Main Page – Page 55 – David Akin’s On The Hill

Khadr, H1N1 top front pages + Parliamentary daybook for Thursday

An exclusive on the Omar Khadr story and lots of H1N1 news: Listen to my three audio summary of leading front page headlines plus highlights from Thursday's Parliamentary daybook by clicking on the link below. You can also get these audio summaries via podcast from iTunes or via an RSS feed by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look under my picture on the left hand side of the page.

Top newspaper headlines and your Parliamentary daybook for Wednesday

A Canadian terrorism suspect and lots of H1N1 concerns — Get my three-and-a-half-minute audio summary of leading front page headlines plus highlights from Wednesday's Parliamentary daybook by clicking on the link below. You can get these summaries via podcast from iTunes incidentally by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream. You can also get an RSS feed for my audio updates. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look under my picture on the left hand side of the page.

h1n1, national post, newspapers

Happy birthday National Post – from a day-oner back on page C13

I was a day-oner at National Post, which celebrated its 11th anniversary today. Actually I wasn't so much a day-oner as a day-minus-121'er. My first day in the only newsroom the Post has ever known, in Don Mills in Toronto's northeast end, was in mid-summer four months or so before the Post launched. I had been working at the Hamilton Spectator, then owned by the Conrad Black-controlled Southam Newspaper company. Those of us who joined the Post in its early days suspected that Black was going through the motions to scare Ken Thomson into selling him The Globe and Mail. Indeed, my employment contract had an 'out' that, if the Post folded within two years of my hire, Southam would find me a spot back at one of its other papers. Happily, the paper did not fold and was a tremendous editorial success in its first few years. It has since had its ups and downs but I'm confident that, as the newspaper industry comes out of one of the worst years ever, it has a great future ahead of it.

I was hired, incidentally, to work as a technology reporter in the Post's business section. This was a business section that was supposed to compete with The Globe and Mail's Report on Business and the Financial Post. Black would buy the Financial Post weeks after I got hired so when I showed up for day one, , there was a band of less than a dozen of us that were to take on ROB and FP. The idea was to go heavy on coverage of technology and marketing, two areas that we believed the ROB and the FP at the time had not covered with much depth and insight. That group was led by a wonderful young editor named Howard Intrator. Tragically and sadly, Howard, hardly 40, died of anaphylactic shock after a severe allergic reaction to peanuts in our second year. Howard's number two at the time was a young Scots emigre named John Ivison, who now sits a few feet away from me in Canwest's Ottawa newsroom and writes a column on national politics for the Post a few times a week. You might have seen it. He is one of more than a few day-oners still writing in the paper. One of the other originals is Jacqueline Thorpe, who was also among that small hardy band in the summer of 1998. Jacqueline became the Post's accomplished lead economics writer and is still at the heart of the FP as an associate editor.

Who else was in the early business section? I'm sure to miss someone and for that, I'm sorry! I remember Michael Den Tandt there. Michael and I would later work at the Globe and Mail together. He is now happily ensconced at the Owen Sound Sun Times as its editor — and keeps his hand in national politics with a syndicated column for Sun Media. My friend Paul Brent was also an day-oner — a terrific reporter and author of a book on the “beer wars” between Labatt's and Molson's. During one of the Post's staff restructurings, Paul ended up leaving the paper. Brenda Bouw was there as well as a reporter. She had tremendous sources and broke one story after another. Brenda jumped to TV too, eventually become the top editorial producer at BNN, back in the day when it was known as ROBTV.

I left the Post in the summer of 2001, before Black sold the paper and the chain to the Asper family. I left reluctantly — was pulled, rather than pushed — to try an experiment in what was then called convergence, doing two jobs — a reporter for CTV News with Lloyd Robertson while also pulling my weight as a Contributing Writer for The Globe and Mail.

The front page of that first edition had none of our little group's bylines on it — though, in the days leading up to that first edition, we were all trying to come up with a big splashy scoop to get on that first front page, a front page which hangs in a frame on the wall in my home office.

