Undash those dreams

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 12:47 PM - 0 Comments

Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis says the federal government might still fund an arena in Quebec City.

“We’ve always left the door open, saying that we would evaluate any project that would be submitted,” Paradis told reporters at a global energy conference. ”But one thing is clear: if the project is only about a hockey team or a professional sports team, this is a private matter. It would have to generate tangible benefits for broader things than having only professional sports.”

The Commons: There but for the grace of God go us

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 7:45 PM - 160 Comments

Stephen Harper stood this afternoon before a room of past and present cabinet ministers, current and former members of parliament, power-brokers, diplomats, hangers-on and swells—the size of the crowd woefully overwhelming Parliament’s air conditioning system on a truly sweltering day in the capital—and toasted the career of Jean Chrétien, the man who once seemed to epitomize everything Mr. Harper campaigned to change, everything that was wrong with this place, everything that brought Mr. Harper to office four and a half years ago.

Mr. Harper spoke of a “great Parliamentarian” and a “great leader” and his “long and successful service to Canada.” “For this passion and dedication, Jean Chrétien deserves our admiration and our thanks,” Mr. Harper said. “And he deserves to look back on his record of service to our country with pride and satisfaction.”

And then Mr. Harper said this. “Partisan differences are a healthy and necessary part of our political culture and process. But on an occasion such as this, we remember that they are transcended by a deep, enduring consensus, a shared understanding that our freedom rests also on the limitations imposed on those partisan differences by our constitutional traditions and the rule of law.”

Perhaps it was just the heat, but these words seemed heavy. Continue…

It ain't over till it's over

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 8:38 PM - 39 Comments

Five months after a federal court ruling on so-called in-and-out campaign financing, it turns out an unpublicized portion of the judgment imperils the political careers of three cabinet ministers. And the commissioner of elections has apparently referred the matter to the office of the public prosecutor to consider criminal charges.

… in a little-noticed detail, he also found that one of the two candidates should have paid — but did not — an equal share of the full market value of regional advertising buys. Rather, the amount charged appeared to have been “purely arbitrary,” based on what the candidate could afford without exceeding his spending limit.

In documents supporting its motion to stay Martineau’s ruling, Elections Canada applies the equal share dictum to all 65 candidates involved in the regional media buys. The agency finds up to 10 of them would have exceeded their spending limits, including Cannon by $7,618, Verner by $13,304, Paradis by $10,188 and Bernier by $20,138.

In its appeal, the party suggests Martineau’s ruling violates freedom of speech guarantees in the Charter of Rights because it “effectively limits a candidate’s ability to run ads if other ridings in the same (regional advertising) pool are unable to contribute to the same level financially.”

The full federal court ruling in its entirety is here. This particularly issue would seem to be raised at paragraph 235.

'Basically, government tells us what they want us to know'

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 12:42 PM - 4 Comments

Our Jonathon Gatehouse reviews the present state of our access to information laws in the latest issue of the magazine. Over the weekend, the Citizen’s David Pugliese did likewise at some length. So dire is our present situation, apparently, that government staffers struggle to speak publicly in complete sentences, and only then with a government lawyer at their side.

Sebastien Togneri had previously told a House of Commons committee that he made a “mistake” in ordering that a 137-page document — already cleared by non-partisan civil servants and government lawyers — be “unreleased.” Under further questioning before the committee on Tuesday, the senior aide to Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis repeatedly consulted his lawyer when asked how frequently this type of practice occurred.

“Uh, in my, my . . . yes it’s the only time I, uh . . . This was, you know, a mistake I made,” Togneri said.

Paul Gross, Laureen Harper and a pack of Twizzlers

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 8:00 AM - 10 Comments

Heritage Minister James Moore hosted Ottawa’s premiere of Gunless, starring Paul Gross, at the Museum of Civilization. Below (left to right): Laureen Harper, Heritage Minister James Moore and Paul Gross.

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Laureen Harper offers Justin Trudeau some Twizzlers.

Continue…

The latest in Guergis

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 1:39 PM - 27 Comments

Conservatives in Simcoe-Grey are concerned the party is attempting to bigfoot them. One potential replacement candidate says she’s not a candidate. Meanwhile, two cabinet ministers are politely refusing to appear before the government operations committee to discuss their knowledge of Mr. Jaffer’s behaviour.

