Real Canadian Politics

Real Canadian Politics is now Copper Roof Politics

2011-10-15T12:30:00.004-04:00

Hello. Real Canadian Politics is now Copper Roof Politics.

This change extends beyond the name however. Readers will notice the same great content from the same authors, in a much more interactive and cleaner looking environment.

The new website features a united Twitter feed with Tweets from both Cole and Chad, rather than two separate feeds. Better still, readers will no longer have to sift through non political Tweets, as the new feed only displays relevant Tweets, as marked by the hashtag #crp. Readers will also notice a Twitter ticker on all pages that follows readers no matter where they are on the page, ensuring our latest tweets are always front and centre.

Readers no longer have to visit the affiliate aggregate site to view posts by affiliated blogs. Instead readers can view links and a short description of the affiliate blog post right from CopperRoofPolitics.ca. This feed exists for both Progressive Bloggers affiliates and Blogging Canadians affiliates, and is updated as the posts become available.

The convenience doesn’t end there either! Readers can now read current political news from the Toronto Star right from CopperRoofPolitics.ca. Readers will be able to see the headline, a photo (when available), and a short description of the story before deciding to leave the site to read the article.

CopperRoofPolitics includes other features, including a Twitter Archive that archives all relevant Tweets from both Cole and Chad, making searching for that favourite Tweet much easier.

With the launch of CopperRoofPolitics.ca comes the launch of our Facebook page. Be sure to head over there a like it for updates on new posts, website features, and more!

So, on behalf of Chad and myself, I want to welcome you to Copper Roof Politics. Please visit CopperRoofPolitics.ca to view the website.

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After today, Real Canadian Politics will no longer be active. Please visit CopperRoofPolitics.ca for the new blog.

Hudak to help students: Can we trust him?

2011-08-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, PC Leader Tim Hudak announced that he would provide more funding for Ontario students, by diverting funds away from the Ontario Trillium Scholarship program.

The Ontario Trillium Scholarship program was created by the McGuinty government in 2010 to attract doctoral students from other countries to study in Ontario, by providing them up to $40,000/year in scholarships. The program would attract 75 of the worlds brightest students to Ontario to study, allowing Ontario universities to compete on a global scale with leading international institutions. The program would cost the Ontario government $20 million over four years, and would cost universities a further $10 million. Universities appear to be in favour of the program, as University of Toronto President David Naylor said the scholarships would “help [them] attract the very best talent from around the globe to Ontario.” He added, “That’s good for our universities and good for the future of this province.”

Hudak claims that this program is a waste, and unfair to Ontario students who are not eligible to receive this funding. He is promising to divert the money from the program to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), allowing Ontario students with a family income of less than $65,000 an extra $300 per year.

As a university student, I agree that OSAP could still use improvement, but $300/year is not likely to help me out very much. OSAP is already one of the most generous student aid program in the country, dispensing over $500 million to Ontario students each year.

So now we look at the options. A McGuinty government who has proven their commitment to education over the last 8 years and will continue to provide Ontario students with over $500 million/year while attracting 75 of the brightest international students to Ontario, or a Hudak government that promises not to cut education while providing Ontario students with an extra $300/year and squashing the Ontario Trillium Scholarship. Keep in mind that Hudak's platform has $14 billion in unfunded spending with no mention of how they are going to cover this shortfall. Perhaps its Common Sense (Revolution)? Lets ask Mike Harris.

Remembering Jack Layton

2011-08-22T10:00:00.005-04:00

NDP supporter or not, there is no doubt that Jack Layton's contribution to the political sphere is a spectacle that should live on in the minds' of Canadians for many years to come. As MPs are enjoying their summer waiting for the House to resume in the fall, there will be a void when they return to find the seat for Toronto-Danforth without that warm charismatic smile that accompanied Jack wherever he went. He is a man who enjoyed politics despite the rigors and turmoil that can ensue on Parliament Hill and was passionate about the country and riding that he represented.

He guided the party into the last federal election, which saw the NDP gain support as Canadians looked to Jack and the NDP for change. Set to begin the fall term as official leader of the opposition, Jack's health took a toll on him and forced him to take a leave of absence shortly after the election. Being able to guide the party to new heights and being able to witness it all unfold would have been a blessing and a gift for Mr. Layton. However, knowing the fantastic position of the party and the strides it has made with him leading the way, somewhere Jack is smiling down upon this great country.

To all of his family, friends, and loved-ones, on behalf of Cole and I and the Real Canadian Politics Community, I'd like to extend our deepest condolences. We'll keep the Layton family, as well as Jack, in our thoughts and prayers.

The problem with Hudak

2011-08-17T09:44:00.000-04:00

Hudak has a number of problems, the largest being trust. People don't trust him. In particular, women don't trust him. In a new poll, Nanos Research concluded that only 1 in 4 men trust Hudak, and even less, only 1 in 5, women trust Hudak.

Let me say this, the Hudak PCs are running a somewhat respectable campaign. By conservative standards, that means they haven't screwed up too badly yet. They have managed this mostly by keeping their candidates on a very short leash. But short of acting like a dog owner at obedience school, the PCs have offered very little to voters in the way of policy. Their platform, titled Changebook, offers no radical changes, and begs the question, "Why vote for you?" Mind you, that's not what I got out of it. What I got out of it was more along the lines of: "Why did I read that, and can I please have the last hour of my life back?"

It seems like the PCs are trying to run a very low key campaign, which is quite surprising since they already have a very low key leader. Ask around Ontario and almost everyone will know who Dalton McGuinty is. Ask those same people about Tim Hudak, and you get, "Tim who?" Now that is almost to be expected when you consider that McGuinty has been Premier for 8 years, and Ontario Liberal Leader since 1996. But still, the PCs did virtually nothing to get themselves or their leader noticed over the last few years.

Essentially, the PC party did absolutely no pre-election work. They spent a couple hours writing the rag they call a platform (or so it seems). They haven't spend any time or money getting to know Ontario voters. And despite all of this, they still expect to form government, simply because they think it's their turn. But that's not how politics work. The hard work needs to be done. They need to show voters that they are going to take charge of the situation. Voters won't go looking for them to find out why they should vote conservative, they have to find the voters and convince them. They aren't doing this.

The PCs are a party that did no hard pre-election work, have a leader that no body knows, and have a platform with virtually nothing beneficial in it. On top of that, they're now trying to sell the idea that we can't trust our long time Premier. Its like a new kid on the playground is trying to convince everyone that they shouldn't play with their old friend Dalton. No one is going to listen to the new kid, and worse, no one is going to be his friend.

Come on, Hudak. Open your eyes. Ontarians don't trust you because they don't know you, your party hasn't done the work, and you don't have enough of a platform.

My take on Senate reform

2011-06-13T09:54:00.049-04:00

We need the Senate, but not as it is now. The current Senate is far too inefective, inefficient, and undemocratic. I don't agree with Stephen Harper much, but I do agree with him when he says the Senate needs to change. What makes something democratic? The will of the people. That said, the Senate needs to be elected, effective, and accountable.

To start, Senate elections should be federally regulated by Elections Canada. It isn't up to the provinces to elect people to a federal body. Senate elections should be on a fixed term, say every 6 years. This will provide stability in Parliament. Next, the election should be by proportional representation. If a party gets a 20% of the vote, they get 20% of the seats. There should of course be limitations placed on this to protect the Senate from radical parties. So maybe a party only starts winning seats if they secure over 5% of the vote. The way this will work is each party that is running in the Senate election will put forward a list of the candidates in order of presedence. As voters, we will look at the list for our geographic area, whether it be a province or a region, and decide which candidates or party we support. If a party get 20% of the vote, and there are 105 Senators, the first 21 people on the list for that Party win seats.

The seats should continue to be geographically dispersed as well. It wont be easy to appease the provinces in this area. Perhaps a formula would need to be created that takes population and land mass into account. Something that will award seats fairly without making certain provinces *cough*cough* cranky. If this means increasing the size of the Senate, then so be it. We could also get away from awarding the seats by province. I don't think we need to get as specific as the federal ridings for House of Commons elections, but lets take Ontario for example: South Western Ontario, GTA, Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Northern Ontario. That's more specific than provincial, but less specific than riding.

Next, the Senate needs to be as powerful as the House. The governing party should still be the party that wins the House of Commons (which should also be election by proportional representation, but that's a different blog post!), and of course the budget bill should originate from the House, but the Senate should have the power to introduce and debate and other bills they see fit. And they should exercise this power. The Senate should sit as often as the House, and it should be able to amend House legislation without getting the stink eye from the House.

It's time we turn Parliament into the truly democratic, bi-camaral, institution its supposed to be. Elect and strengthen an accountable and democratic Senate.

Reasonable caps for reasonable prices?

2011-02-04T09:56:00.001-05:00

Usage based billing. It is a term that most Canadians had probably never even heard of until quite recently. I had, but that is because I handle most of the technological aspects of my family, and my family is a Rogers customer.

We switched to Rogers almost 5 years ago, and even then a bandwidth cap was imposed on us. We subscribe to highspeed lite, which at the time of purchase carried a 25GB cap. If my mom and dad were living by themselves this cap would be no problem. 25GB per month would certainly be enough for them. But they dont live by themselves. I have an older sister (now married), an older brother (now married), and two younger sisters. While it is true that my older brother and sister dont live at home anymore, and I am only at home for 5 months of the year, 25GB for 4-7 people just doesn't cut it. On a good day, when I am not home, there are four people in my house. 3 laptops and a wifi enabled Wii. 25GB. The CRTC estimates that a normal user will use at least 15GB per month. See the problem. And now Rogers has lowered the cap on this package to only 15GB.

Most people reading this are probably thinking, well why dont you just get a better package, and the answer to this comes down to price. This plan already costs $35.99 per month. Combine that with TV, home phone, long distance, and cell phones. My family simply cannot afford a more expensive plan.

I have taken the liberty of comparing the pricing between some of Canada's largest ISPs:

	Rogers	Bell	Cogeco	Shaw
Less than 10GB	2GB – $27.99	2GB - $31.95
10GB-25GB	15GB – $35.99	25GB – $41.95	10GB - $36.95	15GB – $35.00
25GB-40GB	n/a	n/a	30GB - $42.95	n/a
40GB-60GB	60GB – $46.99	50GB – $51.95	60GB – $56.95	60GB – $47.00
60GB-80GB	80GB - $59-99	75GB – $61.95	n/a	n/a
80GB+	125GB – $69.99	n/a	125GB - $81.95	175GB - $107.00
	175GB – $99.99	n/a	n/a	350GB - $150.00

The prices for these caps are completely outrageous. Small ISPs currently offer unlimited bandwidth for $30-$50. Their speeds are often slower, they are only available in certain areas, service time lags, and customer service isn't always the best. But that is the trade off for reasonably priced internet.

The CRTC recently made a decision that would force the small ISPs to limit their bandwidth, and worse, practically gave the big ISPs the authority to choose the limits! This would destroy the competition, stifle innovation, and cut off access to the internet for thousands, if not millions, of Canadians. Luckily, the government and all opposition parties agree with the small ISPs and the vast majority of consumers when they say that this CRTC decision just makes no sense.

I do understand the need for limits in some cases, however, the caps currently in place are completely ridiculous. They do not fair nicely with their global competitors, but they dont have to because together they have a near monopoly. This isn't fair to the small ISPs, but mostly it isn't fair to the consumer.

The fact of the matter is this: reasonable caps for reasonable prices. Give me 200GB for $50. Will I use 200GB? Probably not, but I certainly wouldn't be complaining.

LIVE BLOG: Kitchener Open Mike Event

2011-01-16T11:26:00.000-05:00

Real Canadian Politics is happy to be Live Blogging this event live from Bingemans Conference Centre in Kitchener, Ontario. Unfortunately, I have a hockey game at 2:00pm this afternoon so I will have to leave the event early, at about 1:30pm.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=f76f66f867" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;LIVE BLOG: Kitchener Open Mike&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Dear Afghanistan, we're not going anywhere yet!

2010-11-16T19:17:00.000-05:00

The Conservative Government has finally unveiled the plan for our troops in Afghanistan, and surprise, surprise... we aren't going anywhere.

Canadian troops will no longer be used in active combat roles after 2011, rather the 950 troops will take on a strict training only role in the relatively safe city of Kabul. The Conservatives promise that not only will our troops not be used in combat, but they will only be training on safe bases, and will not be used in the dangerous Kandahar region.