The big story in that first edition was from Sheldon Alberts, who had come from the Calgary Herald and is now Canwest's man in Washington. Sheldon's story was headlined “Klein backs unite-the-right movement”. Coming down the left-hand side of the page was the front page contribution from our business section: Sandra Rubin wrote “YBM linked to Russian underworld”. The rest of page 1? A column from Allen Abel “At 77, Glenn shows the white stuff”. Abel's column was the tip for what I thought was an odd choice for the main front page photo that day, a close-up of U.S. astronaut John Glenn, giving us the thumbs-up as he prepared to blast back into space. Steven Edwards, who still reports for the Post from the United Nations in New York, was on the front with “ANC accused of torture, rights violations”; Mike Trickey had a file from Ottawa “Yeltsin tells Chretien to stay away” and the kicker down at the bottom was from Julie Smyth and John Geiger “Scott of the Antarctic continues final journey: Body Travelling in Ice.”

I think a lot of us on the staff sensed it was a special edition and we all wanted a byline and a story in that first paper. Here's my lame-o contribution — 200 words which found a home on page C13. I have no idea why I thought this was news but here it is.. Happy Birthday NP!

IBM developing high-end OS

National Post
Tue Oct 27 1998
Page: C13
Section: Financial Post
Byline: David Akin
Source: Financial Post

International Business Machines Ltd. said yesterday it will lead an alliance to develop a new operating system for high-end computers used by businesses.

The decision by the Armonk-N.Y.-based company to develop a new Unix operating system – dubbed Project Monterey – is aimed at beating back competition in the high-end server market.

IBM's chief rivals are Compaq Computer Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc., but Microsoft Corp. will also be trying to add share in that market with the release next year of Windows NT 5.0.

“It's significant news. I see this as more of a differentiator for IBM to counter Compaq and Sun, who are their two primary competitors in this enterprise server hardware market,'' said Hadley Reynolds, director of research at Boston-based consultancy The Delphi Group. “Even NT 5.0 doesn't look to be really enough of an enterprise system to deploy a lot of the software that currently runs on Unix.''

IBM has teamed up with Unix developers Santa Cruz Operations Inc. of Santa Cruz, Calif. ,and Sequent Computer Systems Inc. of Beaverton, Ore., to develop a Unix operating system that can run on next-generation 64-bit processors. An initial release of Monterey should be available in 18 months.

The Colours of (Stephen Harper's) Canada: That would be Pantone #333399

Liberal researches are distributing the following images, which I pass along without comment, other than to say the top image compares covers of the printed copy of the Governor General's Throne Speech to the cover of the Conservative Party platform document from the last election. The bottom compares colour schemes from Conservative Party web sites to current government Web sites.

Yes. I saw Custer bleeding

Some Liberal bloggers and tweeters today are suggesting that Jeh Custer, arrested yesterday after hollering at MPs in the House of Commons, punched himself in the face prior to an appearance on CBC Newsworld, er, CBC News Channel last night so that he would look good and beat up.

Well, as a reporter who was sitting in front of the demonstrators when they started and who followed the arrested gang into the basement interrogation room, let me report this:

I was the only reporter standing in the basement of the Centre Block when Custer and the rest were frogmarched into an interrogation room with their hands handcuffed behind their backs. I saw Custer myself with a line of blood running out of his mouth while he was in handcuffs.

So far as I know there are no pictures of Custer bleeding in the House of Commons because camera operators may not use cameras in the House of Commons except in the foyer and in the Hall of Honour.

Now, is it possible that, in the melee as 120 people were being physically thrown out of the House of Commons, that Custer punched himself in the face to produce that blood. I guess he could have but he was bleeding from the mouth and it seems to me you'd really have to whack yourself to get your mouth bleeding. Did I see him getting punched by security personnel, as he says? No. But, as I said, I did seem in handcuffs with two RCMP officers on either side of him with a line of blood coming out of his mouth.