Truth, accountability and irony

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 12:54 PM - 13 Comments

An elderly government official, speaking anonymously, asserts the necessity of transparent governance.

According to a senior government official, Giorno’s memo warned that the access to information process “should be followed and respected by all. “It applies to everybody across government, including political staff,” the official said.

And he said that subject to access to information rules, residents have a right “to be given access to any record under the control of a government institution.” “Access to information is the public’s right,” the official said.

'A free society requires access to the facts'

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 1:33 PM - 17 Comments

In response to an attempt by a government official to save the Canadian Press a few dollars on reprinting costs, Jack Layton attempts to explain the riddle that is access to information.

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jack Layton highlighted the problems within the federal Access to Information regime by releasing two copies a memo from diplomat Richard Colvin on the subject of Afghan detainees. Only a few words were redacted in the memo as it was publicly released by the Attorney-General to the Military Police Complaints Commission. But, when released by the Department of National Defence under Access to Information legislation, it was redacted almost in its entirety…

“A free society requires access to the facts. That’s fundamental. And the government can’t simply say we are going to protect ourselves by building walls around the truth. That’s not right. And [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper used to say that but then again he used to say a lot of things.”

That memo in its dueling forms can be viewed here and here.

Who seems to be up, who seems to be down

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 11:11 AM - 22 Comments

Conventional perception seems to have Stockwell Day, Christian Paradis and Rona Ambrose rising, Lisa Raitt and Peter Van Loan falling. Keith Ashfield gets a promotion to cabinet, Rob Moore gets to call himself a minister of state.

Early reviews from the Canadian Press, Globe, Star, Canwest, Reuters, Bloomberg, CBC and CTV.

Your musical chairs sneak preview

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, January 18, 2010 at 11:46 PM - 14 Comments

If CP has it right, Lisa Raitt is now tracing Rona Ambrose’s career arc all the way to cabinet obscurity.

The biggest surprise may be that controversy-prone Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt, once a rising star in the party who rocketed to cabinet within weeks of her first election win in October 2008, is getting demoted.

The high-profile Raitt ran into trouble last year when she was caught on tape criticizing some of her fellow ministers. Raitt will stay in the cabinet, but in the relatively obscure Labour post.

Canadian Press has Christian Paradis going to Natural Resources in Raitt’s place, Rona Ambrose going to Public Works to replace Paradis, Peter Van Loan replacing Stockwell Day at International Trade, Day replacing Vic Toews at Treasury, Toews replacing Van Loan at Public Safety and Jean-Pierre Blackburn going to Veterans Affairs to replace the retiring Greg Thompson.

Too cute by half

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 10:00 AM - 17 Comments

An exchange from Question Period yesterday.

Ms. Paule Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, BQ): Mr. Speaker, by telling us this morning that Canada has to wait longer still to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, the minister for big oil is showing once again that the environment is not a priority for this government. Instead of stepping up efforts to get an agreement on strict reduction targets, he is instead working on derailing the Copenhagen summit and prefers to conduct his business without any regard for the consequences. Does the Prime Minister realize that his approach, which pits the economy against the environment, is viewed as disastrous by the experts?

Hon. Jay Hill (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC): Mr. Speaker, as I have said before in this chamber, there is no minister for big oil in this government. Therefore, there will not be any minister responding to that silly question.

Ms. Paule Brunelle (Trois-Rivières, BQ): Mr. Speaker, there is not just one minister for big oil, there are several.

The government subsequently refused to acknowledge Ms. Brunelle’s second question. Likewise, the government declined to respond later when the Bloc’s Michel Guimond directed at a question at the “minister of patronage” (Christian Paradis, apparently). That exchange after the jump. Continue…

The Commons: If we can't talk to each other, we can only talk to ourselves

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 6:39 PM - 52 Comments

The Scene. The Conservatives cheered as Bob Rae, perhaps their preferred opponent, stood to start Question Period. Then, though, he spoke.

“Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for public health and for H1N1,” said the white-haired one. “It is very clear that there was a delay in the decision of the federal government to order the vaccine. It is very clear that there has been a delay in the distribution of the vaccine. I would like to ask the minister, in light of these two clear facts that are delineated by the evidence, does she not understand that these delays have cost and will cost lives?”

The Conservatives groaned, having apparently expected something more laudatory of their efforts.

