2009 Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus Responds

TWENTIETH YEAR, NO. 1018 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSWEEKLY MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009 $4.00

The Conservative caucus research group, with a Commons budget of $2.6-million, coordinates and produces the controversial attack flyers now under investiga-tion by the Commons Procedure and House affairs committee, a veteran Conservative MP says.

The issue of public funding for the politically-charged flyers assumed a new profile over the past week as MPs pointed out

A transcript of Federal Court testimony shows former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier and former defence minister Gordon O’Connor should have been aware two years ago of what the current chief of defence staff first denied and then confirmed only last week—that a detainee Canadian troops handed over to Afghan National Police in 2006 was subsequently beaten.

The transcript from a cross-examination in a year-long court battle launched over the detainees by Amnesty International and the British Columbia Civil Liberties

Rules governing flyers should be amended to

moderate overtly political tone creeping in over the

past few years.

Please see story on Page 35


Photograph by Jake Wright, The Hill Times

By TIM NAUMETZ

By TIM NAUMETZ

Afghanistan testimony: Defence Minister Peter MacKay pictured on the Hill at last week’s House Special Committee on Afghanistan.

Federal expenditures that take up a huge amount of the govern-ment’s annual budget, such as compensation for civil servants, transfers to the provinces, and

MPs should pay more attention to compensation

to public servants, transfers to provinces, and

stimulus spending.

Federal expenditures

require greater scrutiny, says

budget watchdog


Tory research group produces controversial attack flyers,

says MP Goldring

Hillier, O’Connor should have been aware of beaten Afghan detainee

Canada’s longest-serving envi-ronment minister says the federal government’s decision to mirror the U.S.’s approach to climate change is “the height of irony,” because at one time Prime Minis-ter Stephen Harper was the loud-est voice calling for a “made-in-Canada” solution.

“Canada is now in this busi-ness of following the Ameri-can lead, which is Mr. Harper’s

The Greenpeace publicity stunt that took the Hill by storm last Monday assaulted the dignity of Parliament, says Senate Speaker Noël Kinsella.

“[Last] week, three days and we had three different assaults so this is very appropriate that we not only raise the security of the pre-cinct question but there’s another



Feds have yet to pass any

climate change legislation

Greenpeace stunt ‘assaulted

dignity of Parliament,’ says Senate Speaker

Canada needs its own made-in-Canada policy, and it shouldn’t follow the U.S.,

says former Grit environment minister David Anderson.

But MPs don’t expect House security to

change after last week’s Greenpeace incident.

By HARRIS MACLEOD AND CYNTHIA MÜNSTER

By HARRIS MACLEOD

By CYNTHIA MÜNSTER

Senators are considering a proposal to tele-vise the proceedings in the Red Chamber so that Canadians can get a better idea of what they actually do.

“Anything is a positive step that helps Cana-dians interact with us,” said Alberta Progressive Conservative Senator Elaine McCoy.

The proposal has been talked about for years, but was floated most recently by Ontario Senator Hugh Segal, in 2006, and is being studied by the Senate Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament. Currently the House of Commons pro-

Rookie Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner is a rising star in her caucus. Conservative col-leagues say she is intelligent and is a capable

politician, but opposition MPs say she’s being used by the party to advance some controversial issues such as abolishing the long gun registry, the party’s attack against the Liberals on Israel and the Conservatives’ tough-on-crime agenda.

Liberal MP Marlene Jennings (Notre Dame de Grâce-Lachine, Que.) told The Hill Times last week that Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary



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Senate considers TV proceedings, again

Hoeppner face of long-gun registry

By CYNTHIA MÜNSTER

But Senators say TV could be passé as House’s Question Period ratings tank.

Rookie Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner pushes controversial end of long-gun registry.

AFGHANISTAN WAR PROBE

By HARRIS MACLEOD

Federal Court testimony shows former CDS

Rick Hillier and former defence minister Gordon

O’Connor should have known two years ago.

EXCLUSIVE ANNUAL FEATURE pp. 24-29

2 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009

The conservative movement in Canada has branched off into three factions

since Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to power, says Gerry Nicholls, Democracy Institute senior fellow and former vice-president of the National Citi-zens Coalition.

Mr. Harper has “neutralized” the con-servative movement into “The Harperites,” “The Hoperites” and “The Helplessites,” said Mr. Nicholls, who was in Ottawa last week for a Macdonald-Cartier Society panel discussion called “The conservative movement at a crossroads.”

The event was held at the Parliament Pub on Dec. 7, with fellow panel speakers Ottawa Citizen columnist John Robson, Canadian Centre for Policy Studies presi-

dent Joseph C. Ben-Ami, Public Policy Forum vice-president Don Lenihan and moderated by Car-leton University profes-sor Waller Newell.

The “Harperites” are those Conservatives who are loyal to Prime Minister Harper and his govern-ment who “care more about hang-ing onto power than they do about advancing any kind of con-servative agen-da,” Mr. Nicholls

said. “And they have one commandment: ‘Thou shalt not criticize Stephen Harper.’”

The “Hoperites” faction include those conservatives who are “disappointed and disillusioned” by Mr. Harper but still have hope that the party can win a majority and move back to being true conservatives. “They are motivated by hope and also by fear. Even if they are disappointed in Stephen, they fear a Liberal government would even be worse. Consequently, the Hoperites are cautious about ‘rocking the boat,’” Mr. Nicholls declared.

Finally, the “Helplessites” branch are also “disappointed and disillusioned with Prime Minster Harper, but unlike the Hoperites, they believe Harper is a lost cause.” The “Helplessites” don’t think Mr. Harper will ever implement a true conser-vative agenda, even if he goes on to win a majority government. “Harper was their last great hope, and he let them down,” Mr. Nicholls said, adding that these are the people who are leaving the “fight,” which is a “tragedy.”

Conservatives are now “divided,” he said, and instead of playing political, parti-san games, they need to focus on “winning the war of ideas.”

GRIC, Senate raise money for United Way

The Government Rela-tions Institute of Canada organized its third annu-al “Off the Hill” fund-raiser for the United Way recently at the Parliament Pub, with Ontario Con-servative Senator Con Di Nino and Quebec Liberal Senator Den-nis Dawson as MCs. The event raised $9,407.74 during a two-hour cocktail reception from the auctioning of donated gifts including a trip for two to Iqaluit, a private tour of Washing-

ton, D.C.’s Capitol building, BlackBerries, Ottawa

Senators tickets, and a baseball cap auto-graphed by Defence Minister Peter MacKay. GRIC has raised more than $42,000 since the

event’s inception. More than 125 people showed up to raise money for a good cause.

Speaking of fundraising for the United Way, the Senate broke its record for charitable giving last week when it

raised $97,428 for the United Way over the last year. Senate Speaker Noel Kinsella presented a cheque to Gary Nelson and Nicole Ladouceur of the government of Canada’s Workplace Charitable Campaign last week and thanked the 650 fifty Senators and employees for their contributions.

“Through the GCWCC, Sen-ate employees came together in a common mission to help fund vital community programs and life-saving medical research,” Sen. Kinsella said in a press release. “Our collective contribution to the GCWCC creates hope and changes lives for those who need help the most.”

Former NDP staffer Loanlands reality show

Former NDP staffer David Loan is going

to be a TV star. He worked for the NDP

communications shop between 1997 and 2000

and returned in 2005 to work as MP David Chris-topherson’s legislative assistant. He was a fixture at the Public Accounts Commit-tee and the Auditor Gen-eral lockups, but left the

Hill earlier this year to open a vegan restaurant, ZenKitchen,

with his partner Caroline Ishii. “After a lot of years immersed in policy,

politics and campaigns, I decided to join my partner Caroline to open a restaurant. It’s a different life, with a whole new learning curve,” Mr. Loan told HOH in an email.

Ms. Loan’s and Ms. Ishii’s trials and tribulations of jumping head first into the restaurant business will be chronicled in a 13-part series, called The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline and Dave, on the W Network starting on Jan. 6 at 9 p.m. “In this yearlong journey, nothing goes smoothly for Caroline and Dave. Each gives up a successful career only to discover they don’t know the first thing about running a restaurant. Putting their life savings, relationship and sanity on the line in order to share their passion for vegetarian cuisine rapidly takes the Zen out of ZenKitchen,” W Network’s press release says.

“This loving couple find themselves on a rollercoaster ride of real estate troubles, money woes, AWOL contractors, fires in the kitchen and staff walking out the door.”

Ms. Ishii said in the press release that she questions sometimes why she made the move, but said, “Maybe I equate it to having kids, you love them and they’re the greatest joy in your life but some-times you could tear your hair out. I’m hoping that ZenKitchen will eventually grow up.”

Mr. Loan told HOH that he’s gotten support from MPs and staff and looks for-ward to seeing them at dinner.

[email protected] Hill Times

FEATURE

HEARD HILLON THE

Harperites, Hoperites, and Helplessites in conservative movement, says Nicholls

B Y B E A V O N G D O U A N G C H A N H

In the photograph cutline, or caption, with W.T. Stanbury’s column last week, “Secrecy and cover-ups: the case of the income trust tax,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 7, p. 21), it should have read that the Prime Minister, not Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, promised not to tax income trusts during the 2006 election, but taxed them after his party took power.

•One photo cutline for pictures published

from the Hope Live Event on p. 54 in last week’s issue of The Hill Times should have read, Canadian Partnership Against Can-cer’s Peter Goodhand, not Peter Goodhead.

•Re: “Time to bring the Copyright Act

into digital age,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 7, p. 51, by Liam Titcomb), there was an error in the column. It should have said “Data shows that some 78 million copies of albums, not songs, were made on iPods and other digi-tal audio recorders last year alone.”