Well then why didn't he wipe off the blood before the TV interview? Beats me. But it sure made a visual impact and, given the level of organization of this whole event, it seemed this group was pretty media savvy and used Custer's accident to best effect. If you want to accuse of him of “enhancing” his injuries, go ahead. But shouldn't the more important question be how did he get them in the first place?

Finally: The other man that was on the panel with Custer (don't know his name) was also frogmarched by me and it was clear that he had been tossed about violently enough that his shirt had been ripped vertically on the back from the neckline to his waist.

UPDATE Just to clarify a few things, partly in response to many of your comments below:
1. I make no claims as to how Custer suffered his injury. I did not see him getting injured. He says he was beaten by guards. Seems to me that would be a useful line of inquiry and a more important one than whether or not he gussied up his injuries for a TV interview.
2. I suppose Custer could have punked us all by carrying a blood packet in his mouth or something but I've only been a political reporter in Ottawa since 2005 and will need at least a few more years of seasoning until I'm that cynical.
3. A Parliamentary Press Gallery member who is a pretty sharp reporter saw lots of blood on the hallway floor outside the Speakers Gallery and blood on the stairs leading down to the basement where I was waiting.
4. Many of you seem to have some legitimate questions about Custer's behaviour after he left Parliament Hill. Knock yourself out. I'd suggest again, though, that the more important question is how blood ended up all over the floor of a building on Parliament.

Outburst in the House of Commons: A bloody, noisy protest

A rather unique Question Period yesterday …

Six people were arrested and released, and two were injured — one bleeding from his mouth — after more than 120 people were forcibly removed from the House of Commons on Monday after interrupting question period with a climate-change protest.

The demonstrators hollered at MPs and chanted slogans, urging legislators to pass Bill C-311, an NDP bill that would commit Canada to meeting aggressive targets to cut the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change. The protesters said they were not affiliated with, or organized by, the NDP.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff were not in the House.

You can read all the gory details, including the names of those arrested — young people from Edmonton, Walkerton, Ont., Ottawa, and PEI — by clicking through here.

You can listen to what it sounded like by clicking here and listening to this MP3 recording I made of the affair. The shouting you here is from inside the House of Commons by protestors in the public gallery behind the Speaker's chair. I'm standing in the hallway that leads to that Gallery. You can hear me and a plainclothes security guard having a “discussion” about my presence there. Although the office wanted me removed, I was able to remain in the midst of the pile of security guards to watch 120 people being hauled out of Parliament's Centre Block.

climate change, house of commons

An audio tour of top headlines in the country's top papers plus the Parliamentary daybook

Peril for the pipeline project; H1N1 stories everywhere — and the National Post's 11th birthday! Get my three-and-a-half-minute audio summary of leading front page headlines plus highlights from Tuesday's Parliamentary daybook by clicking on the link below. You can get these summaries via podcast from iTunes incidentally by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream. You can also get an RSS feed for my audio updates. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look under my picture on the left hand side of the page.

h1n1, mackenzie valley pipeline, newspapers, national post

Top newspaper headlines plus the Parliamentary daybook

Everyone puts Ontario's deficit on the front page and a cruise ship smashes through lobster traps in Digby Harbour – Get my four-minute audio summary of leading front page headlines plus highlights from Parliament's Monday daybook by clicking on the link below. You can put this summary on your iPod by the way by subscribing to my AudioBoo stream, via iTunes. You can also get an RSS feed for my audio updates. Both the iTunes link and the RSS link are at my profile at AudioBoo.fm. Look under my picture on the left hand side of the page.

What a (Liberal) Woman Wants: The Pink Books

The Liberals will release Pink Book III tomorrow at 1145 at an event on Parliament Hill. The Pink Book is the policy ideas developed and advanced by the Liberal Women's Caucus and forms part of the party's platform during a federal election.

