The Vaughn Report
The Harper government rues the day it appointed Kevin Page to the office of Parliamentary Budget Officer. Today, it must also wish that Scott Vaughn had never been appointed Environment…
Owen Gray
The Seal Of Approval
It has long been evident that both Stephen Harper’s cabinet and caucus are trained seals. With Pavlovian discipline, they have been trained to honk on cue. However, yesterday marked a…
The Sad Difference
Nowhere is the difference between the Harper Conservatives and the Progressive Conservatives more apparent than in the area of foreign policy. Consider what former prime minister — and foreign affairs…
Such Exquiste Timing
I doubt that Stephen Harper reads anything that Robert Reich writes. But, as a trained economist, the prime minister might take a look at Reich’s most recent blogpost. Reich writes…
Let The Bells Ring
The Harper government is intent on passing its 421 page Budget Implementation Bill in seven days. If Stephen Harper were the Leader of the Opposition, he would be up in…
Distorting History
On the thirtieth anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Harper government made no mention of the event — other than to point out that the germ of…
Coyne On Harper
The naive among us predicted that, after winning a majority, Stephen Harper’s governing style would change. Secure in the knowledge that he had the votes to get his way, they…
On The First Anniversary
On this, the first anniversary of Harperland, the Globe and Mail opines: On most of the issues that matter, on the economy, on reining in public spending, on addressing the…
Taking Parliament Hostage
Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson writes that Stephen Harper has been “unbound.” What that really means is that he has neutered Parliament. If you don’t believe that’s true, writes…
A Lost Generation
Mitt Romney and George Bush the Elder share at least one characteristic. As former governor Anne Richards used to say, each “was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”…
The Angry Young
The student protests roiling through the streets of Montreal are not about spoiled young people who want something for nothing. They are about a generation who know they are paying…
Mockery Has Set In
Thomas Mulcair rose in the Commons on Thursday and asked the prime minister, “Will he keep our troops in Afghanistan past 2014, yes or no?” Stephen Harper hasn’t answered a…
How Much Self Respect Do We Have?
“Technically, we might still call it a democracy,” Lawrence Martin writes this morning. But, “in practice it’s a democracy in name alone.” Martin, perhaps more than any other Canadian journalist,…
This Isn’t About Jobs and Growth
Jim Flaherty claims that his budget is about “jobs and growth.” Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page makes a much stronger counter claim. He reports that, while the Harper government’s cutbacks…
Square Heads
David Olive is right. Michael Ignatieff does not understand Canada. Certainly his conclusion that Quebec independence is inevitable must have Pierre Trudeau hurling curses at him from beyond the grave.…
Making Integrity The Issue
Lawrence Martin suggests Thomas Mulcair and the New Democrats have an opportunity to expose the Harper government’s Achilles Heel — integrity. If they can mount “a judicious and innovative handling…
Things Fall Apart
On the day that the Wildrose Party appears to be on the verge of shaking things up big time in Alberta, Canadians would do well to consider what Janice Kennedy…
All The Prime Minister’s Men
With the Public Accountants Committee getting ready to take up the F35 fraud, a fight is brewing over which witnesses will be allowed to testify before the committee. The Hill…
Stephen Harper And The Charter
Stephen Harper has refused to recognize the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as a significant Canadian achievement. There are many reasons for the prime minister’s ill will. Chief among them,…
Double Booking
Michael Freguson revealed that, when it came to the purchase of the F35 JSF, the Harper government was keeping two sets of books. Now parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page has…