On this question of health policy, it was of course Tony Clement, the Industry Minister, who was offered up to respond. Just as Christian Paradis, the Minister of Public Works, would later take a question on climate change, the Treasury Board President Vic Toews would expound on the scourge of organized crime, and Heritage Minister James Moore would stand and account for the government’s approach to taxation.

“Mr. Speaker, in fact our Minister of Health has been working with the Chief Public Health Officer and has been working assiduously with the provinces and territories across this land to deliver the vaccine,” Mr. Clement informed the House

And surely we can all agree that assiduously is a very impressive-sounding word. Continue…

The Commons: Stephen Harper's real world

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 6:55 PM - 53 Comments

The Scene. Stephen Harper is not one to leave well enough alone. So having spoken hopefully of his government’s plans to build parking spaces in the Toronto suburbs, a pedestrian overpass in Surrey and a library in Weymouth, his voice switched to a more ominous tone and his pointy finger started wagging near the bottom of the television screen.

He took direct aim at the Liberal leader, informing the viewing public that his rival had vowed “unequivocally” to raise taxes—news that will surely come as some surprise to even Mr. Ignatieff. He bemoaned the boogie men and women of the opposition who continue to insist their majority of seats in the House of Commons holds sway over his 37 per cent mandate. And he warned that only “needless political instability” could harm us now.

The Prime Minister does like to make dramatic-sounding pronouncements. Take, for instance, that moment in late September when he said “the only way” the country would fall into recession was if we were collectively crazy enough to choose Stephane Dion over him. Or that editorial, published on election day a few weeks later, when, with the stock market gone wobbly, he vowed “never” to take the country back into deficit.

Of course, you’ll forgive him if those assertions now seem a bit silly. Indeed, it is entirely unfair to impose the consistency of actual reality on Mr. Harper. A bit like asking Al Pacino to play the same character in every one of his movies. Though perhaps that’s a bad example. Continue…

The "Prince of Darkness" is back in the Liberal fold

By Martin Patriquin - Friday, April 10, 2009 at 12:08 PM - 0 Comments

Warren Kinsella fancies himself a bon vivant, a punk rocker and the so-called “Prince of Darkness” of Canadian politics. His political books are thick with tales of dirty tricks and nasty business in Ottawa’s corridors of power, and he is an admitted and most gleeful practitioner of both. His reputation and methods have brought him to the helm of Michael Ignatieff’s “war room,” where he will presumably ply his trade in the Liberal leader’s next election campaign.

Kinsella’s return to the Liberal fold–he went into quasi-exile from the Liberal Party during Prime Minister Paul Martin’s regime, and has an ongoing defamation lawsuit against Martin–has riled the Conservative government enough that party MPs have invoked Kinsella’s name 36 times in the House of Commons in an apparent attempt to discredit Ignatieff. “Kinsella’s thuggish antics have been approved and condoned by the Liberal Party,” said Conservative MP Lois Brown in one typical screed. The attention has at once delighted and inflamed Kinsella, who catalogued the outbursts on his blog. “[T]hey do all that they know how to do: attack, vilify, smear,” he wrote earlier this month. Coming from Kinsella, who once wrote that “negative politics work,” this might well be a compliment. “The political folks I work with know who I am and what I do,” Kinsella wrote in an email to Maclean’s. Apparently so; publicly, Liberals responded with a collective shrug–for the party, Kinsella’s campaign muscle is seemingly worth the dust he kicks up. “Warren’s a great guy, I love him,” said senior Ignatieff advisor Alfred Apps. Continue…

MulroneyHarperRiftWatch: "Mr. Mulroney was a great prime minister."

By kadyomalley - Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 11:59 AM - 6 Comments

Public Works Minister Christian Paradis talks to reporters after a press conference to announce new spending plans for federally-owned properties:

[...]Question:                            And because I get two questions in English, Mulroney, how is that going over in Quebec, in the sense that do you think it was a mistake to – for the party, to distance itself from Brian Mulroney? How do Quebecers feel about that?

Christian Paradis:            No, the thing is Mr. Mulroney is a great – was a great prime minister. I think that he brought a lot of things for Quebec and for the entire federation. That being said, there is a public enquiry and we will let it go.

Question:                            But the fact is that the office, Mr. Harper’s office made it seem that he is no longer a party member. Do you think that was a mistake?