CORRECTIONS: The Hill Times, Dec. 7 issue

Tory talk: Gerry Nicholls. There’s the Harperites and the Hoperites.

Conservative Senator Con Di Nino

Liberal Senator Dennis Dawson

Senate Speaker Noel Kinsella

NDP MP David Christopherson’s former legislative assistant David Loan has a new show.

P A I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Every day criminals are entering Canada illegally with millions

of dollars worth of contraband cigarettes.

NEWS4 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009

Association shows the Justice Department lawyer representing Mr. Hillier and Mr. O’Connor in the case was present when the lawyer for Amnesty International questioned a Canadian Forces colonel about the incident.

Under questioning from law-yer Paul Champ, Colonel Steven Noonan elaborates in an affidavit he earlier swore in the court case that included a description of the transfer and subsequent beating of the detainee by Afghan police. Col. Noonan also testified that from March 2006 to May 2007 Canadian commanders were not “comfort-able” transferring prisoners to the Afghan National Police and began to prefer transferring them to Afghanistan’s National Director-ate of Security—which itself later became known for torture

The transfer and beating of the Afghan prisoner Col. Noonan described in his affidavit is key in the mounting controversy over denials by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) government that it and Canadian Forces commanders as well as senior Foreign Affairs Department officials were aware as early as 2006 it was likely detainees captured by the Canadians could be tortured or beaten if they were handed to Afghan police and security forces.

Knowledge of the likely torture of detainees being transferred to other forces by a country’s own armed forces in a war or other conflict is a crucial component of the Geneva Convention on war crimes and Canadian law that incorporates the international law.

Defence Minister Peter MacK-ay (Central Nova, N.S.), Mr. Hill-ier, former commanding officers involved in the Afghanistan war, senior Foreign Affairs officials from the time and a Correctional Service of Canada officer have all testified in Commons commit-tee hearings that there was no evidence Canadian detainees had suffered torture or beating after their transfer to Afghan forces.

Col. Noonan’s 2007 Federal Court affidavit surfaced two weeks ago following the government deni-als of torture or abuse evidence in the recent controversy sparked by

diplomat Richard Colvin’s claims his warnings as early as 2006 that Canadian detainees were likely tortured after transfer had been ignored, and even suppressed.

But, though Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Walter Natynzyck con-firmed at the Commons Defence Committee last week that the bat-tlefield incident Noonan cited had occurred around June 12, 2006, he claimed the Canadian troops at the scene had not taken the Afghan into custody before he was beaten. The Canadians took the detainee from the Afghan police after they saw he was being attacked.

“The Afghan police decided to take this person under custody and they took this individual off; we didn’t take this person under custody,” Gen. Natynzyck told the committee.

The next day, last Thursday, Gen. Natynzyck backtracked and said a report on the scene from the officer who command-ed the platoon that captured the detainee, which Gen. Natynzyck said he was shown only Thurs-day morning, confirmed that the Canadians had actually taken the Afghan into custody before trans-ferring him to the Afghan police.

Gen. Natynzyck, who was the vice-chief of defence staff when Col. Noonan swore the affidavit and testified in the court case, said he could not understand why he had not been shown the report over the past two years.

“I want to correct my statement, the individual who was beaten by Afghan police was, in fact, in Cana-dian custody,” Gen. Natynzyck told a news conference at the Defence Department called suddenly on Dec. 10 in the morning.

The platoon commander’s report confirmed not only that the Canadians had custody of the prisoner before the transfer, but photographed him “to ensure that if the Afghan National Police did assault him, as had happened in the past, that we would have a visual record of his condition.”

Despite Gen. Natynzyck’s initial denial, as well as the denials from the government and Mr. Hillier that Canada had evidence of detainee abuse or torture, Mr. Hillier’s Jus-tice Department lawyer in the Fed-eral Court case, J. Sanderson Gra-

ham, was present when Mr. Champ questioned Mr. Noonan, who was under oath, about the beating and the Canadian soldiers’ retrieval of the detainee from the Afghans.

Mr. Noonan elaborated about the incident he described in his affidavit as he was explaining why the Canadian troops had become more “comfortable” trans-ferring detainees to the National Directorate of Security rather than the Afghan National Police.

“The ANP, in one instance, the local ANP demonstrated that they weren’t, this particular element of the local ANP, were not to be trust-ed, that we could get a level of com-fort that the prisoners would not be, the detainees would not be abused, and therefore we took it (the detain-ee) back from that particular local ANP,” Col. Noonan testified.

Mr. Hillier’s lawyer, Mr. Gra-ham, who also represented Mr. O’Connor in the Federal Court case, objected when Mr. Champ attempted to extract more infor-mation about the incident, even the date it occurred.

“On the basis of national secu-rity,” Mr. Graham said when Mr. Champ asked him why he was objecting. “We object to any ques-tions on this incident generally.” Because it was a pre-trial cross-examination over statements made in an affidavit and no judge was present, the objection effec-

tively prevented Mr. Champ from going further on that topic.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh (Van-couver South, B.C.), a lawyer and former attorney general of Brit-ish Columbia, said he believes it is inconceivable Mr. Hillier and Mr. O’Connor would not have been informed about Col. Noonan’s testi-mony. Mr. Hillier and Mr. O’Connor were named as the respondents, the civil law equivalent of defen-dants, in the Federal Court case. If Mr. Hillier and Mr. O’Connor were informed of the testimony that the Canadians took the prisoner “back,” it raises yet more questions about the government’s denial of evi-dence that any of Canada’s detain-ees had been abused.

“When you have an affidavit given on May 1 [2007] and you’re examined on May 2, and you tell me the cross-examination indicates all the details of this event, that means in May 2007 they knew all the events,” said Mr. Dosanjh. “If you happen to be Mr. Hillier’s lawyer, then your lawyer’s knowledge is deemed to be your knowledge in law.”

The Parliamentary battle over Mr. Colvin’s allegations and the government’s refusal to disclose uncensored documents that could either refute or confirm them led to a dramatic showdown in the Com-mons, when the three opposition parties passed a rare motion order-ing the government to table all

undisclosed documents about Mr. Colvin’s claims, detainee transfers, including documents related to the Federal Court case and a separate inquiry by the Military Police Com-plaints Commission.

Liberal MP Marlene Jennings (Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Que.) warned the opposition will “call min-isters to the bar of the Commons” if the government refuses to comply.

A n d , a s t h e C o m m o n s adjourned for the Christmas recess, a new public opinion poll by Ekos Research suggested 61 per cent of Canadians believe Afghan prisoners were tortured by the Afghan security forces and 83 per cent of those respondents believed the Canadian govern-ment knew there was a strong possibility of prisoner abuse.

“The government’s position is clearly not being bought by most people,” said Ekos president Frank Graves. “They are not win-ning this battle, they are losing it so far, and it seems to have more traction than some of the previ-ous issues that have failed to real-ly inflict any damage. The pub-lic have been really focused on Afghanistan, perhaps more than any other issue on the national agenda over the past five years. Afghanistan has dominated the public consciousness.”


Hillier, O’Connor should have been aware of Afghan detainee who was beatenFederal Court testimony shows former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier and former defence minister Gordon O’Connor should have been aware two years ago.

Continued from Page 1

The truth, and nothing but the truth: Defence Minister Peter MacKay, top left and centre, testified at the Special House Committee on Afghanistan last week about Afghan detainee torture. Diplomat Richard Colvin, top right pictured with his lawyer Lori Bokenfohr, blew the whistle that the government knew a prisoner transferred by Canadian soldiers to Afghan authorities was being tortured in 2006. Former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier, above right, also testified before the committee, above left.

Photographs by Jake Wright, The Hill Times

Only Santa should be

allowed to cross borders freely.

Will Parliament make a New Year’s resolution to take

action on contraband tobacco?

NEWS6 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009

approach. This is the height of irony because Mr. Harper quite incorrectly accused the mea-sures that we were proposing at the turn of the millennium as being not made-in-Canada. He is the man who insisted that we had to have a made-in-Canada policy. Ironically, we did then, and now he’s saying we’re not going to have a made-in-Canada policy at all, we’re just going to do what the Americans want. He’s a man who’s been marvel-ous at switching positions, but this is one that’s not been noted,” said David Anderson, who was environment minister under for-mer Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien from 1999 until 2004. Mr. Anderson oversaw the rati-fication of the Kyoto Protocol, in 2004, and like his successor in the Environment portfolio, Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.), he also has a dog named Kyoto.

The Harper government is on its third environment minister since it came to power in 2006, and although the Conservatives argued in opposition and then in government for a “made-in-Canada” approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they have yet to pass any climate change legislation. The current government line heading into the UN Climate Change Confer-ence, in Copenhagen, is that it will wait to see what the U.S. does, which is currently in the process of drafting legislation, in order to harmonize the two countries’ approaches and pro-tect Canadian exports from eco-nomic penalties.

“We have embraced the concept of harmonization on a continental basis,” Environ-ment Minister Jim Prentice (Calgary Centre-North, Alta.) said recently.

U.S. President Barack Obama has proclaimed his commit-ment to a more aggressive GHG reductions regime than existed under his predecessor, George W. Bush, but the legislature has been struggling to pass the Waxman-Markey climate change bill and preliminary drafts have indicated that the House and Senate are working towards emission reduc-tions of 17 to 20 per cent under 2005 levels by 2020.

Environmentalists, who pre-fer the European reduction tar-get of 20 per cent under 1990 levels by 2020, consider the U.S. legislation a disappointment.

