Month: March 2014

CLIP: Understanding Historical Thinking with Canadians and their Pasts

The good news for public historians is that Canadians trust the interpretations they find in museums and historic sites. When the reasons for giving public institutions the most trusted status were parsed, respondents attributed their trust to the authenticity of the artefacts and the research that underpinned representations of the past. Professionals, they argued, have been paid to undertake the work of research and writing and are subject to levels of peer evaluation that guarantees they would get it right or face the consequences of public scorn. The fact their interpretations were supported by governments was sometimes deemed central to their trustworthiness, a disturbing thought given present concerns regarding the new Museum of History.

via Understanding Historical Thinking with Canadians and their Pasts.

ACOA gets a big budget boost: More money for handouts

Subject to the passage of the legislation by Parliament, the economic and community development activities of the Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation ECBC, including the associated budget, will transition over to ACOA

That passage is from an Open Letter to Cape Breton penned by Rob Moore, the Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. He’s writing to to let Cape Bretoners know that Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., the regional development agency is going to be wrapped into ACOA’s activity. I’ve emphasized the point, in the passage above that ECBC budget — which is just under $50 million this year — also goes to ACOA. Continue reading ACOA gets a big budget boost: More money for handouts

Ye Olde Finance Minister: Notes on Joe, Greg, and Ed

We have a new finance minister. And there’s no getting around it — he’s old. In fact, according to the Library of Parliament, no finance minister in our history has ever been as old as Joe Oliver upon taking up his duties as Finance minister. Oliver will be 74-years-old on May 20. He’s got a decent shot at being the oldest finance minister ever but the Conservatives would have to win  2015 general election and Oliver would have to be re-appointed as finance minister. The oldest finance minister in our history was also the one who served in the post the longest: Liberal William Stevens Fielding who, when he retired in 1925, was 76, 9 months and 10 days old. Continue reading Ye Olde Finance Minister: Notes on Joe, Greg, and Ed

Potential Liberal candidate quits: "Justin Trudeau broke a key promise…"

Zach Paikin had planned to seek the Liberal nomination in a Hamilton, Ont.-are riding ahead of the 2015 general election. No longer.

Dear friends;

Last week, Justin Trudeau broke a key promise to hold open nominations in every riding by blocking the candidacy of Christine Innes in downtown Toronto.

I cannot, in good conscience, campaign to be a part of a team of candidates if others seeking to join that team are prevented from doing so if their ideas or ambitions run contrary to the party leader’s interest. Therefore, after spending the weekend consulting with friends and family, I am taking what I believe to be a principled decision by withdrawing my candidacy for the Liberal nomination in Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas as a sign of protest. Continue reading Potential Liberal candidate quits: "Justin Trudeau broke a key promise…"

From Fort Mac to Fort York: The ripples of Chow's resignation on federal politics

Mike Layton, Olivia Chow at Chow for Mayor rally
TORONTO – Coun. Mike Layton introduces Olivia Chow during a rally for her mayoral campaign on Sunday. [Ernest Doroszuk/QMI Agency]
The decision by Olivia Chow last week to quit her seat in the House of Commons to take a run at the Mayor’s chair in Toronto has already started a broad ripple effect in federal politics that stretches from the oil sands in northern Alberta to downtown Toronto and could even influence the way the 2015 federal election is fought.

Chow represented the downtown Toronto riding of Trinity-Spadina, a riding which Chow won by 20,000 votes in 2011. But that race had been much closer in 2008, when she won by 3,500 and in 2006 when she won by 3,000. In 2004, Chow ran and lost Trinity-Spadina to Liberal Tony Ianno, who would be a junior minister in Paul Martin’s cabinet. Ianno had held the riding for the Liberals since 1993.

Now the Liberals want it back. Standing in their way (aside from some potential Liberal infighting) will likely be Joe Cressy, Continue reading From Fort Mac to Fort York: The ripples of Chow's resignation on federal politics

Pushing back: Denis Lebel vs Pauline Marois

Denis Lebel is Canada’s Minister for Infrastructure and Communities. He is also the “political minister” for Prime Minister Stephen Harper who — I feel silly for pointing it out — leads the Conservative Party of Canada which is dedicated to preserving and enhancing a Canada which includes Quebec.

And yet, once upon a time, Lebel was member of the separatist Bloc Quebecois. For eight years, from 1993 to 2001.  But then his politics changed.  His job did, too. In 2000, he was elected mayor of Roberval, up near Lac St. Jean. And in 2004, 2005, and in 2006 he kicked in cash to the Quebec Liberal Party. Then in 2007, he won a federal byelection, picking up  a seat — Roberval-Lac St. Jean — that had been held by the BQ.  His political contributions to Quebec provincial parties stopped — until last year when he kicked in $100 to the Quebec Liberal Party.

Continue reading Pushing back: Denis Lebel vs Pauline Marois

Full text of Innes statement, reaction to Trudeau spiking her campaign

Christine Innes planned to seek the Liberal nomination in Trinity-Spadina. She was the Liberal candidate in the last two general elections, losing both times to Olivia Chow. With Chow’s resignation yesterday, Innes fired up her campaign to win the Liberal nomination for a third time. But she was told  by e-mail today that she would not be allowed to run, that leader Justin Trudeau would not sign her nomination papers. Why? The Ontario campaign chair told CP that was because Innes’ husband, Tony Ianno, himself a former Trinity-Spadina MP, had engaged in “intimidation and bullying” of other Toronto Liberals.

Innes released a statement of reaction to that decision: Continue reading Full text of Innes statement, reaction to Trudeau spiking her campaign

The attendance scorecard at Transport

Following up on this post, here’s attendance scorecard for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

For the the second session of the current Parliament — this session having begun with last October’s Speech from the Throne in October — there have been 16 meetings of the committee, during which it has considered the spending plans for both the departments of Transport and Infrastructure; reviewed Bill C-3, studies the cessation of home mail delivery by Canada Post, and reviewed the safety of Canada’s transport system, particularly with a view to the transport of oil by rail. Continue reading The attendance scorecard at Transport

Chow skipped plenty of work in her final Parliamentary assignment

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In the 2011 federal election, the haymaker that put Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff on the mat was thrown by NDP Leader Jack Layton in the English-language debate.

Turning to Ignatieff, Layton reminded Ignatieff that he’d failed to show up for 70 per cent of the votes in the House of Commons while he was leader. “Canadians who don’t show up for work don’t expect to get promoted,” Layton said.

At that point, it was all over for Iggy.

Now, Layton’s widow, Olivia Chow may also have to explain why she expects to be promoted from opposition MP to mayor of Canada’s biggest city when she, too, failed to show up for much of her key parliamentary assignment as vice-chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities.
 Continue reading Chow skipped plenty of work in her final Parliamentary assignment

Jobs and politics: Devastating data for the incumbent in Quebec

For this tweet, CAQ Leader François Legault was cherry-picking one of the worst data points for Quebec in today’s monthly jobs report from Statistics Canada but he had lots to choose from. It was a very bleak report card for the PQ government of Premier Pauline Marois. The highlight? Statistics Canada found that, in the space of one month between January and February this year, 25,500 jobs disappeared in the province.   Continue reading Jobs and politics: Devastating data for the incumbent in Quebec