Category: Politics

While I was busy listening to energy executives speak to a subcommittee of the Industry Committee, Treasury Board President Vic Toews was appearing before the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Toews (left) was there to discuss a “Study of the Transfer of Certain Duties Related to Official Languages from the Canada Public Service Agency to the Treasury Board.”

Conservatives say that during the committee's proceedings, Liberal MPs Pablo Rodriguez and Jean Claude D'Amours told Toews he was unfit to serve because he does not speak both official languages. Toews, born in Fildelfia, Paraguay in 1952 and a former attorney general of Manitoba, speaks Spanish, German and English. About one of every five voters in his riding of Provencher is a francophone. And yet, as Toews says, he has always won the polls in the franchophone areas of his riding.

“English or French may not be my first language and I may not have been born in this country but I would not have believed that the Liberal members on the Official Languages committee from Honore- Mercier (Pablo Rodriguez) and Madawaska – Restigouche (Jean-Claude D'Amours) – would tell me (and millions of other Canadians) that because I do not speak both official languages we are unfit for public office,” Toews told me.

But Rodriguez (born in Argentina, incidentally), in an interview after Question Period, said Toews is over-reacting. He and D'Amours were critical of Toews for two reasons. First, he said, a minister of the Crown who is supervising a bilingual federal program ought to be bilingual. Second, in Rodriguez' view, Toews was not well briefed on the matters that he was to speak to the committee about.

My colleague Mike De Souza was at the Languages committee and will have the full play-by-play shortly.

For those who don't do Twitter, here's my Twitter “feed” from Monday's meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Ethics, and Privacy. It's presented in chronological order, from the beginning of the meeting to its conclusion. A note for non-Twitter users: On Twitter, you get 140 characters per message so there is a lot of shorthand. The Committee's name on Twitter is #CETHI, for example. Nicholson is Justice Minister Rob Nicholson

• lineup: Chair Lib Paul Szabo, Lib MPs Wrzesnewskyj, Simson, BQ MPs Nadeau, Lévesque. NDP MP Siksay. Con MPs in next tweet
• Lineup cont'd Cons MPs Poilievre, Dechert, Block, Hiebert, Dreeshen. Score: 5 Govt Mps vs 5 Opp MPs plus 1 Opp Chair.
• Why is there a stranglehold in the PCO on Access to information requests? Nicholson: Can't agree with you; things are getting better
• More background on broken ATI system: DFAIT, e.g., delay tactics “illegal as stink”
• BQ Nadeau — we're studying something we've been studying for a long time, all the way back to Lib Jus Min Irwin Cotler.
• Nadeau and Nicholson argue themselves into a dead-end. Moving on now to NDP MP Bill Siksay ..
• Info Commish Marleau's recommendations: Nicholson said he's not crazy about recommendation 4 & 11.
• NIcholson gets hot at Lib Michelle Simson “This country has an outstanding record .. (on Access legislation)
• Nicholson gone. Now up: Witnesses from the Justice Dept: Now up Carolyn Kobernick, Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Law Sector
• LIB Simson tries to get bureaucrats to concede that Access to information is a basic human right. No Jus Dept lawyers agrees.
• other witnesses now up: Joan Remsu, General Counsel and Director, Public Law Policy Section and ..
• witnesses … Denis Kratchanov, Director and General Counsel Information Law and Privacy Section
• Con Dechert asks bureaucrats if it would ok to charge requesters for info requests. Bureaucrats demur.
• Cons Dechert wonders if it would be OK to identify those who make hundreds of access requests.
• Dechert is now attacking Ken Rubin – not by name — but that's who he's talking about: Is it reasonable for taxpayers to fund him?
• #CETHI now in camera. (Which means reporters get kicked out)

And apparently, we've got his attention because we're so darn boring! But, hey, that's OK with me. Nothing wrong with being boring. Here's an excerpt of an interview President Obama gave to David Leonhardt, the economics columist for The New York Times. The interview was published today in The New York Times Magazine:

THE PRESIDENT: You know, I’ve looked at the evidence so far that indicates that other countries that have not seen some of the problems in their financial markets that we have nevertheless don’t separate between investment banks and commercial banks, for example. They have a “supermarket” model that they’ve got strong regulation of.