Although it’s worth noting that the Environmental Protection Agency recently ruled that GHG emissions endanger public health and safety, and it is now in a position to regulate domes-tic GHG polluters. While the impact of this is still unclear, it could give Mr. Obama more lee-way to negotiate a more aggres-sive stance at Copenhagen than that proposed by the House and Senate.

The opposition parties have been hammering the Tories for not showing leadership on cli-mate change by coming forward with their own proposals, but Mr. Anderson said Canadians should be made more aware of the direction the U.S. legislation has taken and why it could be bad for Canada.

“The Waxman-Markey bill was heavily influenced by coal interests and in the Senate is going to be even more so. Coal, petroleum, and others fund U.S. elections and you say to yourself, ‘Hey, we’re just going to accept what those lobbyists developed for the United States and put that in place for Canada.’ It might fit for the states, but not for Canada, this is the irony of just accepting what the Americans are going to do. Their legisla-tion will be partly Obama’s leg-islation, but there will be a whole pile of other influences that he won’t be happy with, which will be reflected in that legislation as well. And we’re just going to accept it, as if somehow that’s good,” Mr. Anderson said.

Mr. Anderson’s predecessor, former environment minister Christine Stewart, signed the Kyoto Accord on behalf of Can-ada, in 1997. She said the govern-ment faced pushback from the public, the provinces, and indus-try in the lead up to signing the accord, but while it took courage to enter into the agreement to reduce Canada’s GHG emissions, the government was not as brave in implementing it, and emissions continued to rise.

Ms. Stewart, who doesn’t believe the Alberta tar sands development should be allowed to exist, said while the Canadian people are more “informed and engaged” than they were in 1997, they still don’t understand the myriad benefits of transitioning to a greener economy.

“We need some more specific-ity about what we can do. And yes, it is going to cost something to our GDP for perhaps a short while but as we develop and cre-ate new industries it’s going to be a huge advantage, and Europe is a testament to that. They’re not suffering economic downturn because of reductions of CO2,” she said.

Indeed, through a diverse array of measures, from invest-ment in renewable energy, to tax measures, the EU has managed to reduce its overall GHG emis-sions, while continuing to grow its economy. In 2007 it reduced overall GHG emissions by 9.3 per cent below 1990 levels, with GDP growth of over 40 per cent during that time.

Prime Minister Harper ini-tially said he would not attend the climate change negotiations, but then reversed himself one day later after President Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced they would attend the conference. While the PMO has not announced when Mr. Harper would be in Copenhagen, most of the at least 65 world leaders expected to attend will arrive in the final days of the negotiations, which run from Dec. 7 to 18.

A recent Ekos poll found that the environment rated third on the list of issues most impor-tant to Canadians, although as recently as 2007, before the glob-al economic downturn, the envi-ronment was the most important issue to Canadians. Of those polled, 31 per cent said the econ-omy topped their list of issues, 27 per cent said social issues were most important to them, and 18.4 per cent chose the environment as their No. 1 issue.

Ms. Stewart said the out-come of this round of climate change negot iat ions could affect how Canadians feel about the issue, and about the Conservative government.

“If people feel that Copen-hagen will produce something of significance the public will respond positively. If it’s not seen to be a success in Copenhagen people unfortunately become cynical that politicians just aren’t serious about this issue, which many, many more people today consider to be very serious.”


Canada needs its own made-in-Canada policy, shouldn’t follow U.S., says former Grit environment minister David Anderson.

Environment Ministers since the Rio Earth Summit, in 1992

Minister Term UnderJean Charest 1991-1993 David MulroneyPierre Vincent 1993 Kim CampbellSheila Copps 1993-1996 Jean ChrétienSergio Marchi 1996-1997 Jean ChrétienChristine Stewart 1997-1999 Jean ChrétienDavid Anderson 1999-2004 Chrétien/MartinStéphane Dion 2004-2006 Paul MartinRona Ambrose 2006-2007 Stephen HarperJohn Baird 2007-2008 Stephen HarperJim Prentice 2008- Stephen Harper

Feds have yet to pass any climate-change legislation


side of the question … and that is the importance for our Westminster Parliamentary democracy, for peo-ple to understand the dignity of our Parliament and the high value that has to be associated with protect-ing the privilege of Parliament to be able to be free to do its thing and to interfere with that is, quite frankly, a high crime against Parliamentary law,” Mr. Kinsella told The Hill Times, who also made a statement in the Senate on the issue, calling Green-peace’s stunt a “deplorable assault” on Parliament. He said that the Cen-tre Block protest impeded Senators’ access to Parliament of Senators, their staff and House administration on Monday morning.

On Dec. 7, as the United Nations Climate Change Confer-ence got started in Copenhagen, Denmark, 20 Greenpeace activ-ists walked up to Parliament Hill and 19 of them climbed up West Block and the Eastern wing of Centre Block and unfurled signs calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) and Liberal Leader Michael Igna-tieff (Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Ont.) to take action on climate change.

The action started at around 7 a.m. and they were on the roofs by 7:30 a.m. Shortly after, the rappelling activ-ists were surrounded by emergency personnel and media. Protesters on the roofs were promptly arrested, firefighters removed the banners and then let Ottawa policeand the RCMP use the fire truck to reach for the activ-ists who were still hanging from the side of the building. One of the Green-peace activists did a live interview

with CBC national TV while hanging from a rope on the West Block and as emergency crews watched.

It was the beginning of a series of protests against the government’s lack of action on climate change issues, followed by a group of six activists on Tuesday, who staged a protest at the Commons Environ-ment Committee and were charged with trespassing. On Wednesday, a man was arrested on assault charges in the East Block. In late October, an environmental youth group staged a protest from the public viewing gallery of the House of Commons during Question Period.

They yelled and chanted and were escorted out by House security. Five of the protesters were arrested.

Christy Ferguson, spokesperson for Greenpeace, told The Hill Times that there has been a very strong positive and negative reaction to the protest, as it is a controversial way to protest. She said that “controversy is good” because it brings the issue to regular people and “it really helps spark that debate which is a really crucial one right now.”

“Civil disobedience is a very important part of our democracy and Parliament Hill as the seat of our government is a place where civil disobedience rightfully can occur,” said Ms. Ferguson.

The RCMP is investigating its procedure on the Hill last week. House Board of Internal Econo-my spokesperson and Liberal MP Marcel Proulx (Hull-Aylmer, Que.) said that he doesn’t expect House security to change after last week’s incident, as it was the RCMP’s jurisdiction that was breached.

The Hill Times

It’s climate change: One Greenpeace protester hangs from the West Block on Monday and protesters are escorted out of the Parliament Buildings on Tuesday after disrupting the proceedings of the Commons Environment Committee.

Greenpeace stunt assaulted dignity of Parliament, says Senate Speaker



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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ED I T O R I A L

Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t do scrums, he doesn’t come in to the Parlia-

ment Buildings through the front door, there are no Cabinet “ins,” or “outs,” he doesn’t hold press conferences managed by journalists in the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, and all his press conferences are tightly controlled by his officials in the Prime Minister’s Office. He and his Cabinet ministers rarely do sit-down media interviews on serious issues.

And yet, the Prime Minister is a master at communicating his message. There has arguably not been a candid or unscripted photograph or statement from Prime Minister Harper in years. And there has not been a bad photograph or a bad clip from Prime Minister Harper since he won power. Then again, every message has been tightly scripted. He is brilliant at branding his image and his government’s.

Prime Minister Harper’s office began releasing official photos in April to media out-lets across the country. The PMO has released 374 photos, as of last week, and more recent-ly, the PMO has started sending out official video clips. It has 227 videos in its video vault and 352 audio clips in its audio vault. There are also podcasts and videocasts.

Dimitri Soudas, the Prime Minister’s spokesman, told The Hill Times that the PMO wants “to ensure media across the country receive as much information as possible in their efforts to cover the Prime Minister’s events.”

Last week, The Canadian Press reported that according to last month’s supple-

mentary estimates tabled in the House of Commons, the Privy Council Office, “the Prime Minister’s bureaucratic back office,” increased its spending by nearly $7.3-million in 2009-2010, including an extra $1.7-million on getting the Prime Minister’s message out. According to CP, $700,650 is going to 6.5 new positions “providing communications advice, service and support to the Prime Minister,” and another $1-million for “events,” prepara-tion, including “broadcast sound, lighting and recording services, costs of transporting equipment, travel, overtime, office and logis-tical support.” CP also reported that $270,000 is overtime pay for technical support staff, including videographers.

Back in 2006, the Prime Minister said he would avoid talking to national reporters because he said they thought they were the opposition to the government. That was after about two dozen journalists walked out on him after he refused to take questions after a press conference. Mr. Harper obviously has since decided to talk to the media, but it’s still on his terms and through his iron message control.

Prime Minister Harper is a smart man. He’s also no pushover. He should be smart and tough enough to answer more serious and unscripted questions and do more interviews with the members of the media. His Cabinet ministers should also talk more to the media. Right now there’s very little interplay between the Prime Minister and the media. That’s got to change. Mr. Harper promised accountability and that accountability includes being more accountable to the media.

Publicize Canadian wines: MP Allison

Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus, not Tory Anti-Abortion Caucus Committee

In search of good copyright legislation

Two weeks ago, there was a full page advertisement in The Hill Times (Nov.

30, p. 25) to promote eight foreign wines which will be released Dec. 5 in LCBO stores across Ontario.

As an Ontario Member of Parliament from a prominent wine-producing riding in the Niagara region, I was disappointed to see an ad marketing California and Aus-tralian wines in Canada’s Politics and Gov-ernment Newsweekly, when there are 11 VQA Canadian wines that will be released on the same date. Where is the similar publicity for these wines?

