In case this week was lacking anything

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 3:44 PM - 91 Comments

Conservative backbencher Rod Bruinooge introduces a bill that would make it illegal to “coerce” someone to have an abortion. The Prime Minister’s Office says it won’t support the legislation.

Mr. Bruinooge, who is chairman of the multiparty pro-life caucus on Parliament Hill, said his bill was not inconsistent with Mr. Harper’s stand. ”This bill doesn’t affect gestational limits or access to abortion in Canada,” he said. “It’s something that, in fact, doesn’t reopen the abortion debate. But it does make it a crime to threaten or intimidate a woman into an abortion.”

Brave voices for the status quo

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, March 5, 2010 at 3:06 PM - 6 Comments

Peter MacKay and Tim Uppal join Rod Bruinooge and Patrick Brown in opposing changes to the national anthem.

Dean Del Mastro is open-minded.

Rod Bruinooge Maverick Watch

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 1:33 PM - 16 Comments

The Conservative backbencher throws his support behind the current wording of O Canada.

I am proud of our anthem just the way it is.

It probably shouldn't be this easy to scale the Parliament Buildings

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, December 7, 2009 at 11:04 AM - 47 Comments

Greenpeace stages a protest. Twitter reaction from MPs Patrick Brown, Glenn Thibeault, Brent Rathgeber, Michelle Simson, Rod Bruinooge and Olivia Chow. The Ottawa Citizen’s Glen McGregor tweets the scene.

The most important book on the Hill

By Mitchel Raphael - Monday, November 30, 2009 at 12:06 PM - 34 Comments

The launch of the second edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice was held in the Speaker’s dining room. Speaker Peter Milliken (left) with the book’s co-editors Audrey O’Brien, Clerk of the House of Commons and Marc Bosc, Deputy Clerk.

NDP MP Peter Stoffer gets his copy autographed by O’Brien.

Continue…

The bashful film critic

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, November 23, 2009 at 11:01 AM - 0 Comments

Rod Bruinooge twitters his night at the movies.

newmoon is a cut above twilight. please don’t retweet that i went on opening weekend

What he was talking about when he talked about colonialism

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 2:33 AM - 68 Comments

The Prime Minister’s Office offers its interpretation of what the Prime Minister meant when he said in Pittsburgh that Canada has “no history of colonialism.”

“It was in response to a question from Reuters about Canada’s voice and role in the international financial market. Basically, the prime minister was giving some context and saying that unlike past global empires, Canada does not have a history of colonialism with respect to the financial market,” said spokeswoman Sara MacIntyre. “Past global empires have implemented policies that are colonial in nature. It was really focused on the international financial scene … I think it has been misunderstood and the prime minister stands behind his apology that was made last year.”

Footage of the Prime Minister’s press conference at the end of the G20 is here, the question in question coming nearer the end of his availability (about a third of the way through that video). The Reuters reporter wondered whether the Prime Minister was concerned Canada’s voice would be “diluted” as the G20 supplants the G8. The applicable portion of the Prime Minister’s response reads as follows. Continue…

Beer, chocolate and MPs

By Mitchel Raphael - Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 11:23 AM - 3 Comments

The lineup for Ontario Tory MP Scott Reid’s sixth annual Ontario microbrewery beer tasting/Quebec cheese reception was huge. Reid hold two beers below.

Continue…

Mitchel Raphael on the picture that took 20 years to get

By Mitchel Raphael - Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 1:40 PM - 0 Comments