Like Canada?

THE PRESIDENT: Canada being a good example. And they’ve actually done a good job in managing through what was a pretty risky period in the financial markets. (Akin's note: A footnote in the Leonhardt article notes that Canada's banks now rank in the top 50 but a better footnote would have been to note that not a single Canadian bank has collapsed, is in danger of collapsing, or has required a penny in government bailouts or equity. Some U.S. banks and banks in most of our G7 peers have required government money to avoid collapse.)

So — that doesn’t mean that, for example, an insurance company like A.I.G. grafting a hedge fund on top of it is something that is optimal. Even with the best regulators, if you start having so much differentiation of functions and products within a single company, a single institution, a conglomerate, essentially, things could potentially slip through the cracks. And people just don’t know what they’re getting into. I mean, I guarantee you that the average A.I.G. insurance policyholder had no idea that this stuff was going on. And in that sense I think you can make an argument that there may be a breaking point in which functions are so different that you don’t want a single company doing everything.

But when it comes to something like investment banking versus commercial banking, the experience in a country like Canada would indicate that good, strong regulation that focuses less on the legal form of the institution and more on the functions that they’re carrying out is probably the right approach to take.

In the first quarter of this year, 69,451 Canadians contributed a total of $7.1 million to a federal political party.

Both those numbers were down significantly compared to the fourth quarter of 2008, a quarter which saw political tension in Ottawa raised to new heights as a Stephane Dion-led coalition threatened to unseat Stephen Harper's Conservatives.

Still, when compared to the first three months of 2008, overall political financial activity was off but by much less. Year-over-year contributions fell by 0.6 per cent and the overall number of contributors fell by about five per cent.

But there were some substantial changes so far as individual parties go.

Though the Conservative Party is absolutely dominant — continuing to raise more money than all other parties combined from more contributors than all other parties combained — the Liberals appear to be finally seeing some results in fundraising efforts that have trailed all other parties while the NDP has show a sharp drop.

More than 39,000 Canadians kicked in a combined $4.36 million dollars to the Conservatives in the last quarter, a drop of 31 per cent from the previous quarter and a drop of 12 per cent from the same quarter a year ago.

And while the Liberal haul of $1.83 million in the first quarter of this year was down about 20 per cent compared to the last quarter, it was more than double or up 117% compared to the same period last year. More than 15,000 people cut a cheque to the Liberal. Just two years ago, in the first quarter of 2007, fewer than 4,400 Canadians were contributing to that party.

Meanwhile, the NDP's financial haul at just $595,611 dropped by 47 per cent year-over-year and 66 per cent quarter-over-quarter. There were just over 10,000 Canadians contributing to the NDP.

The Green Party raised $211,269 from 2,868 people in the quarter, about the same as the same period last year, but that was down 61 per cent from the last quarter.

The Bloc Quebecois raised $122,842 from 1,600 people, down 35 per cent quarter-over-quarter but up substantially from the $37,006 it raised from 463 people in the first quarter last year.

One of Canada's biggest banks added its voice to a growing chorus calling on the federal government to change the country's employment insurance system [PDF].

Economists at TD Bank said Thursday Ottawa ought to make it easier for newly unemployed workers to receive benefits and should reverse changes it made to the formula that sets the premiums to be paid by employees and employers.

TD noted that under current rules, anyone applying for employment insurance benefits must have worked for a certain number of hours prior to becoming jobless. But the amount of hours required to qualify varies from region to region in the country, depending on the unemployment rate in that region.

TD economists Derek Burleton and Grant Bishop said this variable entrance requirement (VER) ought to be flattened so that in any region of the country where unemployment is less than 10 per cent, prospective recipients would have to have worked for 560 hours prior to making a claim.