Christian Paradis:            No, no, I think the fact is that there is a public enquiry and we have to let it go. Mr. Mulroney asked himself for that and we – the danger is, here is to mix the things and we should not do it. So let the public enquiry go, but that being said, I repeat, Mr. Mulroney was a great prime minister. He did a lot for Quebec, for the entire federation and this is what I think about him. [...]

Question:                            Il y a des médias qui font état de divisions sans précédent au sein de votre caucus suite à l’affaire Mulroney. Quelle est votre perception de l’atmosphère?

Christian Paradis:            Non, il y a pas de division sans précédent. Ça, c’est erroné de dire ça. Maintenant ce qui se dit dans le caucus, ça reste dans le caucus. Moi, j’élaborerai pas sur ça, mais de toute façon, ce que j’ai dit par rapport à l’affaire Mulroney, c’est qu’il y a une commission d’enquête publique qui est là, qui avait été demandée même par monsieur Mulroney, qui est en cours. Alors laissons les choses aller mais j’ai – moi, particulièrement, j’ai un profond respect. Monsieur Mulroney a été un grand premier ministre. Il en fait beaucoup pour le Québec, pour la fédération canadienne dans son ensemble et je pense qu’il faut pas mélanger les deux choses. C’est là qu’est le danger.

Sorry, have we met?

By Martin Patriquin - Friday, February 27, 2009 at 1:46 PM - 13 Comments

Photo by Alan Hustak

Last week’s Maclean’s story detailing strategist and organizer Beryl Wajsman’s return to the Liberal Party of Canada has erupted in Ottawa. Wajsman, whose name appeared on a list of ten prominent Liberals “banned” from the party following the sponsorship scandal in 2005, has since returned to the Liberal fold, primarily as an organizer for Michael Ignatieff advisor Alfred Apps.

Conservative Public Works Minister Christian Paradis brought up Wajsman’s return in the House of Commons yesterday, and followed up with a press release saying the Liberal Party “has clearly not learned its lesson from the Sponsorship Scandal.”

Continue…

BTC: Unexpectedly important issue of the week

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, October 27, 2008 at 12:25 AM - 2 Comments

Asbestos.

The Globe and Mail previews this week’s talks in Rome, while the Ottawa Citizen’s Katie Daubs has completed a four-part series on Canada’s exporting of the stuff and refusal (to date) to participate in an international stand against it. The Post editorial board defends Canada’s position. Don Martin calls it an “international joke.”

The discussion within Stephen Harper’s cabinet is probably just as interesting. Continue…

Christian Paradis: Threat or menace?

By kadyomalley - Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 4:23 PM - 0 Comments

Christian Paradis’ appointment raises new concerns over asbestos in public buildings, Greens

Media Release
For Immediate Release
June *25, 2008

Christian Paradis’ appointment raises new concerns over asbestos in public buildings, Greens

OTTAWA – The Green Party is expressing concern today over the appointment of Christian Paradis to the Public Works portfolio. Mr. Paradis has made comments supporting asbestos use and has previously served as President of the Asbestos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Secretary of the Asbestos Chapter of the Management Club of Canada.

“Mr. Paradis’ history of supporting ‘safe use’ of chrysotile asbestos is very worrying,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “Many Canadians are not aware that asbestos is still legal and in use in Canada, even though ‘safe use’ of asbestos is like drinking anti-freeze safely – neither is possible. The Green Party is concerned that Mr. Paradis’ appointment may mean increased asbestos content in the construction of public buildings. Will Mr. Paradis commit to eliminating all asbestos in public projects or will he increase asbestos content in new construction?”

Continue…

BTC: Your Christian Paradis scouting report

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 12:43 PM - 0 Comments

(Updated with a file from Philippe Gohier.)

Some months ago, Christian Paradis, then merely the secretary of state for agriculture, rose with a question. ”Did we,” he asked, “invoke GATT article XXVIII in defence of supply management?”

“Yes!” responded his mates on the Conservative side.

“Where was the Bloc?” he begged.

“Not there!” his mates cried.

“Did we,” he continued, “implement compositional standards for cheese?”

“Yes!” cheered the Conservatives.

“Where was the Bloc?” he asked.

“Not there!” shouted the government members.

This went on for awhile.

