CFN – Yesterday, Stephen Harper defended the Conservative’s use of bulk mail outs or “ten percenters” that attack Justin Trudeau, the new Liberal leader. “There are House of Commons rules for communications that we do with constituents across the country,” Harper said. “All parties work within those rules, and allContinue Reading
CFN -With Justin Trudeau’s official arrival on the scene as captain of the Liberal team, everyone knew the Conservatives would be quick of the mark with their attack ads. Now that they are out and saturating the airwaves, voters will have an opportunity to decide if they are a hitContinue Reading
CFN – Today we have another poll, this one from Nanos, which shows the Liberals on the upswing. When looked at with other recent polls, the trend shows an upward movement for the Liberals, with a slight downward trend for the Conservatives and NDP. It’s an interesting trend and oneContinue Reading
CFN – It has been reported that the Prime Minister has set up an ad-hoc committee of Conservative MPs to look at their concerns that they are muzzled by PMO. It is an interesting way of addressing this mini-rebellion in Conservative ranks. Is this a true ad-hoc committee orContinue Reading
CFN – As the Conservative caucus gathers on the Hill today there are rumors swirling of a mini revolt against the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). If true, so far it hasn’t amounted to much, but Harper will have to pay attention to it just the same. There are media reportsContinue Reading
CFN – Sometimes you just have to give your head a shake in disbelief. Today we learn that Justin Trudeau has once again copied his father. No, he didn’t swear again in the House of Commons, but he did use his father’s infamous words from the 1970 FLQ crisis “JustContinue Reading
CFN – Marc Garneau’s decision today to withdraw from the Liberal leadership race was not unexpected. His hard-hitting attacks on the front-runner (even challenging Trudeau to a one-on-one debate) over the last few weeks indicated that either he or his team was becoming increasingly frustrated that they could not move ahead,Continue Reading
CFN – Poor Marc Garneau, he wanted a one on one debate with Justin Trudeau and Trudeau turned him down. That was a smart move on Trudeau’s part, dumb one on Garneau’s. While it’s true many people would like to know where Trudeau stands on a variety of issues, thereContinue Reading
CFN – It looks like I wasn’t too far off base when in a previous blog I mentioned that Harper’s week dealing with Senate scandals could get worse. Indeed it has now that Senator Dennis Patterson is also under the microscope with questions raised about whether or not he meetsContinue Reading
CFN – Finally the NDP is making Question Period interesting to watch. And they have the Conservatives to thank for handing them the issues and the ammunition. I am speaking about NDP attacks on the Senate and the ongoing issues faced by the Prime Minister as he deals with PatrickContinue Reading
CFN – Bruce Hyer’s comments on the difficulties he faced when he wished to vote against the NDP’s position on the long gun registry highlights the difficulties and pressures felt by MPs when they vote against their party’s wishes. It was quite interesting to see that when a vote isContinue Reading
CFN – Bravo to Nathan Cullen, the NDP House Leader, for at least attempting to clean up the poor decorum in the House. However, I doubt his suggestions will go anywhere as the Conservatives will have to cooperate and that is unlikely. The Conservatives will give the standard answers thatContinue Reading
CFN – With a final media show, Chief Spence has now ended her 44 day “reduced food” diet. The question should now turn to what did she accomplish? Are Canadians more aware today and do they have a better understanding of the abysmal living conditions in First Nations communities? Probably not,Continue Reading
CFN – Today’s “National Day of Protest” is more than a symbolic gesture, it’s an important step by the grassroots movement, “Idle No More”, to encourage respect and bring about long overdue improvements to First Nations communities. Canadians and government officials (both political and departmental) have been watching closely andContinue Reading
CFN – The Prime Minister’s announcement today that he will be meeting with First Nations leaders on January 11th sets the stage for discussions that can provide meaningful progress on First Nations issues. It was not an unexpected move as both the government and the AFN need to limit the growthContinue Reading
CFN – As we enter the New Year, it is time for Chief Spence and Prime Minister Harper to pause and reflect about their on-going standoff. Both sides need to feel that they have won and both sides need to find a way to declare victory. Only then can theContinue Reading
CFN – While in Ottawa I had a chance to chat with Dr. Evil himself, Keith Beardsley. Keith was kind enough to give us a year end report card of the leaders of each Canadian Federal Party, but also looked briefly into the future. Here is our interviewContinue Reading
CFN– As the end of the year approaches, one tends to relax more with friends and it’s always enjoyable to see how those who are not caught up in the political bubble in Ottawa perceive our politicians and political parties. These discussions reminded me of the expression that “perception isContinue Reading