Such a change comes with a price tag of $500 million, the bank said.

In some parts of the country, potential recipients must work as much as 700 hours.

The bank says that as result of the regional differences, only about 80 per cent of those who might be eligible for benefits actually receive them.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, in a report published Wednesday, has calculated that more than half of those who will lose their jobs this year will not be eligible for EI benefits.

“We urge the government to immediately ease the VER,” the bank said.

If the government standardized the entrance requirement — making it the same in every region of the country — at 420 hours, that would cost about $1 billion, said the bank.

“One important benefit that flows is increased fairness. The truth of the matter is that during an economic downturn, it is no easier to find a job in a region with lower prevailing unemployment than in one with a higher unemployment rate,” the bank said.

[Read the full story]

Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey spoke his last words this afternoon in the House of Commons ending a career in Parliament that lasted 6,149 days.

“I want to say how proud I've been to be in Parliament,” Casey said in the House after the conclusion of Question Period.

Casey, a gentlemanly sort who is popular among MPs and journalists, was first elected as a Progressive Conservative in 1988, arriving on the wave the swept Brian Mulroney to office. He lost when his party was nearly wiped out with Kim Campbell as leader but then was re-elected. He became a Conservative when his PC party merged with the Canadian Alliance but quit that caucus and party after Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first budget in 2006. Casey felt that that budget broke an agreement Ottawa had with Nova Scotia on equalization payments. He has been sitting as an Independent ever since.

Casey represented the northwestern Nova Scotia riding of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley.

“He demonstrated a tremendous high-road, human approach of what it means to be a Parliamentarian,” said Defence Minister (and neighbouring MP) Peter MacKay, in a tribute that followed Casey's speech. Geoff Regan, the Liberal MP from Halifax, also paid tribute, saying he served with “dignity, respect, and honour” and was a role model to many MPs. NDP MP Peter Stoffer, who is also a Nova Scotia MP, also paid tribute to Casey.

Though Casey leaves the Commons, he will stay in Ottawa. He has been hired by the Province of Nova Scotia to keep an eye on the federal government and effectively be Nova Scotia's ambassador in Ottawa.

For better or worse, Canadian taxpayers are about to get in the auto business:

JOINT STATEMENT

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND PRIME MINISTER HARPER

UNITED STATES-CANADA SUPPORT FOR CHRYSLER LLC

The Governments of the United States and Canada, have reviewed and approved the restructuring plans of Chrysler LLC and its subsidiaries, including Chrysler Canada Inc.

As a result, thanks to the considerable contributions and sacrifices of company management, the United Auto Workers and Canadian Auto Workers, and major lenders, and a successful partnership agreement with Fiat SpA, our Governments are in a position to extend support to help Chrysler restructure itself and re-emerge as a globally competitive automaker.

“We appreciate the close and cooperative relationship between the U.S. and Canadian governments during this period of restructuring in the auto industry. Together, we have put in place a financing package that will give Chrysler a chance to achieve financial viability,” said President Obama.

“I want to thank President Obama and the U.S Automotive Task Force for their close cooperation with Canada on this challenging issue. Thanks to our joint efforts, there is now a road ahead to a stronger Chrysler and a stronger industry in the future on both sides of the border,” said Prime Minister Harper.

The Governments will provide $US 10.5 billion in financing, including short term and medium term capital and debtor-in-possession financing to assist with the court-supervised restructuring of Chrysler LLC. Of this amount, the United States is contributing $US 8.08 billion and Canadian governments (including the Government of Canada and Government of Ontario) $US 2.42 billion.

The United States will have 8 percent of the equity of the restructured Chrysler LLC, and Canada and Ontario will have 2 percent, and the United States will appoint four independent directors to the new Chrysler LLC board, while Canada will appoint one independent director.

The close cooperation of our Governments acknowledges that the automotive industries in Canada and the United States are tightly linked, with major automobile manufacturers and suppliers operating on both sides of the border in a completely integrated way. The cost sharing reflects the historic shares of auto production in both countries for Chrysler, which will be maintained under this restructuring agreement.