Canada has more than 350 wineries producing grape wine in six provinces, sup-porting more than 1,000 grape growers, and employing 11,000 Canadians. Further, a 2008 study prepared by KPMG concluded that

every litre of VQA wine sold in Ontario con-tributes $11.50 to the economy compared to $0.67 from a litre of imported wine.

I fully understand and acknowledge a competitive free market but foreign wines represent 71 per cent of total wine sales in Canada. Furthermore, 100 per cent Canadian wines represent less than one per cent of total wine sales in seven jurisdictions and an aver-age of four per cent of total wine sales across Canada. It is high time that all liquor boards, whose mandate is assured through the fed-eral Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act (1928), enhance their support for our wine industry, increase market access and promo-tional opportunities, and provide Canadians with access to homegrown products.

Conservative MP Dean Allison Niagara West-Glanbrook, Ont.

Re: “Conservative MP Vellacott’s riding office has wheels,” (The Hill Times,

Dec. 7, p. 1), For future information, it’s not named the “Tory Anti-Abortion Caucus Committee.” It’s called the “Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus” (PPLC). It’s a multi-party caucus of Parliamentarians, which is to say, it’s non-partisan, it’s open to members of all parties and Independents, and it’s open to MPs of the House and the Senate.

For a number of years, I served as a co-chair of the PPLC alongside Liberal MP Paul Steckle as the other co-chair. The goal of the caucus is to promote respect and support for life, all along the continuum, so the Parliamen-tary Pro-Life Caucus (PPLC) deals with a wide range of topics related to life, such as euthana-sia, physician-assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research, short and long-term physical and

psychological harm of abortion, health provid-er freedom of conscience, maternal resources and protections, prenatal outcomes, etc.

Last year, I passed the torch of co-chair to Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge, a newer and younger MP from Winnipeg, Man. As an aboriginal, Rod brings the unique perspec-tive of that heritage which sees life as unique and sacred. If you want to learn more, he would be helpful. While we do not provide the names or number of individuals in the PPLC, persons are free to disclose their direct participation or support in other ways, if they choose. Obviously I have not been shy to state my PPLC involvement over the years but in this we’re “pro-choice” and it’s each MP’s choice on how he/she wants to handle that.

Conservative Maurice VellacottSaskatoon-Wanuskewin, Sask.

I would like to thank The Hill Times for keeping the copyright issue current,

including publishing the opinion piece by musician Liam Titcomb, “Time to bring the Copyright Act into digital age,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 7, p. 51). This article is similar to many others I have read where some agreed-upon facts are mixed with contro-versial claims to lead to a controversial conclusion.

We all agree that copyright should be modernized to take the digital age into con-sideration. There is wide disagreement on what this means. Historically the activities which copyright regulated were expensive commercial activities, and copyright did not regulate the private activities of citizens. Modernizing the copyright act must include clarification and simplification such that these private activities do not require any permission or payment.

Truly private copying, including when we make copies between devices we own of content which we legally acquired, should not be regulated by copyright.

We do not have a law that is fair and makes sense when it comes to the current private copying levy. It is fair when copy-right requires permission in order to dis-tribute content electronically or physically, and that audiences get that permission or make payment for anything they acquire. It is fair when a group of copyright holders come together in the form of a collective society, including when governments impose a compulsory licensing system, to simplify payment in otherwise excessively complex situations (commercial radio playing music, hopefully expanded to include online distri-bution such as P2P file sharing).

When the levy is divorced from an oth-erwise infringing activity, it is no longer fair. The private copying regime has been controversial since it was created in 1997 during the last major overhaul of copyright (minor changes since). I am an example of someone who has paid the levy on several hundred blank CDs, where the number of songs that should have qualified for a levy (i.e.: not already received permission and payment) would have fit onto a couple of CDs. Expanding this system to devices would be less fair given these devices are further divorced from activities that should require permission or payment.

Divorced from otherwise infringing activities it looks far more like a tax, and given the lack of citizen input at the copy-right board (process, expenses, etc.) it is taxation without representation.

I believe composers and performers should receive more money than they do today, I just strongly disagree that expand-ing copyright further into the private activi-ties of Canadians is a legitimate tool to do this. We are talking about a legitimate gov-ernment program, not a legitimate form of copyright. We should be applying concepts from the Public Lending Right which is a Heritage Canada program to fund authors (not intermediary publishers) based on bor-rowing popularity in public libraries. A simi-lar funding program for composers and per-formers (not publishers or labels) based on their popularity online (social media sites, P2P, etc.—not radio or Soundscan statistics) would be equally fair and make sense.

Russell McOrmondOttawa, Ont.

(The author is an internet consultant).

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Canada could become a leader on climate change

Last Monday’s Greenpeace action at Parliament Hill

calling for action on climate change. For far too long, Canada has avoided taking action. This is embarrassing. Canada must support legally binding, science-based reduction targets at the Copenhagen climate conference. It’s time Canada became a leader on climate change.

Ronald McisaacSaint John, N.B.

Bill C-15 is bad legislationBill C-15 offers mandatory

jail sentences for the growing of as few as one marijuana plant, and after months of pretending to listen to evidence, the Senate has passed this outrageously counterproductive gangster-subsidization bill.

If you produce one plant in a residential neighbourhood, C-15 still prescribes a nine-month jail sentence.

If you produce one plant in a rented property, C-15 still pre-scribes a nine-month jail sentence.

If you produce one plant in a house that you own, Bill C-15 still prescribes a nine-month jail sentence.

If you produce 200 plants on a farm that you own, Bill C-15 does not apply.

My only consolation is that Canada will now be sinking into a quagmire of expense, debt, and public violence the likes of which we have never seen before. I view this as a just punishment for the nation’s failure to vote in the last election and thus allowing these monstrous Tories to take power.

Russell BarthNepean, Ont.

(The author is a federally licensed medical marijuana user and

with Patients Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis).

Canada has duty to step up on climate change

It has taken many years of blun-dering about in the snow for

Canada to be the environmental pariah of Copenhagen. In this we are alone on the world stage—even America’s reluctance to take meaningful and committing steps towards a greener future is moderated by the strategies of some states to limit their expo-sure to our dirtiest of oil.

However, another world stage looms and presents a possible sal-vation for this little black sheep—the G8 summit in June 2010. As the host country, Canada has a fantastic opportunity to place itself as a leader on the world stage and perhaps rectify the wrongs that our environmental policies perpetuate.

One arena in which we have both the capacity to lead and a strong history of doing so is reduc-ing child poverty in developing countries. Look at Canadian pro-grams like the Catalytic Initiative to Save a Million Lives and the Canadian International Immuniza-tion Initiative—this is leadership. Let us take this a step further and make a signature theme of the Muskoka G8 a unified approach to improving child survival.

We are all affected by environ-mental change, but in the West we have the capacity to respond and rebound; impoverished peo-ples and countries do not.

Mark BrownCalgary, Alta.

People get the government they deserve, says reader

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is so focused on being a parti-

san bully that he apparently forgot that on his first visit to China, he was supposed to mend fences. By holding a news conference imme-diately on landing on Chinese soil, and making pronouncements that had nothing to do with China, but was on matters important to Cana-dians only, he insulted his Chinese hosts and thumbed his nose at the Canadian Parliament. It may be immaterial that he also insulted his own finance minister.

Winston Churchill once said: “People get the government they deserve.” Have we Canadians really sunk so low?

Bir BasarkeNepean, Ont.

Canada’s criminal justice system increasingly flawed

As reported by Statistics Can-ada on Dec. 8, the number of

offenders serving conditional sen-tences increased by five per cent in 2008. At the end of any given month in 2008-2009, according to that federal government agency, there were almost 13,500 adults serving a conditional sentence.

Conditional sentences hold far more potential for rehabilitation and restorative justice. While incar-ceration protects the public from the offender during the time served, a conditional sentence will be far more likely to prevent the offender from continuing to endanger the public after serving the sentence. Controversy has and continues to surround their use. Some feel con-ditional sentences are too lenient and want them eliminated. The public perception is that they are quite lenient. They have been called a “travesty of justice.”

Conditional sentences, an alternate form of incarceration subject to specific criteria, are handed out very selectively. When the sentence is a term of imprisonment of less than two years, an offender deemed not to pose a danger to society is allowed to remain in the commu-nity, but with a more stringent set of conditions than offenders on parole. The offender must abide by a number of typically punitive conditions such as house arrest and a strict curfew. Some condi-tional sentences force the offend-er to make reparations to the victim and the community while living under tight controls. If any of the conditions are broken without a lawful excuse, the offender may well serve out the rest of the sentence in prison.

Since 2000, conditional sen-tences have become longer and stricter. Indeed, these sentences can be more punitive than pris-on sentences. A study found that offenders preferred house arrest but found it no easier than cus-tody. Canada’s growing prison population, mounting evidence that jail time does not reduce the chances of re-offending, and other factors are giving way to an increasing use of these sen-tences-and rightfully so.

Removing and/or curtail-ing conditional sentences, cur-rently being proposed by the Harper government, may very well turn out to be a “travesty of justice,” and another black mark on Canada’s increasingly flawed criminal justice system.

Emile TherienOttawa, Ont.


Re: “Military summary trials: a Victorian sys-tem of justice,” (The Hill Times, Oct. 26, p.

13), retired colonel Michel Drapeau’s column, and his comments in a subsequent column, provide an interesting perspective on our mili-tary justice system that requires clarification. My intent is to demonstrate that while we take pride in the deep historical roots of Canada’s justice system, including our military justice system, neither history nor tradition have impeded progress or reform.

