Philip Toone recaps his fall session
Finishing off my roundup of queer MPs, I caught up with NDP MP Philip Toone after QP on Tuesday. Q: What was your high point of the fall? A: Working…
Dale Smith
Codifying secrecy
While everyone gets excited that Justin Trudeau lost his temper and said a bad word, I think that we should instead be paying attention to one far more significant exchange…
QP: Profane Outbursts
In what is reputed to be the last QP before the House rises (though we may not know for sure until the end of the day), tempers were frayed, and…
Libby Davies recaps her fall session
Continuing with the end-of-session roundup of queer MPs, I caught up with NDP MP Libby Davies last Thursday after QP. Q: What was the highlight of your fall session? A:…
A reprehensible practice
“Reprehensible.” That is how the Speaker of the Commons termed the practice of calling Irwin Cotler’s constituents and intimating that he is resigning. In the course of the ruling, however,…
QP: Grudging admission of belief in climate science
With so many issues on the headlines across the nation, it’s always a guessing game to see which one will top off QP. Today, Nycole Turmel led off with a…
Dany Morin recaps his fall session
Carrying on with my roundup of queer MPs, I caught up with NDP MP Dany Morin late last week after QP. Q: What was the highlight of the fall session…
Competence failure
Dear Liberals: I know your shtick lately has been that you’re the most credible and competent opposition in the House of Commons, but this morning, well, you blew it. I’m…
QP: Pot vs wheat
On the last Monday of the last sitting week of the year, Nycole Turmel kicked off Question Period by asking about the latest projections by the Parliamentary Budget Officer –…
The Bloc are leaderless no longer
Former MP Daniel Paillé has been elected to lead the Bloc Québécois. He’s currently doesn’t have a seat, and won’t be asking any of the four remaining MPs to resign…
Scott Brison recaps the fall session
My end of session roundup of queer MPs continues with Liberal MP Scott Brison, whom I spoke with after QP late last week. Q: What was your highlight of the…
Randall Garrison recaps the fall session
Kicking off my end of session round-up with queer MPs, I spoke with NDP MP Randall Garrison after QP late last week. Q: What was the highlight of the fall…
Calling shenanigans on abuse of process
Liberal MP Sean Casey is calling shenanigans on the government’s continual use of in camera meetings of the veteran’s affairs committee, which are an abuse of process and he’s threatening…
The $19 billion prison agenda
A new report pegs the cost of the various Conservative crime bills at some $19 billion, $14 billion of which will be borne by the provinces. But hey, they’ve been…
QP: Reserving the power to change the law
There was a rather muted energy in the Chamber as Question Period got underway, for whatever the reason. Nycole Turmel started off by asking about details around the Perimeter Security…
Undoing years of reforms
A recently retired senior justice department advisor – and former Progressive Conservative MP – is warning that the omnibus crime bill will undo years of justice system reform in this…
QP: The Federal Court weighs in
The elves in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition were on the ball, as the Federal Court’s decision on the Canadian Wheat Board challenge came down minutes before…
Harper visits the White House
Stephen Harper will be at the White House today to unveil the action plan to reach the agreement on the various parts of the Perimeter Security Agreement, at the heart…
QP: Awkward rhymes
Whoever thought it was a good idea to try and get Nycole Turmel to start rhyming in English should probably pack up their desk, because it was a bad, bad…
Taking the estimates seriously
What’s this? A group of MPs – including a backbench government MP – realise that they’re not spending enough time scrutinising the estimates, and that an hour with the minister…