Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

Watch out, the world's behind you …

by kadyomalley on Sunday, September 14, 2008 12:33pm - 11 Comments

For the first time in what feels like several geological ages but is, in reality, three weeks, the Sunday morning ITQtinerary does not include hanging around outside the gates at 24 Sussex; in celebration of that fact, I’m going to spend the rest of the day recharging my batteries (figuratively and literally; I managed to drive both berries into the red zone yesterday), and not thinking about Canadian politics. Okay, make that trying not to think about Canadian politics. We’ll see how long I can hold out.

In the meantime, you can always read my semi-rattled musings in this morning’s Ottawa Citizen, courtesy of Andrew Potter, Commander in Chief of the BlackBerry Roundtable.

Tags: berrylicious banter, ottawa citizen, where the heck is itq?

More by kadyomalley

Anon

Kenneykateer – good one. Whatever happened to the human embodiment of Oily anyway?

Also: NANOS (aka Jesus of Polling) shows a 3-way tie in Quebec. Libs, Tories & Bloc all tied up.
Jack Mitchell

Interesting, Anon! Given the regional breakdown, that must mean the Liberals will retain Fortress Montreal and the Tories will retain Fortress Quebec City.
Jack Mitchell

I mean, assuming polls mean anything.
Dot

the almost insufferably self-satisfied Jason Kenney

Too much info! The press has no place in the …
john g

Kady,

I’m hoping as the unofficial Maclean’s Elections Canada Compliance Watchdog, you’ll have some thoughts on Stephane Dion’s apparent failure to repay the first installment of his leadership debts.

His official payment schedule said that he was to have made his first payment of 230K + interest on September 3. So far, nothing has been filed with Elections Canada indicating that this has been done.

This is getting ridiculous, and he deserves to be called out on this. He’s running to be PM. If he can’t manage to handle a few hundred thousand dollars, how on earth can he be expected to run a few hundred billion?
http://www.macleans.ca Kady O’Malley

Well, you’re actually raising two separate issues here — legal and political. As far as I understand it, Elections Canada has granted him an extension on the original deadline — a month, I believe. (There was a story out on the wire about that late last week – Canadian Press, I believe, although I could be mistaken.) Remember that this was the first leadership race to take place after the changes to the law introduced by the Accountability Act – and, come to think of it, those brought in by Jean Chretien – so it’s kinda uncharted territory as far as process and precedent.

As far as the political question goes, though, you can definitely make that argument — that Dion is demonstrating a distinct lack of money management skills — but I’m not sure if that says something about his personal ability to balance the books or that of the people to whom he’s delegated the job of actually raising the money — and, presumably, filling out the required forms.

Since I’m getting the same press releases from the Conservatives as the rest of you,I know they’re calling him out on it. But honestly, I’m not sure if it’s likely to attract much public attention as long as he appears to be complying with whatever Elections Canada is demanding of him. The in and out election spending controversy didn’t become big news until it hit the courts.
madeyoulook

The in and out election spending controversy didn’t become big news until it hit the courts.

Minor quibble: It became big news when the CBC cameras saw Mounties knock on CPC headquarters’ door.
http://www.macleans.ca Kady O’Malley

Bah, I say – bah! The Ottawa Citizen was all over the story from the very start, and ITQ lost untold hours of her life chronicling the seemingly interminable filibusters at committee. We weren’t all Mountie-come-latelies!
madeyoulook

A big red-faced shucks, ITQ, and heartfelt apologies for failing to call it “big news” when you started blogging it. How can I make it up to you? My culinary skills suck, but I could try to produce some date squares.
http://www.macleans.ca Kady O’Malley

Oh, I just like to show off my battle scars as committee-girl-at-large. But the Citizen really should get credit for breaking – and following – that story. Go Glen and Tim (currently kicking ass for Canadian Press, by the way)! I do think it requires an actual dispute to break out between Elections Canada and a party or candidate before it trips the wire as far as causing even a minor public stir.

Remember, also, that most of the time, these things are resolved through compliance agreements, which tend to be overlooked completely, except in cases like, say, Blair Wilson, where it takes place within the context of a larger controversy.
Dot

Hey ITQ – an update suggestion to an earlier story you blogged about.

How about comparing E May’s explanations over the TVO Agenda clip that caused a threatened lawsuit by the GPC against an NDP blogger, Buckdog.

On his site, he has a link to the TVO Agenda interview last Friday night where Elizabeth May is willing to swear on a stack of bibles” that she didn’t say “fundamentally agree”, but incredulously, she claims she said “fundamentally disagree”, and now, just two days later, on CTV’s QP she claims she said (around 6:00) “Yes, I agree with that assessment” and claims it was in response to another panelist’s comment.

The two statements can’t both be true.

So, it begs the question, if the explanation changes from day to day on a minor issue such as misspeaking in the original clip (which I believe was the case), why should we believe what else she has to say on more substanive issues?

Seems like a follow-up topic worth blogging about.