Mostly competent government
I would have thought that negotiation, like financial management, would be considered a core competency of Conservatives. These people are supposed to be all about doing business and doing deals,…
pogge
Conservative values are Canadian values
Toronto Sun, June 1, 2011: Conservative values are Canadians values, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told his new team of MPs Wednesday, but urged them to stay “humble” as they kicked…
Punching above our weight
Canada ranked 51st in access to information list OTTAWA–As the 30th anniversary of the federal Access to Information Act approaches, Canada finds itself tied for 51st in the world on…
Friday night
Good evening. This would be one of those sets consisting of tunes I stumbled over while looking for other things. Let’s start with a funky guitar instrumental called Last Train…
Friday morning Adventures with Elections Canada blogging
I guess I should thank McGregor and Maher for breaking some stories over the last couple of days so I’d have something to write about. The big news involving the…
Supply management vs. … what, exactly?
Politicians need courage to dismantle supply management Most economists, think tanks, commentators, consumer advocates (and trade negotiators) have, for quite some time, recommended the dismantling of Canada’s supply management regime…
Mostly competent government
Stakeholders cry foul as feds cut funding for emergency preparedness Complaints from provinces, municipalities and fire departments across the country are mounting, as are concerns for public safety, after the…
QOTD: On omnibus bills
Michael Harris at iPolitics: …the PM managed to stuff into one bogus piece of legislation 40 per cent of the annual legislative output of Parliament. A couple of force feedings…
Journamalism: Leave poor Dean alooooooone!
Tory MP Del Mastro hounded on the Hill OTTAWA – Election spending questions are hounding a Tory MP on Parliament Hill. The Liberals are calling on Conservative MP Dean Del…
Friday night
To quote the Wikipedia bio, Little Walter “fundamentally altered many listeners’ expectations of what was possible on blues harmonica” and it would be hard to overstate his influence. This is…
Friday morning Robocon etc. blogging
About three weeks ago the Conservative Party presented a Federal Court with a 690 page affidavit designed to demonstrate that the Council of Canadians has been mean to Conservatives. And…
In which Jason Kenney is reminded that he was elected to govern and not to rule
Ottawa loses legal battle over immigration backlog About 900 applicants under the federal skilled workers’ program sued Immigration Minister Jason Kenney for violating the pledge to assess and finalize decisions…
Y’all keep using that term "free trade"
Obama Trade Document Leaked, Revealing New Corporate Powers And Broken Campaign Promises Under the agreement currently being advocated by the Obama administration, American corporations would continue to be subject to…
Is that really your final answer, Dean?
Another day, another Dean Del Mastro story. Today it was the prime minister himself who stood up in the House of Commons to assure us all that there’s nothing to…
Just don’t call it a coalition
Unity candidates against Tories urged by local groups Grassroots groups in some Ontario communities, including Peterborough and Kitchener-Waterloo, are talking about whether it might be possible for opposition parties to…
Friday night
You know how I like to do a change of pace every once in a while? This is one. And we start with John Hartford, his fiddle and a piece…
A bit of Friday Robocon blogging
I usually do this in the morning. It would be neat if the reason I’m behind schedule is because there’s so much news regarding the case of the fraudulent phone…
"We depend heavily on the discretion being exercised"
MacKay defends drone attacks, says technology reduces civilian causalities Canada defended the use of military drone attacks Sunday, saying technological advances have reduced the likelihood of civilian casualties. Unmanned systems…
Friday night: RIP Doc Watson
Arthel “Doc” Watson passed away on Tuesday at the age of 89. During a long career in music he earned 8 Grammy awards and a reputation as a master at…