Month: January 2014

The pro-Keystone push begins

 

First there was the big news:

And within minutes the Conservative Party of Canada unveiled the ad above and various politicians took to social media to sell it. Continue reading The pro-Keystone push begins

Harper no longer go-to pick for Canadians concerned about the economy

EAP

Our friends at Abacus Data are out with an interesting poll that takes a look at how Canadians feel about the economy and about the ability of federal political parties to manage current and future economic challenges. Bottom line, as I report in our papers today:

while a significant number of Canadians still believe that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are best for the economy, many Canadians are just as confident Thomas Mulcair and the NDP or Justin Trudeau and the Liberals could meet any economic challenges.

Continue reading Harper no longer go-to pick for Canadians concerned about the economy

Those non-partisan Senators are not getting Trudeau's message

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In the House of Commons foyer today, Justin Trudeau, the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, said:

“The Senate must be non-partisan, composed of merely of thoughtful individuals, representing the very values, perspectives and identities of this great country, independent from any particular political brand.”

He said this as he was announcing that the 32 senators who had been part of his national Liberal caucus were getting booted and should now consider themselves independent senators.

The first thing those newly independent senators did was confirm their old leadership, electing Senator James Cowan as leader, Senator Joan Fraser as deputy leader and Senator Jim Munson as whip. Given that a whip’s function in our democracy is, largely, to make sure party members follow the party line, why would a group of independent non-partisan senators need a whip?

Continue reading Those non-partisan Senators are not getting Trudeau's message

An MP explains Julian Fantino

By all accounts, Ed Holder, the MP for London West, is popular among his colleagues from all sides of the house. He is also, I am told, popular back in London, where, in 2008, he upset Liberal incumbent Sue Barnes and then successfully defended his seat in 2011. But Holder, like, I suspect, a lot of Conservative backbench MPs who work hard and are popular enough back home in their constituencies, has had to take some uncomfortable questions from his voters about some recent behaviour by Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino [Video here gives a you flavour of how upset veterans are] Fantino issued an apology himself today.

Londoners would know Fantino, of course, because Fantino used to be the city’s chief of police. Continue reading An MP explains Julian Fantino

PMO vs National Council of Canadian Muslims: The Primary Documents

Before Prime Minister Stephen Harper left for his recent Middle East trip, the National Council of Canadian Muslims sent the following letter to the PM’s office:

Letter from National Council of Canadian Muslims to Prime Minister Stephen Harper re: Rabbi Korobkin

When I learned of the letter, I contacted its author, NCCM executive director Ihsaan Gardee, for more information. Continue reading PMO vs National Council of Canadian Muslims: The Primary Documents

Here they go again: Conservatives begin 2014 with fundraising push

According to an e-mail circulated by the Conservative Party of Canada to its supporters over the signature of Minister of State Candice Bergen, the party’s executive director Dimitri Soudas is going to brief the Prime Minister Monday on the the party’s so-called Start 2014 Strong campaign. Among other things, the party set a goal of adding 29,000 “supporters” in one week and, again according to Bergen’s e-mail, the party met that goal.

Here’s the full-text of the “Bergen” e-mail which had the subject line: “Last Chance” Continue reading Here they go again: Conservatives begin 2014 with fundraising push

Text of Harper's speech to the Knesset

Canadian Prime MInister Stephen Harper speaks to the Knesset

The following is a text of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s speech to the Knesset, delivered at approximately 6:30 pm Jerusalem time on Monday January 20, 2014. The following has been adapted from a prepared text distributed to reporters ahead of the speech. The actual speech, as a result, may differ slightly from you see here.

Moreover, I have removed French-language sections of the speech that largely repeated adjacent English-language sections. Any formatting or grammar error are also likely mine introduced in the editing process.

——————–

Shalom.

And thank you for inviting me to visit this remarkable country, and especially for this opportunity to address the Knesset. Continue reading Text of Harper's speech to the Knesset

VIDEO: Netanyahu welcomes Harper to Israel

This video was shot by and distributed by the office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In it, you’ll see the full text of Netanyahu’s effusive praise for Harper — his speech is about 3 minutes — and Harper’s very brief remarks, including an anecdote about the absence of his kids on this trip. Continue reading VIDEO: Netanyahu welcomes Harper to Israel

Harper's monster-sized delegation: 21 rabbis and a priest

COLOGNE, Germany – Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to arrive for his first-ever visit to Israel Sunday afternoon leading a monster-sized delegation that includes 21 rabbis.

Harper left Ottawa Saturday night with his red, white, and blue Royal Canadian Air Force jet crammed with what is easily the largest delegation he has ever had for an overseas trip.

The plane landed here to refuel before continuing on to Tel Aviv. Continue reading Harper's monster-sized delegation: 21 rabbis and a priest