Despite criticizing the Government for taking too long to outline their plan, the Liberals are generally happy with the decision. The plan takes into account many of the recommendations that the Liberals put forward, including the central idea that Canadian troops should remain in the country post the 2011 withdrawal date. The NDP however are not happy with the decision, and are asking the Conservatives to put the mission to a vote in the House. The Conservatives have retaliated saying that it is well within their authority to conduct training missions, and are pointing at the Haiti earthquake disaster for precedent. At the time, the Government sent troops to the Caribbean nation without a vote in the House.

I have to agree with the Conservatives and the Liberals in this matter: We can't leave the Afghan people this way. The Taliban Government has been toppled, but leaving the untrained Afghan military to keep them at bay won't work at all. The least we can do on our way out is to give them the training they need to keep their citizens safe, while they work to rebuild their nation.

We have been their for 9 years, and that is a long time. Over 150 Canadian soldiers have died, and that is far too many. The war is costing us over $1 billion per year, and that is far too much. But if we leave now, without training our replacements, will it all have been for nothing? I would hate to think that so many people have lost their lives for nothing.

Do we deserve to be Canadians?

2010-10-23T00:55:00.004-04:00

Voting is a concept that many people just don't understand anymore. At one time, it was regarded as an honour and privilege to vote. Now, most people regard it as a chore... A voluntary civic duty that they can partake in only if they feel like it. How did this happen?

Imagine life prior to our democratic government. Before we elected our leaders they were merely appointed by the powers that be. And who were those powers? The unelected Monarch, i.e. the King or Queen. And you know how that King or Queen was chosen? Divine right. They were somehow superior to everyone else in such a way that they were "chosen" by God to lead us. The people that lead our country and governed all aspects of our lives were chosen, not elected, by another unelected person. Responsible government was virtually non-existent.

In the first election held in Canada, voter turnout was 73.1%. It has since fluctuated from the low 60's to the high 70's. In the last federal election, October 2008, voter turnout was a startling 58.8%. This number is so low that it is actually embarrassing.

The Fathers of Confederation worked extremely hard to bring us our democracy. Hundreds of thousands of people made sacrifices and worked very hard to achieve democracy in Canada. In fact, in other places in the world hundreds of millions of people, if not billions of people, have been killed fighting for democracy in their countries.

Canada already has a functioning democracy. We are not asking anyone to work hard or make sacrifices. We are not asking anyone to fight or die. All we are asking is that you take a few minutes out of your lives every year or so to vote.

In fact, we are not asked of very much in Canada. Follow the law, pay your taxes, fill out the census, and vote. Only three of those things are required. Following the law is a universal requirement everywhere in the world. Paying your taxes is also a universal requirement, and allows us access to necessary services. Filling out the census ensures that we get the right services. The last thing asked of Canadians is that we vote. It's not required, and no one will ever be forced to vote. We are asked to vote because it is arguably the most important thing we as citizens could ever do because this voluntary civic duty is the controlling factor of the three required duties.

As previously mentioned, the duties of a Canadian citizen are not extreme. They are little more than a minor inconvenience. None of them take a very long time, and many are so ingrained in our day to day lives that we don't even notice them anymore. The majority of us have no problem following the law, paying our taxes, or even filling out the census. Why do we have such a hard time voting. Especially considering all the social programs we receive as Canadians, such as healthcare, education, welfare, and police service. On a personal note, I would never be able to attend university if it weren't for the Government subsidizing over 50% of it, and financing the remaining amount through both loans and grants.

If we don't vote because we "don't have time" or because our "vote doesn't really count" we are insulting not just our history, but our future as well. As fewer and fewer people vote our government becomes less and less democratic. With each passing election as less people vote, we move closer and closer to our undemocratic past, and further away from the democratic future our ancestors worked so hard to achieve.

When you think about it, we have a municipal election every 4 years, a provincial election every 2-4 years, and a federal election every 2-4 years. If we can't take the few minutes out of our lives to vote every year or so, then do we really deserve the social services we receive? Do we really deserve to be Canadian citizens?

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Ignatieff Makes Personal Appeal

2010-10-06T22:10:00.004-04:00

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff sent out an email to his mass mailing list today, with a subject line of "This is personal." Here it is:

My mother got sick with Alzheimer’s when she was in her 60s — early, in other words — and my dad took care of her at home. I’ve never admired my father more than when he looked after my mom, but it killed him, basically. It was tough, even with my brother, Andrew, stepping up, and our family and friends helping.

Like my Dad did, millions of Canadians care for family members at home when loved ones fall ill. They are a silent workforce, providing $9-billion in unpaid work each year. Many must use personal savings to survive, miss work or quit their jobs. Over half have household incomes under $45,000. Like the loved ones they are caring for, many of these caregivers are in the fight of their lives.

Yesterday, I announced a new Liberal Party policy to change that.

Canadians want to shoulder the responsibility of caring for their ill parents, grandparents, spouse or young children. But they also want a government that stands with them, a government that chooses families over corporate tax breaks.

That’s why the new Liberal Family Care Plan will introduce:

A new six-month Family Care Employment Insurance Benefit, similar to the EI parental leave benefit, so that more Canadians can care for gravely ill family members at home without having to quit their jobs; and
A new Family Care Tax Benefit, modeled on the Child Tax Benefit, to help low- and middle-income family caregivers who provide essential care to a family member at home.

Replacing the current six-week EI program, the Family Care Employment Insurance Benefit will let families claim up to six months in blocks over a year long period, and share it with other family members.

Meanwhile, the new Family Care Tax Benefit will help low- and middle-income family caregivers defray the cost of providing essential care to a family member at home. The new benefit will provide families that qualify with a tax-free monthly payment worth up to $1,350 per year.

During difficult economic times, governments — and Canadians — must choose.Stephen Harper and the Conservatives choose a $6-billion annual tax break for corporations. We choose families. We’ll keep the corporate tax rate where it is now, 25 percent lower than in the United States, and use some of the savings it provides to pay for the Liberal Family Care Plan.

I know this policy will help countless Canadians struggling to provide care for sick loved ones at home.

Thank you.

Michael Ignatieff

John Ivison of the National Post received this email, and he was less than pleased, stating that them email "reaches too far." He goes on to say that he thinks that the email is "manipulative, undignified and in poor taste." I couldn't disagree more! The email starts off on a personal note, and quickly progresses to a discussion on the Liberal's new home care plan. Ignatieff is using a personal story to attempt to connect to Canadians. He is not reaching for sympathy, but rather letting Canadians know that he sympathizes with them. He is telling Canadians that he knows what they are feeling, and he knows what they are going through.

This personal approach is not overreaching at all. In fact, catching a glimpse into the personal life of a leader is a refreshing change, and allows Canadians to connect with him on a personal level. I think this email could prove beneficial for both the Liberals and Canadians.

Liveblogging Canada's New Governor General

2010-10-01T10:20:00.000-04:00

Thank you for visiting our live coverage of the installation ceremony of our new Governor General, David Johnston!

Time Heals All Wounds

2010-09-30T17:21:00.005-04:00

Today, Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney spoke in Windsor on the state of Canada's economy and made his predictions for the future. The outlook seems that the economy will remain at a crawl, for the time being, with gradual growth.

Still recovering from the recession, growth will not come easily in Canada, due to the fact that our economy is tied heavily to other nations, especially the United States. The U.S. is also trying to recover from the past recession, and the results have hurt the more stable Canadian economy. This is due in large part to the decline in exports making their way to the U.S. because Americans are reluctant to pay for unnecessary items in fear of a, "double-dip," recession. Therefore sales are on a downward trend. Carney had this to say on the foreign markets, "During this period of adjustments, we should expect subdued growth in major advanced economies."

Back in Canada, the GDP, has fallen for the first time in over a year this past July by 0.1%. It does not seem like a huge fall but the worrisome part is the lack of growth of the economy. In an age where job opportunities are shrinking, as small and large businesses downsize or fold up completely, there is a cause for concern. Carney also hopes that the "average amount of hours worked [by Canadians] will return to its trend, but only very gradually." However, "the unusual uncertainty surrounding the outlook, warrants caution."

With unemployment starting to become an issue for more Canadians, those with jobs will soon be facing a hike in their employment insurance (EI) premiums. However, the federal government is recognizing that Canadians are not bursting at the seems with cash these days. In light of this, Financial Minister Jim Flaherty has announced the recent increase will be slightly scaled back. No longer will Canadians be expected to pay 15 cents extra on every $100 instead the hike will be reduced to 5 cents. Canadians across the nation are pinching pennies as it is and money seems to always be tight. Although this is a small increase, over time, will EI premiums, ironically, be a factor that sends Canadians to the unemployment line?
Further Reading:

Census vote!

2010-09-29T17:11:00.000-04:00

The House of Commons will vote on a motion to call on the Government to reinstate the long form census, about 40 minutes from now. It is known that the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc will all support the motion, with the Conservatives likely voting against it.

At this point it is very likely that the motion will pass, however it is important to note that the motion is not binding. Because the census falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal government, it is not up to the House to control the census. All MPs can do is ask the Government, on behalf of the Canadian people, to reinstate the census. Harper's response: no. It is highly unlikely that the government will change their mind.

I was considering live blogging the vote, but I don't think it is really necessary since it is just a vote, and we essentially know which way everyone will vote.

As a side note, I will be live blogging David Johnston's swearing in ceremony on Friday, so check back then!

More information:

Putting the registry in perspective

2010-09-22T16:24:00.000-04:00

Conservatives, and many other Canadians, are upset about Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's decision to force his MPs to save the gun registry, but Liberal MP Scott Simms really put it in perspective today.

Simms was one of the eight Liberal MPs that voted in favour of scrapping the registry at second reading, but he has now told his colleagues that he has changed his mind, not only because Ignatieff ordered him too, but for his own personal reasons too.

Simms father, Reginald Simms, took his own life with a long gun in June of this year, prompting his son to change his vote, stating that even if the registry saves only one life, it will be worth it.

Simms has more than his father to think, he also stated that after the second reading he looked up into the gallery and saw a woman crying. He mouthed the words, "I'm sorry" to her, and now he plans to make good on his "mistake." It is believed that the woman in the gallery was Suzanne Laplante-Edwards, the mother of a girl killed in the L'Ecole Polytechnique massacre. It is unclear whether she will be in the gallery tonight.

Simms wasn't the only MP to change his mind for this reason. Liberal MP Michelle Simpson tweeted that a "Newfoundland colleague" put the registry in "unprecedented perspective."

With all Liberal MPs voting to save the registry, the Bloc voting to save the registry, and the NDP stating that they have "enough" MPs to save the registry, it looks like the Conservatives will lose the vote, and the registry will stand to live another parliamentary session.

More at the Toronto Star.

Liveblogging Question Period

2010-09-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

Liveblog of Question Period! Watch it live on CPAC or ParlView!

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=0a70551492" >Liveblogging Question Period</a>

McGuinty: A Product of Technology

2010-09-17T11:20:00.005-04:00

Too bad no one was paying attention, after all they were probably too busy on social network sites reporting that he was about to make a comment. All the while missing the big picture entirely. The result ultimately trickles down to the youth of today's technological society in this global village we call Earth.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, made headlines and caused new heated debates across the province when he made some comments about technology in classrooms. To put it simply, he is in favour of having students being able to use cellphones in the classroom. The premier was quoted in a Toronto Star article stating, "Telephones and Blackberries and the like are conduits for information today [...] and one of the things that we want our students to do is to be well informed. It is something we should be looking at in our schools."

This comment lead to a flurry of reports and opinion pieces being published over the past day or so. Most of which condemn the idea of the use of cellphones in the classroom and rightfully so. As a teacher to be, here at Nipissing University, and only being a couple of years removed from high school, this idea seems to invoke more harm than good into the education system. Sure McGuinty has good intentions by seeing the positives that could come out of this, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and hell is exactly where the provinces educational system is heading if this comes to fruition. Students even now, when some schools have banned personal electronics altogether, are still caught texting under their desks. The idea to incorporate cellphones into classrooms just opens up more opportunities for students to be distracted.

There is no doubt that we are in an age of technology, and that technology is, and will continue to be at the heart of society. However, we are also in an age of socially inept people who would rather sit in front of a computer screen than have a conversation with a person. With that, as a society, we lose that emotional connect and human contact we need to survive as a proper functioning community. We become more like robots than humans as the social experience becomes more habitually faceless. I do not condemn technology and social networking and in fact I embrace its simplicity and ease of use but where do we draw the line and teach the new generations that there is a reason for paying attention to one thing at a time

McGuinty is obviously not in sync with many new educational studies that relate to multitasking and social networking. One such study basically states, that we are losing the ability to think critically and tend to produce a lower quality of work. A news report on this study can be found here. So while we are tempted to use the ease of technology to help students learn we are just classically enabling them, so they cannot think for themselves. Technology has a place in the classroom but has to be used quite sparingly and effectively in order to work properly.

