Drag queens, MPs and a Liberal fundraiser

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 9:25 PM - 21 Comments

Liberal MP Hedy Fry squeezed in a fundraiser to help with the debt she incurred from her leadership run in 2006. The event was held at Ottawa’s hot new gay bar Flamingo. Below, Fry and Bob Rae do a tribute to Sonny and Cher.

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Liberal MP Justin Trudeau.

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Political or ministerial?

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 12:33 PM - 73 Comments

More concerns are raised about what Jason Kenney does with his time.

… opposition parties are far from satisfied and maintain the letter has laid bare a more serious conflict of interest: Kenney’s dual role as immigration minister and the Tories chief political organizer in multicultural communities. “It seems to me that is the real problem here,” said deputy Liberal leader Ralph Goodale. “It’s a brutal conflict of interest that leads to the exploitation of the very people that he is charged as a minister to represent.”

For whatever it is worth, the Liberals point out that they’ve differentiated between multiculturalism and ethnic outreach (Rob Oliphant is assigned that job) and immigration (Justin Trudeau is the critic). Mr. Trudeau has penned a letter to the commissioner of elections to request an investigation of Mr. Kenney’s misdirected fundraising letter.

I dream of Genie – MPs touch award

By Mitchel Raphael - Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 9:19 AM - 8 Comments

A giant Genie award worked its way on Parliament Hill as part of the buildup to the 31^st Annual Genie Awards which happen in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre on Thursday, March 10^th. Below, Heritage Minister James Moore.

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Liberal MP Rob Oliphant.

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Transgendered after party on the Hill

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 10:21 AM - 58 Comments

After Bill C-389, which adds gender identity and gender expression to the Canada Human Rights Act, passed last week NDP MP Bill Siksay (below, left) hosted an after party.

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MPs don purple

By Mitchel Raphael - Monday, November 1, 2010 at 9:26 PM - 0 Comments

MPs from all parties donned purple recently as a way to raise awareness over the wave of gay teen suicides that have been happening in North America. Below, Liberal MPs Mario Silva (left) and Rob Oliphant.

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Liberal MP Scott Simms.

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McDonald’s at the Château Laurier

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 9:00 AM - 0 Comments

McDonald’s hosted MPs at a reception at the Fairmont Château Laurier. (Left to right) Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, John Betts,
president of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited, Liberal MP Bonnie Crombie and Dave Henderson, chief financial officer.

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Liberal MP Derek Lee.

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Remembering Mario Lagüe

By Mitchel Raphael - Friday, October 8, 2010 at 10:09 AM - 0 Comments

A remembrance night was held last week for Liberal communications director Mario Lagüe, who died in a motorcycle accident in August.

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Liberal MP Stéphane Dion.

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Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and his wife Zsuzsanna Zsohar.

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The case of Imam Zijad Delic

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, October 4, 2010 at 9:00 AM - 0 Comments

Word came Friday night that Defence Minister Peter MacKay had revoked the invitation of Imam Zijad Delic to speak at forum hosted by the Department of National Defence. On Sunday, Jack Layton criticized MacKay’s decision.

Imam Delic, who spoke at a forum hosted by the Foreign Affairs department in 2008, is the executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress, which Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has criticized on account of remarks made by its former president. (The Congress and this magazine have some history as well, a matter Imam Delic seems to have commented on.)

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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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Iggy’s bus stops

By Mitchel Raphael - Friday, August 20, 2010 at 10:07 AM - 0 Comments

Michael Ignatieff is on his Liberal Express tour across Canada. In Toronto, he stopped at a BBQ in Thornhill just north of the city and then a restaurant downtown in Chinatown.

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Toronto Gay Pride—politics, drag and dancing

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 11:28 AM - 0 Comments

Politicos and celebrities marched with drag queens in this year’s Pride parade in Toronto. Some were armed with water guns. Below, Rick Mercer and Belinda Stronach.

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Proud Liberals carry the Liberal banner, while Bob Rae carries the Canadian flag.

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Mitchel Raphael on MPs reeling from wheelchairs and badly designed stationery

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 10:00 AM - 0 Comments

Justin shocked by ‘lazy’ comments
Several MPs and senators took up the Canadian Paraplegic Association’s challenge to spend a day in a wheelchair. Montreal Liberal MP Justin Trudeau was participating in the event for a second time. This year, he was given an electric wheelchair and was taken aback by the number of times he was called “lazy.” Defence Minister Peter MacKay liked his special rugby wheelchair; Winnipeg Tory MP Shelly Glover said the chair wreaked havoc on her nails. Halifax NDP MP Megan Leslie, who has short nails, also was in pain. Her hands hurt so much she asked her assistant to get her gloves. They made for an interesting fashion accessory: the only ones the aide could find were orange with white skulls on them. Leslie said the experience really was transforming, forcing her to rethink simple things like getting a glass of water and then not being able to bring it back to her desk because of needing both hands for the chair. Her biggest dislike? Sitting in elevators at everyone’s butt level.

