Tag Archives: Elizabeth May

Roundup: Money out the door

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As part of their warm-up before the House returns next week, the Conservatives have been blanketing the country with ministerial good news announcements/re-announcements, and getting the local MPs in on it (which is actually a clear violation of their roles – backbench MPs are not supposed to hand out the cash, they’re supposed to hold the government to account when they hand it out). Yesterday’s score was about $205 million.

Aboriginal Affairs minister John Duncan issues a reminder that it’s inappropriate for the GG to attend future meetings on First Nations issues. Meanwhile, reports are that the Manitoba chiefs – who have been among the most vocal and radicalised in terms of the untenable demands with regards to the unilateral demands around the GG’s participation – are considering breaking with the AFN. Here’s a look at how urban Aboriginal issues are being marginalised as the current Idle No More debate continues.

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Roundup: Launching a new Action Plan™

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Stephen Harper launched a new Action Plan™ in Montreal yesterday – the Venture Capital Action Plan™, to create Jobs & Growth™ as part of our Fragile Economic Recovery™. Economist Stephen Gordon wonders how this jives with Harper’s reluctance for government control in any industry, or how it benefits anyone other than consultants and lobbyists.

AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo has been ordered by his doctor to take time off because of exhaustion, which given the events of the past couple of weeks is no real surprise. Meanwhile, Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence still refuses to end her liquid diet.

Here is a look at some of the projected costs of implementing the new safe drinking water legislation for First Nations reserves, and whether or not the government will fully fund it. Thomas Mulcair has taken to criticizing Harper’s approach to natural resource development, which he says is behind the Aboriginal unrest, and that Harper needs to sit down with the provincial premiers, as they are the key to resource revenue sharing with the First Nations.

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Roundup: Awards season, Hill style

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It was the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards last night, and a hearty congratulations to Elizabeth May for taking the top prize. Other winners include Kirsty Duncan (Hardest Working), Bob Rae (Best Orator), Peter Stoffer (Most Collegial, once again), Stephen Harper (Most Knowledgeable), Michelle Rempel (Rising Star), and Niki Ashton (Best Represents Constituents). A lifetime achievement award was presented to Preston Manning. In advance of the awards, Paul Wells sat down with previous winners to discuss the importance of the award. (And here are some more photos from the party – because it really is one of the best events on the calendar.)

The other big news out of yesterday was the amount of faux outrage because David McGuinty deigned to call MPs out for being provincial when it comes to the narrow interests that they’re promoting. The horror! Were the remarks impolitic? Yes. Were they an offence that merited his resigning his critic portfolio? Hardly, and yet that’s what happened. Let’s see how much more faux outrage the Conservatives can try to milk out of this today as well as they try to shore up their chances in the Calgary Centre by-election.

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Roundup: Just another Rob Anders eruption

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The big news that got people’s tongues wagging/up in arms yesterday was how Rob Anders spoke of his “theory” about how Thomas Mulcair somehow hastened Jack Layton’s death. No, seriously. He later gave a sort-of apology, and everyone wondered how much longer the PM could abide him in caucus. (Seriously everyone, it’s his riding association’s decision). Meanwhile, Aaron Wherry reminds us of the timeline of Layton’s declining health, while Glen McGregor reminds us of Rob Anders being one of the “celibate” Reform MPs back in the day.

Okay, okay, so it looks like Justin Trudeau is launching his leadership bid today after all (still – it’s a month too soon), and after his initial launch in his riding, he’ll hold events in Mississauga and Richmond, which looks very much to be launching a campaign targeting the suburban ridings of major cities. Jesse Brown looks at Trudeau’s geek credentials.

Senator Roméo Dallaire thinks the Conservatives have been undermining Omar Khadr’s chances at rehabilitation, what with their foot-dragging and attempts to politicise is future parole hearings.

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Roundup: An F-35 friendly new defence chief?

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The new Chief of Defence Staff has been named – Lieutenant General Tom Lawson, an RCAF officer with 37 years experience who is currently serving as the deputy commander of NORAD and has been a vocal proponent of the F-35 fighter acquisition. So immediately we have to wonder just what Harper is telegraphing in his choice of Lawson as CDS. Paul Wells notes that Lawson, like the outgoing Natynczyk, has a great deal of American experience, which is interesting.

The Corrections Investigator, Howard Sapers, is ringing the alarm over record prison populations and double bunking levels leading to increased violence. But wait – didn’t Vic Toews say that the prisoner population explosion didn’t happen and they’re going to close prisons because of it?

Apparently Stephen Harper “owns” the Arctic as a policy file. Um, okay, so he goes up for photo ops and to announce new National Parks every summer. But the fact that he hasn’t fulfilled any of his sovereignty-related promises, that food prices in the North continue to climb, and climate change remains pretty much a zero on his regular policy agenda, it doesn’t speak to highly for his commitment to the file that he “owns,” does it?

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Roundup: Not exactly ‘off-the-shelf’

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So those army trucks that got cancelled at the last minute? It seems their costs escalated when DND kept adding in new capabilities to the “off-the-shelf” models, and the price tag went up. Just like with those Chinook helicopters, if you recall. But no, our procurement system isn’t broken.

Shawn Atleo has been re-elected as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. He won on the third ballot, but the fact that nearly a third of the chiefs voted against him, he has some work ahead.

