ROME – Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, speaks to reporters on March 10, 2013 ahead of participating in the College of Cardinals which would elect Pope Francis. (DAVID AKIN/QMI Agency)
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, speaks to media Kainai High School, near Standoff, Alta., on Friday February 7, 2014. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was announcing an agreement with the Assembly of First Nations to reform the First Nations education system. (Lyle Aspinall/Calgary Sun/QMI Agency)
This is terribly unsettling news. Atleo is a principled, courageous leader who recognized that the single best way to make the lives of First Nations people better was through education. Improving education systems and outcomes takes time — generations even — but Atleo was a victim to attacks from other First Nations politicians looking to score quick points. Here is the statement Atleo delivered this afternoon at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa:
STATEMENT FROM ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS NATIONAL CHIEF SHAWN A-IN-CHUT ATLEO
(Ottawa, ON) – Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo made the below statement in Ottawa, ON today.
Rumours about Beverley McLachlin, the Chief Justice, are being shared with journalists, alleging she lobbied against the appointment of Marc Nadon to the court (an appointment later overturned as unconstitutional). It is also being suggested she has told people the Harper government has caused more damage to the court as an institution than any government in Canadian history.
Stephen Harper, then aged 46, speaks to reporters on his campaign plane, the day after winning the 2006 general election that would make him the country’s 22nd prime minister. (DAVID AKIN)
Le premier Ministre du Canada Stephen Harper et Philippe Couillard, premier ministre du Quebec lors de la soiree du Gala Triomphe, jeudi le 24 Avril 2014 a Quebec. (SIMON CLARK/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Quebec’s le premier ministre Philippe Couillard met for the first time today in Quebec City. It was a cordial meeting, a Harper aide said, though, so far as I know the meeting was not on any official itinerary distributed ahead of time to the Parliamentary Press Gallery. (His attendance at the Gala Triomphe was on his public itinerar) The meeting wasn’t necessarily a secret but neither the PMO nor the premier’s office seemed to be making a big deal of it.
Photo journalists were not invited in to take a picture of the two men meeting (though I note, the first Alison Redford and Stephen Harper as Premier of Alberta and Prime Minister, there were photos.) though I fully expect that new racy newsmagazine 24/7to have the “exclusive” pix any day now. My Sun Media colleagues in Quebec, though, snapped the two men together at an event honoring athletes. (Above)
In the meantime, Harper’s office has helpfully distributed this “read-out” of the meeting between the two men:
“Prime Minister Harper indicated that the federal government intends to work closely with the government of Quebec to advance common priorities related to the economy and job creation. They discussed a series of issues, including infrastructure and energy development, and also identified avenues for collaboration in other priority sectors, namely Premier Couillard’s “maritime strategy”.
The two leaders highlighted the importance of Quebec playing a leadership role within the federation.”
Australian PM Tony Abbott April 9, 2014 at the DMZ between South and North Korea.Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the DMZ in December, 2009. (PMO Handout)Your correspondent at the DMZ, Dec. 2009. The blue hut that Abbott and Harper were photographed in is over my left shoulder. And that tall building in the background? That, folks, is North Korea.
Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand surely knows that the Harper government — and its majority in the House of Commons — has a dim view of his impartiality. Whether that view is deserved or not is not the issue: The fact is Conservatives believe Mayrand has improperly interpreted and unfairly applied Canada’s election laws. And Mayrand or anyone at Elections Canada would have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to know this.
And now, here comes that same government with a request last fall for his suggestions on how elections law ought to be changed.
Mayrand certainly knows that there would be a good chance that this government will not heed his recommendations and, in fact, may even try to diminish the power of his office. If that happens, his only recourse will be the court of public opinion. Continue reading The smartest money Marc Mayrand ever spent