Therefore, the Premier should get off his Blackberry once in awhile and look at the world around him. I bet he would be surprised to see what he has overlooked or missed while he was on his phone.

More Sports Talk in Quebec Politics

2010-09-16T17:37:00.004-04:00

After reading an interesting article over on cbc.ca, it is interesting to note how much sports coverage is taking place at Parliament Hill these days and across many provincial political arenas. Oddly enough there have been a few stories on sports news channels these past couple of weeks that seemed more like parliamentary debates than that of the news surrounding current sports teams and leagues.

The aforementioned article points to the PMO and its comments towards Bloc Quebecois leader (provincially) Pauline Marois. The latter mentioned that she would like to see the Montreal Canadiens incorporate more Francophone players into their lineup. To which the Prime Minister responded that even though the team is one that unites almost all Quebecors it really should stay out of the political light and simply be left alone.

This story comes on the heels of a debate (which is still ongoing but has simmered for now) of federal funding for a new arena in Quebec City, which has been speculated to be built in an effort to attract an NHL team. Instantly a revive the Nordiques campaign started in not only the streets but in the political offices as well, as many MPs gathered and had photos taken wearing the vintage sweater.

While it is true that hockey is Canada's national pastime and regarded as a sacred institution in not only Quebec but across the nation, but where should the line be drawn between sports and politics. It seems one side already has drawn the line far away but the other just will not stay on its own side. Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson stated following the most current incident, "We are in the hockey business and not into politics [...] I can tell you that we don't talk about politics in the dressing room."

So while Marious comments to the media stating the Habs are, "a symbol of our pride to succeed in this sports, and I think that Quebecors would like to have more Francophones in this team." most people including Harper, don't think that is the case, or like Geoff Molson, don't care. The result is a lot of people changing the channel on their television and switching pages in their newspaper to the sports section, where the real news and commentary about sports remains. Thus, leaving the politicians to once again return to what they are suppose to care about; that is running this country and/or its provinces and territories.

Tories take lead, or statistical anomaly?

2010-09-16T16:35:00.000-04:00

The latest EKOS poll, released to the CBC, show that the Conservatives are holding a 32.4% lead, with the Liberals at 28.9%. The NDP are holding 16.6% support, while the Green Party maintains 10.7% and the Bloc are at 8.9%.

Normally, the statistics would suggest that the Conservative have a minor lead of 3-4%. However, if we take a look at the data from the past few weeks, we see that the data could be telling a different story.

The data from September 2 suggests that the Conservatives have 29.4% of the vote, while the Liberals have 29.1% of the vote. Even without the margin of error, the two parties were in a virtual tie.

The data from August 19 suggests that the Conservatives would win 32.5% of the vote, while the Liberals would win 27.9% of the vote. The 5% tory lead is barely statistically significant, and should thus be noted as relatively close to that of a tie.

Now, if we take a look at this weeks data, we see that there is perhaps another possibility. Because the difference is within the margin of error, it is fairly difficult for us to be sure that the Conservatives are in the lead. Perhaps they are, or perhaps the parties are still in a tie. The data speaks differently to each party, and is much too close to state that the Conservatives are gaining ground again.

Chart from CBC.

Layton Exercises Proper Politics

2010-09-14T09:15:00.003-04:00

Jack Layton has his own views on politics like anyone else, and sure perhaps his opinion is regarded a little more than the average person, but he is the leader of the NDP so it makes sense. As the leader of one of the major political parties in Canada he has had to make many tough decisions along with the rest of the MPs that sit in the House of Commons. When it comes to being the head of the party, that adds extra stress and pressure to guide the party in the proper direction when it comes to the views of its members. Sometimes that means keeping your own views in check and allowing democracy and politics just to flow naturally.

A perfect example of this, is the position Layton is taking on the issue of the gun registry; allowing the members of his party to vote freely based on their own views. Despite having conflicting views with many members within his own party, he is not demanding all NDP MPs vote with him in a whip vote. Instead he allowing the process of democracy to take place freely and without constraint. This move has come under fire by many pundits and politicians such as Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff who stated, "Now they're [the NDP] are lined up with Stephen Harper against the police." Layton however, agrees with Ignatieff's stance on the gun registry and wants to save the program. Layton believes that the gun registry is not without its flaws and that needs to be addressed. He wants the registry to, "work for everybody," and the first step is not, "fix[ing] it by getting rid of it."

Despite allowing his party to vote freely on the issue, Jack Layton still plans on making his pitch to his MPs in hope that they follow his stance. The members of the NDP will not be punished if they decided to vote opposite of their leader. If anything, it shows that they have a spine and stand up for what they believe in, something lacking amongst individual politicians in this era. Instead of representing what the leader may believe, they go on their own belief by representing their riding like they were elected to do. This is an example of Real Canadian Politics.

Qur'an burning unites all - UPDATED

2010-09-09T13:55:00.003-04:00

There are only a handful of occasions that unites all political parties in Canada. Death, terrorism, national sports, and holidays are among the most common of these occasions. The burning of a book of faith can now be added to that list.

All political parties in both Canada and the US have denounced the burning as a "despicable, disgraceful" act, and many top political and military leaders have expressed concerns over the repercussions of the burning.

The top NATO commander in Afghanistan has warned that the burning could have negative effects on the mission as the Taliban could have an easier time recruiting new troops.

Prime Minister Harper, who doesn't speak often on religion, had this to say, "I don't speak very often about my own religion but let me be very clear: My God and my Christ is a tolerant God, and that's what we want to see in this world." Michael Ignatieff says, "It has been rightly denounced by the American President and by the Secretary of State as a despicable, disgraceful act, and one that runs counter to the sense of mutual respect and tolerance that are the core foundations of all faiths."

We at Real Canadian Politics have to agree with our political leaders in this matter. The Qur'an is a book of faith, much like The Bible. There are a lot of people in the Muslim faith that are not radicals and do not agree with terrorism, and they should not be punished for the actions of others.

Update

Earlier this evening, Terry Jones announced that he had come to a deal with the New York Islam group responsible for building the ground zero Mosque. He stated that his Qur'an burning event was cancelled, and in exchange the Mosque would be moved to a different location.

He later retracted the statement, alleging that he had been lied too about the relocation of the Mosque. He is now saying that the event is suspended, but not cancelled.

Claude Bechard Passes Away

2010-09-07T19:45:00.000-04:00

Former Quebec Liberal Cabinet Minister, Claude Bechard, has passed away at the age of 41 after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer. Mr. Bechard had just stepped down from his post as a cabinet minister hours before the tragic occurrence. He was a politician with very high potential at the age of 41, he was seen as a possible successor to current Quebec Premier Jean Charest. As a good friend of Premier Charest and a loyal and respected member to the Liberal Party of Quebec, he will surely be missed. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

The Love of the Game or the Love of Votes?

2010-09-07T18:18:00.001-04:00

Image via Wikipedia
Today, controversy surrounds PM Stephen Harper as rumors are circulating in Ottawa about the federal government possibly giving the province of Quebec money to build a new arena in Quebec City. The debate will rage on, as many people doubt that taxpayer money should not be spent on private commercial industries. However it is clear that the Conservatives would love to increase their approval rating in Quebec, as would all the other parties. Is this a case of trying to buy off Quebec in exchange for votes or will it be Harper's love of the sport that drives his actions? Either way, nothing is imminent on the front of moving a NHL franchise back to Quebec City and it would be a long process in order to do so. It can be concluded though, that as the approval rating for Conservatives has the potential to rise amongst Nordiques fans it could drop amongst fans of the Montreal Canadiens.

Taxpayers may be torn across the nation. Should taxpayer money be used to help build this arena. Many hockey fans would love to see a seventh team in Canada in the modern NHL. With rumors of moves back to Winnipeg and Hamilton in recent years to go along with the rumors of the Quebec City return, many Canadians have flirted with the idea. One thing remains clear: Canada deserves another NHL team. Although at what cost are Canadians willing to pay for the team.

Ignatieff appoints new House leader

2010-09-07T17:41:00.002-04:00

We're back everyone! We have been extremely busy these last few days but we are back for good now!

In political news today, a rather exciting day considering we are still in the summer session. The Liberal Party has released a statement announcing Ralph Goodale's replacement. David McGuinty, brother of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, will take the position this fall when Ralph Goodale is promoted to Deputy Leader of the party.

This may sound like pretty standard news, unless you recall that the Conservatives have chosen John Baird to replace Jay Hill as their House leader. John Baird is a seemingly hard enough man to get along with, and now we have McGuinty who already has a history with Baird.

Both men are from Ottawa, and McGuinty served as Environment critic when Baird held the Environment portfolio. McGuinty's Premier brother also had several conflicts with Baird when he still served in former Ontario Premier Mike Harris' cabinet.

Also, at the municipal level, McGuinty backed former Ottawa mayor Bob Chiarelli, who was defeated by incumbent Larry O'Brien, who had Conservative support. Chiarelli is now a member of Dalton McGuinty's provincial cabinet, after winning a provincial by-election. The two also had opposing viewpoints over a proposed light rail link in Ottawa.

With these changes in the Liberal party comes MP Justin Trudeau's promotion to Citizenship and Immigration critic!

These changes will undoubtedly create even more tension in the House, as we hurtle dangerously close to an election.

Short Leave

2010-09-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

As many of our regular readers may have noticed, we haven't posted any new articles lately. This is a very busy time for Chad and I as we prepare to move to our new apartment/headquarter in North Bay, Ontario.

Although posting has been light lately, and will likely be non-existent over the next few days, you may rest assured that Real Canadian Politics will resume after the long weekend.

Follow The CBC's political coverage for political news until we return!

Thanks for your understanding, have a great long weekend, and we'll be back in a few days!

Standing in the way of the Firearms Registry

2010-08-26T11:13:00.000-04:00

I have tried to avoid righting anything about the gun registry in the interests of non-partisanship, but I feel that now is the time to weigh in on it. My colleague Chad is invited to argue this one with me if he so wishes.

The Firearms Registry was established in 1996 after the Chretien government passed bill C-68 in 1995. It requires all citizens owning a gun to purchase a license which costs $60-$80, and is renewable every 5 years on the holders birthday. It was created to make all guns traceable, thus reducing gun related crime.

While it is known that many crimes are committed with unregistered firearms, many crimes are committed with registered firearms. How many criminals have been put behind bars because of this program? How many lives have been saved?

The program cost taxpayers between $1.1-$3.6 million every year to operate, which in terms of savings lives is a small price to pay. Even if the system only saves a handful of lives, isn't it worth it? Can we really put a price on life?

Now, the Conservatives want to scrap the registry because they say it cost too much for what it does. It saves lives. $3.6 million is too much money for saving lives? Bill C-391 (the bill to scrap it) has passed second reading in the house and will proceed to third reading (which is the last vote) this fall. Conservative MPs will almost certainly vote in favour of it, while the Liberals will vote against it. In the previous votes, 8 Liberals voted in favour, however this time around Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has declared it a "whipped" vote which means that all Liberal MPs are required to vote with the party or face penalties.

With the Liberals voting against the bill, it all comes down to the 12 New Democrat MPs that voted in favour of it. The official NDP stance is against the bill, but Leader Jack Layton has yet to declare it a whipped vote which means MPs can vote however they want.

The NDP really does hold the fate of the Firearms Registry, and hopefully with the RCMP's recent announcement, they will vote against the bill.

The RCMP announced that they have completed a 40 page report showing that the "program is cost effective, efficient and an important tool for law enforcement." However, the report which was turned over to the government in February has not been publicly released yet. The Liberals are accusing the Conservatives of purposely withholding the report until after the vote to cover up the facts, and "The Liberal Party is demanding that the Harper government stop trying to cover up key facts in the gun registry debate and release an RCMP report that tells Canadians about its importance to public safety" in a statement released by the party.

Liberal Public Safety critic Mark Holland has submitted a letter to the Speaker of The House of Commons asking him to intervene and force the government to release the report.

And this isn't the first time that the Conservatives have seemingly withheld crucial information about the registry. After the second reading of the bill last November it was discovered that the government was in possession of a report that showed that police agencies accessed the registry an average of 10,818 time per day.

The RCMP isn't the only organisation standing in favour of the registry, the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs also believes that the registry is useful and important.

The program obviously saves lives, and if police forces are saying that they use this regularly than why would we get rid of it. This RCMP report needs to be released so that Canadians and MPs can see just how effective the program is. Hopefully with the release of this report, New Democrat MPs will vote against Bill C-391 even if they aren't "whipped" to do so.

Taxes: Why so complicated?

