On my program last night, writer Christian Caryl picks up on something he blogged about a few days ago:
As of today, it can be assumed that the most powerful man in North Korea is Kim [Jong Un]’s uncle, Chang Song Taek, widely regarded as the designated regent. Chang, who is 65 (health status unknown), has going for him both strong family ties Continue reading The Most Powerful Uncle in the World is the One with the Nukes
Ian Capstick is a smart fellow who knows a lot about the political backrooms that most journalists never get to see. He’s a former aide to Liberal Sheila Copps but who eventually left the Liberals to join the federal New Democrats and was, when I first met him in 2005, the very effective and efficient press secretary to the federal NDP caucus. He’s never afraid of a good political fight. Indeed, I believe he enjoys one. And, perhaps most importantly in a town where many inflate their sense of themselves to get ahead, Capstick, in my experience, rarely blows smoke.
So, here he is tonight on CBC’s Power and Politics, responding to some questions from my friend Evan Solomon about the departure from the NDP leadership race of the unilingual Robert Chisholm: Continue reading NDP insider: Saganash, Ashton should pack it up. Topp maybe, too
From our studios in the nation’s capital, we’ll have this and more on the Daily Brief tonight:
Allright, then: With the news that Nova Scotia’s Robert Chisholm has withdrawn his candidacy to succeed Jack Layton, who do you like for the job? Vote now in our wholly unscientific straw poll, and, in the comments, tell us why voted the way you did.
Continue reading Take our NDP Leadership race poll: Who do you like?
Robert Chisholm, the former leader of the Nova Scotia NDP and the MP for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour has ended his bid to become leader of the federal NDP, mostly, he says, because he won’t meet what he sees as a basic requirement for the next leader: the ability to speak both official languages. Here’s his press release: Continue reading Nova Scotia's Robert Chisholm first to exit NDP race
Out this morning from Conservative Stephen Woodworth, who represents the Ontario riding of Kitchener Centre:
MP Stephen Woodworth calls for another look at Canada’s 400 Year Old Law
A recent poll disclosed that 80% of Canadians believe that Canadian law protects the fundamental human rights of children before birth in the later stages of gestation. Continue reading Tory MP wants to ignite Parliamentary debate on abortion
BCLocalNews.com published yesterday a year-end interview Tom Fletcher did with British Columbia Premier Christy Clark. Here’s some excerpts, in which Clark stays on the sidelines of the debate on a Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific but frowns on U.S. groups mobilizing and funding Canadians: Continue reading BC Premier Christy Clark on resource development and foreign money flowing to Canadian green groups
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty boldly went Monday where no finance minister has ever gone before when it comes to the billions upon billions Ottawa transfers every year to the provinces for health and social services.
He told the provinces they would continue to get the billions upon billions from the federal treasury and — here comes the bold bit — told them they could spend it however they saw fit.
Imagine that: A federal government program with no strings attached.
Still, provincial finance ministers are a tough act to please. Continue reading Flaherty exits boldly from one fine mess
It’s from Christian Caryl, a Senior Fellow at the Legatum Institute and a Contributing Editor at Foreign Policy magazine, writing at the blog of the New York Review of Books. And I say it’s encouraging because of lines like these that suggest there is some hope for limited change in the Hermit Kingdom:
After all, isn’t the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea a staunchly totalitarian state where nothing ever changes? Actually, no. You could have gotten away with writing that just a few years ago. But too much has happened in North Korea in the interim . . . Continue reading An encouraging take on Kim Jong-Il's death: Signs of change!
In this month’s American Review of Canadian Studies, a couple of American academics take a look at the voting patterns in Canada’s House of Commons for the 2005 vote on same-sex marriage. The trio of academics concluded that voting patterns on Bill C-38, the Civil Marriage Act were special, even rare, because of “unusually strong evidence of constituency characteristics influencing the voting behavior of MPs.”
The final vote in the House of Commons — I remember sitting in the Press Gallery above the Speaker’s Chair watching the historic tally — went 158 to 133 in favour of the bill. Continue reading Was the 2005 vote on same-sex marriage a model for the way it should be done in the Commons?