Fighting for more women in politics and the "mystery MP"

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 12:15 PM - 9 Comments

Equal Voice, an organization dedicated to getting more women elected, held a reception at The Métropolitain Brasserie & Restaurant. Below, Helena Guergis, Minister of State for the Status of Women.

Donna Dasko (left) of Equal Voice chats with Liberal MP Marlene Jennings.

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Iggy and the big band

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 1:09 PM - 10 Comments

Michael Ignatieff held his first media garden party at Stornoway since becoming Liberal leader. The Etobicoke Youth Jazz Orchestra from his Toronto riding provided the music.

Iggy’s wife Zsuzsanna Zsohar with Mimi.

Montreal Liberal MP Justin Trudeau.

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Mitchel Raphael on Layton's tight pants

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 5:21 PM - 0 Comments

Finger puppet goes after Stockwell Day’s tan

When Toronto textile artist Gabe Thirlwall and her partner moved to Ottawa three years ago, she discovered “you’re hard up for excitement in this town.” Then inspiration hit as she began spotting the city’s political “celebrities.” She decided to combine her textile skills with political theatre. The result is a growing collection of handmade MP finger puppets. While she likes to poke fun at all the politicians she has made so far, some get worse treatment than others. “I purposely made Stephen Harper look on the fatter side. I feel you can attack a man on his policies, but he probably stands by his policies. But we know he is sensitive about his weight.” Harper and a few of the other puppets have an apple-motif fabric backing “because I thought they were keeners.” NDP Leader Jack Layton has tight orange pants “because he is very fit. Riding his bike to Parliament Hill and all.” There is also an Olivia Chow puppet; most people buy her with Layton so as not to separate the MP couple, says Thirlwall. Trade Minister Stockwell Day “is on a brown fabric because he always has questionable tans—I don’t know if he goes to the tanning salon or uses creams. But every time I see that guy, he’s a different colour.” Green Leader Elizabeth May is made out of a hand-dyed organic cotton. “I gave one to her in exchange for her new book [Losing Confidence].” Each puppet comes with a card saying the head is filled with polyester stuffing and that the puppet “is not intended for small children.” Thirlwall always asks people which puppets they’d like to see and says “there is a big demand for Stéphane Dion.” Puppets made so far include Bob Rae, Michael Ignatieff, Justin Trudeau, John Baird (her most popular seller) and Peter MacKay. The puppets are available at fishonfridays.ca and Ottawa’s Workshop Studio & Boutique, where staff say there is a rush on Ruby Dhalla.

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MPs check out Manifesto

By Mitchel Raphael - Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 8:28 AM - 0 Comments

Rudyard Griffiths, co-founder of the Dominion Institute, held the Ottawa launch of his book Who We Are: A Citizen’s Manifesto at Social.

The book’s publisher calls the work: “A passionate call for Canadians to take stock and re-engage with our country and its values before we falter as a nation.”

Below is Griffiths (left) with Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

Marc Chalifoux, executive director of the Dominion Institute.

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The Commons: Those in mud houses

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, June 16, 2008 at 6:03 PM - 0 Comments

The government has plenty of promises, if few explanations, for the mess in Afghanistan

The Scene. Stéphane Dion—not to mention Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae and party whip Karen Redman—were not to be seen when Question Period began this day, the last Monday of this Parliamentary season. And perhaps there was some method in keeping him away.

With just a week left to tarnish this government’s reputation—or, rather, a week left to do so on business hours—the Liberals seem intent on leaving no alleged wrong unreferenced. Indeed, today offered a veritable buffet of the unappetizing—from Julie Couillard’s ambitious seductions to the Chuck Cadman tape to the in-and-out affair, NAFTAgate and the legal aspirations of Vic Toews.

So exhaustive and unrelenting was the opposition that Peter Van Loan, that solid champion of the public trust, was heard crying out for something more substantive. And if Mr. Dion is to announce this week the defining policy of his leadership—a boldly wistful plan that asks voters to put aside the individual needs of now for the sake of meeting a greater common good at some point in the unknown future—it is perhaps best at the moment to put some distance between him and this tawdry business of democracy.

Not, of course, that there weren’t legitimate issues to discuss this day. On the contrary. Just in time for summer, there are entirely new and serious questions to be asked about the country’s mission in Afghanistan. Continue…

The Commons: Stubborn Stéphane

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, June 9, 2008 at 9:21 PM - 0 Comments

Neither cowardly nor spineless, this man is most certainly a mule

The Scene. If nothing else now, let there be no more suggestion that Stéphane Dion is a wimp. A wuss. A pussy cat of a man. Indeed, if it’s animal metaphors you traffic in, he is neither the rat his sovereigntist opponents once thought him, nor the spineless jellyfish (an amorphous blob drifting along, prone to stinging well-intentioned swimmers with sudden tax hikes) these Conservatives have exhaustively made him out to be.

No, Mr. Dion is most certainly a mule. Stubborn, steadfast and undaunted at the prospect of suffering and burden. Surely there is no more appropriate description of the man we presently see before us. Continue…

The Commons: A remarkable, if insignificant, vote

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 6:30 PM - 0 Comments

Parliament, in a roundabout way, passes judgment on the war in Iraq

The Scene. Yeas 137, Nays 110. The morning papers, let alone history, may make little mention of that tally, but there you have it. In a format sports fans can understand, here is the closest this Parliament of Canada may ever get to an explicit and complete denunciation of the war in Iraq.

The Speaker called the members in shortly after 3 pm this afternoon and, as luck would have it, most were already there, having just sat through another spirited session of Question Period. (In case you were wondering, the government would still rather you stop asking about the former foreign affairs minister’s choice of date.) What proceeded was altogether unbecoming so seemingly momentous a moment.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion had packed up his things and was on his way out when party whip Karen Redman reminded him of his democratic responsibility. He turned and sat back down. The Prime Minister was not so encumbered, government whip Jay Hill apparently powerless to keep Mr. Harper from slipping away quietly before the vote could be taken. Continue…