2010-08-24T12:40:00.000-04:00

Don't get me wrong, I know we need to pay taxes. I'm not even going to suggest that we get rid of taxes, because I know they are necessary in our society. What I am saying is that he taxation system has gotten way too complex!

I am a university student. I live at home and work 4 months of the year. In September I leave home and head north to North Bay where I rent an apartment, attend classes, and stop working for 8 months of the year. One would think that my taxes would be simple because; a) I only work 4 months of the year, b) I live in a university residence, and c) Most of my money comes from the government (student loans and grants). Unfortunately, the lack of communication amongst government departments and the total incompetency of our taxation system makes it incredibly difficult.

Lets start with income. I work 4 months. That income is obviously reported. Then comes the loans, scholarships, grants and bursaries, almost all of which come from the government. Some of them say that I have to claim them on my income tax, others say that I don't need to claim them, and others say nothing at all. This is where it gets complicated. I get a loan from the Government of Canada, a loan from the Government of Ontario, a bursary from the Government of Canada, and a bursary and grant from the Government of Ontario. The one thing these all have in common is that they come from the Government.

Lets be clear. The Government doesn't forget that they have given me this money. They keep records of this stuff. So why then do I have to claim this on my taxes? Shouldn't the government know they gave me the money? In short, no. The grants, bursaries and loans come from various departments in various levels of Government, and do you think they will share this information with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)? No. They won't. They won't communicate with each other at all. In fact, they barely communicate with me! I don't know what needs to be claimed and what doesn't!

Next, I have a billion credits to wade through to find that I'm eligible for barely any of them. Education credit? Sounds simple enough. I just have to get a T2202A form that the university has already submitted to the CRA- wait. Already submitted? The Government already knows how much I paid for tuition? Yes. Actually they knew before taxes because the University has already told the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). Then the University told them again by submitting the T2202A to the CRA. And now I have to tell them.

Now,what about the textbook credit. Does the CRA make the assumption that I bought textbooks while at University? No, I have to tell them that.

And what's with all those questions that have absolutely nothing to do with me. Do I own rental properties? I do believe I have already been asked that by OSAP. Am I married? OSAP knows. Did I move? Well I'm not commuting 4 hours everyday to go to school, and OSAP knows where I go to school.

Lets look at the Ontario Property Tax Credit. To be eligible you must be over 16, check. Must pay property tax or rent, check. Must not be a dependent, check. Seems to me that I am eligible for this credit. Why shouldn't I be? I paid for my residence, the equivalency of over $700/month for 8 months! But no, apparently paying rent to the residence isn't the same as paying rent to any other landlord in the province. Apparently all I'm eligible for is $25 for living in residence. $25. Thanks Ontario.

Now what happens when you need help with this monstrosity we call taxes? Not a whole lot. I had the above predicament happen to me this year, so I called the CRA to ask them. Their response: "Thank you for calling Canada Revenue Agency. No one is available to take your call right now. Please try again later." Click. Thanks. 5 phone calls later I finally get through, and a lady tells me that of course I am eligible! "Just call the university and get them to send you a signed letter stating how much you paid." So I call the University and they tell me no, I am not eligible and they will not provide me with a letter or a tax receipt. So I call CRA another 4 times and a different lady tells me that I am probably not eligible. Probably? The letter I have says they want to see this receipt within 30 days. I don't have time for probably. So I call back and yet another lady tells me that I am most likely not eligible. She says that I am however most likely eligible for the $25 residence credit.

So I wrote a letter to CRA, using a lot of "maybe's" and "probably's." I probably did my taxes wrong, and I might have to ask them to make changes to it. Maybe. I faxed it to them, so I know they have it now. I'm still waiting for their response.

Taxes will never be a fun time of year, but it doesn't have to be so painful and complicated. If the Government could get some interdepartmental communication going, and simplify all these tax credits than perhaps people wouldn't mind doing taxes every year. I don't think I'm asking for much. I just want the Government to communicate with itself, and the taxation system to be streamlined.

How much money could the Government save it they shared information? Hey, they might even be able to lower taxes with all those savings!

I'm back!

2010-08-23T09:28:00.001-04:00

Good morning faithful readers! It must be a good morning, because I'm back from holidays! After spending a week on the east coast of our beautiful country (no I didn't see the Prime Minister on his east coast tour), it's good to be back!

Alas, as excited and ready as I am to write, there is not a lot to write about. I am delighted to see that my colleague, Chad Godin, was able to keep you all up-to-date while I was away, so I suppose I don't have a whole lot to catch you up on.

In terms of action today, the Prime Minister stops in Churchill, Manitoba for an announcement before heading to the arctic for his annual northern tour. I will be sure to let you know if the announcement is anything exciting! Ignatieff and the Liberal Express are finishing up in BC today, and Jack Layton is attending some events in Montreal.

That's really all that's happening in Canadian politics right now. Now if we turn our gaze to Australia, we have a totally different story! The country is still in limbo, with neither the Labour Party nor the Coalition (Conservative Liberal) Party holding enough seats to form a government. As of right now, the Labours hold 72, and the Coalition holds 70. A party must win 76 seats to claim victory. The drama continues, but seeing as this is a Canadian political blog, I won't bore readers with Australian politics. See the ABC's (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) election coverage here.

CORRECTION: The original post stated that the Prime Minister would be in Winnipeg for the announcement. This is incorrect, and the post has been corrected.

Going Ahead as Planned

2010-08-20T18:28:00.000-04:00

It seems after the European Union's own legal court put a hault on the ban of seal products, the EU will disregard the ruling and go ahead with the ban as of today. Prime Minister Harper is quite upset with the fact that the EU would not respect their own court system. His message however remains consistant, "They [Canadian sealers] should not be targetted like this, and the government of Canada will continue to speak out in their defence."

There are however a few exemptions from the EU's ban, which include groups who have already filed with the court on the issue. The ban also originally called for an exemption on seal products sold by aboriginal groups. However, the ban itself kills the maketability of the product and will ultimeatley hurt sales, as it has the potential to become a cultural taboo over time.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

2010-08-19T17:35:00.002-04:00

In Miramichi, New Brunswick where the Prime Minster was announcing a new payroll centre which would create about 550 new jobs for the town, it seems another problem lured its head. In a move that would supply much needed jobs to a town who lost so many due to the loss of the gun registry. It seems now, Harper could have more unemployed Canadians on his hands if the European Union's (EU) ban on seal products goes ahead as they have signed the motion.

The European Union delivered the ban on all seal products which has many Canadian politicians fuming at the notion. Notably, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was quite dissatisfied with the decision as it threatens many Canadian jobs. Harper believes this travesty is a harsh critique of the sealers in Canada, "This is flagrant discrimination against the Canadian seal industry, against Canadian sealers ... people who are doing animal husbandry, no differently than many other industries." He went on to say, "It is a disgrace that they're treated this way in some countries based on no rational facts or information whatsoever. We strongly object to the decision. We will continue to defend our sealers."

However, Canada has seemed to bought itself a little bit of time. The ban on the seal products that was scheduled to go into effect on Friday has been halted for the time being. The European General Court, based out of Luxembourg, was forced to delay the ban because an Inuit group filed an application to delay the motion. Now government lawyers from Canada now have time to review the decision by the court in an attempt to launch an appeal.

With this ban looming, it really hurts an industry that is already been hurting since the recession. This ban is really the equivalent to kicking an industry while it is down. Who knows how long the sealers can muster to stay in this fight? If the EU ban passes, it just might be the knockout blow which will leave the Canadian sealers down for the count.

Running out of civil servants

2010-08-18T11:13:00.007-04:00

One would think that, by now, the Conservatives must be running low on qualified civil servants to run the countries countless federal agencies. In the last year alone, the government has lost more civil servants to resignation, dismissal, and demotion than most fast food restaurants. And that’s saying something.

It surfaces in the news every few weeks, and lately, every week. Another dedicated civil servant, who has spent most of their life working in the public sector, is out of a job. In most cases because they don’t agree with the current governments agenda.

Lets not forget that these senior public servants are supposed to act non-partisan, much like the agencies they manage, so agreeing with everything the Conservatives do is not only unlikely to happen, its expected that it wont happen.

Of course, a typical government would use these agencies to provide advice, so much of the governments decisions would be acceptable to the said agencies.

What we are seeing lately, however, is a government making decisions without the advice of the agencies. As such, we are starting to see these agencies voice their opinions and advice publicly, in the hopes of being heard by a government that doesn’t want to listen.

What happens when a federal agency takes on the federal government? The head of the said agency gets fired, demoted, or forced to resign. What’s wrong with this? Canadians lose intelligent, qualified, and dedicated civil servants, and as such, we can expect our services to suffer.

Let us take a look at some of these civil servants. We have the head of StatsCan, the Veterans Ombudsman, the head of the Gun Registry, the Victims of Crime Ombudsman, and of course, the Governor General to name a few. The list is long and growing.

You can’t govern a country this way. These civil servants are experts in their fields. They are appointed to the position to provide the government with advice on how to better our country. A government that turns its back on the experts and facts, and removes anyone that has a difference of opinion; that is a scary thought.

New Laws Sailing into Canada

2010-08-17T19:53:00.002-04:00

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is worried about Canada's security suggesting that changes need to be made.

"This trend gives us some significant concern, and we'll take whatever steps are necessary going forward" was the comment made by Stephen Harper in Mississauga, Ontario today when when he spoke to the media.

After the recent events which saw a migrant ship filled with Tamils sail into BC, the Prime Minister recognizes that Canada is indeed a country of refuge but restrictions have to be increased. When it comes to Canada's vast coastline, the issue of human smuggling is becoming all the more a matter of national security, and not about refuge. He plans on giving authorities more power to deal with these situations accordingly.

Harper stated, "We will not hesitate to strengthen the laws if we have to, because ultimately as a government, we're responsible," Harper said. "It's a fundamental exercise of sovereignty, and we're responsible for the security of our borders and the ability to welcome people or not welcome people when they come."

As to what the Prime Minister has in mind when it comes to changing the laws he did not elaborate, but with the House of Commons reopening next month surly his ideas shall be bantered about loud and clear.

Liberal MP A Target?

2010-08-16T23:23:00.002-04:00

According to Liberal MP Wayne Easter he is exactly that, a target....a political target that is. As Prime Minister Harper makes a stops in PEI this week Easter believes Harper wants him to be defeated in order to make his riding in Malpeque a conservative riding when the next election is called. This might be some heavy speculation but it makes sense after all, this is politics.

If Harper plans on the conservatives winning this riding next time, he has his work cut out for him. Easter has been the MP for the area since 1993. It is clear that the people in the area have built up a lot of trust and familiarity with their representative. Easter however believes, amid his speculation, for this to be true primarily because,

"I've stood up against this prime minister over some of the things he tried to do in agriculture, and I've stood up for my constituents,"

In the argiculture based riding of Malpeque, Easter went on to say that,

"Stephen Harper is going to gun for a majority, but just because they target a riding doesn't mean they get it"

For the record, MP Wayne Easter will be running against his conservative counterpart, Tim Ogilvie, among others.

The main question remain however, when the election is called, who will be voted off the island?

For more check: CBC.ca

NDP Call Emergency Debate

2010-08-16T23:06:00.000-04:00

Once again the census takes center stage as the NDP feel an emergency debate is needed in order to determine the "integrity of the census". The Leader of the NDP, Jack Layton, is clearly worried about the changes made to the census by the Harper government, so much that he wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons. He is requesting that a debate should be scheduled next month when the House of Commons reopens. The main thing in question is that the census would be made "voluntary," with the clear issue being the lack of accuracy and reliability in the results. So far these new proposed conditions to the census have been met with a lot of resistance as all major parties have rejected the notions made by the Conservatives. Apparently Mr.Layton has had enough. If this does see a debate, it should make for an interesting feud. It is definitely something worth watching as fall programing returns.

Provincial Issue Could Have National Effect

2010-08-16T16:39:00.001-04:00

CBC.ca is reporting that the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) that was implemented in both B.C. and Ontario on July 1st is not getting a great reception out on the west coast. There has obviously been a huge backlash by citizens who are against the tax. This battle took another turn today as the politics shifted to law as the case is being brought before the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

This case enters the courtroom after a petition was circled around the province (which collected at least 700 000 signatures) which even saw former B.C. premier, Bill Vander Zalm, get involved to defend the petition in court. The petition group is also backed by many prominent industries and businesses from within the province. Industires include, the staple, mining and forestry industries.

If the petition is seen as valid then in all likelihood a bill could be sent to the provincial legislature or become a provincial referendum. However, the group plans to stick it out until the court gives its ruling and also does not plan to appeal the decision. It is also being reported that lawyers representing the provincial government will be joined by lawyers from the federal government as the PMO will be keeping an eye on this trial.

