Category: Politics

Filing tonight from The Prince Hotel in Lima Peru:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, speaking here on the eve of the APEC leaders' summit, said markets “remain in a state of fear” and vowed to take “unprecedented fiscal actions if they are necessary” to stimulate economic growth and ease tightened credit conditions.

Harper was to have a one-on-one meeting with U.S. President George Bush on Saturday morning before giving a speech to CEOs and leaders from the 20 countries that make up the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. He will also have a private meeting with the president of South Korea on Saturday.

Both South Korea and Canada have been trying for nearly a decade to forge a new trade agreement.

Following the G20 leaders summit last weekend in Washington, stock markets in Canada and around the world suffered one of their worst weeks ever.

“The markets remain in a state of fear,” Harper said at a news conference here after he and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe signed a free trade deal between the two countries. “Those fears aren't always rational, but they're very real.”

[Read the rest]

Maclean's blogger Aaron Wherry finds the practice, established by PMO communication director Kory Teneycke when he assumed that job in July, of holding periodic off-the-record with senior PMO officials to be odd:

For some months now, the Prime Minister’s Office has been conducting periodic briefings for reporters—usually bureau chiefs, but generally one representative from each of the major media outlets. … The topics discussed typically range from the Prime Minister’s itinerary to upcoming government action to the PMO’s spin on whatever happens to be making news at the moment.

There is only one rule at these briefings: the government official conducting the briefing must not be identified by name.

Everyone in the room agrees to this. And, in the myriad reports that follow, any information gleaned subsequently cited to a “senior government source” or some such.

This is now widely accepted practice. But, er, why?…[Read the rest of his post]

If you read the comments section after Aaron's post you will see yours truly chiming in on this issue to note that it is Canwest's policy to get an official on-the-record after these briefings — and in my experience that's never been a problem — and then after my comment Teneycke himself has a thoughtful note on this practice. I reproduce it for you here:

The use of extensive use of unnamed sources is not the most flattering feature of journalism in Canada. However, this is not new or unique to this government, and has very little, if anything at all, to do with briefings held by our office.

Macleans – or any other Canadian media outlet for that matter – would be virtually empty, if they were to remove stories quoting an unnamed source, or written on the basis of information provided on background.

Comparisons to the US approach are out of context. Our executive branch is held accountable by an elected opposition in Question Period, not by the media in a daily briefing. The media have an important role in our system, but it is not the same as in the US.

The purpose of keeping briefings off-the-record is to allow for a more informal exchange of information with the gallery. Often this information is technical and relates to scheduling of events. This is done to assist media in planning where they will need to send satellite trucks, how many reporters should be on-call over a weekend, etc.

As David correctly points out, the opportunity to ask “on-the-record” questions does exist after briefings have concluded. In many cases, however, it is more appropriate for journalists to contact the Minister responsible for “on-the-record” comment. Having PMO answer all questions may be easier for the gallery, but it is not really consistent with our system of government.

As for Macleans participation in future briefings… I have been assured by a “senior Macleans official” that they will continue to attend.

Kory Teneycke
Director of Communication
Office of the Prime Minister

A month after the Liberal Party of Canada recorded their lowest popular vote percentage since George Brown lost to Sir John A. Macdonald in 1867, Liberal support is now within the margin of error of Conservative support, says pollster Nik Nanos.

Here's Nik's latest numbers (change since Oct 14 election):

1. Conservatives: 32% (-6)
2. Liberals: 30% (+4)
3. NDP : 20% (+2)
4. Greens: 10% (+3)
5. BQ: 9% (-1)

“…The government also said it would not commit to balancing the budget next year, saying that trying to do that at any cost would hurt Canadians more than it might help them. A month ago on the campaign trail, though, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was unequivocal in saying his government would never go into deficit.

“There's nothing on the horizon – notwithstanding the storm clouds, and they are significant – that indicates to me that we should immediately go into deficit,” Harper said on Oct. 6.

But Jean, reading the throne speech with Harper at her side, said, “In a historic global downturn, it would be misguided to commit to a balanced budget in the short term at any cost.”

McCallum seized on that, accusing Harper of lying on the campaign trail and rejecting the government's excuse that a Canadian deficit will have been caused by events outside Canada.

