running he would suck NDP resources into that riding to support Layton.  Gerard Kennedy is probably eyeing Parkdale-High Park, now held by NDPer Peggy Nash who unseated Liberal Sam Bulte in the last election. But Martha Hall Findley might make sense there.

Both Liberal and Conservative staffers I spoke to today, by the way, agree that Khan doesn’t have a hope winning the riding as a Conservative.

Despite a very credible Conservative candidate in 2006, the Liberal Khan coasted to victory by 7,000 votes.

 

Why I'm a Conservative: Wajid Khan

Wajid KhanHere’s our transcript of Mississauga-Streetsville MP Wajid Khan’s (left) opening remarks at the press conference, in the foyer of the House of Commons, as he announced he was defecting from the Liberals to the Conservatives:

For the past six months, I have been honored to serve Prime Minister Harper and Canada's new Conservative Party, especially on Middle-Eastern and Central Asian affairs. [It was] the arrests in Toronto last June [that] prompted me to put partisan interests aside and try to do something for our country. It has often been said and no doubt it will be said again today that politics makes strange bedfellows, but nothing about my decision to join the Conservative caucus feels strange to me, because I have come to admire the Prime Minister and his government during the last year. It is a government with a clear sense of direction, a mainstream agenda, a commitment to honesty, openness and accountability, an assertive, realistic approach to foreign policy and a real record of accomplishments.

    Also — and this is very important to me and many of my constituents in Mississauga-Streetsville — the Prime Minister and his government have demonstrated a genuine commitment to new Canadians. They have reached out to immigrant communities and taken action to solve some of the problems we have had for years with Ottawa, among other things the cutting of the landing fee, increased settlement funding and finally, got the government moving on credentials recognition. As a result, I have noticed that more and more Canadians are excited about joining the Conservative Party.
    For all these reasons, I came to the conclusion that my ideals and priorities and those of my constituents would be better served in the Conservative Party. So I was very pleased, and Prime Minister Harper agreed, that I should join Canada's new government. I must say that I did not come to this decision lightly, but quite frankly, the Liberal Party has moved away from people like me, people who believe in free enterprise, support for families, and a stronger, more assertive Canada on the world stage.

    But there is another very important issue and that issue is of leadership. Leadership matters and I believe the best leader for Canada is the man who now has the job, Prime Minister Harper. I want to keep working with the Prime Minister to protect our national security, to advance and defend Canada's interests on the world stage and to ensure that Canada works for all Canadians, no matter who they are or where they may have come from.

    I also want to get things done for the city of Mississauga, the region of Peel and the entire GTA on the issue of infrastructure and transit, public and community safety, air quality and the environment. I can't get these things done from the opposition benches, but I can as a member of a government with a proven record of getting things done for Canadians and their communities.

    So today … I called Mr. Dion as well as my riding association of my decision. I'm pleased to report that my riding association president and several members of the board support my decision. Prime Minister, thank you, sir, for welcoming me into your party and your government. I look forward to working with you and the entire Conservative team in building a better, stronger Canada.

You can watch the entire press conference by clicking on the video links here.

Liberals on Khan's defection

Stephane DionLiberal Leader Stephane Dion (right) just issued this statement:

It is with regret that I have received word of Mr. Khan's decision to leave the Liberal Caucus and join the Conservative Party.

As a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, I was never comfortable with Mr. Khan serving as an advisor to a Conservative Prime Minister, as Mr. Khan has done since August of last year.

As Leader of the Party, I felt it imperative that he decide to which party he would ultimately be loyal. Mr. Khan has now made that decision.

More cabinet intrigue: The Committees

The headline news today, of course, is the cabinet shuffle. But among the new jobs for seven ministers and the elevation of five MPs, the Prime Minister has re-tooled cabinet committee structure. Committees of cabinet are important institutions. It is at committee, for example, that legislation or new initatiatives is hashed around. The new secretaries of state do not normally attend meetings of the full cabinet but they will attend meetings of a cabinet committee.

