I’ll bet a nickel that this is the first time the populist Toronto Sun has been cited in the New York Review of Books, a favourite of left-wing intellectual elites. (I read and enjoy both!).
The citation comes via Margaret Atwood who blogs at NYRB.com about Twitter, The Rotating Skull, The Ford Brothers, The Turnip Who Would Be PM, and other Tales from the Enchanted E-Forest. An excerpt: Continue reading Margaret Atwood: The Turnip Who Would Be PM and other Tales from the Enchanged E-Forest
A Simon Fraser University professor says there is statistical evidence that the votes of hundreds – perhaps thousands – of non-Conservative supporters were suppressed in last May’s general election by some kind of robocall campaign. Continue reading SFU prof on the evidence of robocall vote suppression
There are nearly 40,000 New Democrats in BC who have voted/will be voting in the NDP leadership race. This afternoon in Vancouver, leadership candidates engaged in the final and perhaps most important all-candidates debate of the campaign. Did you watch? Who do you think won? Vote right here and then tell us why in the comments section: Continue reading Vote now: Who won the Vancouver NDP leadership debate?
The Parliamentary Press Gallery just held its annual general meeting where we learned of the stunning news that, this morning, Public Works and Government Services Canada has decided that, as of April 1, the front door to the National Press Building (left) will be shut for two years to accommodate construction happening to adjacent government buildings.
The National Press Building has had a long and historic connection with life on Parliament Hill (There’s even a historical plaque saying so on Wellington Street directly opposite from the building in front of West Block). The building is the home of the National Press Theatre. This facility is run by the Parliamentary Press Gallery (not by any government or party) where we provide audio and visual Continue reading Government shuts the door on the National Press Building
Thrilled to bits to see some of the excellent work my QMI/Sun Media colleagues at our newspapers around the country is being recognized today with National Newspaper Award nominations. The NNAs are the top annual awards — this 63rd competition — in the newspaper industry. There were more than 1,350 entries this year and out of those, the judges have picked 71 finalists in 22 categories. The winners will be recognized on April 27 at a ceremony in Toronto.
Sun Media/QMI is guaranteed to win at least one of those awards, Continue reading Sun Media/QMI score big with National Newspaper Award nominations
Just about no one liked Bill C-30, An Act to enact the Investigating and Preventing Criminal Electronic Communications Act and to amend the Criminal Code and other Acts tabled in the House of Commons by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. I was one of what seemed like a unanimous chorus of pundits who thought C-30 a bad idea. But some opponents of this bill inappropriately and shamefully thought the best way express their opposition was to personally shame Toews and to threaten his personal safety. Continue reading Speaker Scheer on Anonymous: "a subversive attack on the most fundamental privileges of this House"
Today, in the Globe and Mail, there is this “letter to the editor”:
Robo-ethics
In January, 2010, my UVic inbox had an e-mail invite from a democracy centre to attend a campaign school. Intrigued, I signed up for the three-day event. Continue reading The Manning campaign manual on voter contact
Just in from Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott:
March 5, 2012
On the issue of robocalls, as an example, in the 2008 election, my MP and campaign office, had constituents [in Saskatoon-Wanuskewin] phone us from Corman Park north of Saskatoon toward the river, who in systemic fashion, received Elections Canada voter identification cards telling them to vote on the other side of the river in Aberdeen. Not only is that an unreasonably long way to have voters go to cast a ballot, but it’s not even in our Saskatoon-Wanuskewin constituency. Continue reading MP Maurice Vellacott's theory on robocalls: Could be EC's fault!
Political scientist Richard Conley takes a look at legislative activity in Canada’s House of Commons since 1953 with a view towards trying to determine if majority or minority governments really make a difference in terms of a Parliament’s ‘productivity’. He finds they do but, if I read his piece correctly, ‘productivity’ for Conley is really only a measure of the amount of legislation that gets passed by an particularly Parliament.
Conley does not do a qualitative analysis in assessing which is better — minority or majority — but does provide some anecdotal reference to what, 50 year later at least, look like the very productive minority governments led by Lester Pearson and the relatively hamstrung, unproductive minority governments led by Paul Martin and Stephen Harper from 2004 through to 2011. Continue reading Majorities vs Minorities: Which kinds of Parliaments are more productive?
New York Times reporter Mark Landler opens his front-page piece this morning this way:
“On the eve of a crucial visit to the White House by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, that country’s most powerful American advocates are mounting an extraordinary public campaign to pressure President Obama into hardening American policy toward Iran over its nuclear program …
The pressure from an often-hostile Congress is also mounting. A group of influential senators, fresh from a meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in Jerusalem, has called on Mr. Obama to lay down sharper criteria, known as “red lines,” about when to act against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.“We’re saying to the administration, ‘You’ve got a problem; let’s fix it, let’s get back on message,’ ” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who took part in the meeting with Mr. Netanyahu and said the Israeli leader vented frustration at what he viewed as mixed messages from Washington. Continue reading American Jews, Israel, Iran — and the Netanyahu/Obama meeting