David Akin’s On The Hill – Page 4 – Working notes, observations, links and other errata from a parliamentary bureau reporter in Ottawa, Canada

Did Canada's central bank governor tell young people to work for free?

listen to ‘Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz: Should out-of-work young people work for free?’ on audioBoom

Yesterday, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, spoke in Toronto and when Bloomberg’s Greg Quinn reported on his remarks, he zeroed in on some things Poloz said about youth unemployment in Canada. As Quinn reported, “How bad are things in Canada’s job market? Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz says bad enough for young people to consider working for free.”

Today, in Ottawa, Poloz was in front of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance and Liberal MP Scott Brison wanted to pick up on that theme. Listen, above, to their exchange.

CBC's President, in 2013, dismissed all allegations of sexual harassment in Toronto

On Friday, in the wake of all the allegations against former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, CBC President Hubert Lacroix issued a statement noting, among other things, that:

“As I told a parliamentary committee last year, we have a robust system of training and policy in place to try to create a safe work environment, and to investigate and respond appropriately if incidents occur. This case raises concerns that our systems have not been enough, and that upsets us deeply.”

The parliamentary committee he speaks of is the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women. Lacroix appeared before it on March 5, 2013 as part of the committee’s study into sexual harassment in federal government workplaces. Lacroix, in his testimony then, was dismissive of the work my colleague Brian Lilley had done using Access to Information requests about sexual harrassment at CBC.

Here is what Lacroix told the parliamentary committee in the spring of 2013, a time, we now know, when Ghomeshi was engaged in behaviour which is now the subject of a broader CBC investigation [the emphasis below is mine] : Continue reading CBC's President, in 2013, dismissed all allegations of sexual harassment in Toronto

Marking the first International Day To End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

Harper, Kerry and Baird — OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomes U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister John Baird to his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on October 28, 2014, as the Secretary visited to pay condolences following last week’s attacks and for a series of bilateral meetings. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

This Sunday, we will mark the first ever International Day To End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, an initiative of the UN General Assembly. This is a good idea. But I would say that. I’m a journalist. Who once had thugs hired by Egypt’s secret police put a machete to my chest and the chest of my TVA cameraman. It all turned out Ok for the two of us but for way, way, way too many journalists around the world, bad things happen.

Now, I’ve got some issues with the way U.S. President Barack Obama tries to control the press, eavesdrop on the press, and otherwise work hard to interfere with the work of reporters in his capital. That said, I’m very happy to see this statement from his Secretary of State John Kerry. (Haven’t seen anything similar from any Canadian official) Continue reading Marking the first International Day To End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists

The promise Stephen Harper made to voters in 2011 – and broke in 2014

The 2011 Conservative Party of Canada election platform (picture with link above) made a very specific promise to voters who were parents with children under the age of 18. Here is how the Family Tax Cut, as it was called in 2011, was presented to voters: Continue reading The promise Stephen Harper made to voters in 2011 – and broke in 2014

On key terrorism question, Trudeau stands with Harper, RCMP; Mulcair does not

Were last weeks attacks in Quebec and on Parliament Hill acts of terrorism? The government was quick to label them as such. Today, after their first caucus meetings since last Wednesday’s Parliament Hill shooting, both NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau were asked this question. Both had different answers.

Here’s Thomas Mulcair: Continue reading On key terrorism question, Trudeau stands with Harper, RCMP; Mulcair does not

Wab Kinew: "This country is true. This country is strong. This country is free."

Dr. Wabanakwut Kinew – Interim Associate Vice President for Indigenous Relations, University of Winnipeg from Cape Breton University on Vimeo.

Watch this. It’s very good. Wab starts out talking about Cpl Cirillo and Tecumseh (!) but moves on to offer good advice not only to young Canadians but to all Canadians. Continue reading Wab Kinew: "This country is true. This country is strong. This country is free."

In Alberta, the opposition scores direct hits using Access to Information laws

There are four important by-elections underway right now in Alberta. The vote is on Monday. The Premier, the Health Minister, and the Education Minister have their names on ballots in three of the four ridings. Jim Prentice, Stephen Mandel (above, pictured in 2006), and Gordon Dirks, of course, are all members of the longest-ruling-party in Canadian history, the Alberta Progressive Conservatives.

The PCs, though, are in trouble mostly because a lot of Albertans seem disgusted with a sense of entitlement that has grown around the party. Using government aircraft to fly family and friends around. A former premier’s plan to build a multi-million dollar “sky palace” apartment for herself in Edmonton. And so on.

The opposition Wildrose Party are taking full advantage of this “target-rich” environment with some well-timed direct hits using information it received using access-to-information laws. It scored again Wednesday, unveiling the fact that Mandel (above), running for the PCs in Edmonton-Whitemud, expenses $69,000 worth of Edmonton Oilers tickets to taxpayers when he was the mayor of Edmonton. Continue reading In Alberta, the opposition scores direct hits using Access to Information laws

"Nobody's gonna intimidate us" : The NDP experience this morning

This remarkable video, shot by Globe and Mail reporter Josh Wingrove on his iPhone, shows a view of the Hall of Honour, the main hall running north-south from the front door of the Centre Block to the entrance of the Library of Parliament at the north end. Security forces appear to shoot an armed suspect just outside the door of the Library of Parliament.

Mid-way down the Hall of Honour are entrances on either side to Parliament Hill’s two main committee rooms. On the left, or west side, is 237-C – the Commonwealth Room — where, at the exact moment that the shooter was moving down the hall, the prime minister and all his Conservative MPs were meeting.

This is what it looked like inside the Conservative caucus. Those are MPs barricading their door just before the fusillade you see in Wingrove’s video. Continue reading "Nobody's gonna intimidate us" : The NDP experience this morning

Parliament's budget watchdog warns: We're not as rich as we think!

Canada’s Parliamentary Parliamentary Budget Office is warning all political parties that while the federal treasury is about to overflow with billions in surpluses, any major tax cuts or new spending programs could plunge the country back into deficit.

But with political silly season upon us in advance of the 2015 general election, it’s unlikely the three major parties are going to pay much heed to this warning.

The PBO said Tuesday [pdf] federal coffers will spill over with more than $53 billion in surpluses between now and the spring of 2020 but those riches are mostlyf from one-time benefits like the sale of government assets and an economy temporarily growing faster than expected. Continue reading Parliament's budget watchdog warns: We're not as rich as we think!

Left-leaning think tank says right-leaning ones getting a pass on taxman scrutiny

This picture of Broadbent Institute Executive Director Rick Smith was taken by Joshua Berson on June 9, 2014 in Vancouver. This photo was published by the Broadbent Institute at its Flickr feed which you can find here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/broadbentinst/

A left-leaning think tank says right-leaning think tanks have not been subjected to the same scrutiny of their political activities as have opponents of the Harper government.

The Broadbent Institute, an Ottawa-based group named in honour of former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, said in a study released Tuesday that its findings support the contention made by some that the Canada Revenue Agency is singling out charities whose work is at odds with the federal Conservatives while those that support the government’s agenda are not.

“We know charities that have been critical of policies of the Harper government are being audited by the Canada Revenue Agency. With mounting evidence suggesting bias in auditing decisions, we need to find out what’s going on here,” Broadbent Institute Executive Director Rick Smith (above) said in a statement.

Continue reading Left-leaning think tank says right-leaning ones getting a pass on taxman scrutiny