Month: December 2014

Pop Star to Liberals: Do as I say (please) not as I do

LIP_IMG_2893_28_05_2013T125621
Juno Award-winner Chantal Kreviazuk prior to her May 23, 2013 appearance at Lindsay’s Academy Theatre. (LISA GERVAIS/The Lindsay Post)

All federal parties are in a mad push these final few days of the year to boost their fundraising numbers before the quarter ends. So far, the only pitch I’ve seen to use a “celebrity” came, today, from the Liberals, over the signature of  “Chantal Kreviazuk, Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter” (whose music I quite admire, I must say). Kreviazuk says she supports Trudeau and while she does not say “join me in making a donation”, you will see (below) that there is a pitch from the party for cash is between her endorsement and her signature. Thing is, I can find no record in Elections Canada’s database of any donation by any Kreviazuk in Canada to any Liberal anywhere. More here .. Continue reading Pop Star to Liberals: Do as I say (please) not as I do

Liberals race to match Conservatives on fundraising with hours to go

LPCGap

Christmas is over and there’s just four days (and counting) till the fiscal quarter closes for every political party at midnight eastern on Dec. 31. And that means those, like me, who are on e-mail fundraising lists for our major political parties can expect a steady stream of pitches for the next 96 hours. Let’s start with the one, above, from Liberal Party HQ, issued in the name of Christina Topp, the party’s senior director of fundraising. She says the party has already raised $4 million this quarter but she wants at least $1.4 million in the next four days to match what the Liberals estimate the Conseratives will take in. Mark Jarvis, on Twitter notes: Continue reading Liberals race to match Conservatives on fundraising with hours to go

Environmental History: Finally, we catch the Swedes …

IMG_4912
ON FROBISHER BAY NEAR IQALUIT, NUNAVUT — It’s been too long since I was north of 60 but here’s the last time: February, 2012 while covering one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Iqaluit. We were snowmobiled out onto Frobisher Bay (that’s Iqaluit in the background) to witness a PM photo opp. This was, arguably, the coldest I’ve ever been.

The latest issue of The Canadian Historical Review has as its theme: Environmental History. The issue, and this essay by Swedish environmental historian Sverker Sörlin, look to be an interesting read: Continue reading Environmental History: Finally, we catch the Swedes …

Spirit of Radio: Ad wars pitch Conservatives versus Liberals

radio

Across the country this holiday season, voters who listen to radio will be hearing pitches from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and from Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.

Maybe.

The Liberals have announced that they have two different radio ads ready to go. You can listen to them on their Web site but, so far at least, I have no reports that anyone has actually heard them in the wild. Continue reading Spirit of Radio: Ad wars pitch Conservatives versus Liberals

Justin Trudeau's partisan brain trust on foreign affairs

Za'atri Refugee Camp in Jordan
Your correspondent meets Syrian child refugees at Za’atri Refugee Camp in Jordan while covering Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit there earlier this year. Harper’s approach to the Middle East — aligning Canada much more strongly with Israel than previous Liberal prime ministers, for example — would be one of the defining characteristics of his foreign policy. Liberals recently opposed the combat mission against ISIL in Iraq.  (Look closely to find PostMedia’s Mark Kennedy among the kids there).

Today, the Liberal Party of Canada has announced a council  of “non-partisan” experts to provide advice and be a sounding board for leader Justin Trudeau on international affairs issues, from military procurement to international aid to global security threats.  The professional qualifications and accomplishments of the members of this council are impressive but it cannot be accurate to brand this group as “non-partisan”.

Indeed,  this council is made up of 14 individuals, 11 of whom are Liberals MPs, current or former Liberal candidates, or Liberal donors.  No one should be confused: This council does not believe that the way Stephen Harper has positioned Canada on the world stage is a good thing. And eight of them – the current or hope-to-be Liberal MPs — would have voted with their leader against the current combat mission against ISIL in Iraq. Nothing wrong with that. But let’s avoid the marketing sheen of “non-partisan.” Continue reading Justin Trudeau's partisan brain trust on foreign affairs

How to give away $68 billion: Ottawa cuts cheques to the provinces

Today, the federal government announced how much each province and territory will get in transfer payments next year. All told, Ottawa will transfer $68 billion to provincial capitals in the fiscal year that ends March 31, 2016. As federal finance minister Joe Oliver said, for every dollar that Ottawa takes in, it sends 20 cents back out to the provinces and territories.

Drawing data from this table at the Department of Finance, we can break a few things down: Continue reading How to give away $68 billion: Ottawa cuts cheques to the provinces

I am a traitorous self-hating Ghomeshi-like fiend for shopping in New York!

1297639818131_ORIGINAL

Earlier this week, Industry Minister James Moore announced new measures the government hopes will eliminate the cross-border price differential. I believe this initiative will do little to to close that gap and that if it was useful at all, it was useful politically to the Conservatives who hope to be seen by voters as more consumer-friendly than the alternative. I tried to connect the politics of Moore’s announcement with my recent purchase of a snow blower, a purchase I made in the United States after discovering a significant cross-border price difference, in a column published in most of our newspapers Wednesday.

For my troubles — trying to explain Conservative consumer-first politics and my snowblower purhase — readers of our newspapers are accusing me of terrible things.  For example, Barry R. from Kingston, Ont. says: Continue reading I am a traitorous self-hating Ghomeshi-like fiend for shopping in New York!

How much to spend to create one job? Kenney's benchmark different than Goodyear's

Kenney

Last week in the House of Commons, Employment Minister Jason Kenney was asked why his department did not renew funding for a Halifax agency that helps at-risk young people find and hold on to jobs. The program had been in operation for a decade and, as CBC News reported, had followed all the rules to qualify for the $191,105 it was seeking this time around.

It did not get the money. Continue reading How much to spend to create one job? Kenney's benchmark different than Goodyear's