‘Our country’s greatest shame’
At an anti-asbestos rally on the Hill, Hassan Yussuff of the Canadian Labour Congress said it was outrageous that at the same time asbestos warning signs were posted on the Hill (where the substance is scheduled for eventual removal), Canada is still allowing asbestos to be exported. Winnipeg NDP MP Pat Martin called Canada’s asbestos industry “our country’s greatest shame.” Martin actually worked in an asbestos mine after high school in the Yukon. “I turned 18 in an asbestos mine,” says the MP. His father begged him to get out of the mine, even offering him money as an incentive. Martin is now part of an asbestos medical study taking place at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital. Major working asbestos mines are located in Quebec in the riding of Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis.

An ugly letter from Ottawa
When a letter from an MP is needed to mark a special occasion such as a birthday or wedding anniversary, it is done up on special stationery with light green maple leaves and the coat of arms of all the provinces around the border. Toronto Liberal Rob Oliphant has been inquiring about whether the design could be changed to something more modern and aesthetically pleasing. Oliphant says because people frame these letters and they can stay up on walls for years, they should look good. He has support in other parties—Toronto NDP MP Olivia Chow, for one, also thinks the design is horrible. Some, on the other hand, like Ontario Liberal MP Anthony Rota, like the look and think it’s ‘colourful.’ So far, Oliphant says, he hasn’t heard back from the parliamentary service people who produce the commemorative stationery.

Why she became an MP
The Rotary Club of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission recently held the 60th Rotary Adventure in Citizenship Program in Ottawa. Young people from across the country were brought to the capital to learn about Canada. At a reception, the youth met MPs from their home provinces. Newfoundland Liberal MP Siobhan Coady took part in the Adventure in Citizenship Program many years ago. Back then, when she was given a tour of the House of Commons, she sat in then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s seat. She decided then and there she wanted to become a politician, but not before making it as a successful businesswoman so she would have something to bring to the table. When Coady’s young visitors told the MP that people were making fun of their Newfoundland accents, she told them to tell their taunters to “go stick it.”

Photography by Mitchel Raphael

What kind of transparency?

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 12:52 PM - 5 Comments

As Parliament moves slowly, but probably surely, towards some kind of public audit of Parliamentary expenses, the London Free Press asks area MPs if they might turn over their books to the paper. (At least one offers an unequivocal yes.)

Meanwhile, Liberal Rob Oliphant posts a breakdown of his expenses. His is even more detailed than that published by his fellow backbencher Michelle Simson, but it is also perhaps well short of what some are clamouring for.

Pharmaceutical companies host on the Hill

By Mitchel Raphael - Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 7:00 AM - 6 Comments

Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) held a reception on the Hill to highlight the work they are doing in Africa. Below, Susan Smith of Bluesky Strategy Group and Tim Powers of Summa Strategies.

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MPs attend ACTION party

By Mitchel Raphael - Friday, March 26, 2010 at 10:09 AM - 6 Comments

The politicos came out for the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) annual ACTION party in Toronto.  (Left to right) Bernie Farber, Nathan Jacobson and Transport Minister John Baird. Behind Farber is Jamie Ellerton, aide to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

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Baird and Toronto mayoral hopeful George Smitherman.

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Hill Helps Haiti fundraiser packed

By Mitchel Raphael - Friday, January 29, 2010 at 11:56 AM - 8 Comments

Folks from all parties packed the Hill Helps Haiti fundraiser organized by the government relations firm Summa Strategies. The event raised over $32,000. Below, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq (left) and Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail Shea.

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Liberal MP Martha Hall Findlay.

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Green leader Elizabeth May.

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Toronto Proroguing Protest: polar bears and Spartans

By Mitchel Raphael - Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 3:54 PM - 145 Comments

The Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament Toronto protest saw thousands gather in Dundas Square. Below, Toronto Liberal MP Rob Oliphant is with the Spartans.

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Toronto NDP MP Olivia Chow.

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Mitchel Raphael on Paul Martin’s huge gift and why Martha is smarter than Justin

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 12:40 PM - 18 Comments

Battle of the IQs
In late January, politicians from different levels of government will appear on CBC’s Test the Nation, including Liberal MPs Justin Trudeau and Martha Hall Findlay. The two had to fill out forms for the show; Hall Findlay had hers returned because she had neglected to provide her IQ. She asked the organizers if Trudeau provided his, and they said yes. So in the IQ box she noted “five per cent higher than Justin Trudeau.”

Olivia lightens Jack’s load
NDP MP Olivia Chow bought her husband, NDP Leader Jack Layton, a Kindle for Christmas. Chow was inspired when she saw the device being used by Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. Layton was lugging piles of books around with him so Chow thought this would be a great way to lighten his load. Chow, meanwhile, has no plans to get one herself. She prefers to read books the old-fashioned way. Also on the technology front, Toronto Liberal MP Rob Oliphant got his very first iPod from his husband, Marco Fiola. The MP, who as a United Church minister spent 24 Christmases at the pulpit, is happy he now gets to go home for the holidays to his parents’ place in Sault Ste. Marie.

