Pete, Roger: Tho I love your work, I won't be at your concert next week

The Who on tour 2012
DULUTH, Ga. – Roger Daltrey, left, and Pete Townshend, perform as The Who on Nov. 5, 2012. (AFP/Rick Diamond)

In a few days, The Who will play a concert at ScotiaBank Place, the hockey arena where the Ottawa Senators play and which is a five-minute drive from my home.

Now, my all-time favourite band on most days of the week is The Clash. But on those days of the week when it is not The Clash, my favourite band is The Who.  And as The Clash is no longer touring, this tour by The Who is about my only chance to see my other favourite band of all time in live performance.

But I’m not going.

And here’s why. Continue reading Pete, Roger: Tho I love your work, I won't be at your concert next week

Snowmobiles and The Harper Government: The track record

Stephen Harper rides a snowmobile in Iqaluit
IQALUIT – Prime Minister Stephen Harper rides a snowmobile in Iqaluit on Feb. 23, 2012. (Reuters/Chris Wattie)

So far in the last couple of weeks, The Harper Government™  has announced about $940,000 worth of grants to snowmobile clubs all of which are in Quebec and almost all of which were to help those clubs by snowmobile trail grooming machines — expensive bits of equipment that can cost in excess of $100,000 per machine.

No snowmobile club in any other province has received any other snowmobile grants so far. And, based on the history of snowmobile-related grants made during the last Parliament, it’s unlikely any province other than Quebec is going to get some. That’s because, in the last Parliament, Quebec received $6.4 million in snowmo-grants; NB got $300,000; NL got $155,000 and the rest of the country got precisely nothing in the way of snowmo-grants.

Here, for the record, are the snowmobile-related handouts I tracked from my OttawaSpends database from the 40th Parliament: Continue reading Snowmobiles and The Harper Government: The track record

Romney's excuses and Jindal's repudiation

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
Politico reports that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, seen here in April, 2012, says Mitt Romney’s post-mortem on why the Republican’s lost to Obama is “absolutely wrong”. (AFP PHOTO / Karen Bleier)

The New York Times reports:

A week after losing the election to President Obama, Mitt Romney blamed his overwhelming electoral loss on what he said were big “gifts” that the president had bestowed on loyal Democratic constituencies, including young voters, African-Americans and Hispanics. Continue reading Romney's excuses and Jindal's repudiation

"Important government spending". Like those snowmobile machines. Or tennis courts.

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty released the semi-annual fiscal and economic update in which, among other things, he announced that his government would not be able to return to a balanced budget during the life of the current Parliament. Six months ago, when he released Budget 2012, he said the budget would be balanced in this Parliament’s last year. In facing up to the fact that, by the election of 2015, the Conservatives therefore will have run deficits in eight of their 10 budgets, Flaherty offered this:

Nevertheless, we remain on track to meet our goal to return to balanced budgets over the medium term. Continue reading "Important government spending". Like those snowmobile machines. Or tennis courts.

Where is the line between good debt and bad debt?

A wonk-post, I’m afraid, but there are some important questions, I think, for politicians and voters at the end of it all.

In 2000-2001, the debt-to-GDP ratio was 48.3 per cent. By the time of the final Liberal budget, the one for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2006, the debt-to-GDP ratio was at 35%. (All the ratios and figures in this post come from the federal Finance Department’s Fiscal Reference Tables) Continue reading Where is the line between good debt and bad debt?

There is no such thing as a conservative in Canadian federal politics

Or at least that’s the verdict of Postmedia’s Michael Den Tandt after looking at the fiscal and economic update released by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. Among the headlines from that update, the government is putting off by a year its target date to return to balances budgets:

To call the deficit retrenchment a betrayal of the governing party’s fiscal-conservative wing would be an exaggeration — but only just. Continue reading There is no such thing as a conservative in Canadian federal politics

Harper's Asia Tour: Day 5 itinerary

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in the Philippines for the first time. He’s here just for the day — and it’s a busy one — before heading to Hong Kong tomorrow. Here’s what he’s up to on Saturday, Nov 10: 

All times Philippine Standard Time:

  • 1000: Prime Minister Harper and Laureen Harper lay a wreath at the Rizal Monument.
  • 1030: Prime Minister and Mrs. Harper arrive at the Malacanan Palace.
  • 1050: Prime Minister Harper meets with His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III, President of the Republic of the Philippines.
  • 1140: Prime Minister Harper and President Aquino participate in a signing ceremony, followed by a joint media availability.
  • 1230: Prime Minister and Mrs. Harper participate in an Official Luncheon given by President Aquino
  • 1420: Prime Minister and Mrs. Harper tour Fort Santiago.
  • 1600: Prime Minister Harper hosts a roundtable discussion with business leaders.

The evolution of the SO31: From happy thoughts to political mud fights

Before every Question Period in the House of Commons, there is a 15-minute period where MPs are allowed to rise and deliver a one-minute “Member’s Statement” on just about any subject they want. These “Members’ Statements” are provided for under Standing Order 31 of the House of Common procedural rules. So, you’ll often hear an MP say, “I’m giving an ess-oh-thirty-one (SO31) today …” In Parliament Hill shorthand, SO31 is used a noun to refer to these one-minute-long member’s statements. 

Continue reading The evolution of the SO31: From happy thoughts to political mud fights

Canadian PM Stephen Harper 'Marries Again' in Bangalore

There was no formal “marriage” ceremony but the Harpers clearly enjoyed each other’s company at a Hindu temple here in Bangalore where they received Hindu blessings. Here’s a nice colour piece from the local press on their visit:

“We have married again”, quipped Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper as he garlanded his wife Laureen with jasmine buds at the historic Someshwara temple this evening.

The couple entered the temple at Ulsoor barefoot. The temple priest Sundar Dixit explained to them the history of the temple, which has a mixture of Chola, Hoysala and Vijayanagar architecture.

via Canadian PM Stephen Harper ‘Marries Again’ in Bangalore | news.outlookindia.com.