As Mr. Drapeau identified, summary pro-ceedings were introduced in the 1879 reform of the United Kingdom Army disciplinary system. Recent reforms, starting with two sets of amendments in 1982 and 1986, resulted from the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Since 1986 the military justice system has been scrutinized by courts, inquiries, academ-ics, Parliamentary committees and the Canadi-an Forces. In 1992 the Supreme Court of Cana-da in Genereux v. The Queen found “Recourse to the ordinary criminal courts would, as a general rule, be inadequate to serve the partic-ular disciplinary needs of the military. There is thus a need for separate tribunals to enforce special disciplinary standards in the military.”

In 1993 an internal Summary Trial Work-ing Group recommended changes to ensure that the system was Charter compliant. Three years later the Special Advisory Group on Military Justice and Military Police Investiga-tion Services, chaired by the late chief justice Brian Dickson, addressed a number of the concerns now raised by Mr. Drapeau. They examined the issue of the constitutionality of the summary trial system and stated that “the chain of command should be able to proceed confidently and fairly with imposing disci-pline at summary trials.” With respect to the impartiality of presiding officers they con-cluded that “we believe the chain of command must remain directly involved in the conduct of summary trials. We are also convinced that this can be justified under the Charter, not-withstanding that commanding and delegated officers are neither independent nor impartial in the legal sense….”

The recommendations of the Summary Trial Working Group, the Special Advisory Group and the Somalia Commission of Inquiry Report, culminated in the passage of Bill C-25 in 1998, enacting substantial changes to the military justice system. In 2003 another Supreme Court chief justice, Antonio Lamer, conducted an independent review of the mili-tary justice system. He recommended relative-ly minor but important changes to the summa-ry trial system and noted that “I am pleased to report that as a result of the changes made by Bill C-25, Canada has developed a very sound and fair military justice framework in which Canadians can have trust and confidence.”

Many of the Lamer recommendations have been implemented by regulation and those requiring legislative reform were intro-duced in Parliament on two occasions. In both cases, Parliamentary sessions ended prior to the bill receiving royal assent. Most recently, the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs issued a report on the courts martial system contain-ing two recommendations impacting the sum-mary trial system. The government accepted those recommendations.

The summary trial system has evolved with the times. One must be careful to not fall into the trap of looking at the summary trial system, a crucial means for maintain-ing discipline, uniquely through the lens of a civilian court model. Recourse to such formal courts does not meet the needs of a disciplined armed force. Summary trials were born of necessity in the 19th century to meet evolving disciplinary needs. They remain crucial to the maintenance of a disciplined armed force in the 21st century, both at home and abroad. The summary trial system must reflect the unique needs of the military for discipline, efficiency and portability. While addressing these needs, the military justice system will continue to evolve to reflect the norms and values of Canadian society and the rule of law.

Brig.-Gen. Ken WatkinJudge Advocate General

of the Canadian ForcesOttawa, Ont.

History, nor tradition have impeded military justice reform: JAG Watkin

DND: Defence Minister Peter MacKay, pictured. Judge Advocate General and Brig.-Gen. Ken Watkin writes in his letter to the editor that the military justice system will continue to evolve to reflect the norms and values of Canadian society and the rule of law. He takes issue with a recent column by Michel Drapeau.



Liberals need to brand themselves much better

Re: “Does Ignatieff have what it takes to win?” (The Hill

Times, Dec. 7, p. 1). Thank you Harris MacLeod for an astute article. As a public relations agent, I do find, however, that it did not capture the branding angle. The branding is the story and the explanation for the low numbers of the Liberals in the polls. Until the HST vote, there was hope for Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s new chief of staff Peter Donolo and his “adult supervision.”

The problem is that there is no longer a discernable Liberal brand and Liberal MP Martha Hall Findlay managed to miss the point. The first law of branding is differentiation of the product or person from the competition. The second rule is to target the mes-sage to specific audiences who appreciate the brand the most in their own language. Niche mar-keting works. Big tent doesn’t.

An average person would be confused if you ask them what the Liberal Party stands for.

Prime Minister Stephen Harp-er’s ratings are high because he brands effectively. Harper caters only to 40 per cent of his target demographic, because that’s all he needs to win a majority. He is genuine to them, and doesn’t care if the other 60 per cent of Canadians are mad at him for winning the Fossil of the Year Award twice in a row.

Where are Mr. Donolo’s tough-er messages? Instead of finding the majority of Canadian values and crafting a policy, why not take a rule from Harper’s playbook: find 45 per cent of Canadians who vote for you, and be authentic and genuine to them. By being hawkish, Mr. Ignatieff will lose votes because no cattle rancher in Alberta will accept Mr. Ignatieff as one of their own. However, being hawkish will alienate the Liberals’ core urban constituency.

Not only is Harper genuine, but he is fearless, and embraces ridicule outside of his 40 per cent. Trudeau was the same. Harper’s core constituents love it as they interpret it as Harper defending them against the aloof. Others in the centre vote for him because he looks like he’s got his act together. During Barack Obama’s election campaign, Sarah Palin ridiculed Mr. Obama for being a community organizer, which is how most of Mr. Obama’s supporters saw them-selves as they knocked on doors. On the day Ms. Palin ridiculed Mr. Obama, donations to the Obama campaign went through the roof, since Mr. Obama’s constituents took it as criticism of themselves.

Consistency is also essential for branding, so that your audience identifies your image. Harper has his party under one vision.

Some 80 per cent of a product’s value is the brand. Warren Buffet said the first thing he looks at is a company’s shares, not the bal-ance sheet, but the brand. Having bought and sold stock, I learned this lesson the hard way, as I over-estimated the business plan and balance sheet, and under-estimated the value of the brand.

Harper is genuine, on mes-sage, and makes sure his party is consistent. The Liberals need a bold vision that distinguishes them from the other parties, and inspires another generation to fight for their political lives.

Maria Al-MasaniOttawa, Ont.

‘Canadian foreign aid: making a difference in Ukraine’

Re: “Here’s some shocking news: foreign aid can work,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 7, p. 23). Cana-dian foreign aid is considered by some in Eastern Europe to be one of the crucial pillars in strength-ening democracy and supporting educational, technical, and eco-nomical progress.

But there are goals which can be achieved by bringing to Canada persons who can act as agents of change upon return-ing to their homelands.

Among such NGOs who com-mit their time and money are the Chair of Ukrainian Studies Foundation and Katedra Founda-tion of Toronto. In concert with the Speaker of the House of Commons these two NGOs have operated the Canada-Ukrainian Parliamentary Program (CUPP), an internship program in the Canadian House of Commons and Senate in its 20th year of operation.

Over 500 outstanding univer-sity students have completed the CUPP program to date and have returned to Ukraine to pass on the invaluable lessons learned through the internship to fellow students and ordinary citizens. A number of graduates of the CUPP program who have gone on to hold responsible posi-tions at UNESCO, The Council of Europe, The World Bank, The International Monetary Fund, The European Court of

Human Rights in Strasbourg, The Rwanda Commission, ERDB, etc. Ninety per cent of CUPP gradu-ates, after returning to Ukraine, become agents of change who actively engage in enhancing democracy and good governance in their universities and local communities.

During an alumni reunion Ottawa in October 2009, Andriy Olenyuk, a Fulbright Scholar at Georgetown University, stated that the type of foreign aid given and acquired by CUPP Interns is vital for Ukraine and will produce significant results over the long term, as CUPP Alumni complete their graduate studies and join in building a true civil society similar to one they lived in during their internship in the House of Commons. Democratic governance and civil society cannot be taught from text-books. One must familiarize and become accustomed to demo-cratic governance and civil soci-ety by living within that society, in order to be able to understand and share it with others. This is what an internship in the Cana-dian House of Commons and liv-ing among Canadians has done, over the past 20 years. Therefore, wise use of Canada’s foreign aid dedicated or aimed at youth will bring greater results than any short term, publicity based programs since only youth will go forward into the future and be able to implement change

If the future is to be made better for humankind, Canada’s

foreign aid, when it is impos-sible to pay for projects outside of Canada or cannot be export-ed, should be aimed at youth/university students to observe the governing process from the inside and learn how to make wise decisions for the good of the country and its citizens. Foreign aid programs, like the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program, change the landscape of a student’s life permanently, they return home with a new mind-set, more confident, more open and knowledgeable and ready for making a difference.

Oleksandr PankivCanada-Ukraine

Parliamentary Intern 2008Edmund Muskie Scholar at

Boston University Law SchoolBoston, Mass.

Time for an honesty-in-politics law: Conacher

The conflicting and contradic-tory claims about the Afghan detainee scandal provide yet another example of the need for an honesty-in-politics law with a strong penalty for misleaders.

Such a law is also needed to end the daily false government spin/false opposition counter-spin game that turns voters off politics, and to overcome the government’s power to refuse to establish a public inqui-ry even when one is clearly needed to determine the facts of a situation.

Duff Conacher, coordinatorDemocracy Watch

Ottawa, Ont.

Military grievance: setting it right if we got it wrong

Re: “Military grievances: the Crown can do no wrong,” (The Hill Times, Nov. 16, p. 16). There are mistakes in retired colonel Michel Drapeau’s recent col-umn about the military grievance sys-tem that the Canadian Forces Griev-ances Authority would like to take the opportunity to correct.

A fair, equitable, comprehen-sive, timely, and effective complaint system is the goal of the military and civilian staff of the Canadian Forces Grievance Authority. The Canadian Forces grievance system is the product of statute and regula-tions in the form of the National Defence Act and the Queen’s regu-lations and orders. The Grievance Authority understands the impor-tant contribution to good morale by resolving complaints as early and informally as circumstances permit, and by providing support to members during the process.

