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Radio Shack, of course, no longer exists as a brand in Canada. It got bought out by Circuit City and renamed The Source. But I thought they were among the most egregious for shamelessly seeking personal information about their customers. You might want to buy two batteries for a grand total of two bucks and even if you had cash to pay for it, Radio Shack's clerks wanted to know your name, postal code, mailing address, home phone – and all sorts of stuff.

Lots of retailers nowadays try the same things — getting e-mail addresses and so on when you make your purchase. In retail speak, they want “a relationship” with you, which means they want to add you to their database of customers, a database which they might cross-reference with a host of other publicly and privately available databases so that they might more efficiently extract money from you or, more likely, limit the choices you might make.

For retailers — and many other businesses, I might add — this has been an important and integral part of their business strategies. But here's something that ought to worry them: According to a new survey by Canada's Privacy Commissioner, 13 per cent of us — better than one in 10 — lie when a store clerk asks us for stuff.

Elections Canada today released the annual financial returns for each political party.

It's no longer news that the Conservatives are kicking butt when it comes to fundraising. That party received contributions in 2007 of nearly $17-million — that's more than twice as much as every other federal party combined. The Liberals received $4.48-million plus a $2-million loan for a grand total of $6.79-million. They know — believe me, they know — that their fundraising weakness compared to their main rival is not sustainable and they are working towards improving their efforts in that area.

The Conservatives, for their part, are not resting on their laurels. The famous database that Tom Flanagan talked about in his book was based on membership lists that originate from the old Reform days. That database has only been up and running in Quebec in the last year or so. In other words, the fundraising techniques that the Tories have applied to reap millions from English Canada are only now being fine-tuned, presumably with the same efficiency, for French Canada.

Meanwhile, the other three major parties continue to do relatively well. The Greens, in particular, are drawing support from all mainstream parties although the conventional thinking in Ottawa these days is that any Conservatives that were going to defect have already done so and new membership growth is coming at the expense of the uncommitted, former Liberals, former NDPers and former péquistes — but not necessarily in that order.

So, after downloading some of the numbers from Elections Canada Web site (I appreciate that they're trying and all the data is, in fact, there, but, jeepers, it's tough to grab the raw data so you can run your own tables and analysis ….) here's some other numbers:

In 2007:

• The Conservatives found 107,492 individuals who contributed $20 or more during the year. Of those, 24,669 different people wrote the party one or more cheques worth $200 or more during the year. (Those people must be identified under election finance laws). These folks collectively contributed $16.98-million during the year. Average donation: $158
• The Liberals convinced 23,442 individuals — about one-fifth the number of Conservatives — to donate to its national party. Of those, 5,672 donated $200 or more at least once during the year. Collectively, these folks donated $4.47-million. Average donation: $191
  
  The NDP raised $3,959,451 (less than $500,000 separates the NDP's annual fundraising total from the Liberals!) from 23,303 contributors (just about the same number of Canadians kicked in to the NDP as they did to the Liberals). Average donation: $170.
• The Greens found $972,021 from 10,081 contributors. Of those, 1,047 contributors donated $200 or more. Overall average donation: $96
• The Bloc Québecois received contributions from $429,971.48 during the year, from 4,486 individuals. Average donation: $96.

Just to highlight those average donations: If the Liberals can, in fact, get it in gear, they should be find fundraising success simply because their donors tend to give more. Surprisingly, the average NDP donor is more generous to his or her party than the average Conservative supporter. Conservatives are able to thrive because they've found ways to cheaply raise $20 at a time. Pollsters say Green voters tend to be more affluent but you wouldn't know it by their average donation. They're right down there with the BQ at $96. Perhaps the relative youth of the Green wave accounts for low average donations.

Technorati Tags: conservatives, election finances, Green Party, Liberals, NDP, Bloc Quebecois

Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge (left) issued this statement, in the wake of Henry Morgentaler's appointment to the Order of Canada:

MP Rejects Divisive Order of Canada Appointment

June 30, 2008

Statement from Rod Bruinooge, MP, on the appointment of Henry Morgentaler to the Order of Canada.

“Appointees to the Order of Canada should be seen by a clear majority of Canadians as being noble and beyond reproach. Since this is not the case with Dr. Morgentaler, he should not be considered for our highest civilian award.”

“I find myself now questioning the Order of Canada and its very legitimacy as a voice for all Canadians. I recently nominated a deserving citizen in my community, but I no longer feel I can associate with the Order and have asked to have my name disassociated with the nomination process.”

“I urge Canadians to contact the Governor General and the Order of Canada Selection Committee to express your concern and disappointment with this divisive selection.”

Technorati Tags: abortion, Henry Morgentaler, Rod Bruinooge

“You’re a gadget geek but you’re trying to be better about being a resource hog. You’re juggling world-changing conferences, phone calls to rally voters, hikes to save the rainforest. What’s a hyper-connected greenie to do?

Enter the solar backpack.” Do read on (H/T to the folks at one of my favourite annual conferences, PopTech)

I couldn't but help recall, as I stood around the entrance to Rideau Hall today, what David Emerson said on the evening of Jan. 23, 2006 as it became clear that the Liberal government in which he was a minister was clearly about to lose: “”We have got to look at this as Ground Zero for rebuilding a stronger, more vibrant, healthier, winning Liberal Party,” Emerson hoarsely shouted. “I would like to be Stephen Harper's worst nightmare.”

And now today …

Emerson is widely viewed in the capital as among Harper's most capable ministers, just as he was in former prime minister Paul Martin's cabinet, where he served as industry minister. Emerson was vilified by many in his riding of Vancouver-Kingsway when, after being elected as a Liberal in the 2006 election, he crossed the floor a week later, to join Harper's first cabinet.

