All across the country, panels of eminent persons are looking at ways to re-draw the electoral map to take into account our growing population.
The group in Newfoundland and Labrador are the first to publish proposed new boundaries. At least three ridings look to get what seems to me a radical makeover.
Continue reading Newfoundland first to re-draw its electoral map
Lee Richardson, the MP for Calgary-Centre announced in the House of Commons this afternoon that he is resigning his seat in order to become Principal Secretary to Alberta Premier Alison Redford. Richardson is a popular MP, well-liked by those on all sides of the House and has always been cordial and helpful with reporters. He’s one of the good guys. Here’s his final speech in the House: Continue reading Goodbye from Lee Richardson
Is it an equalization plan? Is it an income support plan? It sure ain’t an insurance plan – but the Employement Insurance plan is what we got.
Here’s Western University economist Mike Moffatt followed up by former Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg talking about the changes the federal government announced today on EI.
Continue reading Employment insurance: Moffatt on the policy; Solberg on the politics
Like all MPs, Conservative David Wilks is back in his riding this week, attending to constituency work and meeting with voters.
On Tuesday morning, in a coffee shop in Revelstoke, B.C., in his riding of Kootenay-Columbia in the province’s southeast corner he met some constituents who told him they didn’t much like Bill C-38, the government’s controversial 425-page omnibus budget bill. The budget bill, you’ll recall, introduces changes to everything from the age at which Canadians will qualify for old age security payments to the process for environmental assessments of resource projects.
One constituents filmed a 12-minute exchange between Wilks and these voters and put it on YouTube. It’s remarkable viewing. Continue reading Conservative David Wilks: "One MP is not going to make a difference"
It’s an odd story to be sure — a student leader at the centre of these massive protests in Montreal — fails to pay the rent. But what’s odder is the excuse Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and his buddies tried to use on the judge:
The landlord alleged that the March and April rental payments, each of $950, were never made. Nadeau-Dubois alleged that they were made on March 12th and April 2nd respectively. On each occasion, he and his roommates purportedly left envelopes stuffed with $950 in cash in their landlord’s unlocked, outdoor mailbox. As evidence of this, they adduced bank receipts showing two $1000 withdrawals from Mr. Nadeau-Dubois’ personal bank account which they argued constituted sufficient proof of the payment. When the Régie suggested that these were proof of nothing more than two separate, one thousand dollar bank withdrawals, Nadeau-Dubois responded with what Judge Guay referred to as “syllogisms from Mr. Nadeau-Dubois and circumstances alleged to the detriment of the landlord.”
via Student leader Nadeau-Dubois evicted for unpaid rent – The Prince Arthur Herald.
MPs are not in the House of Commons this week. This is a “break week” or “riding week.” It is also the kind of week when government MPs run about the country handing out cheques. I’ve been tracking these ceremonies ever since the last federal election. I do this through a real-time Twitter project known as @OttawaSpends and, from time-to-time I summarize the data here.
It is now just 2 pm Ottawa time on this first business day of this break week and, so far, government MPs have been been busy with 12 announcements in various parts of the country during which more than $101 million was committed, spent or celebrated. Continue reading Ottawa spends — and spends, and spends, a spends.
This is just plain, well, weird …
… Prime Minister Stephen Harper is completely naked.
The oil on canvas painting, entitled Emperor Haute Couture by artist Margaret Sutherland, is raising eyebrows at the Kingston, Ont., library where it is currently on display in a room. Continue reading The nude Stephen Harper. No, really. The NUDE Stephen Harper.
The government of India moves to take control of the Internet’s plumbing in that country, a troubling development that could have repercussions not only for that country’s digital development but perhaps also for the Internet in the rest of the world.
India’s proposal could prove controversial for multi-stakeholder communities within the country and across the world, since it entails moving away from the prevailing democratic ‘equal say’ process for internet governance to one in which governments would be front and centre, receiving advice from stakeholders and deciding the way forward.
Read the piece: The Hindu : News / National : India’s proposal for government control of Internet to be discussed in Geneva.
This is the first election cycle in the United States since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that anyone could spend as much as they like — with little or no disclosure — attacking or supporting candidates or political parties in an election. Thus was born the SuperPAC (PAC standing for Political Action Committee) where billionaires can fund ad campaigns saying whatever they want and the candidates they are supporting are, by law, not allowed to tell them a thing.
And while campaigns controlled by the candidates themselves can certainly be vicious and aggressive in going after their opponents, SuperPACs, as we saw in the Republican primary can take it to a whole new level. Continue reading Want to see what unlimited money in politics gets you? Bring on the race-based attacks
The United Nations Rapporteur on the Right to Food says Canada is “self-righteous” and says that it is “appalling” that we ignore pronouncements from the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council. Olivier de Schutter darkly warned today that Canada’s failure to heed the council – whose current members include Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and the Congo — will do Canada no good!
Meanwhile, as Canadians knew all along, there are too many kids going to school hungry and too many of our relatives, friends, and neighbours who live on Canada’s First Nations can’t get good food cheap.
Well, we’ve had one federal election and seven provincial elections in the last year in Canada. The incumbent government — be it Conservative, Liberal or NDP — won every single one. Given all the opportunities electors had to “throw the bums out” on hunger and poverty issues, Canadians either blew it or they disagree with de Schutter’s diagnosis.
Now, if “eradicating hunger” was a central part of any provincial campaign, I’m counting on you, dear reader, to let me know. You can count on me, in return, to help you keep abreast of federal politics. So let’s look back, just over a year ago, to what the three leading parties were saying in their election platforms about food. Continue reading Hungry in Canada? What were the leading parties saying a year ago?