One has to think this verdict could have an impact nationally as well. Many other provinces have had the HST for a while and are adjusted to it, but Ontario is just as new to the idea as the citizens in B.C. and their is unrest there over the issue as well. If the decision by the B.C. Supreme Court comes back in favour of the petition, will it only be a matter of time before a petition in Ontario starts circulating? How about any of the other provinces who have been stuck with this tax for a while now? Like many things time will tell but this case has all the elements to be a problem not only at the provincial level but at the federal level too.

For more information check out this article from the National Post: The Next Battle in B.C.'s War on the HST

While the Cat's Away...

2010-08-15T00:49:00.000-04:00

Even though Cole is on vacation you all still have me...hahahaha....Anyway, even though I am only a rookie and not as thorough as our veteran leader I will still update the site if anything major happens.

On vacation

2010-08-14T23:21:00.002-04:00

My apologies for not mentioning this earlier, but I am in Nova Scotia on holidays this week and as such probably wont be posting much. Be sure to follow me on Twitter as I will continue tweeting. Thank you for you understanding, and I look forward to resuming regular programming in a week.

Something's Gotta go Wrong...

2010-08-13T03:20:00.003-04:00

She was, "...feelin' way to damn good," as she moved on from the disaster that saw her kicked out of the Conservative Caucus in April, but Helena Guergis was thrust into the spotlight once more on Thursday. Once more, it was on a negative note as she remains front page material for various media outlets.

After the the fatal accident that saw Michael Ignatieff's Director of Communications, Mario Lague, pass away after his motorcycle collided with an SUV, it seems this former Conservative member who is no stranger to the spotlight, was also involved in an automotive accident.

Independant MP, Helena Guergis, was involved in a car accident near CFB Borden on Thursday. Thankfully, it was not fatal, but te MP probably was not too concerned about her own health and more of that of her unborn child. Five month pregnant Helena, was attending an announcement by Defense Minister Peter McKay at CFB Borden about new funding when her car was struck while going through an intersection. Her assistant was also in the vehicle, and both were rushed to a hospital in Alliston, Ontario.

She is now reportedly been released from the hospital and is recovering at home, as is her assistant, after being kept for observation. The pair will now take time off to recover from their injuries and spend time with their respective families after the experience. She is very lucky to have escaped the indecent with little to no injuries.

Defense Minister Peter McKay released the details of the the event to her office in Simcoe-Grey as she was obviously unable to attend and he wishes her a speedy recovery as parlayed by his spokesman, Jim Paxton to the Globe and Mail, "Minister MacKay was very sorry to hear about the accident and hopes Ms. Guergis, her baby and all on board recover quickly."

PM Stephen Harper was also near by when the event occurred as he was attending a charity hockey game in Barrie, Ontario. He has yet to comment on the event.

OLO Director of Communications killed

2010-08-12T12:57:00.000-04:00

Michael Ignatieff's Director of Communications, Mario Laguë, has been killed in a tragic motorcycle accident in which his motorcycle collided with an SUV. Many details are not known, but it appears as though he was on his way to work.

Michael Ignatieff issued this statement:

"It is with great sadness that we learned this morning that our Director of Communications, Mario Laguë, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in Ottawa.

A man of many talents and accomplishments, Mario was a beloved member of our staff, and a valued personal advisor to me and the entire Liberal team. A man of great integrity and spirit, Mario served his country in many capacities with honour and dignity. Whether as a public servant under Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, Ambassador to Costa Rica or in his most cherished role as a husband and father, Mario brought a bright light to everything he did.

While we will miss Mario's extensive talents, we will miss most of all his warmth, his humour, and his passion for Canada that inspired us all.

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary caucus, my thoughts and prayers go out to his family, loved ones and the many, many friends and colleagues that knew him."

The Liberal Leader is not the only one to express his feelings of this tragic loss, as other political figures and masses of journalists write about their pain as they mourn his loss.

NDP Leader Jack Layton had this to say:

"On behalf of all New Democrats my deeepest sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of Mario Laguë,"

PMO Director of Communications, Dimitri Soudas said:

"On behalf of PMO Communications, I extend our deepest condolences to Mario Laguë's family, friends and colleagues. He will be missed."

My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends during this difficult time.

In other news, Ignatieff is still in Iqaluit and Harper is in Barrie, ON helping out at a hockey tournament.Will this seemingly good willed gesture help restore some image after being absent from the political scene for nearly a month? It certainly won't help the census issue at all.

Liberal Express goes bus-less

2010-08-11T09:23:00.000-04:00

Michael Ignatieff is headed to Iqaluit to meet with locals in Nunavut, and understandably, the Liberal Express bus will not be joining them. Not to worry though, as Ignatieff already explained, the Liberal Express is much more than a bus; its about meeting Canadians all across the county, 10 provinces, 3 territories. As he has told us, time and time again, its about showing Canadians the "clear Liberal alternative", and welcoming them into he big red tent at the center of Canadian politics."

In other news, Liberal MP Bob Rae is holding a press conference in Ottawa to discuss the census and the recently released census documents. Ah, the census documents (and more of them here). They clearly show that StatsCan issued tons of warnings to the Government regarding why they shouldn't scrap the long form census. From the documents I have read, Tony Clement's assertion that StatsCan approved the scrapping of the long form has absolutely no truth to it. There is quite a bit of information to read over in these documents, and I haven't had time to read them all yet, but I am sure that there is more startling (or lack there of) revelations buried in them.

Following Bob Rae's statement, NDP Leader Jack Layton takes the stage to discuss aid to the areas in Saskatchewan affected by the recent flooding, but there is a good chance that the reporters will push the questions into the census direction.

And the Prime minister is out of service today; that is, he has no public engagements planned. He will be in Barrie tomorrow to help at a hockey tournament.

Public safety committee: we're back!

2010-08-10T10:10:00.001-04:00

The Public Safety Committee is meeting today after the Conservatives called it to discuss airport security, after a YouTube video showed some Muslim women boarding an Air Canada jet with their faces covered, having never been checked by officials.

It is unclear how the opposition parties will react, although I expect they will cooperate; after all this is a situation that has outraged most Canadians. However, an early attempt by the opposition parties (in this same committee) to initiate a public inquiry into G8/G20 security was foiled after Conservative members successfully wasted enough time to run down the clock, thus resulting in the vote never happening. If the opposition wanted to play partisan games, they certainly could attempt to give the Conservatives a taste of their own medicine, although I do believe that they will act in the best interests of Canadians by allowing an investigation into airport security.

In other news, Ignatieffs Quebec adviser, Jean-Marc Fournier, has returned to provincial politics, thus vacating his position in the Federal party. Both Ignatieff and Fournier expressed sadness by the decision, but Ignatieff has said that he will continue to call Fournier for advice in the province.

As far as the leaders go, the NDP are trying to "pull a liberal," as leader Jack Layton heads to lunch at a local Tim Hortons, BQ Leader Gille Duceppe is being interviewed about his 20 years in politics, Ignatieff is continuing on the Liberal Express as he prepares to head to Iqualuit, and Harper is finally visible again as he tours around some events in BC.

Liberal Express in Pembroke

2010-08-09T15:34:00.000-04:00

Real Canadian Politics own Chad Godin lives in Pembroke/Petawawa, but unfortunately he will not be at today's Liberal Express event.

Luckily enough, the CBC's Kady O'Malley is on hand to liveblog the event for us

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=c520c15ef0" &amp;amp;gt;Liveblog: The Liberal Express heads to Pembroke&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Please note, the above feed is the property of the CBC and Kady O'Malley. I take no responsibility or credit for the content above.

PM completes minor cabinet shuffle

2010-08-06T10:35:00.000-04:00

The Prime Minister has completed a minor cabinet shuffle today in an effort to replace Jay Hill, the retiring Government House Leader. Former Minister of Transport John Baird replaces Hill as Leader of the Government in House of Commons, while former Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Chuck Strahl replaces Baird as Minister of Transport. Former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development John Duncan has been promoted to cabinet to replace Strahl.

I understand why Harper would promote Strahl to Transport, as he has done a relatively good job by this Government's standards. And I fully understand why Harper would appoint Duncan as Minister, as he is already familiar with the portfolio, and he is riding in BC should help with the poll numbers.

What I personally can't understand is why John Baird has been promoted to Government House Leader. From my experience, watching Baird during Question Period and in committee meetings, he is one of the most stubborn, uncooperative, and downright trouble causing Conservatives I have ever seen. I can't comment on how he is off camera as I have never seen him there, but on camera he seems to be the last person I would choose for House Leader. The only thing he has going for him is that he is pretty knowledgeable with parliamentary procedure, despite choosing to ignore it at times.

With the exception of Baird as House Leader, it was a pretty boring cabinet shuffle, and as such I think it will have very little effect on the polls.

Harper and Ignatieff virtually tied!

2010-08-05T09:25:00.003-04:00

Well, not exactly, but their respective parties are! This is good news for the Liberals, who until this week, have consistently ranked lower than the ruling Conservative party this summer.

Still, lots of work for the Liberals to do. They are ahead of the Conservatives in just two regions; Atlantic and Quebec (although still behind the BQ in Quebec of course). They are virtually tied with the Conservative in Ontario, and have a lot of catching up to do elsewhere in the country.

What caused this change in voter intentions? Was it the census debate? The recent news about the Guergis scandal? The Liberal Express? One can only speculate on the possible cause, but one thing seems certain; the Liberals aren't done yet!

Still, this could be a faulty sample as we have seen in the past. No poll is completely accurate, and this one is no different. If the Liberals can maintain a tie or pull ahead in the next couple polls then we will know for sure that the Liberals are back.

In other political news, Liberal MP Mark Holland is holding a press conference later today, and President of the Treasury Board, Stockwell Day is also holding a press conference. Hopefully for him, this one goes better than his last one on "unreported crime."

The Conservatives are having their national caucus meeting today as well, although I don't expect we will hear much from the PMO about it.

Welcome back Helena Guergis?

2010-08-04T15:10:00.002-04:00

Well it’s starting to look as though PMO really did jump the gun by removing Helena Guergis from Conservative caucus. As previously reported, the RCMP completed their investigation of the embattled MP and her husband, concluding that they found no criminal wrong doings. In addition, the ethics commissioner has yet to accuse her or her husband of any ethical wrong doings. Add that to the word of the three reporters that have seen the security footage of the incident at the Charlottetown airport, and she certainly has a good case for wrongful dismissal.

The CBC’s Rosemary Barton is the latest journalist to see the security footage, and she reports that she doesn’t see Guergis taking any kind of tantrum. She says it is obvious the former minister is flustered, but clearly not freaking out as was previously reported.

With no word from the PMO on what the serious allegations are, it’s certainly starting to look as though the PMO made a major error in judgment.

To top it all off, Guergis is asking to be let back in to Conservative caucus! If I was ever treated the way she was by anyone, I would never ask them to hire me back. She was treated horribly and falsely accused by her own party, and now she is knocking on the door hoping they invite her inside. Her reason for this; “I’m a Conservative.”

Well, conservative or not, it seems like they don’t want her back. They could take her back in, and hope that this blows over. But that would involve admitting a mistake, which might just be something out of the realm of possibilities for our Prime Minister.

She is not totally convinced she will be welcomed back however, and has stated that whether she is the Conservative candidate or not, she will be on the ballot.

Now I’m not Conservative, but I have to say this; good luck Helena!

Home from the cottage

2010-08-03T10:58:00.000-04:00

And I don't just mean me, Prime Minister Stephen Harper should be returning to the political scene this week for the Conservative's National Caucus meeting. Apart from that and the Liberal Express, not a whole lot is happening this week (so far).

If you are looking for an interesting read, I recommend a recent coloumn in the Globe and Mail by NDP strategist Brian Topp. He estimates the chances of a fall election at 60-40 against.

In case you are wondering, my weekend at the cottage was great! And a brief programming note: Chad Godin will now be joining us as a regular contributor at Real Canadian Politics. Welcome Chad!

Georges Laraque Named Deputy Leader

2010-07-31T14:18:00.000-04:00

Former Montreal Canadiens enforcer, Georges Laraque, has been named deputy leader of the the Green Party of Canada. He will be the second deputy leader, alongside Adriane Carr, to represent the Green Party.

The Quebec native, who spent time with the Edmonton Oilers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, in addition to the Canadiens in the NHL is now trying his hand at politics. The move is a result of the Green Party trying to gain influence in the province of Quebec. Using Laraque's fan favourite celebrity he acquired during his time in Montreal, the Green Party hopes he will help gain more followers and garner more support for the party.

