The Commons: What now for Chief Spence and Idle No More?
By Aaron Wherry - Friday, January 11, 2013 - 0 Comments
Shortly after noon, with a group of women standing as human obstacles in front of the Langevin Block’s main doors, a crowd spilling out into the street, a man in a fur hat—Raymond Robinson, I believe, the Manitoba elder who has been on a hunger strike for the past month—stepped forward to shout his demands at the building, an imposing, Gothic Revival bunker across the street from Parliament Hill.
“Come on out, Harper!
“Come on Harper! Come on out!”
“Come on Harper, come outside! Be a man!
“Nation to nation! No more, no less!”
Around him, protesters drummed and sang in the cold and the rain. Two carved eagle heads were held aloft along with a dozen flags. A chant of “Idle! No More!” rose up from the crowd.
“I don’t want to fight, I just want to talk to you!”
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The plan for Friday’s meeting
By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 3:33 PM - 0 Comments
The itinerary for Friday’s meeting between the Harper government and aboriginal leaders at the Langevin Block (the building across from Parliament Hill that houses the Prime Minister’s Office).
1pm: Opening session with remarks from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and National Chief Shawn Atleo
1:30pm-4:00pm: Plenary session to discuss the treaty relationship and aboriginal rights, and economic development. Chairs: John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development; Perry Bellegarde, Regional Chief; Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board; and Jody Wilson-Raybould, Regional Chief
4:00pm-5:00pm: Prime Minister Stephen Harper and National Chief Shawn Atleo will engage in a dialogue with the Chairs about the outcomes of the plenary session
The proceedings apparently won’t be televised and the Prime Minister won’t be taking questions from reporters afterwards. As noted, a ceremonial meeting with the Governor General is expected to occur at Rideau Hall after the meetings at Langevin.
Tonight, at Stornoway, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair is meeting with 20 First Nations chiefs, including Shawn Atleo.
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Please lock up your valuables, Mr. Harper
By Michael Friscolanti - Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 11:10 PM - 0 Comments
There is a thief inside the PM’s supposedly secure headquarters
Memo to all staff at the Prime Minister’s Office: don’t leave your valuables unattended. There is a thief (or thieves) lurking inside the Langevin Block, the PM’s supposedly secure headquarters.
For the second year in a row, the Public Accounts of Canada—the federal government’s three-volume, line-by-line spending breakdown—reveals sticky fingers lurking inside the nation’s highest office. The details are scarce (the Privy Council doesn’t discuss internal security issues) but one thing is clear: the PMO crime spree has cost taxpayers $4,440.
As Maclean’s reported in 2010, the first victim was Jason Ransom, one of Stephen Harper’s two official photographers, who was reimbursed $1,298 after someone swiped his personal laptop. (Ransom’s government-issued computer was being repaired that day, so he was using his own laptop at work). An investigation was launched, but neither the crook nor the Mac was ever found.
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ITQ's Poetry Local Architectural History Corner
By kadyomalley - Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 3:49 PM - 12 Comments
While we wait for the latest development in Wafergate-gate to reveal itself to ITQ — yes, she’s still on it – let’s all sit back and learn a little bit more about Langevin Block and the Blackburn Building, courtesy of the Privy Council Office.
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The Commons: Private peace, public war
By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 6:35 PM - 8 Comments
The Scene. In the sandstone bunker named for John A. Macdonald’s public works minister, a man one biography describes as having left politics in “utter disgrace,” Michael Ignatieff and Stephen Harper honoured their forefathers with a meeting. According to one account, Mr. Ignatieff entered the building, home to the Prime Minister’s Office, around 2pm and exited about five minutes after three. A Canadian Press reporter on the scene claims the Liberal leader left through the Elgin Street exit, skillfully avoiding said reporter’s attempt to question him.Requests for details of the proceedings would not go completely ignored though. Indeed, in short order there were identical statements from those assigned to speak on behalf of both men. The meeting was described as “productive”—a word that would seem to indicate there was a minimum of swearing and likely a complete lack of physical violence. There are vague promises, as of this writing, that the two will meet again later today. The adjective used to describe those discussions will surely be the subject of intense negotiation.
Across the street and up the hill, the business of Parliament was compelled to proceed without them. And not yet sure of how “productive” the negotiations would be, the parties of Messrs. Ignatieff and Harper were compelled to loudly and forcefully make their claims. Continue…
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We are the world (II)
By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 6:58 PM - 12 Comments
Tamil protesters were still occupying the intersection next to the Langevin Block when I left the Maclean’s office just now. Many were wearing signs that read, “Sorry for the trouble, please understand our struggle.”
The demonstration has included rather incessant drumming, which reminded me somewhat of this.