Ensuring that members receive help in filing grievances is specifically addressed in the Queen’s regulations and orders, which require that where a member “requests assistance in the preparation of a grievance, the com-manding officer shall detail an officer or non-commissioned member to assist in its preparation.”

To avoid the perception of con-flict of interest and to uphold legal fairness, the regulations specifically state that, in cases involving a com-manding officer and subordinate, the commanding officer must refer the grievance to the next superior officer who can deal with the subject matter and render a decision. As with the civilian grievance processes, the Grievance Authority reviews each matter based on submissions from the griever and other relevant parties. However, each matter may ultimately be subject to judicial over-sight from the Federal Court.

In his Nov. 16 article on the mili-tary grievance system, Mr. Drapeau makes allegations of bias against the Grievance Authority.

The Grievance Board is an inde-pendent body with the responsibil-ity of reviewing files dealing with designated issues and providing findings and recommendations to the chief of the defence staff.

Contrary to Mr. Drapeau’s claim that the Grievance Board reviews “but a minuscule number of griev-ances,” the board reviews 40 per cent of all grievance files submitted. In addition, as required by regula-tion, final decisions on files where the Grievance Board provided find-ings and recommendations can be rendered only by the chief of the defence staff—not by the Canadian Forces Grievance Authority as indi-cated in Mr. Drapeau’s article.

The Grievance Authority has also taken important strides in being more timely and responsive, includ-ing the elimination of a backlog of grievances. In fact, thanks to stream-lining the way files are handled, the Grievance Authority is on target to process 300 grievances this year—a 40 per cent increase over last year. This is being done without sacrific-ing full and fair consideration of what are very important matters to members of the Canadian Forces.

Of note, over the past three years, final decisions on grievanc-es have resulted in some form of positive outcome for the griever in more than 40 per cent of cases.

The Crown (and the Canadian Forces) can do wrong, and the griev-ance system is there to help set it right if that happens.

Colonel Guy MailletDirector General of the Canadian

Forces Grievance AuthorityOttawa, Ont.


Re: “MPs should try and make Parliament work better,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 7, p. 8).

Your editorial, was of great interest.I generally agree with your observa-

tions and those of our House Clerk, Audrey O’Brien, that “sometimes partisan politics can be needlessly destructive.”

Twice, you refer to the MPs using Ten Per-centers as attack ads.

Some MPs have been aware of this nasty use of Ten Percenters for some time. I refer you to my remarks, cited in the Hansard of Nov. 18, 2008, the day the members of the House of Commons chose their Speaker for this 40th Parliament.

“There is another way in which this lack of civility, and sometimes animosity, mani-fests itself outside the House, which needs to be addressed. I know this will not be very popular among MPs but I am talking about Ten Percenters....

“What has happened over the last few years is that we have taken to sending these Ten Percent-ers to other members’ ridings and they have quite often turned into methods of an attack of sitting MPs, always at public expense. It is not an appro-priate use of members’ privileges and it is not an appropriate use of taxpayer money. I would try to endeavour to ensure we are limited to sending those out in our own riding as is appropriate.”

Some of us in the Liberal caucus have cat-egorically refused to use Ten Percenters this way. I am one of them. I use this great tool in Ottawa-Vanier and nowhere else. I refuse to send them in other ridings given my belief that that is not what they were intended for.

I refuse to use them to attack fellow MPs.Perhaps other MPs from all parties should do

the same. Merry Christmas colleagues. Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger

Ottawa-Vanier, Ont.

Some MPs refuse to use Ten Percenters: Grit MP Bélanger


Getting message out: Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger doesn’t send his Ten Percenters into other ridings because he says he doesn’t believe that’s what they were intended for.


INSIDE POLITICS

MONTREAL–Even before the core Conservative nar-

rative on the Afghan detainees succumbed to lethal friendly fire from Canada’s top general, Ste-phen Harper’s government was losing the credibility battle.

According to a CBC-EKOS poll completed earlier last week, a majority of Canadians already did not buy the govern-ment’s assertion that it did not overlook the strong possibility the prisoners Canada was hand-ing over to the Afghan authori-ties would be tortured.

That makes the detainee issue one of this government’s biggest public relations flops since it was caught off guard on the environ-ment in the fall of 2006.

But that is not to say that any-one on Parliament Hill believes it could lead to a snap election. The government is hoping the storm will blow over during the Parlia-mentary break. But even if it flares up again in the new year, few oppo-sition strategists believe it will reso-nate loudly at the ballot box.

That is not a judgment on the seriousness of the detainee mat-ter but rather a reckoning of the fact that governments are usu-ally defeated on issues of a more bread-and-butter variety.

But while it may not deter-mine the eventual fate of the Conservative government, the detainee issue does offer the

opposition parties and, in par-ticular, the slow-learning Liberals useful lessons as to how to finally make the minority Parliament work to their advantage.

The first is that the absence of an imminent election threat gives opposition attacks more, rather than less, edge. That may seem counterintuitive but the reality is that the substance of a policy debate is more likely to be lost in the shuffle of the horse-race speculations that attend a loom-ing make-or-break Parliamentary showdown than the opposite.

It is no accident that the NDP’s policy prescriptions have enjoyed significantly more attention since the party stopped opposing the government on principle on every confidence issue. By the same token, one of the most durable hits the Harper government has endured to date was inflicted in its early days on climate change

and at a time when the Liberals were leaderless and an election was clearly not in the works.

Another lesson is that over time a policy-based critique of the government trumps tabloid-style attacks.

The past four years have fea-tured a lot of the latter and not very much of the former as an immoder-ate Liberal appetite for quick hits made for an official opposition with a short attention span.

While a daily dose of real or imagined scandals keeps the adrenaline flowing in the Commons, its main effect outside the Parlia-mentary bubble is to shift the chan-nels from issues that involve the managerial competence of the party in power to infomercials about the collective failings of politicians.

And then, while the current Prime Minister has a well-deserved reputation for pushing back aggres-sively when under attack, Harper

has—in this—been empowered by a weak-kneed Liberal opposition. It promptly turned to JELL-O under pressure on issues ranging from last year’s coalition to consecutive extensions of the Afghan deploy-ment and, even, its own carbon tax.

Finally, a key feature of the dynamics of the Parliamentary debate over the detainee issue has been the competence of the opposition critics that have been spearheading it. As a group, they have offered a more informed and a more thoughtful performance than the Conservatives the gov-ernment lined up against them.

To sum up: the opposition raised its game; the government did not, and enough Canadians took notice to potentially make this end-of-ses-sion debate a watershed moment in the life of the minority Parliament.

Chantal Hébert is a national affairs writer for The Toronto Star.

The Hill Times

Better access for all CanadiansThe recently released Rx&D report highlights a gap in the accessibility of new medicines between Canada

and other developed countries when comparing public drug plans. Together we can make the system

better, and enable access to innovative medicines and vaccines for the Canadians who need them most.

Find out more and voice your opinion at

www.patientscomefirst.ca

Government losing credibility battle on Afghan detaineesWhile the current Prime Minister has a well-deserved reputation for pushing back aggressively when under attack, Stephen Harper has—in this—been empowered by a weak-kneed Liberal opposition.

BY chantal hébert


Watershed?: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government’s handling of who knew what and when on the Afghan detainee torture issue could be a watershed moment in this Parliament, says Chantal Hébert.


BACKROOMS

TORONTO—Many political statements are about as sincere

as the epitaphs on tombstones. If you believed everything you read on some tombstones, you’d think none of the s.o.b.s in this world ever died.

Of course in life—as in politics—the reality is different and you have to be very careful about distinguish-ing fiction and reality.

According to some, what I wrote in my column last week in The Toronto Star was “fiction.”

All right. This time I want to write something that is real and not “a fiction of my own device.”

First, the Liberal Party of Can-ada is solidly united behind the leader Michael Ignatieff, just as it was united behind Stéphane Dion,

Paul Martin, Jean Chrétien, John Turner, and Bob Rae. I know, Rae has nothing to do with it, but let’s give him some latitude.

Anyway, back to the past and Ignatieff’s plan for the holidays.

He is going to spend Christ-mas holidays travelling through-out Canada where he will be cheered by thousands of enthusi-astic supporters.

According to my very unreliable sources, Ignatieff will start his tour in Toronto where, on Christmas Eve, he’s going to be the guest of Ian Davey’s and they will celebrate Peace on Earth and the arrival of their Messiah, Peter Donolo.

Then on Christmas Day the Liberal leader will be at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto to attend the special mass and he will be the altar boy along with his roommate Rae. Together, they will welcome the Saviour. I’ve been told, however, that on Christmas Day, Donolo will not be in Toronto but in Bethlehem.

Before going to Montreal, Igna-tieff will pay a visit to Pollara, the

Liberal Party’s pollster. There he will have a special meeting with Santa Claus who will brief him on the latest poll. He will be told that he’s leading the pack with more than 50 per cent of the popular vote while Stephen Harper’s Conservatives will be quickly losing ground and reduced to single digit numbers. There’s also bad news for the Bloc Québécois of Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton’s NDP who will get only 15 seats in Quebec in the next election. At the end of the meet-ing with Santa Clause, Michael (Scrooge) Marzolini will conclude the presentation by reminding Igna-tieff about a small detail: the margin of error in that poll is 150 per cent, give or take. Sure, it’s a bit wide, but still very encouraging.

Ignatieff will then travel to Montreal where he will spend New Year’s Eve with hundreds of thousands of supporters at a trendy pizza parlour in St. Leonard. The event will be coor-dinated by one of his most loyal MPs in Quebec, Denis Coderre.