Prime Minister Martin had a relatively large number of cabinet committees, a function partly of the fact that he had a large cabinet. Prime Minister Harper had a slimmed down cabinet and a slimmed down committee structure with just five cabinet committees. Today, though, with five more ministers, he has added a new cabinet committee, “Environment and Energy Security”, and changed some of the leadership positions on other cabinet committees.

Here are the changes:

  • The most powerful committee is the Priorities and Planning Committee, also known by the shorthand — P&P. This is the only committee Harper participates in and he is its chair. Transport Minister and Lawrence Cannon — political minister for Quebec and the man who becomes Prime Minister if Harper falls unconscious — is the vice-chair. This committee “provides strategic direction on government priorities and expenditure management, ratifies committee recommendations and approves appointments.” All the heavy hitters in Cabinet are on this committee. No one who was on the committee before the shuffle is out of this group and there are two new members of this committee: Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Health Minister Tony Clement.
  • Clement also finds himself as a new member of cabinet’s second most powerful committee, Operations. Among those who didn’t get a new job, this may be a sign that the PMO is approving of how Clement has handled the Health file. Pundits last session thought otherwise, that Clement’s star was fading. This committee “provides the day-to-day coordination of the government’s agenda, including issues management, legislation and house planning, and communications” and, in addition to Clement, the new members are Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg, and Treasury Board President Vic Toews. Losing their seat on this committee is Environment Minister John Baird — not really a demotion as he has a much heightened profile overall in government and is on P&P. Can’t say the same for Revenue Minister Carol Skelton who loses her seat on this committee and is now on just two cabinet committees instead of three. Jim Prentice chairs this committee and his vice-chair is newly minted Governnment House Leader Peter Van Loan.
  • Treasury Board is where the buck stops — the committee that is all about accountability, ethics, financial management and most orders-in-council. Whoever is the President of the Treasury Board is this committee’s chair and so Vic Toews is in and Baird is out. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty remains as vice-chair. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay is the only other new member of the TB. Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice is off the Treasury Board although he remains, along with Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor as an alternate
  • The biggest changes are at the Social Affairs committee, which considers, as you’d expect, all governnment’s social policy issues in areas like health care, justice, immigration and so on. Tony Clement continues to chair this committee (so, he’s chairing a committee and a member of both P&P and Ops — pretty nice guy to get to know if you want something done) and Diane Finley continues as vice-chair. But the new committee members include Nicholson, Senator Marjory LeBreton, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Rona Ambrose, International Cooperation Minister Josee Verner and Secretary of State Jason Kenney. No long on this committee: Toews and new Government House Leader Peter Van Loan.
  • The Economic Affairs committee continues to be chaired by Flaherty and the vice-chair is International Trade Minister David Emerson.  Secretarys of State Gerry Ritz and Christian Paradis are new adds here while Ambrose is dropped from this committee. This committee looks after, well, the economic affairs of the country.
  • There has been a change of leadership on the Foreign Affairs and National Security (FANS) committee. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay is no longer the chair of the committee though he remains a member. The new chair is Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day continues as vice-chair. Sources in the PMO say the MacKay move was made for practical reasons as much of the business coming to this committee is coming from the Foreign Affairs department. So MacKay needs to participate more in these meetings rather than act as their moderator. The only new FANS member, in addition to Nicholson, is Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson. Solberg and Toews lose membership in this committee.
  • Then there is the all-new Environment and Energy Security (I propose that rather than use the shorthand, EES, call it EES-y — kinda catchy, don’t you think/). The committee will “consider environment and energy security policy issues and here are its members:
    • Chair: Jim Prentice
    • Vice-Chair: John Baird
    • Gary Lunn
    • Loyola Hearn
    • Rona Ambrose
    • Maxime Bernier
    • Lawrence Cannon
    • Tony Clement
    • Peter Van Loan

 

So, if you wanted to read the entrails here: Who in cabinet has the most juice? That would be Jim Prentice. Prentice is the only one who chairs two commiteess — Ops and EESy – and sits on Social Affairs and is an alternate to Treasury Board.