For more information on Laraque's NHL career, from: NHL.com

For more information on Laraque's political endeavors, from: CBC.ca

Is that Harper I see in the distance?

2010-07-30T09:23:00.001-04:00

Our elusive Prime Minister will finally be showing his face next week, as he meets with Conservative MPs and Senators at the Conservative Summer National Caucus meeting. As stated previously, we have barely heard from the Prime Minister, who is said to be spending time with his family at his official summer retreat, despite all the hype about the G20, the F-35s, and the long form census.

Perhaps we will learn next week just why the PM has made the decision to scrap the long form census, however it is more likely that we will just hear more about "the threat of jail time" being inappropriate. We might even hear a response to NDP Leader Jack Layton's request for a meeting. Or a response to MP Helena Guergis request for a meeting!? Doubtful, to say the least.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Leader, Michael Ignatieff continues to tour Ontario on the Liberal Express.

Other than that, a brief programming note: I am off to the cottage this weekend in beautiful (but insanely busy) Turkey Point, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Erie. I most likely won't be posting, but I will likely still be tweeting. In the event that something major comes up over the weekend and I do hear about it, I will try to post, though don't count on it because we only have dial up at the cottage, and that is a scary thought.

Jack Layton's Press Conference - Live blog

2010-07-29T11:10:00.003-04:00

The CBC's Kady O'Malley will be live blogging today's NDP press conference. You can view it on CBC Politics or below:

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=dfada6d914" &amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Liveblog: NDP Leader Jack Layton presser on the PM's&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Note that the above live blog is the property of the CBC and Kady O'Malley.

Silence

2010-07-29T09:53:00.000-04:00

Hmmmm... not a whole lot going on. It seems for once, that I have nothing to say really. The Liberal Express continues, the Prime Minister is still missing, the Liberals are holding a press conference on festival funding, and the NDP are holding a press conference. Not just any NDP either, but Jack Layton himself.

It is unlikely that anything too exciting will come out of it, after all this is the summer session, but I will be following both press conferences nonetheless.

Where is the PM?

2010-07-28T10:36:00.000-04:00

He hasn't been heard from in weeks! In fact, we have barely seen our elusive Prime Minister since the census scandal broke, or since the G20 for that matter. This of course raises not only the question of where he is, but also why he is being so silent.

Is it that he doesn't want to face questions about the G20 protests? Or perhaps he is avoiding the F-35 questions? Or the census questions?

Since the G20 protests, he has basically left the Toronto Police Service and Ontario Government to fend for themselves. Well that's not really fair; I guess Conservative MPs, presumably on orders from PMO, did prevent the Public Safety committee from launching a public inquiry into G20 security. Don't get me wrong, I fully support the Toronto Police Service. I think they did a fantastic job securing the largest city in Canada during some of the worst protests I have ever seen in this country. But it is possible, and even likely that some officers made mistakes, poor choices, and may have even abused their power. A public inquiry seems like the logical next step. Perhaps the PM thinks he is protecting his government, the Ontario government, and the police by preventing a public inquiry, but really all he is doing is hurting our democratic roots.

And what about the F-35s? Well we know that the government did not use the appropriate bidding process before awarding the contract to an American company. Opposition MPs were on them for it for a while, but staying out of the light seems to have worked on this front because we aren't hearing much about it anymore.

Then again, that is probably because everyone is focused on the census scandal. This is another issue that the PM has been oddly silent on. While his ministers have been rigorously defending the decision to scrap the mandatory long form census, the PM himself hasn't uttered a word about it. Why is he leaving his ministers to take the blame for it? Perhaps he realizes that this could haunt him in an election and is therefore trying to distance himself from it? Two things are certain; opposition MPs aren't backing down on the census, and neither is the Government. Who will win? Seemingly the Government, as it is within their power to make this change, but only time will tell for sure.

And now, the last question. Where is the Prime Minister? We know where the Leader of the Opposition is, as he travels across the country meeting Canadians. But where is the Prime Minister? He could be at his official country retreat, a cottage on Meech Lake, relaxing and soaking up the sun. Or perhaps he is relaxing in his official residence, 24 Sussex Drive. Or of course he could be working away in his office in Langevin.

Seeing as we haven't heard from him in so long, I'm inclined to believe that he is taking it easy somewhere, watching his government swaying dangerously close to an election.

Live stream

2010-07-27T14:09:00.003-04:00

After my slight ordeal with CPAC, I contacted Information Services at Parliament in Ottawa, and based on what they told me, it is my understanding that I can post their stream here. Remember that this is not the official broadcast, and it cannot be used for commercial purposes. This is for informational purposes only. See ParlVu for more information.

Today is the day!

2010-07-27T08:42:00.008-04:00

Today is the Great Canadian Census Debate, to use a name coined by a role model of mine, Kady O'Malley. The Industry committee will meet today to debate and hear from a long list of witnesses. I obviously won't be there, because I am not nearly that lucky. However, Kady O'Malley of the CBC will be liveblogging it, and CPAC will be carrying it live.

View Kady's live blog here, or on CBC Poltics.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;em&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/em&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;code=c2371be008" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Liveblog: The long form census at the Industry committee&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

View the live stream here or on CPAC [link removed].

Live stream removed for copyright reasons. Real Canadian Politics is working on achieving authorization from CPAC to broadcast the live stream. Until then please use the link above to view the stream on the CPAC website.
UPDATE: CPAC has informed me that I am permitted to link to their home page only, not to their watch now page, which is why I have removed the link above. They have also informed me that I do not have authorization to embed the live stream on Real Canadian Politics. I will be contacting the appropriate authority in Parliament to obtain permission to embed the video. To view the live stream I recommend you visit ParlVu, Parliament's live stream service, to watch the live stream.

Just a reminder, I do not claim to own either of the above streams. I am simply using them for informational purposes. If you are having trouble viewing either of the above stream I recommend that you visit their respective websites.

Real Canadian Politics is not affiliated with CBC or CPAC.

Proud to call him my Leader

2010-07-26T19:19:00.008-04:00

I had a really enjoyable time meeting Michael Ignatieff today! The Conservatives like to say that he is an arrogant man, and while I didn't buy into that rumour before, I was still amazed by just how nice a guy he really is. Sure, the man is smart, but he is just a regular guy, like you and I. He talks, he smiles, he frowns, he laughs, he breathes. He even has a sense of humour.

I was so thoroughly impressed by this man, that I found myself soaking up every word he said, as if he were speaking to me personally. And for some of it, he was! He took the time to move though out the crowd and meet every person that was there. He even spoke to the protestors that were chanting, "Iggy, go home!" He responded by telling them, "I am home!"

While I didn't have an extended discussion with him like so many others did, I did shake his

hand. Twice to be exact. And both times he looked me straight in the eyes and spoke to me. He told me it was so nice to meet me, how happy we was to be there, and thanked me for coming out to see him. His handshake was firm, his eye contact unwavering, and his words were friendly.

He spoke to a variety of people, including a candidate for our Regional Council, a family with a baby, local business people, an elderly lady (who enthusiastically informed him that she would be voting Liberal), and even a young man just out of high school, too young to vote but extremely interested in politics, and passionately devoted to the Liberal Party.

When I saw Michael speaking to this young man, sincerely interested in the conversation, I realized something. I realized this tour is about more than vote; it's about meeting Canadians. From what I could tell, Michael was extremely impressed with this young man, and this young man was equally impressed with Michael.

Watching Michael interact with all these people, I realized that he is a different kind of Leader. He is a Leader that cares about all Canadians, he is a Leader that listens to everyones concerns, he is a Leader that has a lot to offer Canadians, he is a Leader meant to lead. A Leader to be the next Prime Minister of Canada.

Liveblogging the Liberal Express in Cambridge

2010-07-26T12:38:00.004-04:00

Liveblogging the Liberal Express in Cambridge!

Crossing my fingers!

2010-07-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

To many people, the world of politics is boring all the time. But to the group of people that thoroughly enjoy politics, it is exciting and intense most of the time. So when a day comes a long when not a lot is supposed to happen, we take a deep breath and consider finally getting something done that doesn’t consider politics. For a career journalist, this may mean working on a piece regarding something other than politics. For a blogger who happens to have a job outside of journalism, this means getting some real work done. You know, work that actually pays.

Well today is one of those days. Not a whole lot is going on in Canadian politics. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon is holding a press conference on new sanctions against Iran, but that really is all there is as far as scheduled events. In my riding it is a little more exciting as the Liberal Express finally makes it to Cambridge, but in terms of nationwide impact, little is happening. I will of course be live blogging the event (which is only supposed to a whistle stop) starting at 1:15pm ET. I will attempt to setup a “Cover-it-Live” liveblog, but if that doesn’t work I will of course be using Twitter.

Tomorrow should be a much more interesting day as the Industry committee meets to discuss the long form census.

In terms of Leaders, Harper is unheard from, Ignatieff is in Guelph, Cambridge, and Kitchener today, and Layton is in Winnipeg.

As long as the day is as slow as the schedule is, I might actually get some work done. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Liberal Express Q&A was a good time

2010-07-25T17:30:00.003-04:00

Well I just got home from listening to Michael Ignatieff in Brantford, and I must say that I was thoroughly impressed. I saw regular people get up to the microphone and ask him questions, and I saw him give truthful answers. What really impressed me was how he was much attention he gave to everyone. No matter the age, gender, race, political affiliation, or financial status, Michael answered everyones question.

From the opening speech, to the questions, to the closing remarks, Michael spoke very clear, and engaged the audience by mentioning many different aspects of life under the Conservative party, and what life could be like with a future Liberal government.

I will be seeing him again tomorrow in my hometown of Cambridge when he stops at the Cambridge Centre mall to meet people. Hopefully this time I will have a live blog set up with Cover it Live, but if not, Twitter works.

Reporting live

2010-07-25T15:15:00.002-04:00

Thats right guys, im reporting live from the Liberal Express stop in Brantford! I was hoping to set up a live blog through Cover it Live, but due to time constraints I will have to settle for Twitter. So follow me on Twitter for updates. Sorry for the horrible punctuation but I'm doing this from my phone, and I am quite new at this reporting from the field thing.

The Rookie Perspective: He Is the Leader

2010-07-23T14:42:00.000-04:00

Michael Ignatieff rolled into Shawinigan, Quebec today which is home to former Prime Minister Jean Chretien. The two had a meeting together discussing Chretien's proposed thoughts on an Liberal-NDP coalition. This was more of a public relations move by the Liberals in order to soften the blow made by Chretien's ideas. As always Ignatieff's bus was not alone on the tour as the media convoy was with him every step of the way. Asking questions to both men, one interesting Q & A came up.

Jean Chretien was asked if he thought Michael Ignatieff was the best person to lead the Liberal Party. He responded with a rather dull cliche answer...even for cliche answers. Chretien's response was simply:

"He is the Leader. The leader is always the best guy for the job,"

That statement is quite subjective at the very best and on paper it works. Although in the real world there are so many variables to consider. Is he cool under fire? Is he confident? Does he communicate effectively? Well yes he is a top notch politician for the Liberals. Leaders despite many good characteristics can still fail to rise to moment and make the appropriate decisions. The only way to tell is to trust them into the spotlight and hope they do not get burned by the intense heat constantly surrounding them. Perhaps what makes this a good theory and not a proven science is that choosing a leader, at any level, is very much just an educated guess banking on possible potential of the individual.

The Liberals before the last election, based on a vote thought Stephane Dion was the right man to lead them in a party that lacked leadership qualities, he beat Ignatieff on the fourth ballot with 54.7% of the vote. He was thought to be the best leader by the majority of the party. He went on to lose the election and Ignatieff took over. Sure that maybe politics, but unless current PM, Stephen Harper is unbeatable surely someone else could have been, "the best guy for the job." Perhaps it was Ignatieff himself, for he was deputy leader at the time.

With Ignatieff winning the support of the Liberal party this time around surely they believe in him. He may be the best person to lead the Liberal Party at this given time. Does that mean he is the best person to lead Canada? He will make his case that he is, but win, lose, or draw we never do find out if the best possible choice was made or if we missed out on a better alternative (in his own party or in another party). All we can do is hope that whoever is elected in the next election is a leader and also the best man for the job.

CTV's Craig Oliver was asked about Mr. Chretien's comments on Ignatieff as he responded with,

"It really didn't sound so sincere."

Perhaps, the former PM is a wise man. He might not of sounded all that sincere because, whether it be to lead the Liberal Party or Canada, he, like the rest of Canada simply doesn't know.

With an election looming, Ignatieff is at least learning from the last election, and is trying to appeal to voters and raise his popularity with his bus tour of Canada. Only time will tell, if he was truly the definition of a leader that Jean Chretien had in mind. He will either lead the Liberal Party to a win or more than likely flame out like many "leaders" have before him only to be replaced with someone else who is apparently the new best guy for the job.