May feels bad about the epiphany party
This Christmas was the first time Green Leader Elizabeth May wasn’t home. She decided after attending the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen that she would stay in Europe for a holiday with her daughter. The trip started off with a buzz: May says the plane she took from London to Copenhagen also had Jane Goodall aboard. May saw many friends in Copenhagen, “but it was like a family reunion on the Titanic.” The conference was a nightmare in terms of waiting. In one line she found herself next to former MP Bill Blaikie, now Manitoba’s minister of conservation, whose duties include dealing with climate change and recycling. She said the Danish army took pity on them and handed them coffee and tea through the fence because it was so cold. May spoke at a University of Toronto event in Copenhagen to launch sustainability books. She was joined by the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Atleo and Bianca Jagger, who is a force behind the 350.org climate-change movement. May got accreditation to the conference through the European Green Party but so many people were accredited that few could even get into the main building. Back home, another disappointment for May: she wouldn’t be able to host her famous annual Epiphany party on Jan. 6. She told Capital Diary she hoped anybody who used to show up for the event at her Ottawa home and wouldn’t know she no longer lives there would have seen the “for sale” sign (yup, the house is still for sale) and realize the party wasn’t on. May was unable to organize the party in her new B.C. home because she was told she would have to be in court that day. She and the Green party are being sued by John Shavluk, who was dropped as a Green candidate after comments that could be construed as anti-Semitic came to light.

Xmas citizenship
Liberal MP Glen Pearson is in Sudan this month for groundbreaking ceremonies for two high schools for which he helped raise funds. Part of the money came from former PM Paul Martin, who gave Pearson a personal cheque for $100,000. The schools will take three months to build. Pearson will bring Martin and his wife, Sheila Martin, to an official opening in January 2011 when the temperatures are more temperate. Pearson has three children who were adopted from the Sudan and for Christmas the final two received their Canadian citizenship cards.

The Liberal Christmas party

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, December 24, 2009 at 11:53 AM - 11 Comments

(Left to right) MPs Navdeep Bains, Mark Holland, Martha Hall Findlay, Mario Silva, Gerard Kennedy and former MP Omar Alghabra.

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MP Mario Silva (centre) with Navdeep Bains (right).

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'Let us keep the faith. Let us keep hope'

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, November 6, 2009 at 1:14 PM - 1 Comment

After Question Period yesterday, the House paused to mark Remembrance Day. Fine contributions from Greg Thompson, Rob Oliphant, Guy Andre and Peter Stoffer (shortly before he would be deemed a “faker” by the honourable senator on national television) can be read here.

The marriage of institutions

By Mitchel Raphael - Monday, October 26, 2009 at 8:27 PM - 0 Comments

The Dominion Institute and The Historica Foundation of Canada merged to create Canada’s largest history and citizenship organization: The Historica-Dominion Institute. A reception was held in the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse in Toronto. Below is board member Rick Mercer.

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Deleted scenes (II)

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, October 23, 2009 at 12:46 PM - 21 Comments

Several Liberal MPs spoke on the record and quite candidly about how they view their current conundrum. Rob Oliphant, the Liberal MP for Don Valley West, a United Church minister and a friend to Mr. Ignatieff, had several observations, a couple of which made it into the piece. This one did not.

He’s not a natural opposition leader, mind you very few people are … To me, in opposition you have to be angry, all the time. Michael is not an angry person. That’s not his personality. He doesn’t enjoy that. That’s very hard for him. It’s not a natural thing.

This is an interesting argument for probably a few reasons, but consider one way of looking at this: You could make the argument that Mr. Ignatieff is the only of the four current major party leaders who is not currently defined, or was not once primarily motivated, by a sense of anger or indignation. Messrs Harper, Layton and Duceppe all have that in their stories. The closest Mr. Ignatieff comes to that is the notion that “we can do better.”

A bit more from Mr. Oliphant, some of which appears slightly abridged in the print edition. Continue…

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.

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Do the shuffle

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 10:18 AM - 19 Comments

Four Liberals (Dhalla, Wrzesnewskyj, Silva and Wilfert) get advisory roles for various regions of the world, four new critic portfolios are created and various spots in the shadow cabinet are distributed as follows:

Navdeep Bains – Small Business and Tourism
Siobhan Coady – Treasury Board
Bonnie Crombie – Crown Corporations
Ujjal Dosanjh – National Defense
Kirsty Duncan – Public Health
Marlene Jennings – Government Ethics and Democratic Reform
Derek Lee – National Revenue
Joyce Murray – Amateur Sport and Vancouver Olympics
Robert Oliphant – Veterans Affairs
Justin Trudeau – Youth and Multiculturalism