And now from the proverbial Horse's Mouth: The Cabinet Shuffle

The following is the press release from the Prime Minster’s Office, issued this morning:

PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO THE MINISTRY

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced today the following changes to the Ministry:

·         the Honourable Robert Douglas Nicholson becomes Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada;

·         the Honourable Marjory LeBreton takes on additional duties as Secretary of State (Seniors), in addition to her responsibilities as Leader of the Government in the Senate;

·         the Honourable Monte Solberg becomes Minister of Human Resources and Social Development;

·         the Honourable Vic Toews becomes President of the Treasury Board;

·         the Honourable Rona Ambrose becomes President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification;

·         the Honourable Diane Finley becomes Minister of Citizenship and Immigration;

·         the Honourable John Baird becomes Minister of the Environment; and

·         the Honourable Peter Van Loan becomes Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform.

In addition, the Prime Minister announced the appointment to the Ministry of six new Secretaries of State, including the cross-appointment of Minister LeBreton as Secretary of State (Seniors):

·         the Honourable Jay D. Hill is appointed Secretary of State and Chief Government Whip;

·         the Honourable Jason Kenney has been sworn in as a member of the Privy Council and is appointed Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity);

 ·         the Honourable Gerry Ritz has been sworn in as a member of the Privy Council and is appointed Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism);

·         the Honourable Helena Guergis has been sworn in as a member of the Privy Council and is appointed Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) (Sport); and

·         the Honourable Christian Paradis has been sworn in as a member of the Privy Council and is appointed Secretary of State (Agriculture).

The newly appointed Secretaries of State will be members of the Ministry and will be bound by Cabinet solidarity, but will not be members of Cabinet (Senator LeBreton will remain a full Cabinet Minister). Each will attend the meetings of the appropriate Cabinet Committee, in light of his or her responsibilities.

 

Here comes the shuffle

OK — so I was blind as a bat. The cabinet shuffle is on — for Thursday around mid-day. We’re certain of that and one other thing: Rona Ambrose will no longer be Minister of Environment.

Now for the relatively informed speculation — things we  (and when I say we, I mean, the reporters at CTV’s Parliamentary Bureau, who have been busily trying to assemble all of this from various bits and pieces of data) are pretty sure about.

  • John Baird leaves his post at Treasury Board to become Minister of the Environment.
  • Jim Prentice leaves his portfolio of Indian Affairs to become President of the Treasury Board.
  • Peter Van Loan becomes Minister of Indian Affairs (he was in charge of Intergovernmental Affairs.)
  • Gerry Ritz is a new addition to cabinet. The Saskatchewan MP will become Minister of State for Tourism.

Now for some slightly less informed speculation:

  • Bev Oda’s portfolio is split in two — she remains minister of Heritage but the Communications part of her portfolio goes to a newly created Secretary of State.
  • James Moore, currently Parliamentary Secretary to Public Works Minister and Senator Michael Fortier, lightens the load David Emerson has been carrying and becomes Minister for the Olympics.

Now for pure and unadulterated rumours:

  • Vic Toews leaves the Justice portfolio behind and becomes Minister of Immigration.
  • Monte Solberg leaves Immigration and becomes Minister of State for Communications.
  • Diane Ablonczy becomes Minister of State for Communications.
  • There will be one more new face at the cabinet table. Choose from the following: Ontario MPs Rick Dykstra or Helena Guergis or Manitoba MP Rod Bruinooge.

I’ll be on the air at 6 am Ottawa time — on Newsnet — going over all of this again. If you’re reading this and you happen to work in the Prime Minister’s Office, please call and let me know which bits I’ve got right!