The United States and Canada are committed to continuing to work together closely as we chart the path to a stronger automobile industry in both countries, both in the short term as we complete similar efforts on General Motors restructuring plan, and in the long term as we seek to ensure a competitive, environmentally responsible automobile industry for the future.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper turned 50 today and his staff marked the occasion by planting a flock of pink flamingos on the lawn at 24 Sussex Drive. The staff organized a press pool to mark the event. The reporter assigned to the pool was the talented Canadian Press reporter. Here is his report:

The lawn of 24 Sussex Dr. was partially covered in pink flamingos this morning.

Fifty of them, to be precise – which, not coincidentally, happens to be the precise age of one Stephen Harper.

The prime minister's staff determined that a lawn peppered in pastel pink would make for an ideal good-morning greeting for the birthday boy, not to mention a decent photo op.

So a pool of representatives from the national press gallery was invited to record the moment for posterity.

We entered the gates at 24 before 8 o'clock, just in time to hear PMO staffers quipping that the event had been unscripted and that, if it happened to fall flat with the boss, they just might find themselves looking for new jobs today.

Photographers sprawled themselves on the dew-covered grass to test out shot angles.

Ben Harper emerged just before 8 o'clock, unfazed by the sight of reporters crowding around a flock of fake birds just outside his front door, and he hopped into the SUV that would take him to school.

Photographers and cameramen continued setting up their shots. A burly RCMP officer stepped into the frame. Camera shutters were overheard snapping in rapid-fire. One of the officer's colleagues motioned for him to get out of the shot, and he backed away.

A few minutes after 8, the prime minister emerged from the house, holding his daughter Rachel's hand.

A pair of prime ministerial staffers began singing Happy Birthday in surprisngly decent tune, capping their ditty with the penultimate line, “Happy birthday, Prime Mi-ni-sterrrr…”

Harper responded by telling them: “We should get you a band.”

He and Rachel strolled the 50 or so paces from the front door to walk amongst the flamingos and, at his urging, they both crouched down next to a lawn sign that read, “Happy 50th birthday! Prime Minister”

The PM pointed and gestured toward some of the lawn toys. Much camera-snapping ensued.

A few seconds later they stood up. The PM said, “Thanks, guys.”

And they walked back towards the house, hand in hand.

We were quickly escorted off the premises.

Fun fact: According to a 2006 article in the Christian Science Monitor, the pink flamingo was invented in 1957 by Don Featherstone, who worked for Union Products, and the effort earned him some kind of mock Nobel Prize for art in 1996.

Earlier here, I reported on a the contents of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's written answer to Liberal MP Rob Oliphant who wanted to know how much the government had spent on television ads to tell Canadians about the new Tax Free Savings Accounts (TSFA). Flaherty said the government spent $3 million to prepare and air the ads.

A commenter asked earlier here about these written questions. You can find an updated list of all the questions that have been submitted to the government here. But here's the funny thing about the answers: There's no one central spot to find the answers. The list of questions will indicate if it's been answered yet or not and then there might be a direction to see the Hansard Debates or Journals for more info — but probably not the answer. You may also be directed to a sessional paper – a kind of bound long-form answer to a particular question. My advice if you find a question that you, too, are particularly interested in is to phone up the MP who asked the question and get him or her to provide you with the answer they received. Here's the list of current MPs with hyperlinks to their contact information.

Turns out that the NDP had also pursued the broader issue of government spending related to the production of the budget through an access to information request. The records released to the NDP under that request indicated that, in addition to the $3 million for TFSA-related TV ads, the government also spent an additional $2 million for advertising in other media to promote the TFSA.

The finance department also spent another $540,000 or so advertising the whole “Advantage Canada” concept.

So: Total advertising spend associated with the budget: About $5.54 million.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper addresses the Jamaican Parliamant, the first Canadian prime minister to do so. (Photo taken by and distributed by the Canadian PMO)