For New Year’s Day the leader will have a more private engage-ment as a guest of Dion’s family to enjoy a special dinner person-ally prepared by Janine Krieber because she has very fond mem-

ories of Ottawa, Ignatieff and the Christmas holiday of 2008. She will try to reciprocate with the same warmth, kindness and courtesy.

I’ve been told that his original plan was to travel out West for the epiphany but, according to the same source, it appears he had to cancel the trip because he couldn’t find Three Wise Men to travel with him.

I now know that his trip to the West has been postponed until the Vancouver Olympics start. His participation will be special and I’ll tell you why in a moment.

So, with his trip out West post-poned, the tour plan has been changed.

Luckily, because the Liberals are always very well-organized, they have a plan ‘B.’ For the epiphany Ignatieff will go out East where he can count not on three, but six “wise men,” his MPs in Newfoundland. He will take the opportunity to talk to them about the next vote on the upcoming federal budget in the afternoon of Jan. 3. The meet-ing was supposed to take place in the morning of Jan. 2 but it was postponed because the six Liberal MPs told Ignatieff that before making any commitment

they had to talk to the Premier of Newfoundland Danny Williams. And the provincial leader was available only the morning after.

So, let’s go back to Vancouver Olympics.

As we all remember, last year at this time, many Liberals and journalists, including myself, believed that Ignatieff was so powerful he could walk on water. After a year, many have realized that he has some problems staying afloat so Ignatieff’s chief money man, Rocco Rossi, has organized a fundraiser to raise enough money to hire an instructor who can teach Ignatieff at least how to swim. At this point, Warren Kinsella’s peace room (it’s Christmas) decided that a Liberal leader will not just learn how to swim but has to win a gold medal at the Olympics. So, they have all decided that Ignatieff will spend the months of January and February learning how to swim, not only in water, but also in every other element he might find him-self surrounded.

This is my honest truth about what’s going on in Ottawa (if you don’t believe me read a column last week from, I believe, an Ottawa Sun columnist who says more or less the same) and I’m sure that Ignatieff will be a gold medalist in Vancouver and the next prime minister of Canada.

Of course, if you want other details, I’m available for a drink at the Chateau Laurier. Merry Christmas.

Angelo Persichilli is politi-cal editor at Corriere Canadese, Canada’s Italian-language daily newspaper based in Toronto.

The Hill Times

Sometimes, it’s stranger than fiction in Ottawa In life, as in politics, you have to be very careful about distinguishing between fiction and reality.

BY Angelo Persichilli

COPPS’ CORNER


OTTAWA—It should come as no surprise that the federal govern-

ment has canned a proposed promo-tional campaign for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Paralympics. Instead, a proposed $10-million is to be invested in H1N1 prevention.

Most Canadians won’t lose any sleep over the loss of advertising. The impor-tance of sporting activity pales in com-parison to a world pandemic. At least, that was the explanation of Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn, the point man on the government’s cancellation.

The pandemic is easy cover for a gov-ernment looking to shave advertising dol-lars from a ballooning budget.

Little has been said of how the gov-ernment ordered twice as many flu vac-cines as necessary, and is shopping for an international donor recipient to justify the excess.

But the Olympic spending cut had nothing to do with the pandemic. Instead, it was implemented to pare down the bal-looning bottom line of government spend-ing on advertising.

The priority of Olympic messaging pales in comparison to the marketing of the vaunted Canada (read Conservative) Economic Action Plan. That is the cam-paign that keeps on giving.

Just days before cancelling Olympic advertising, the Prime Minister’s own office received a $1.3-million from the supplementary estimates to swell com-munications staff budget by $1.7-mil-lion. That sum was in addition to an extra $1-million in logistical support for prime ministerial announcements and events.

By all accounts, the Prime Minister will spend at least four times as much advertising his economic policies as he would have invested in the Olympic Games advertising. The comparison pro-vides a pretty stark reminder of Stephen Harper’s political priorities.

As a tactician, he is brilliant. He plays wedge politics like a Stradivarius.

His focused communications plan also yields low-lying fruit. In the early days, his five-point plan reminded Canadians that a government focused on specific results was actually going to be able to achieve them.

But three years into this Conservative government’s minority, Canadians remain unconvinced about the government’s long-term agenda. Where is the vision?

The Olympics would have been a won-derful opportunity to promote Canadian identity and shared values. But these eso-teric ideals are not on Harper’s agenda.

The sport minister may have been the messenger, but the prime minister is in direct control of every communication dollar. And if the spending doesn’t fit into his narrow view of the role of govern-ment, it gets axed.

It is pretty tough to be lofty about advertising. After all, its primary purpose is to convince people they need, want, support something that they may other-wise not have desired.

But there is such a thing as nation-building. The Olympics and Paralym-pics provide governments a chance to showcase their country to the world and to showcase their athletes to their own people.

In the 21st century, it is tough creating a sense of common identity in a country crossing six time zones, sharing two offi-cial languages and multiple cultures.

Fifty weeks of the year are spent com-plaining about regional divisions and how one part of the country is somehow being mistreated by the rest.

The one exception to that rule is when we come together in honour of sport.

In Canada, this will be the third home-grown Olympics in my lifetime. First was the magic of Montreal. We are still bitch-ing about the effervescence of Mayor Jean Drapeau, who hosted the Olympics in the pre-television deficit era. But his Olympic-sized dream proved that Canada could compete on the world stage with the best.

Then came the inspiration of Calgary in 1988. Who can forget the optimism of British ski-jumper Eddie the Eagle or the novelty of a Jamaican Bobsled team? Truth is stranger than fiction and the sledders actually provided the plot for a hilarious John Candy movie on the subject.

Olympics and Paralympics are the stuff of legends, the glue holding a country together in the tough times. Every week we are bombarded by mul-tiple government images of ministers in flak jackets and the prime minister touring another military facility. Is it any wonder that Canadians are feel-ing pessimistic about our place in the world?

Why not invest a little in the moments that only come once in a generation? Great sporting events create unparalleled opportunities for citizens to set aside regional differences and linguistic griev-ances.

We are still celebrating the Paul Hen-derson winning goal in game seven of the great 1972 Canada-Russia hockey series.

We have already forgotten about last month’s economic action plan announce-ments. Why not invest in some advertis-ing with staying power?

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chré-tien-era Cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister.


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Harper plays wedge politics like a Stradivarius By all accounts, the Prime Minister will spend at least four times as much advertising his economic policies as he would have invested in the Olympic Games advertising. As a tactician, he is brilliant.

BY sheila copps

Harper’s in charge: Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Sports Minister Gary Lunn. The sport minister may have been the messenger, but the prime minister is in direct control of every communication dollar. And if the spending doesn’t fit into his narrow view of the role of government, it gets axed.



OPINION

“You have to have loyalty [in politics, retiring Senator

Marcel Prud’homme said ]. I’m sad because I’ve seen so many fights [the Trudeau to the Martin eras]. … If you willingly, freely, voluntarily join a party, there’s a program, and you have to defend the program, but that should not stop you from commenting on events of the day when you may totally disagree with the position of your party, remaining very loyal to your party,” (The Hill Times, Nov. 30, 2009).

Considerable recent evidence raises questions about the extent of loyalty in politics at the higher reaches of federal parties. Consider the following: (i) the recent conflict in the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party resulting in the resignation of and “bomb” thrown by Liberal MP Denis Coderre, (ii) the cases of party switching by MPs—usually to get a cabinet post (examples: Belinda Stronach and David Emer-son); (iii) some Maritime MPs broke ranks and refused to support the Liberal Party’s position on what was a matter of confidence for the Harper government; (iv) the author of a recent book suggests that Prime Mister Harper is not a man who makes much of an effort to engender loyalty in his closest advisers and operatives (see below); and (v) some Liberal MPs are said to be considering deposing leader Michael Ignatieff, who has had the job for a year (Angelo Persichilli, The Toronto Star, Dec. 6, 2009).

The focus of this piece is on the loyalty of MPs, party activists, and ordinary volunteers to the party leader—and his/her loyalty to them. As will become clear, loyalty is a two-way street. Lead-ers ignore this point at their peril.

A widely praised virtue Loyalty in many contexts is a

widely-praised virtue. Abraham Lincoln said, “Stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.” Samuel Goldwyn said, “I’ll take 50 per cent efficiency to get one hundred per-cent loyalty.” And Yossi Shain in his The Frontier of Loyalty argued that, “Loyalty is an asset, independent and scarce, parceled out among different contestants for power. No ruling government or non-ruling group enjoys absolute loyalty—no contestant can have the whole pie.”

Party leader’s positionOne cannot assess the matter

of loyalty to and by party lead-ers without appreciating the key characteristics of the leader’s posi-tion. The leader has to be elected.

Leadership contests are infrequent and tend to be expensive—mean-ing it is common for all the con-tenders to end up with significant debts. Leaders are subject to formal periodic reviews, but their support is measured in at least monthly scientific polls that are published in the news media.