On the night of that 2006 election as Martin's government was falling, Emerson vowed to be “Stephen Harper's worst nightmare.” Ironically, he may have become Harper's dream minister, a reliable policy-problem solver who, among other things, chairs two powerful cabinet committees, one on Afghanistan and another on economic affairs.

Newly minted Public Works and Government Services Christian Paradis is from Thetford Mines, Quebec, sometimes known as the asbestos capital of the world.

That's about the all the Green Party needed to know to be first off the mark with this tough question for the new minister:

Christian Paradis’ appointment raises new concerns over asbestos in public buildings, Greens

OTTAWA – The Green Party is expressing concern today over the appointment of Christian Paradis to the Public Works portfolio.

Mr. Paradis has made comments supporting asbestos use and has previously served as President of the Asbestos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Secretary of the Asbestos Chapter of the Management Club of Canada.

“Mr. Paradis’ history of supporting ‘safe use’ of chrysotile asbestos is very worrying,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “Many Canadians are not aware that asbestos is still legal and in use in Canada, even though ‘safe use’ of asbestos is like drinking anti-freeze safely – neither is possible. The Green Party is concerned that Mr. Paradis’ appointment may mean increased asbestos content in the construction of public buildings. Will Mr. Paradis commit to eliminating all asbestos in public projects or will he increase asbestos content in new construction?

“The Green Party has long called for an asbestos ban in Canada, safe removal of asbestos from existing buildings and an end to mining and export with a just transition strategy for workers. The federal government’s continued subsidization of the asbestos industry and funding for industry associations is a disgrace.”

Technorati Tags: asbestos, Christian Paradis, Christian Paradis, Elizabeth May, Silvio Berlusconi, thetford mines

Auto analyst Dennis Desrosiers says the day is fast approaching when Mexican factories will produce more cars and light trucks than Canadian ones.

The reason is pretty simple, says Desrosiers:

Mexico is low labour cost and Canada is now the highest labour cost jurisdiction in the world (at least in our unionized plants). Mexico wages are in the $4.50 per hour range and in response to the difficulties experienced by their OEM producers the Mexican unions have agreed to two tier wages with new workers starting at $2.00 per hour. To put this in perspective, it costs GM, Ford and Chrysler about $78 dollars an hour in Canada. Now this isn't quite fair since this includes costs for retirees and benefits costs which are NOT included in the Mexico hourly rate mentioned above but needless to say the gap between Canada and Mexico labour is massive.

Desrosiers says Mexico tends to make smaller vehicles while the larger, more valuable products are made in Canada. Of course with gas prices where they are, people are not buying the bigger cars, they're buying the small ones made in Mexico. As a result, Mexico is on pace to make about 2.2 million cars this year. Canada will likely make around 2 million. Once upon a time, Canadian factories used to make about 3 million cars a year.

Merrill Lynch's David Wolf looks at recent consumer and business confidence surveys and says things don't look good:

Confidence measures have turned lower in both the US and in Canada. It was reported yesterday that US consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level in 15 years in June, with 6-month expectations at their worst since the mid-1960s [It was the fifth-lowest reading ever – Akin]. The NFIB Index of Small Business Optimism fell to a 28-year low. Canadian figures have scarcely been better, in line with the Q1 decline in GDP. Consumer confidence here dropped 7 points in May to 85.8, the weakest since 2001. And today, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business released its latest survey of small companies, the “CFIB Business Barometer index”. The survey covers nearly 2000 business owners, and was conducted during the first two weeks of June. The results were weak ? in Q2, the index dropped to 100.7, down 3.3 points from Q1, to its weakest level since Q3 2001.

OTTAWA — For all the partisan bickering and political posturing, there was one shining moment in the Ottawa political season that just ended: The residential school apology.

“The one thing I'll tell my grandchildren about is the special moment where the whole House came together and did the right thing,” said NDP Leader Jack Layton. “That was an absolutely powerful moment. And the good thing about it was that all parties came together around it.”

But beyond that, the last eight months of this minority parliament is notable mostly for its longevity. Few politicians or pundits thought that when Stephen Harper was elected prime minister in mid-winter of 2006 his government would make it halfway through 2008 let alone have a decent shot of getting all the way to its legislated end, a fixed election date in the fall of 2009. But it has done that and, by the end of the month, will have become the country's longest-serving minority government.

“What we have achieved over the fall and particularly over the spring, I think it's a remarkable record of achievement,” Harper said late last week during a stop in Huntsville, Ont. “We've achieved objectives which the Opposition vowed to defeat.” [Read the rest of the story]

For what it's worth, Don Martin and I seem to have come to roughly the same conclusions …

Feel free to add your cabinet shuffle speculation in the comments sections (especially if you happen to be a Mr. S. Harper, Mr. I Brodie or a Mr. G. Giorno)

Now 'not the time' for cabinet shuffle: Harper



HUNTSVILLE, Ont. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper squashed rumours Thursday that he is about to do a major overhaul of his cabinet though he is expected to soon name a permanent replacement for Maxime Bernier, who resigned as Foreign Affairs minister late last month.

“I believe that most of our ministers are just beginning to hit their stride in their portfolios,” said Harper during a visit to Ontario's Muskoka region, where he announced that Canada would host the 2010 G8 Summit at a resort here.

“I don't believe this would be the time for major changes to cabinet. We've made some incremental changes over the past couple of years. Obviously some would be made in the future but I see no need for a comprehensive overhaul now although I would concede there is still a need to fill the hole created by the departure of the former minister of Foreign Affairs and that will be dealt with in due course.”

That need, according to a source close to Harper, may be filled by Quebecer Christian Paradis (left), a young first-time MP who was named Secretary of State for Agriculture in January . . . [Read on]