G8 2006, a set on Flickr.
On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will touch down in St. Petersburg for his second summit in that city since he became PM. St. Petersburg was the site of Harper’s very first major international summit in the summer of 2006, a G8 hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. This week, Putin hosts the G20 and he, Harper and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are the three G8 leaders who will have been at both of Putin’s summits.
Stephen Harper had hardly every stepped outside of his native Canada when, in the first few months as Canada’s prime minister, he found himself flying to St. Petersburg for his first G8 summit. This week, Harper will return to St. Petersburg for the annual summit of G20 leaders.
I was among the reporters covering his 2006 trip and I will be among the press pack covering this 2013 G20 summit. Continue reading Harper returns to St. Petersburg older but is he wiser?
A bunch of federal riding associations — mostly Green Party electoral district associations — were de-registered by Elections Canada over the last week, all for failing to live up to one provision or another of the Canada Elections Act.
The only Liberal EDA to be de-registered in the latest batch of de-registrations: The Central Nova Federal Liberal Association, in the riding currently held by Conservative Peter MacKay. The notice from Elections Canada that the Central Nova Liberal EDA will be de-registered as of Sept. 30 comes in the same week that party leader Justin Trudeau was in the riding drawing (as usual) huge and enthusiastic crowds.
Continue reading As Trudeau visits, Liberal riding association de-registered