Gilles Duceppe’s short-lived acting career

At the third annual Maclean’s Parliamentarians of the Year awards gala, Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe was runner-up for most knowledgeable MP and best orator. He found the latter recognition “funny, because in Quebec they are saying I am not that good an orator. But here, I am very good.” Duceppe comes from a family passionate about theatre and film. When asked if this had influenced his oratorical skills, he noted: “I was not a good actor at all. I can’t play a role. I did only once for a Christmas play [in Grade 6 at his Catholic school]. The nuns had me play Saint Joseph, the husband of the Virgin Mary, which is the most awful role for a man to play—the husband of a virgin!” The awards gala was hosted by Maclean’s columnist Paul Wells and Le Devoir columnist and L’actualité magazine contributor Manon Cornellier. Speaker Peter Milliken did the toast. Bob Rae won for best orator but could not attend—in his place he sent Toronto Grit MP Kirsty Duncan to fetch his award. (In 2007, when Michael Ignatieff won for best orator, he sent Ruby Dhalla on his behalf.) Toronto Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, who voted for Rae as best orator, said the reason Rae beat Ignatieff this year was that as leader “Michael doesn’t have as much time in the House. Bob gets more floor time.” Ontario NDP MP Joe Comartin won, for the second year in a row, the award for most knowledgeable MP. He said he can now place the extremely heavy awards in his Windsor, Ont., office because he just replaced his flimsy desk with a more solid one. For the third year in a row Nova Scotia NDP Peter Stoffer won most collegial. In second place was Liberal whip Rodger Cuzner, who noted: “I guess I’ve got to drink a little more [to beat Stoffer].” Cuzner said he wasn’t surprised that fellow Grit Paul Szabo once again won for hardest-working MP. Szabo sends new MPs a three-page letter filled with things they need to watch out for. “He wants to see everyone succeed,” says Cuzner. Halifax NDP MP Megan One of the highlights for her was seeing Garneau at the Canada Aviation Museum. “I really wanted to get my picture taken with him but I was too shy,” recalls Leslie. “So I took a picture of him by himself and it’s in my photo album still.” Twenty years later at the awards gala, Capital Diary snapped the first picture of Leslie and Garneau together. The NDP continued to dominate the awards for the third year, which had leader Jack Layton beaming all night. He noted the most knowledgeable MP, Joe Comartin, is his party’s justice critic and that the best rookie MP is their deputy justice critic. Layton also had kind words for the winner of best overall MP, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney: “He’s always a guy you can approach. I’ve always had a good relationship with Jason. He’s straight up. What you see is what you get.”

Another chip off the old Bloc

The Bloc’s Paul Crête also did well in Maclean’s Parliamentarians of the Year poll. He placed third for most collegial MP and fourth for hardest-working. Crête has been an MP for nearly 16 years and was part of the wave of separatists elected when the party ran in its first federal election in 1993. It was a well-timed tribute to the MP, who will be leaving federal politics to run for the Parti Québécois, in a yet-to-be-announced Quebec by-election in the riding now vacant thanks to the resignation of ADQ leader Mario Dumont.

Continue…

The Canada-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group

By Mitchel Raphael - Friday, May 22, 2009 at 9:30 AM - 3 Comments

The Canada-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group was recently created on the Hill at a meeting in a West Block conference room just a few doors down from Ruby Dhalla’s office.

(Left to right) Winnipeg Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge, Philippines Ambassador Jose Brillantes and NDP Winnipeg MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis. Bruinooge and Wasylycia-Leis are the co-chairs of the new group.

MPs (standing) and three congresswomen from the Philippines (sitting).

Continue…

Dear Liberal Party: That's not actually an answer.

By kadyomalley - Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 9:45 AM - 241 Comments

… At least, not to the (relatively straightforward) question that was asked: 

A spokeswoman for Mr. Ignatieff refused to say whether the new Liberal Leader will allow any of his members to continue to advocate openly for reduced access to publicly funded abortions.

“I don’t think we are in a position to answer those questions today. I think they are speculative at this point,” said Jill Fairbrother, adding that it is impossible to know if the committee mentioned by Mr. Bruinooge even exists and, if so, whether there are members from parties other than the Conservatives.

“This is a matter that was settled by the Supreme Court more than 20 years ago and that’s our view on it today,” Ms. Fairbrother said.

First of all, of course the “committee” exists – although to be fair to Ms. Fairbrother, it’s not an official House committee, per se, but an informal, ad hoc group of parliamentarians who have been meeting periodically in relative obscurity for years.  

Continue…

Rod Bruinooge Maverick Watch

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:05 PM - 18 Comments

Merry  Christmas, Prime Minister. (And a belated happy Hanukkah too.)

Whatever the merits of Mr. Bruinooge’s particular cause, the diminutive and quiet Internet gaming maven and film festival founder would appear to be freely and publicly expressing a personal opinion—a personal opinion that directly contradicts the stated position of the government of which he is a member. Indeed, with a couple interviews and a little op-ed appearing all on the same day, he seems to be making quite the show of it.

The cynical among you might assume the expression of this personal opinion was planned and blessed from above. The even more cynical might imagine that even if it was, Mr. Bruinooge will soon enough be scolded in public and quickly disappeared.

But in the spirit of the holiday season, let us believe that an MP has found it in himself to act like something other than a well-paid parliamentary pawn. Small victory, that. But one must applaud what one can.