Here's a look back at the first two Pink Books –

Pink Book I

Produced in the summer of 2006, Belinda Stronach, Chair, National Liberal Woman's Caucus.
“While our discussions in 2006 were broad-ranging and detailed, the Liberal Women’s Caucus decided to focus on three broad policy areas where the impact on women and families can be the most far-reaching and profound. They are early learning and child care, income security and improved maternity and parental benefits.
The Liberal Women’s Caucus recommends that a new Liberal government honour the previous bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories for $1 billion a year over five years in early learning and child care.
To fully meet the needs of working women and young families, a new Liberal government needs, as a long term goal, to devote federal financial support equivalent to one per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to early learning and child care.
To ease the burden on women and other caregivers, a new Liberal government should invest $1 billion over five years to develop a national caregiver agenda. The provinces and territories need to be partners with the national government to move forward in this area.
The Liberal Women’s Caucus is committed to the reinstatement of the Court Challenges Program.
The Liberal Women’s Caucus has been and continues to be a strong supporter of the national gun registry.
Honour the bilateral agreements signed with provinces and territories to provide a system of early learning and child care across the country. These agreements should be protected by legislation. The original Liberal commitment was for $1 billion a year for five years – this level of support must be reinstated as a minimum starting point.
As a longer-term goal, establish a schedule for federal funding of child care so it reaches one per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as recommended by the OECD report, Starting Strong II.
Re-invest the $1,200 per year, per family, provided under the Conservative government’s policy in the Canadian Child Tax Benefit (CCTB). The Canadian Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) is already in place and works efficiently and effectively. By increasing the base benefit by $1,200, the overwhelming majority of Canadian failies would receive – and keep – a $1,200 increase in their Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB).
Direct the value of the Spousal Credit – the tax deduction for a spouse at home – to be paid directly to the spouse, who, in most instances, will be a woman.
extend the Canada Pension Plan drop-out provision to unpaid caregivers. This measure will address the future economic security of those who drop out of the labour force to provide care.

Here's the highlights from Pink Book II:

The proposals in Volume II deal with violence against women, housing, Aboriginal women, immigrant and refugee women and rural women.
Book II released in 2007 when Stronach was still chair of the women's caucus.
Change Divorce Act to protect woman and children from situations where divorce is precipitated by acts of violence.
Recognizing that women and girls form a disproportionate number of homeless, Liberals should develop a National Housing Strategy. “One solution to this persistent problem is a portable shelter subsidy20 that is tied to need rather than to designated units. The portability allows a woman to choose where she would like to live, be it closer to family, social support networks, schools, etc. It also avoids the stigma that can come with living in social housing. This change would significantly increase the number of women who could receive the assistance they need to live in adequate, affordable housing.”
“Women’s Caucus endorses the creation of a Liberal taskforce that would travel across the country meeting with organizations and individual women from rural Canada to discuss their concerns and priorities. … The National Liberal Women’s Caucus re-affirms their commitment to the policy options proposed The Pink Book: Volume l to provide a system of early learning and child care (ELCC) across the country.”
“To address the rising number of Aboriginal children in care, Women’s Caucus recommends the approach proposed by the National Council of Welfare. The council states that Aboriginal peoples are best positioned to make decisions about Aboriginal children and youth. To do this, there is a need for adequately funded, Aboriginal controlled, culturally-based models.”
Women’s Caucus supports changing the work permits under the Livein Caregiver Program from employer-specific to sector specific. The Program allows workers from overseas to provide support for children, elderly and disabled persons, and enables approximately 3000 to 5000 caregivers to work in Canada each year.

Since that document was released in 2007, we've had a general election and the national Liberal women's caucus has new leaders and new members (and, of course, there's a new Liberal leader).

Stronach, Lucienne Robillard, Colleen Beaumier, Brenda Chamberlain, and Nancy Karetak-Lindell did not seek re-election. Sue Barnes, Bonnie Brown, Tina Keeper, and Karen Redman were defeated in the fall of 2008.

There are several new members of the women's caucus, elected for the first time in 2008: Siobhan Coady, Bonnie Crombie, Kirsty Duncan, Judy Foote, Alexandra Mendes, Michelle Simson, and Lisa Zarac.

Category: Main Page