UPDATED: Slow day?

2010-07-23T08:55:00.003-04:00

Well I don't want to say it is going to be a slow day today, because I've said that before and was clearly proven wrong. From my vantage point however, it certainly seems like not a lot will be going on.

The Industry committee will be meeting to discuss the controversial long form census, but the powers that be have deemed it "in camera." Which means no media coverage. I am assuming the Kady O'Malley of the CBC will be making the trip to the Hill just in case of the unlikely event that they change their minds. I will be following her closely and if the "in camera" status changes, I will be sure to post it here.

Apart from that, the Liberal Express is in Quebec still, and is actually holding an interactive townhall. However, due to the fact that is in Montreal, it will probably be french which means little or no coverage from me as I regrettably am not fluent in our other official language.

UPDATE: The committee meeting today was a very short, in camera meeting. Committee members aren't saying who is invited, however it is fairly safe to assume that Industry Minister Tony Clement and the former chief statistician will be invited. Also, a short correction notice: Kady O'Malley of the CBC is off today, so therefore wasn't able to bring us updates. Karina Roman filled in luckily.

Helena requests face to face with PM

2010-07-22T15:28:00.003-04:00

MP Helena Guergis has requested a meeting with the Prime Minister, issuing this statement:

Statement from the Hon. Helena Guergis, P.C., M.P., MBA

Simcoe-Grey

July 22, 2010

I am relieved with the outcome, as I knew that I had done nothing wrong. I continue to work hard for those who have elected me as their representative in Ottawa.

I will continue to work with the Ethics Commission who is in the midst of their own enquiry, and I am looking forward to a resolution on that end as well.

I think it is time for a face to face meeting between the PM and I. He can raise his concerns, whatever they are, and I can answer. I have never been afforded this opportunity.

Hon. Helena Guergis, P.C., M.P., MBA

Simcoe-Grey

If Guergis is indeed telling the truth when she says she doesn't know what the acusations are then she deserves this meeting without a doubt. Even if all of this is cleared up, it is highly likely that her political career is over. In this case, Harper may have acted too quickly and too strictly, and this may come back to haunt his as well as Guergis in the next election. Innocent until proven guilty Harper, not guilty if you're suspicious.

Libs behind Cons in poll

2010-07-22T11:23:00.004-04:00

According to the latest EKOS poll, the Conservatives are ahead of the Liberals by 7 percentage points. The poll suggests that 32.4% of Canadians would vote for the Conservative Party while 25.5% of Canadians would vote for the Liberal Party. The Conservatives were ahead in every region of the country except Quebec according to the poll. The poll was conducted from July 14 to 20. This poll isn't looking very promising for the goals of the Liberal Express. Perhaps by the next poll we will see a bit of an improvement on the Liberal part as a result of the Express visiting a little more of the country.

On the census front, the Liberals have begun slamming the Government for its decisions, with Ignatieff claiming that the government wants to "fly blind." Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale is accusing the Conservatives of throwing Statistics Canada into chaos, with the Chief Statistician resigning over the census scandal.

Yesterday I informed you that the RCMP had cleared MP Helena Guergis, stating that the issues forwarded to them by the PMO contained no substance. Well CBC is also reporting that her husband, former MP Rahim Jaffer has also been cleared as the RCMP found no evidence of any wrongdoing by either of them. The Ethics commissioner is still investigating, but if that report is anything like this RCMP report, PMO is going to have a lot of explaining to do. And some apologizing. According to a statement from PMO, their decision to remove Guergis from caucus still stands, and they do not regret it.

WOW

2010-07-21T21:52:00.002-04:00

WOW! What started out as a very slow day has turned into by far the most exciting day of the past few weeks! Emotions are all over the place for people tonight; even professional journalists can't keep it together.

First off, the RCMP has announced that all issues forwarded to them regarding Helena Guergis are unfounded. They have cleared the MP, and said no further action will be taken. This is good for Guergis, not so good for PM Harper. While this must provide some satisfaction for Guergis, this is one scandal that will follow her for the rest of her political life. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens in the next election.

Next, more census controversy as the Chief Statistician at StatCan was forced to cancel his town hall meeting explaining the agency's opinion on the decision to scrap the long form census, after Industry Minister Tony Clement issued a statement reminding everyone that Statistics Canada is not an independent organization, but is in fact an agency of the Government, and therefore has the same opinion as the Government. Several hours later, the Chief Statistician resigned in protest with the Government still unwavering in its decision. This marks the end of another great public servant.

This proved too much for some journalists. One journalist in particular, Andrew Coyne, National Editor of Maclean Magazine finally blew up on the Conservatives. I recommend visiting his Twitter page and reading his last few posts, as they are quite astounding. Mr. Coyne is one of my most inspirational role models in the journalism world, and he usually presents himself with the upmost professionalism. I do hope that he is ok, and I can't help but feel a little sympathetic towards him as in my opinion, he is mostly right.

Guergus innocent: RCMP

2010-07-21T16:09:00.002-04:00

I just couldn't wait to post this despite the fact that not a lot of details are known. The RCMP has announced that it has completed its investigation in Helena Guergis, and has found no substance to any of the issues forwarded to them by the PMO.

More details to come.

CBC Story here.

CBC Politics blog here (slightly more detailed)

Chief NumberCruncher to resign?

2010-07-21T14:57:00.003-04:00

The head of StatCan, the Chief Statistician of Canada Munir Sheikh has canceled his internal Town Hall meeting with staff, stating that he needs to reflect on his position on the census debate, as well as that of StatCan, fueling suspicion that he may be planning on resigning.

Fear not, the CBC town hall is going on as planned, and is in fact live right now.

We get what we pay for

2010-07-21T11:13:00.003-04:00

I just read an amazing blog post written by Alex Himelfarb. It really delivers a different perspective on Canadian politics, and what it means to be a Canadian citizen. While I was reading it, I found myself continuously (and surprisingly) agreeing with the author on all topics. In fact, I thought it was such a good read, I am posting it here. Please note that this was written by Alex Himelfarb, and I take absolutely no credit for it. I am simply posting it here for informational post.

What do the Omar Khadr case, the census controversy and taxes all have in common? All, I think, in one way or another, tell us something about the value of our common citizenship. With citizenship, as with most things, we get what we pay for. It seems today we are being asked to pay less and, no surprise, we are being offered less. Is that what we really want?

Let’s start with the census and the decision on the long form. We are being told that because some of us don’t like the intrusiveness of the long form of the census it is going to be made voluntary. We have seen from the outcry that the information loss is big and worrisome but, no, citizens will not be asked to make this concession on behalf of the public good. Indeed, apart from the universal requirement to obey the law, we Canadians have few explicit citizenship duties or responsibilities. We are asked to make few sacrifices. We have no compulsory service, no compulsory voting, as many other countries do. Certainly, every day, some Canadians are making sacrifices on our behalf, but most of us are required to pay little for the rights and privileges of citizenship. We ask of Canadians pretty much two things – pay your taxes and fill out your census.

How in the world did we get to the point that filling out the long form census is just too much to ask? I frankly cannot remember if I, personally, have ever had to do the long form. I’m old enough that I probably did and I hate forms enough that I may have blocked it from memory – but it simply cannot be too great a price to pay for being a Canadian citizen and helping to help ensure that all citizens share in its benefits. And my guess – the majority of Canadians would agree, even if, like me, they hate the questions.

Which brings me to taxes. How in the world did we get to the point that taxes are only seen as a burden from which to be relieved rather than a responsibility, a duty of citizenship – to safeguard our country and its values, manage the social and environmental commons, ensure that all citizens access to essential services and try as best we can to pass on to future generations a country at least as strong and healthy as the one we inherited? The conventional wisdom here is that talking about taxes is political suicide. Who likes paying taxes? Well, I wonder if a sustained dialogue on taxes and tax mix might not produce some surprises, at least over time. Would Canadians really oppose a “tax on pollution’? Just how low do corporate taxes have to be? And are those of us who benefit most and consume most willing to pay a bit more? After all, we are asked for so little in payment for our citizenship.

The census fiasco will put at risk the most vulnerable and our ability to measure and respond to their needs. Successive tax cuts for just about a decade make it harder to ensure universal access to essential services and address deepening inequality. In other words, the sense of social citizenship that arose in the seventies and eighties is at risk. Of course some Canadians welcome this, celebrate the shift from public to private, from social responsibility to self-reliance. But even those who have the thinnest notion of our common citizenship ought to be worried about the case of Omar Khadr.

Lawrence Martin and Andre Pratte have pretty much said it all. Bottom line: it doesn’t matter for the purposes of this discussion if he is guilty or innocent, a victim deserving of our sympathy or a villain worthy only of our contempt. What matters here is that basic rights, the legal rights of one of our citizens, are being denied. These legal rights are about protecting us and our liberty from the intrusive and coercive power of the state. We are all in trouble here – wherever we sit on the political continuum – if any one of our citizens is denied the right of a fair and just process when their liberty is at stake. When this happens, the value of our common citizenship is diminished. It has been said that the measure of a society is in how it treats its most vulnerable. To this I would add that an equally important but more difficult measure is in how it treats its most despised or reviled. Who knows who’s next?

Martin cries “shame” in his piece because polls say that most of us don’t care about Khadr. I am not prepared to believe that the polls give us anything more than a superficial snapshot on issues of such moral and emotional complexity. I am not ready to concede, as some have, that we have become so fragmented, so atomized, that we prefer such a thin and fragile notion of citizenship. On the other hand, when I put together the pieces I realize that I haven’t set out a very attractive political agenda: “Bring Khadr home.” “Let’s Raise Taxes’” “Give the Carbon Tax a Chance.” “Give Me Back My Long Form Census Questionnaire.” Not the stuff of a political campaign. It’s undoubtedly a tough sell, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a leader fight to enhance the value and meaning of our common citizenship, recognizing that we get what we pay for?

Jay Hill finished?

2010-07-21T10:31:00.001-04:00

This just in: Conservative MP and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Jay Hill, has announced that he will not run for re-election. No word on who the Conservatives will appoint to Leader of the Gov. in the House should they win the next election.

Quiet day in politics

2010-07-21T09:41:00.004-04:00

As slow as yesterday was, today is likely to be slower. No committee meetings, no press conferences, Liberals in Quebec, and the other leaders are no where to be found. The only remotely interesting thing happening is that StatsCan will be holding a town hall meeting today on the decision to scrap the mandatory long form census. But even that is internal only, meaning no press or public, only StatsCan personnel.

To combat this slow day, and show StatsCan we don't need their town hall meetings, CBC Politics will be hosting an online town hall meeting with a panel of experts. You can start submitting questions at 1 and the actual meeting will start at 2 with the panel of experts answering your questions.

Other than that, I fear that their wont be much to write about today. Enjoy the slow day people.

Industry meeting a success!

2010-07-20T18:45:00.002-04:00

The Industry committee meeting today was a success. Yes all three of them! They were in camera unfortunately, meaning we don't know exactly went on. But we do know that the committee will reconvene next Tuesday, one week from today, to discuss the long form census. No word on the witness list yet, but we can probably assume that Industry Minister Tony Clement will be on it.

Government sponsored porn?

2010-07-20T09:33:00.003-04:00

This really all comes down to whether you agree with pornographic videos or not. Apparently the current Conservative government does!

According to this artice from The Globe and Mail, Human Resource Development Canada and Heritage Canada, two federal government agencies, are sponsoring internships at a company called Hot G Vibe. The company makes erotic toys, and instructional videos on how to use them. They are in need of "Final Cut Video Editors," and the government is willing to sponsor these positions.

When you think about it, the government frequently sponsors internships at companies, and indeed at some film companies. The only difference in this circumstance is the content of the film.

I myself am against this, as it is a clear example of taxpayer dollars going to a less than reputable, and offensive at best industry. No word from either the PMO or other parties yet.

Industry Committee

2010-07-20T09:17:00.004-04:00

The House committee on Industry is currently meeting in Ottawa, however little to no updates on what is happening inside is available, on account of it being "in-camera," meaning closed to media. The meeting was originally called to discuss the closure of the Shell refinery in East Montreal, however it is widely believed that a motion to debate the long form census will take place as well.

According to the latest updates from Kady O'Malley, they will be hearing from witnesses about the Shell refinery until about 2:30 this afternoon. At this time, someone could introduce a motion to debate the long form census. In order to actually debate it however, the committee would need unanimous consent from the members. If you recall, the Conservatives recently prevented the Public Safety committee from debating an inquiry into the G8 and G20 security measures by introducing what the opposition refer to as useless motions. Then, before the opposition could table the motion, a motion to adjourn the committee was introduced and passes, thus ending the meeting.

