CFN – One can tell it is summer in Ottawa as there is never ending speculation about a cabinet shuffle. First the bets were on a mid-July one, and then it was a mid to late August one followed by a short prorogation over the summer break period and thenContinue Reading
CFN – As we approach Canada Day, Stephen Harper is once again reaching out to Quebec and consulting with Premier Jean Charest and former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. With the potential resurgence of separatist parties in the next provincial election, this is none too soon. Whether or not the separatistsContinue Reading
CFN – It appears the silly season on the Hill is arriving right on schedule this year. With the House of Commons in the throes of wrapping up this session we see the annual attempt of the opposition to delay passage of key bills and the annual response from theContinue Reading
CFN -Was it really shocking to learn that Heritage minister James Moore has revised the candidate requirements for future appointments under his department to include a stipulation that they develop and maintain and effective relationship with him and his staff? Actually what was shocking was that someone put that requirementContinue Reading
CFN – As we approach the month of June, the Liberal Party will soon be making a decision on when to hold their next leadership convention. Attached to that decision will be another key one as they must also decide if interim leader Bob Rae can run for the leadershipContinue Reading
CFN – It was interesting to see that departments IE the taxpayer paid out some $600,000 in overtime payments to ministerial drivers. This covered the one year period from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011. I am not about to defend these expenses, all government expenses deserve scrutiny and someContinue Reading
CFN -With the House of Commons returning today, Canadians can expect to see the NDP refocused, re-energized and on the attack. The real battle begins today with Mulcair’s chosen team in place. Mulcair has had time now to sort out his team, reward caucus colleagues for their support and performanceContinue Reading
CFN – Wisely the NDP have launched their own ad campaign to introduce their new leader to Canadian voters. While expensive, it will help to define him before the Conservatives launch their own series of attacks. This ad campaign is important as it signals that the NDP is becoming muchContinue Reading
CFN – The Auditor–General has released his report on the Defence Department’s handling of the F-35 procurement process. It is not a pretty report and both DND and Public Works get slammed for how they have conducted the process. Needless to say the headlines are all about how the ToriesContinue Reading
CFN – As we enter the last week of the NDP leadership race, the Conservatives have released another attack ad aimed not at the NDP, but at Liberal Leader Bob Rae. That is somewhat curious timing. One would think that they would have held their fire until the new NDPContinue Reading
CFN– Earlier this week, former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff gave a presentation to some law students and much of what he said about present day Canadian politics rings true. Anyone who has been involved in or reported on Canadian politics for a decade or so should be able to relateContinue Reading
CFN – In the latest NDP leadership debate serious divides were evident and some of the internal tensions between candidates started to show. Thomas Mulcair as the perceived front-runner was the target of a number of barbs thrown his way, all of which imply he isn’t a true believer inContinue Reading
CFN – Talk about over the top rhetoric. Bob Rae’s latest harangue really doesn’t suit a man of his intelligence. It is pure political BS in its finest form. Rae said the real blame for any election trickery rests with the political culture Harper has created in the party. ”The primeContinue Reading
CFN – Like many Conservatives, I am an admirer of John Diefenbaker, our thirteenth Prime Minister. Dief was a great politician and an impressive orator. Watching the present Conservative government’s use of time allocation to stifle debate in the House of Commons I was reminded of one of Diefenbaker’s quotes.Continue Reading
CFN – I see that the NDP’s Irene Mathyssen, Wayne Marston and Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe have launched a cross country tour to save the Old Age Security (OAS) program. What they are saving it from we don’t know as of now. It might be a bit early in the game forContinue Reading
CFN – With the House of Commons returning today we can expect a raucous session. Already the battle lines are forming as the opposition party’s line up to take shots at the Prime Minister over pension reform. Not since 1985 when Brian Mulroney stated that he would de-index Old AgeContinue Reading
CFN – Most reports indicate some progress was made at the Crown-First Nations Gathering yesterday. This is positive news and a sign that both sides are inching forward and making progress. While there was speculation that Harper would only attend for a few minutes, he surprised observers by committing muchContinue Reading
CFN – Mounting opposition to the Keystone XL project shouldn’t have come as a surprise. In this day and age of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other forms of social media, any government (both politicians and bureaucrats) is at a disadvantage when they promote a policy or back a decision. EveryContinue Reading