“We are seeing that Mr. Harper was misleading the Canadian people during the election,” McCallum said. “If this is to be a deficit, and it now looks like it will be, it will be a made-in-Canada Conservative deficit. The overspending and the erosion of the tax base and the cutting of the contingency reserve – all of that preceded this economic crisis.”

[Read the whole story]

CBC News North takes note of the achievements of Nunavut's new premier and Canada's new health minister:

With Eva Aariak set to be sworn in as Nunavut's second premier Wednesday, some in the territory are applauding a year that has seen two Inuit women assume prominent leadership roles at the territorial and federal level.

[Read the rest]

Here's Charles J. MacMillan (PDF), writing in the latest issue of Policy Options:

Internal political pressure on governments could push premiers and politicians toward more barriers, especially in areas like public procurement, industry subsidies and professional qualifications. (Ontario has more than 20 separate agreements on qualifications for health professionals, reducing the value of credentials received from other provinces.) Most national politicians have little idea how the federal government, using existing clauses in the Constitution on trade and economic matters, could take the provinces to court as a way of removing these nefarious policies, most of which are largely unknown by the public and poorly understood by industry groups. Studies of Canadian productivity and of the lower performance by industries as compared with those in neighbouring American states illustrate that on trade, economies of scale and learning from foreign customers do count. Atlantic Canada illustrates this national challenge, with 11 separate dairy operations across four provinces and a population of only two million, but what shows in small provinces is also the case in big provinces; the only difference is that it isn’t so obvious.

Here's Gov. Gen Michaëlle Jean, reading today's Speech from the Throne:

Better positioning Canada to compete for investment and market opportunities will require action at home. A fragmented regulatory environment for internal trade and commerce has for too long restricted the flow of labour and investment across the country. Our Government will work with the provinces to remove barriers to internal trade, investment and labour mobility by 2010.

Anyone know of an inventory or detailed description of these barriers? I know of a few but if anyone has more details about, for example, dentists licensed by Ontario who can't set up shop in Lethbridge, I'd like to pursue this further.

It's Peter Milliken, besting Andrew Scheer and Merv Tweed on the fifth ballot.

A big shock with the results of the fourth ballot: NDP MP Joe Comartin is out!

Apparently, Comartin's support was strong but largely confined to the Bloc Quebecois and NDP MPs. As a result, it hasn't grown much over the first rounds of balloting.

And so we're down to incumbent Peter Milliken and Conservatives Merv Tweed and Andrew Scheer.

Merv Tweed actually has a fully-stocked hospitality suite and, when I visited during fourth-ballot voting, it was packed and not just with Tory MPs. There were some Comartin supporters there as well. Perhaps recognizing that their man had no more room to grown, some NDP types are being wooed by the man from Brandon. Get ready for Speaker Tweed folks!

With three rounds of voting complete, MPs have yet to elect a speaker.

The names of five MPs were on the second ballot: NDP MP Joe Comartin, Conservatives Barry Devolin, Andrew Scheer, and Merv Tweed and Liberal incumbent Peter Milliken.

To be elected Speaker, one of those individuals must have the support of a majority of MPs.

MPs will now now vote a fourth time. Because he finished last on the third ballot, Ontario Conservative MP Barry Devolin will not be on the fourth ballot.

On the first ballot, MPs were presented with a choice of eight MPs for the Speaker's job, which comes with a $77,000 a year salary bump, on top of an MP's annual stipend of $155,400, a driver and car, a private apartment in the Centre Block of the House of Commons, and the keys to the Speaker's official residence of Kingsmere, in the Gatineau Hills.

MPs began the selection process for Speaker at about 10 a.m.

As Dean of the House Louis Plamondon announced the results, Merv Tweed was seated with a serene expression on his face. He has been campaigning vigorously for this post and perhaps the universe is now unfolding precisely as he thought it would.
Kady reports on the buzz in the foyer, namely, that Milliken cannot win.

MPs have failed to elect a Speaker for the House of Commons on the second ballot.

The names of six MPs were on the second ballot: Mauril Belanger, Joe Comartin, Barry Devolin, Peter Milliken, Andrew Scheer, and Merv Tweed.

MPs will now be voting a third time. Ottawa Liberal MP Mauril Belanger will not be on the third ballot. Under the voting rules, the candidate who finishes last on each ballot is automatically removed from subsequent ballots. Candidates who fail to receive at least 15 votes are also dropped.

Voting continues until one candidate secures a majority.

MPs began the selection process for Speaker at about 10 a.m.