What was lost and what goes on

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, August 26, 2011 at 5:30 PM - 1 Comment

Thoughts on the passing of Jack Layton from Heather Cleland, Michael Valpy, Jaime Watt, Adam Giambrone, Jamie Bradburn, John Moore and Edward Keenan. Arthur Milnes recalls the words of Arthur Meighen.

“The story of a nation’s heroes is the fountain from which it draws the wine of later life,” he said at a 1925 dinner in Ottawa marking the centennial of McGee’s birth. “There is no inspiration that quickens the ambition of youth, stimulates public service and deepens love of country like the memory of great men who have gone … It will help marvellously the cause of unity in this Dominion when all of us can realize that we (Canadians) have our patriarchs, men and women who have lived great lives, given to their country the last measure of devotion.”

MPs help battle bullying at Egale's gay rights gala

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 8:45 AM - 0 Comments

The gay rights group Egale held their second annual gala at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel. The gala honoured TD bank CEO Ed Clark with a leadership award. The night raised money for the programs to battle homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools. Below, Tory Senator Nancy Ruth (left) and singer Carole Pope.

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CBC anchor Andrew Nichols (left) and Salah Bachir.

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Senator Linda Frum (right) and her husband Howard Sokolowski.

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Former New Zealand MP Georgina Beyer (left) and NDP leader Jack Layton.

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Honouring the Canadian Armed Forces with Don Cherry and Laureen Harper

By Mitchel Raphael - Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 4:28 PM - 17 Comments

The Canadian Club of Toronto honoured the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces at a special Toronto luncheon. Below, Laureen Harper and Don Cherry.

Retired general Rick Hillier (left).

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MPs, gay rights and underwear models: The bonus pics

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 10:48 PM - 20 Comments

Here are bonus pics from the gay advocacy group EGALE’s first-ever big gala. The event took place at Toronto’s Le Meridien King Edward Hotel and marked the 40^th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. To see the full gallery click here.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Belinda Stronach chills backstage with the models from the Superstein fashion show.

Conservative strategist Jaime Watt (right), who is chairman of the Navigator communications firm, was presented with the group’s inaugural Leadership Award for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) human rights. He is with his partner Paul Ferguson.

Transport Minister John Baird (right) and Jaime Watt.

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MPs, gay rights and underwear models

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 11:51 AM - 0 Comments

The gay advocacy group Egale held its first-ever large-scale gala in Toronto’s Le Meridien King Edward Hotel to mark the 40th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada. Conservative strategist Jaime Watt, who is chairman of the Navigator communications firm, was presented with the group’s inaugural Leadership Award for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) human rights. Justin Trudeau was the keynote speaker. Designer John Walke served up a fashion show with his Superstein label.

'We should encourage more of these types of people'

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 1:32 PM - 0 Comments

Somewhat surprising paragraph from the definitive Zoomer profile of Michael Ignatieff.

Still, even those from opposing sides are excited by his political career thus far. “It’s fantastic when people who are accomplished and have a track record of success make this transition,” says Jaime Watt, a political strategist and former senior communications adviser for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. “We should encourage more of these types of people to enter public service. There’s been a fundamental shift in the electorate. We’re in an economic situation we’ve never been in before, and people want solutions that we’ve never had before. It’s a post-partisan world.” 

The bravest of talking points

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, April 17, 2009 at 1:22 AM - 29 Comments

Reacting on CBC this afternoon to the latest polling from Ekos, Conservative Jaime Watt offers offered an altogether profound spin.

So obviously these aren’t numbers that we’d be hoping to see. I think there’s a few explanations for why they are the way they are. First of all, we’ve got an almost three-point margin of error, which would possibly bring those numbers a bit closer.

Indeed. Or, by the very same logic, the gap might be even wider.

Better still, if a poll with a +/- 2.5 percentage point margin of error isn’t to be entirely trusted, perhaps all political polling is to be disqualified. The last similar surveys published, for instance, by Nanos, Ipsos Reid and the Strategic Counsel had margins of 3.3, 2.2 and 3.1 respectively.

This is a remarkable position for a political commentator to take publicly and Watt is surely to be commended on his bravery in doing so. May his rational and reasoned approach to politics be an example to us all.