Mr. Paradis is, if nothing else, a gleeful partisan. Of just the sort this Prime Minister tends to prefer and, indeed, promote. In that then, there is little surprise that he has found favour with the government and is now in possession of a ministerial portfolio. Continue…

Is that a backbencher, or just a bureaucrat: Liveblogging the cabinet shuffle

By kadyomalley - Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 10:21 AM - 0 Comments

10:02:32 AM
Well, I’m here at the momentary nexus of the Ottawa political universe, sitting in the shade outside Rideau Hall listening to Mike Duffy explain for what I’m sure is the nineteenth time this morning that, contrary to our seeming omnipotence, we (the media) don’t actually know anything. But that’s not going to stop us from spending the first part of the morning speculating wildly as to what will happen at 11am, and the rest of the day pretending that we knew it all along.

I’m here a little early, I suppose—the ministers won’t start rolling up for another half hour or so, but given my notorious ability to get lost on a one-way street, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t end up wandering the grounds of Rideau Hall forlornly until I was accidentally shot by the Governor General’s Foot Guards. Hey, at least they don’t have Tasers.

Speaking of the GG, she—or rather, her driver—nearly ran me over as I was walking up the driveway. I didn’t realize ’til afterwards that it was her behind those tinted windows. Luckily, she was going about 5 miles an hour, so even though I was lost in the music (yes, I was wearing an iPod of Death), I didn’t wind up the first casualty of the shuffle. That title’s still open, Helena!

Oh, I kid.

Continue…

Finally, an excuse to wear my least sensible footwear!

By kadyomalley - Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 6:52 PM - 0 Comments

UPPITYDATIER: The Globe and Mail checks in with its predictions: David Emerson stays put at Foreign Affairs; Christian Paradis gets a bigger-than-expected boost to Public Works, and Senator Michael Fortier heads off to International Trade with more than $400,000 worth of lovely parting gifts from donors who are now wondering whether they have to fork out cash to the new guy now as well.

UPDATE: Oh, what scamps. Turns out that a few mischievous and mercurial government sources were having a bit of fun with CTV’s parliamentary bureau, what with the big talk of a Prentice/Flaherty switcheroo in the works. Uh, no, says the most recent update from Canadian Press. In fact, David Akin may be right after all. Well, about everything except the actual swearing-in ceremony taking place in Quebec City rather than Rideau Hall. He still gets bragging rights, though, if David Emerson stays on at Foreign Affairs, with Christian Paradis taking over International Trade.

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I will, of course, be liveblogging tomorrow’s cabinet shuffle, no matter how inconsequential it proves to be. Er, not that I’m predicting anything. I’ve given up the prediction business. Actually, I have to give my most heartfelt thanks to the Prime Minister for getting this out of the way sooner, rather than later, thereby sparing me and my journalistic ilk weeks of increasingly esoteric and random speculation.  “Helena Geurgis to Public Works!” “Jason Kenney to Fisheries!” “Lewis MacKenzie to Defence!” (Note: One of the preceding was an actual prediction before the last shuffle.)
Continue…

The Commons: In Review

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, June 23, 2008 at 4:44 PM - 0 Comments

The best, worst and merely laughable of the recently completed Parliamentary session

The Scene. Late last week, at the press conference he’d called to formally reject the Liberal green plan he hadn’t bothered to read, Jason Kenney was asked to account for his government’s tone—the language with which it had chosen to engage the current debate.

“I don’t think that Canadians are so humourless and earnest,” he posited, “that they reject humour in political discourse.”

There are at least two problems with this assessment.

At the outset, it assumes that what Mr. Kenney’s had to say has been particularly funny. This is, by most objective standards, a stretch. His particular line on the Liberal carbon tax relies on the fact that the word “shift” sounds something like a swear. While perhaps uproarious when compared with other discussions around here—so many of them having to do with war and poverty and other sufferings—most of us ceased finding this pun particularly hilarious around the first time we kissed a girl (or boy, as it were).

But, in fairness to Mr. Kenney, let’s pretend his comedic stylings on this front have been the stuff of a night at the Apollo. Even if that were the case, so, er, what? Continue…

BTC: Yes, they shuffled the deck chairs on the Titanic too

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 11:31 AM - 0 Comments

The government has just released the new House seating plan. John Baird’s new seatmate is Jason Kenney (nice of them to stick two of their more vicious partisans together). While Mr. Bernier’s been dispatched to the near corner, behind Bev Oda and beside Jim “Balderdash” Abbott himself. That should cheer him up.

Meanwhile, in its print edition, the Globe offers a slightly more substantial guess of who may go where in the seemingly inevitable cabinet shuffle. Continue…