BTC: Roll call

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, July 3, 2008 at 8:06 PM - 0 Comments

Not that anyone’s currently around to hold a vote. Nor that there could be a vote—or at least one that could matter. But for those of you keeping score at home, here’s a breakdown of those MPs who’ve spoken publicly about the appointment of Dr. Morgentaler. Continue…

The Commons: Way to go, Skippy

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 6:22 PM - 0 Comments

And so the day of apology begets its own apology

The Scene. It couldn’t last. Or at least we knew it wouldn’t last. And, in some ways maybe, it shouldn’t last.

But who knew yesterday’s spirit of common good and cooperative effort was so null and void before most of us had even gotten around to feeling good about ourselves?

Indeed, before the Prime Minister had so much as spoken the first words of this Parliament’s most remarkable hour, exuberant Conservative Pierre Poilievre had put forward a revolutionary, if rather insensitive, reading on the politics of healing. Speaking with the “Lunch Bunch” on an Ottawa radio station, he suggested that compensation for the victims of physical and sexual abuse should be treated as investment. A full accounting required. A proper return demanded.

Worse still, he made gratuitous and silly use of the term “partook”—speaking, as it were, several classes above his weight.

The only surprise in what came next was that it took the Liberals a full 24 hours to formally demand Poilievre’s resignation. Continue…

The Commons: The Apology

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 12:08 AM - 0 Comments

A day of many words. And perhaps some promise.

The Scene. The moment came later than expected. Indeed, according to the official itinerary, the Prime Minister was due to start speaking at precisely 3:02 pm. But it was not until fully 3:15 pm that everyone was seated and Stephen Harper was called by the Speaker to begin.

He strode into the House of Commons with 11 representatives of the native community—last among them 104-year-old Marguerite Wabano, the eldest remaining survivor of Canada’s residential schools, tiny and dressed all in blue, a cane in one hand and her granddaughter by her side. Behind the Prime Minister walked Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs, and Strahl’s parliamentary secretary Rod Bruinooge, himself an aboriginal Canadian.

The delegates took their seats in the centre aisle, positioned in a circle before the Prime Minister. Government House leader Peter Van Loan, as demure and dainty as he may ever be, stood and moved that time be allotted for response from these visitors to this place. Each party duly consented and the motion carried unanimously.

Mr. Harper then stood, laid out his script on the green velvet lectern placed on his desk and, finally, began.

“Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to offer an apology to former students of Indian residential schools,” he started, simply enough. “Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm and has no place in our country.”

Not for the last time, a packed Commons stood and applauded, hoots, hollers and the beat of drums coming down from the galleries above. Continue…

Weekend Notes (Vol. 1, No. 18)

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 3:00 AM - 0 Comments

The Prime Minister’s second answer on Thursday included this meditation on patriotism. “Whenever this government announces something for the men and women of the forces, the Liberals always attack it. They always complain. Canadians know their attitude and that is why they elected a government to be for the Canadian Forces.”

The same day, Rick Fuschi, Conservative candidate in 2006 for Windsor-Tecumseh, posted these thoughts on one of our Forces’ more decorated veterans. “Romeo Dallaire is a Liberal soldier. That’s similar to jumbo shrimp. Before he became confused about right and wrong, he was best known for having had emotional difficulty after witnessing wholesale slaughter in Rwanda, and becoming confused about the required action. The height of his confusion was becoming a Liberal senator. Now he is doing his best to confuse the rest of us about the definition of ‘enemy.’” Continue…

Weekend Notes (Vol. 1, No. 17)

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, May 9, 2008 at 9:14 PM - 0 Comments

In response to this week’s open challenge, a reader raises an interesting point about the in-and-out controversy: if all the component parts are legal on their own, how can the scheme in its entirely be illegal? 

Interesting point. Indeed, that’s essentially what the Conservative party argues in the Donald Affidavit.

Is it a sound argument? Well, if the ADA from Law & Order were here, he’d probably point out that it’s entirely legal to own a gun. And it’s entirely legal to fire a gun. And society has deemed it lawful, or at least acceptable, in various situations to fire a gun and propel a bullet in order do another person great physical harm. And yet, it’s not legal to murder someone.

Likewise, it’s legal to consume alcohol to the point of intoxication. And it’s legal to operate a motor vehicle. But it’s not legal to drive while drunk.

Context is rather important that way. Continue…