Aww, Julian Fantino thinks it’s “unfair” that the Toronto Star dares to go to Afghanistan and dares to print that our aid efforts haven’t lived up to expectations, because apparently that doesn’t fit his party’s narrative.

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Roundup: Secret meeting with Mulroney

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With a need to bolster his public image in Quebec, and the real sense of how much trouble he could be in should the PQ get elected in the province, Harper apparently had a secret meeting with Brian Mulroney last week for advice. (I’m still trying to figure out when that might have happened, given that Harper’s been a pretty busy PM of late, between international travel and vote-a-thons in the Commons). Nevertheless, necessity can make for strange bedfellows. Paul Wells dissects what it all means here.

The Rio+20 summit has ended with little in the way of agreed upon targets or timelines. Peter Kent says it’s a good thing, and that big conferences like that end up being counter-productive, and that binding targets are “inappropriate” and “unrealistic.”

Despite the requests to waive solicitor-client privilege in the investigation of a soldier’s suicide, Peter MacKay says no.

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Roundup: A too-predictable sympathetic report

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The NDP have release their “report” on their “consultations” on the omnibus budget bill around the country. Their condemnation comes from having panels stuffed with representatives from sympathetic groups, and by avoiding Alberta or any regions whose economies are dependent on resource extraction. Funny how that happens. Meanwhile, they’re also promising some 200 deletion amendments at report stage of the bill in the Commons, which on top of Elizabeth May’s 50 substantive amendments and the 200 deletion amendments she’s working with the Liberals on means that there could be 30 hours or so of votes, depending on what the Speaker rules to be in order or how he groups them.

It cost $47,000 for Peter MacKay and company to put on the photo op with the mock-up F-35 when the government announced they initially were going to be buying those planes.

The NDP wants to charge the deputy minister of DND with contempt of parliament over his testimony on the F-35s. And while this drama unfolds in the Public Accounts Committee, Liberal MP Gerry Byrne charges that the NDP has been doing a lot of in camera cooperation with the Conservatives in order to try to stick it to the Liberals. Sigh.

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Roundup: May’s plot to derail the omnibudget

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Elizabeth May has moved a Point of Order in the Commons to have the omnibus budget bill declared out of order because it doesn’t fit the proper criteria for such bills. Not surprisingly the government disputes this, but we’ll see more in the next couple of days as other parties get to weigh in before the Speaker makes any kind of ruling.

Meanwhile, May and the Liberals are planning a marathon series of amendments to the omnibus budget bill for when it returns to the Commons, and the 200 or so amendments they plan to move could mean upwards of 50 of 60 straight hours off votes. They’re already planning the logistics of food and bathroom breaks, but this is looking like it’s set to go ahead. They got a taste of it with some three-plus hours of amendment votes on C-31 last night. Expect much more in for the omnibudget.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer is calling bullshit on the government’s excuses as to why they can’t turn over their numbers relating to the cuts. If some departments can, all of them can, and the unions don’t have problems with the figures released so long as it doesn’t include personal information. And yet the government continues to insist that they can’t give the information, and that everything will come out in quarterly reports and public accounts statements.

There was lots of activity on the defence file yesterday. The Canada First Defence Strategy is going to need an overhaul, seeing as we can’t afford the whole laundry list of new procurement. In fact, they’ve known for some time that they can’t afford the list, but the government kept that under wraps until now. And you never know – future procurement may include unmanned naval vessels, kind of like unmanned aerial drones but on the water. Meanwhile, it looks like Peter MacKay’s staff is unimpressed that Canadian Forces staff didn’t defend MacKay vigorously enough when he was under fire for things like that helicopter lift. Aww, poor MacKay can’t fight he own battles.

The Department of National Defence won’t say what two other fighters it considered before the decision to go with the F-35s was made, but it seems that the Super Hornet wasn’t one of them – even though it meets all of the requirements that have so far been released.

It looks like the government has softened its stance on an international arms control treaty, and are now less likely to derail the process.

Lisa Raitt talks about her experience with post-partum depression as a new initiative to address the stigma of mental health launched in Ottawa yesterday.

And not to be outdone, but Wildrose leader Danielle Smith also plans to be at Edmonton’s gay pride festival. My how things are changing in Alberta.

Taking up all the oxygen in the Chamber

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Both major opposition parties summoned the media to the Foyer before the Commons got down to business this morning – the NDP had already booked their usual slot for another edition Monday Morning Sanctimony, leaving the Liberals to book even earlier. The topic of day was supposed to be the Liberal game plan for the Refugee reform bill back before the House this week, and the NDP to report back on what their “consultations” found over the last week.

But that really wasn’t what took up the airspace. No, that was really taken up by the discussions about the imminent back-to-work legislation around the CP Rail strike.

Speaking for the Liberals, Marc Garneau did talk about how they were the “real” opposition, and were working with Elizabeth May to move their 28 amendments that failed at committee at report stage – which May is able to do as an independent – in order to make the point that these changes are important. Both he and May later tweeted that they have approached the NDP to cooperate, but have yet to hear a response. On the omnibus budget bill, Garneau said that they were still planning on moving hundreds of amendments at Report Stage in order to delete many of the controversial clauses, saying that procedurally, this was the better tactic that “hyperventilating and making lots of noise.”

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