Let us hope that the Industry meeting goes better than that for the opposition. How, after all, is the opposition to do their job if they can't even debate the policy changes that the government plans to make?

Anyways, Kady O'Malley of the CBC is on the Hill today, just hoping that the meeting returns from "in-camera" sessions. A liveblog has been set up in the hopeful event that it will. I will of course be posting updates as they are made available.

The Rookie Perspective: The Bus Tour's Symbolic Signs

2010-07-19T23:38:00.000-04:00

Michael Ignatieff's tour of Canada, despite being in its infancy, has already seen some ironic twists. The leader of the Liberal Party would probably love nothing more than to have a smooth, successful trip as he rolls along in his bus, perhaps trying to imitate a rock star lifestyle, touring the country. Make no mistake about it, if these early signs are any indication, the self anointed, "Future Liberal Government," might have a bumpy road if they manage to win a future election.

The tour began with a delay, caused by Ignatieff's bus breaking down, which threw a wrench into his plans. Could this however be a microcosm of things to come? There is little doubt that the plan itself was a great one, as it stood to garner lots of publicity for the Liberal Party, and allowed for its leader to get some exposure by letting Canadians know what his intentions are and what he and his party are all about. On the other hand, with the bus breaking down, that could signify that although the Liberals have many grand plans, execution remains an issue. There has been examples of this that have leaked into parliament recently. After all who could forget the fodder the Liberals provided the media recently in which they defeated their own motion by voting for the wrong side in the House of Commons. This clearly shows a breakdown in communication, execution, organization and a lack of leadership. When it comes to possibly leading Canada, will Ignatieff be as reliable as his bus and breakdown at inopportune times or when all is said and done, will Canada need some repairs from, "Harper's Diesel?"

Whatever the outcome of the next election, it is clear that although many complain about the current administration, their biggest opponent also has a lot they can improve on too. Either way, both parties are far from perfect, and both could stand to improve vastly in order to create the best possible leadership to lead Canadian citizens not only in national affairs, but internationally as well.

The force is weak with these ones

2010-07-19T14:37:00.003-04:00

The NDP has responded to PMO Director of Communications Dimitri Soudas' statement about Jedi Knights residing in Canada with the following statement:

REALITY CHECK: Dimitri Soudas uses the Jedi defence
Dimitri Soudas created an instant internet classic with his line of defence on eliminating the Census long form:
"21,000 Canadians registered Jedi knight as a religion in the 2001 census.
Religion is asked every 10 years. We made the 40-page long form voluntary because government should not threaten prosecution or jail time to force Canadians to divulge unnecessary private and personal information. Canadians don't want the government at their doorstep at 10 o'clock at night while they may be doing something in their bedroom, like reading, because government wants to know how many bedrooms they have."
What do 21,000 Jedis have to do with the Long Form Census? Nothing. What does the long form census have to do with government officials showing up at 10 o'clock at night at Canadians' doors? Nothing. What does bedtime reading have to do with an accurate statistical portrait of our country's demographics? Nothing.
But there you have it: the spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Canada talking about Jedis.
The force is weak with these ones.

That last line a clear poke at the intelligence of not just Soudas, but the entire PMO, and seemingly Conservative party. Odd that the NDP are the only ones to have responded, although I suppose the NDP are often the first to respond to the Conservatives. Hard to tell if the Liberals will take the bait and go after the Cons for it, but so far nothing from them.

Its possible we won't hear from them for a few days as Ignatieff takes a much needed rest. The Liberal Express sits idle until Wednesday, when they start Quebec. Good luck.

"We're not the natural governing party"

2010-07-19T09:21:00.000-04:00

Just found an amazing article in The Star about the Liberal Express, and what Ignatieff hopes to accomplish with it. I would like to share some particularly good quotes from the Leader himself, completely unscripted and off-the-cuff:

“We’re not the natural governing party, we have to earn it. The Conservatives won’t defeat themselves; we have to defeat them with a compelling alternative,” he says. “The alternative — we have to work for it, we have to earn it. We don’t pull policy out of a little policy shop in Ottawa. You’ve got to get a party engaged in policy. Because policy, it’s about belief, it’s about passion, it’s about conviction.”

“People underestimate my perseverance at their peril . . . I’m still here. And I’ve actually got more enthusiasm for what I’m doing now than ever. I really do.”

Jedi Knights in Canada?

2010-07-19T09:08:00.000-04:00

About 21,000 of them to be exact, according to PMO Director of Communication Dimitri Soudas. In an effort to promote the conservative plan to scrap the long form census, PMO has released the following statement:

----------------------------------------------

21,000 Canadians registered Jedi knight as a religion in the 2001 census.

Religion is asked every 10 years.

We made the 40-page long form voluntary because government should not threaten prosecution or jail time to force Canadians to divulge unnecessary private and personal information.

Canadians don't want the government at their doorstep at 10 o'clock at night while they may be doing something in their bedroom, like reading, because government wants to know how many bedrooms they have.

The Ignatieff Liberals promise to force all Canadians to answer personal and intrusive questions about their private lives under threat of jail, fine, or both.

Dimitri N. Soudas

Director/Directeur

Communications

PMO-CPM

(613) 992-xxxx

----------------------------------------------

Sure, the threat of jail or fines seems a little extreme, but this is the kind of data that guides social policy for years to come. Without a little incentive people are clearly not going to complete a 40 page census. How do the Conservatives plan to govern the country, if they don’t know what the people need or want? Oh wait, conservative political ideology should cover that, right?

A real leader

2010-07-17T15:17:00.003-04:00

With parliament out for the summer, MPs, Senators, and Party Leaders get to spend a few months away from Ottawa, doing whatever they please. MPs typically spend it in their constituency, hanging out with family and friends and holding the occasional fundraising for the party/future campaign. Senators, well who know what they do with their free time. But what about the Leaders, what are they up to?

Stephen Harper, Conservative: Well it has been quite a while since we last heard from the Prime Minister, but I think it's safe to assume he is not sitting in the House of Commons, pondering the future of the country like this PMO photo would have us believe. The latest official update on what the PM would be doing this summer: spend the summer at Harrington Lake, the Prime Ministers Official Country Residence.

Jack Layton, NDP: Who knows what this Leader is up to... we haven't heard from him in quite a while.

Elizabeth May, Green: Ms. May doing her usual promotions of green ideals. As she doesn't sit in the House, her summer schedule doesn't change much, unless there is an election of course.

Michael Ignatieff, Liberal: The Leader of the Official Opposition, unlike his counterpart in the Conservative Party, isn't spending anytime at his Official Residence (Stornoway), his constituency residence, or his private villa in Provence. Instead, Ignatieff will be travelling all across Canada by bus, called the Liberal Express. He has stops planned in every province, and every territory in the country, and he plans on meeting as many Canadians as possible. Virtually the entire trip is unscripted with people meeting him, asking him questions, and getting answers. Ignatieff will be listening to the country's opinions, concerns, and ideas, because that's what a good Leader does. They listen.

Gov confirms $9 billion purchase

2010-07-16T12:23:00.000-04:00

We know have confirmation from the Government of Canada that 65 F-35 Lightning II aircraft will be purchased for $9 billion. That works out to about $138,461,538, or $138.46 million each.

The Government refused to comment on the reported $7-9 billion maintenance costs that have been circulating around, stating that the maintenance cost will be negotiated once the planes have been delivered.

They criticized the Liberals for criticizing them, when it was in fact the previous Liberal government that approved funding for the development of the aircraft. It is important to note however, that the Liberal government did not approve the purchase of the aircraft.

They also said that had they opened the contract up to the proper bidding process, they would have spent more time and money, and would have chosen the F-35 anyways. Something tells me the Liberals and NDP won’t be pleased by this. Expect statements from them very shortly

Ignatieff calls for CSIS head to resign

2010-07-16T08:56:00.003-04:00

Last night at a Chinese Cultural Centre in Toronto, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff called for the resignation of the Canada's spy chief, Richard Fadden. The director of CSIS made controversial statements during a speech at the Royal Military Institute, and again during a CBC interview with Peter Mansbridge.

Fadden revealed that foreign influence over Canadian politicians was a major issue, and that CSIS was currently investigating several provincial cabinet members over the issue. While not expressly saying it, Fadden implied that agents of the Chinese government were among the culprits attempting to influence Canadian policymakers. Fadden also accused a French national, who was recently held hostage in Mali, of being a spy for the French government.

The previous Liberal stance was that while his statements were inappropriate, they were no cause for dismissal. Well that opinion changed last night when Ignatieff called for Fadden's resignation over the statements. Some experts are accusing Ignatieff of attempting to buy votes from Chinese Canadians.

In my opinion, while the timing and location of Ignatieff's statement is extremely convenient, there is nothing wrong the Liberal stance. They are not the only party that is calling for Fadden's resignation, and they are not the only party to use strategic locations to make announcements. Just a few days ago the Conservative Government announced the $2.6 billion contract to build 2-3 new navy supply ships in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is of course widely known that Halifax is a military city.

When opportunity presents itself, take advantage of it. All is fair in love and war, and campaigns are, of course, war.

Growing already

2010-07-15T19:23:00.003-04:00

Real Canadian Politics is growing already. Chad Godin (@ChadGodin) will be joining me in a new segment called "The Rookies Perspective." Chad has his own blog on major sports leagues, and has a minor interest in politics. He will be posting every Friday and Tuesday (starting July 20), so be sure to check out this exciting new feature tomorrow! As a side note, I will be posting "The Rookies Perspective" on his blog every Friday and Tuesday as well, so be sure to check that out too.

The views expressed by Chad Godin do not necessarily reflect those of Real Canadian Politics or Cole Davidson.

Liberals find "competent" Harper

2010-07-15T15:25:00.003-04:00

According to Liberal Party insider, Adam Goldenberg (@adamgoldenberg), when the Liberal Express broke down they just couldn't resist bringing it to local garage, Harper Diesel, to get it fixed. "We were so happy to find a competent Harper, we just couldn't resist"

Liberals recall Defence Committee

2010-07-15T13:04:00.000-04:00

That’s right, the Liberals have called for the National Defence Committee to reconvene to examine the decision to “sole-source” the $16 billion fighter jet contract. An interesting note: according to the Liberal press release, the “future Liberal government will put a hold on the Harper government’s $16-billion sole-sourced fighter jet contract, and will immediately call for the House of Commons Defence Committee to reconvene as soon as possible to examine the government’s secretive, unaccountable decision to proceed with this contract.” You read it right. They said future Liberal government. Not if, but when.

Ignatieff on his way back to academia?

2010-07-15T09:44:00.001-04:00

Some reports are suggesting that Michael Ignatieff has been offered a prestigious job in academia, should he want to leave the political world. According to the Globe and Mail, he has been offered the top position in the University of Toronto’s Global Affairs School. The Conservative, and maybe even the NDP, are sure to latch on to this and attack mercilessly, but so far no statement from the Liberals. This would be a good time for Ignatieff to reaffirm him commitment to acquiring 24 Sussex Drive, by issuing a public statement turning down the offer. Time will tell what he does, however is think it is fair to say that should he ever take UoT up on their offer, the Liberals will lose almost all credibility.

On the Hill today, Public Works and Status for Women Minister Rona Ambrose will be making a statement on behalf of the Government regarding the “honour killings” in Montreal. This will be interesting because we will finally get some clarity on whether the Governments wants an amendment to the Criminal Code for honour killings, or whether they will back-track and remind us that murder is murder, no matter the victim.

Liberal industry critic Marc Garneau is also holding a press conference on the Hill this morning, likely about the Government’s announcement tomorrow that it will sole-source the $9 billion purchase of 65 fighter jets from the US. That $9 billion price tag will climb to $16 billion when 20 years of maintenance and support are factored in.

And the Liberal Express is onward rolling. No more bus troubles for them, after getting it fixed at a garage name Harper’s Diesel. Ironic? I think so.

NDP call committee sham

2010-07-14T15:28:00.002-04:00

Well the NDP press conference is over, and I don’t think I can say that it was very successful for them. They started off by saying the the whole committee is a sham. Then they said that Iacobucci should not be on the committee because he has a conflict of interest because he is a former judge for Justice Ministry. They are implying that he could potentially be bribed by the Government. This is a pretty ridiculous claim; in my opinion he is just as likely to be bribed by the Government as anyone else on the committee. His former employment with the Government has nothing to do with him being more susceptible to bribes. One reporter pointed out that had the NDP not walked out of the meeting, they would have had a say in the appointment of members to the committee, and could have in fact vetoed Iacobucci.

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