The inexperienced lifer

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 11:05 AM - 0 Comments

Over the weekend, Jeffrey Simpson lamented for the lifers he sees as presently dominating federal politics. He defined a lifer as one who has been involved for a long period of time at any level of politics, not just as a candidate or elected representative. In this way, for instance, Mr. Harper is a lifer because he has been involved in politics since the mid-80s.

The academic research in this regard—though Simpson’s definition complicates a direct comparison and his focus on party leaders is relevant—has generally raised the alarm about the exact opposite concern: that our MPs have too little experience and are too prone to turnover. To wit. Continue…

Idea alert

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, July 26, 2010 at 3:13 PM - 0 Comments

Joe Volpe wants to make it easier to make a citizen’s arrest.

Newfoundland Liberals gather

By Mitchel Raphael - Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 9:00 AM - 10 Comments

A fundraiser was held in an Ottawa Legion hall for the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador. Below, Liberal MP Todd Russell (left) and Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leader Yvonne Jones.

.

Newfoundlander and Liberal Senate staffer Christian Dicks.

Continue…

Spot the irony

By Paul Wells - Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 3:32 PM - 38 Comments

From the Globe:

“I think it is the most scandalous and scurrilous misuse I’ve ever seen of parliamentary privilege and taxpayers’ dollars, to divide a community and to pit one community against another,” said Liberal Joe Volpe, the MP for Eglinton-Lawrence.

Smoked salmon in East Block courtyard

By Mitchel Raphael - Monday, October 19, 2009 at 2:02 PM - 0 Comments

To honour the Jewish holiday of Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles), a special ceremonial succah was set up in the East Block courtyard. Representatives from Chabad and Bnai Brith were on hand for the celebration. Below, Conservative MP James Lunney.

Frank Dimant of B’nai Brith (left) with Liberal MP Joe Volpe by the succah.

Continue…

The Commons: Down the memory hole

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 6:39 PM - 27 Comments

The Scene. Nobody knows anything, and fewer remember what we thought the day before. So it is in Ottawa and so it shall always be, until and unless it isn’t.

In the absence of knowledge or memory, there is refuge in rumour and prognostication. So we guess when the next election will come, fascinate ourselves with polls that rarely change. Last week we discussed, at length and with great concern, how completely and indisputably screwed the Liberals were in Quebec. The latest poll, released yesterday, shows them up 10 points in that province, struggling everywhere else.

This week, the gossip concerns which member of the official opposition is preparing to switch allegiances. Such is the surreal nature of this place that a source within a government that once proclaimed that a coalition of opposition parties would violate the basic principles of our democracy is now, apparently, happy to report that various members of one of those opposition parties are nearly ready to coalesce about the Conservative party in direct contradiction, one assumes, of everything those individuals campaigned on last fall.

You’re forgiven if you find it hard to keep up. In fairness, it’s less like watching an afternoon soap and more akin to a bad sketch comedy series, acted and scripted by untreated ADHD sufferers.

Amid all this, Michael Ignatieff stood just after 2:15pm this afternoon and dared talk about the state of the federal government’s finances. Continue…

The Commons: Huzzah, Mr. Ignatieff asks a question that is not entirely rhetorical

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, October 5, 2009 at 6:45 PM - 33 Comments

The Scene. We are—as a people, as a political class, as a town quite bored with itself—easily impressed. So it is that the Prime Minister’s overt display this weekend of something approaching personality is being roundly hailed as something approaching significance. Mr. Harper played the piano and sang. In public. And such is the state of things that, were you to judge only the reaction, you might assume he’d personally negotiated the surrender of the Taliban, or at least convinced Gary Bettman to move a hockey team to Hamilton.

By those same standards, similar huzzahs are almost certainly due to the leader of the opposition, who, let the record show, stood in the House this day and asked a question that was almost not entirely rhetorical.

This was, mere months ago, his trademark: an insistence that Question Period be something other than an exchange of slanders. Alas, since returning this fall, with a new mandate of opposition to justify, he’s been less reason and inquiry and more piss and vinegar. Take, for instance, the first of his questions on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week. Continue…

Confusion reigns

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, October 2, 2009 at 3:16 PM - 43 Comments

First, a report that Suaad Hagi Mohamud may have referenced American Idol judge Randy Jackson in her interview with consular officials in Kenya. Now, more on what the government knew, when it knew it and what it was saying publicly.

In June, Mohamud’s MP Joe Volpe (Liberal, Eglinton-Lawrence) starts making inquiries. Although the investigation was closed, emails show officials deciding to tell him they are working with Kenyan authorities to verify the identity of the individual.

On July 2, a day after the Star broke the story, the media line changes. A department spokesperson says the woman has conclusively been determined an imposter. Behind the scenes, officials were second-guessing themselves. ”Have we done our due diligence?” the minister’s office asks.

On July 3, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon’s spokesperson Catherine Loubier writes: “Could we look into other options … such as fingerprinting and genetic testing?”

The Prime Minister is on record as saying “we”—however you interpret that—became aware of the situation in mid-August.

'I can't believe the Prime Minister didn't know about this'

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, August 21, 2009 at 11:00 AM - 53 Comments

Joe Volpe says he told Lawrence Cannon and Deepak Obhrai of Suaad Hagi Mohamud’s situation on June 12—more than two weeks before the Toronto Star’s first story on her plight—and followed up with a letter on June 18. And he suggests a later switch in responsibility for the file would have meant notification of the PMO.

The file’s transfer to Canada Border services around July 17 would have alerted the Prime Minister’s Office, Volpe said. ”It means the chief of staff in the communications branch of the PMO knows the file has gone from one minister to another. Put yourself in the shoes of the Prime Minister: People immediately below you have carriage of this file… they don’t tell you this is happening?”

A spokesperson for both Cannon and Obhrai refused comment yesterday on whether either minister might have informed the Prime Minister’s Office of the case.

See previously: I read the news today. Oh boy.

Israel at 61, quality food, students join senator in elevator

By Mitchel Raphael - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 5:31 PM - 0 Comments

The Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Canada-Israel Committee held a special reception on the Hill in honour of Israel’s 61^st year of independence.

Toronto-area Tory MP Peter Kent and Merle Goldman, Associate National Director of the Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Conservative B.C. MP James Lunney, Chair of the Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group.

Continue…

The PM, Jason Kenney and a room packed with rabbis

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 11:41 PM - 12 Comments

Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a speech to the Canadian Federation of Chabad Lubavitch to honour the memory of the Lubavitchers killed in the Mumbai Chabad House terrorist attack.

Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, also spoke passionately about the horrific attack.

Continue…

MPs talk to cement mixers

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 9:39 PM - 3 Comments

The Cement Association of Canada held a reception on the Hill to schmooze and have some concrete discussions.

Toronto Liberal MP Joe Volpe.

Calgary Tory MP Lee Richardson.

Continue…

Your Team Iggy starting line-up

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 5:23 PM - 43 Comments

Posted without comment for the moment. Some attempt at analysis to follow after some consideration now offered below.

Intergovernmental Affairs Michael Ignatieff
House Leader Ralph Goodale
Deputy House Leader Marlene Jennings
Whip Rodger Cuzner
Deputy Whip Marcel Proulx 
Finance John McCallum
Foreign Affairs Bob Rae
Defence Denis Coderre
Environment & Energy David McGuinty
Health Carolyn Bennett
Industry, Science & Technology Marc Garneau
Public Safety & National Security Mark Holland
Natural Resources Geoff Regan
Justice and Attorney-General Dominic LeBlanc
International Trade Scott Brison
Public Works and Government Services Martha Hall Findlay Continue…