The leaders of the two con-tender parties (Liberal and Con-servative) are under the spotlight and microscope of the omnipres-ent news media (although this is a symbiotic relationship). The focus of most stories is on intra- and inter-party conflicts, the horse-race thing, gaffes, scandals, and criticisms of rival leaders. Little space/time is devoted to the lead-er’s position on policy issues

The leader has a small number of employees—those at party HQ and those in his Parliamentary office (whose salaries are paid by taxpayers). The vast majority of the persons led by the leader are volunteers. They come in several varieties: senior activists (and political junkies) who provide valuable services to the party and /or the leader on an ongoing basis. Then there are the more numerous volunteers who operate at the local level. Some run the local constitu-ency office and tend to do so for years at a time; many more pro-vide the grunt labour for election campaigns and many of them are friends, contacts, of the candidate. Their loyalty is primarily to the candidate—but some focus on the party (and for some, it is to a set of ideas that have their loyalty). To engender loyalty, the leader has few tools beyond his leadership skills. The leaders of the con-tender parties have the prospect of patronage (see W.T. Stanbury, The Hill Times, Sept. 7, 2009).

Westminster modelCanadian politics is highly lead-

er-centric. This is more than ego—it reflects the fact that enormous power is concentrated in the hands of the PM. That is part of the West-minster model which has gradually morphed into what Prof. Donald Savoie calls “court government.”

Under the Westminster model, loyalty in a limited sense is “enforced” by means of the institu-tion of party discipline. It is central to the design and functioning of that form of political organization. Under it, MPs are, in effect, the local franchisees of their party. The relationship between a party leader and his MPs is primarily—but certainly not entirely—a “business” one. It is about a shared endeavour to get the party into power—and to ensure that as many incumbent MPs also get re-elected.

Nature of loyaltyPeople have multiple loyalties

(family, friends, employer, church, country…). The quality of loyalty to each is somewhat different. Some loyalties change in the sense that old ones are dropped (or fade), and others are adopted. Existing loyalties change with new circumstances, e.g., marriage, children become adults.

Sustained loyalty is reciprocal. The party leader also needs to be loyal to his MPs, his staff, and to the membership. However, in the era of what Reg Whitaker calls “The Virtual Party,” the leader lavishes his loy-alty on the cadre who helped most in getting him the job (pace Ian Davey), and those who are expected to make him PM. More generally, the great Canadian scientist Hans Selye observed: “Leaders are leaders only as long as they have the respect and loyalty of their followers.”

Behind loyalty is the powerful norm of reciprocity. It means that I will stick with you during your difficult times because you have helped me through mine—or I expect that you will do so. Loyalty in good times is almost automatic—a matter of narrow self-interest.

It seems sensible to distinguish three bases for loyalty (although in many cases they are mixed). The first is based on rational calcula-tion. By being loyal through tough times, the expected benefits will exceed the costs—and the expected benefits of switching one’s loyalty are less than the expected costs. Second, loyalty may be based pri-marily on emotion—the feelings created by friendship, shared tri-als and triumphs, and admiration/respect for the person to whom one is loyal. Here, feelings of loyalty may even survive a conspicuous lack of loyalty from the other per-son. In a sense, loyalty is an act of faith. Third, there is loyalty to a set of ideas or ideals. It is what explains the often fierce devotion of some intellectuals to communism—a devotion impervious to any amount of evidence to the contrary.

Loyalty is the antithesis of opportunism. Loyalty, however, is not unquestioning agreement either with a friend or a political leader.

An alliance of convenience among a determined group of opportunists is far from loyalty. Just ask Robert Plamondon about Stephen Harper’s relationship with his inner circle. “There is a place for loyalty in politics, but I think that with this Prime Minister, it’s in short supply and that he has been tough and he’s governed within his party, within his caucus, sometimes with fear and intimidation and he hasn’t been afraid to lose people. That works, because you know if you fall out of favour, it could be terminal and you are going to govern yourself accordingly. But, when the guy at the top, if all of a sudden he is in a position where he needs that respect and that loyalty and he needs goodwill, then hav-ing not offered it in return, Stephen Harper is at some risk that, as you say, if he is the commander of a sinking ship, not everyone will go down with him,” (quoted in The Hill Times, April 6, 2009).

Cultivation of loyaltyIt is rational for a party leader

to cultivate loyalty among his cadre and even a wider circle of supporters. The main reason is the endemic high level of uncertainty that characterizes life in the politi-cal; arena. Loyalty provides a sort of insurance policy when things go bump in the night. One’s sup-porters are there to help adjust to the slings and arrows of adversity. Together we are stronger and can accomplish more. It is not much more complicated than that.

But how can a leader cultivate loyalty in his supporters? Here are some ways: No. 1: Be loyal to them. Former chief of staff to president Ronald Reagan, and CEO of Mer-rill Lynch, Donald T. Regan, put it this way: “You’ve got to give loyalty down, if you want loyalty up.” Pay attention to their needs, fears, and aspirations. Do what is possible to help them realize their goals. Tell them you rely on them (which you must do)—and delegate author-ity to them to do assigned tasks. Never evade the responsibilities of leadership. The principle is—a leader can delegate authority, but not responsibility. The errors of

subordinates (but not their crimes) are those of the leader. Reward good performance. Gently correct unsatisfactory performance. But recognize that it may be neces-sary to relieve some supporters of the tasks assigned to them for the greater good of the whole. Keep your ego in check. There is no end of good a leader can do if he leaves the credit to others. Indeed, he should make an effort to see that credit goes to the worker bees. Real leaders do not need to hog the spot-light. Lead by example—from the front. Courage is a powerful source of inspiration for supporters. Just read the chronicles of Julius Caesar in leading Roman armies.

Having said all this, I am mindful of the words of Maurice Franks: “Loyalty cannot be blue-printed. It cannot be produced on an assembly line. In fact, it can-not be manufactured at all, for its origin is the human heart—the centre of self-respect and human dignity. It is a force which leaps into being only when conditions are exactly right for it—and it is a force very sensitive to betrayal.”

Party leader’s problemThe leaders of the two contend-

er parties have a core problem, however. The skills of supporters needed to win a leadership race may well be different than those needed to run the party leader’s office in Ottawa. And other skills are likely to be needed to win power in a general election. Then, governing skills are different from campaigning skills. Thus, it is essential for a party leader to find ways of fairly rewarding supporter without giving them jobs in the next stage of development.

Limits of loyaltyThe limits of loyalty to a party

leader are stretched or possibly bro-ken in one or more of the following circumstances: A leadership contest causes a rift among contenders and their supporters. The leader adopts a policy with which the member disagrees most strongly. The leader fails to live up to the commitments made to members or MPs (and not due to exogenous changes). Some MPs no longer believe that the leader has a reasonable chance of getting into power. Thus they want another leadership contest to find a new leader with better prospects. One or more of the leader’s senior staff no longer treat an MP, or important volunteer with respect—and are not reproved by the leader. The leader is seen as treating his staff in inappropriate ways—ones unlikely to inspire their efforts and loyalty. In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller put it this way: “A man is not an orange. You can’t eat the fruit and throw the peel away.”

Loyalty can become dysfunc-tional in certain circumstances—a point hinted at by Neil Kinnock, one time leader of the Labour Party in Britain, but never PM: “Loyalty is a fine quality, but in excess it fills political graveyards.” Winston Churchill made a simi-lar point this way: “The loyalties which center upon number one [party leader] are enormous. If he trips, he must be sustained. If he makes mistakes, they must be covered. If he sleeps, he must not be wantonly disturbed. If he is no good, he must be pole-axed.”

W.T. Stanbury is professor emer-itus, University of British Columbia.


By W.T. STANBURY

Loyalty to and by party leadersLoyalty is a two-way street. Leaders ignore this point at their peril.

He gets by: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, pictured in his now illustrious NAC appearance in October, singing and playing the piano to the Beatles’ song With A Little Help From My Friends. Loyalty is a widely-praised virtue in politics.

Photograph by Cynthia Münster, The Hill Times

OPINION


TORONTO—Canada’s long-gun registry helps to save

lives, protect communities, and prevent crime. It is an impor-tant public safety resource that our police use every day in the important work they do.

This fall a federal private member’s bill to eliminate Canada’s long-gun registry has been working its way through Parliament and will soon be con-

sidered by a House of Commons committee. As a government that is doing everything in its power to stop the agony caused by gun violence, Ontario urges all federal Members of Parliament to support public safety and stop the bill.

Before a police officer knocks on a door, they want and need to know whether the person behind that door owns a gun. The gun-registry provides police with that valuable and sometimes life-saving knowledge and is one of the rea-sons why police support keeping it.

Bill Blair, chief of the Toronto Police Service and president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, estimates police in Canada check the gun registry more than 10,000 times a day and

that since the gun registry was created in 1998, police have used it over seven million times.

Recently, the registry helped Toronto police uncover a stash of 58 unregistered firearms, including a machine gun and submachine gun. This is just one example of many that underlines the value of the gun registry.

The gun registry has provided over 7,000 sworn statements to sup-port the prosecution of firearms-related crime. These documents help support the arrest of criminals, often before they commit violence. They can also support the seizure of illegal guns, disrupt gang activ-ity, and help prevent theft, violence and home invasions. If this infor-mation disappears, judges and justices of the peace will have less information before them, which will mean less support for arrest and search warrants that police need to keep our communities safe.

Support for the gun registry is not limited to the McGuinty gov-ernment and police. In the past 12 years, eight Ontario coroner’s inquests have made recommen-

dations to the federal govern-ment calling for gun licensing and registration.

It is important that we track guns in order to know where they are. But the federal govern-ment’s repeated extensions to the amnesty on long-gun registration means that every year the data-base becomes less comprehen-sive and reliable. The amnesty needs to end to ensure police have access to the strongest, most reliable database possible.

The gun registry allows us to trace the origins of guns. It allows us to ensure that all gun owners in Canada are acting responsibly by storing their guns safely and using them appropri-ately. When guns do get into the hands of criminals, the registry helps us deal with them by iden-tifying the guns as illegal. The result is increased public safety.

As Canadians, we must

ensure that we have the best laws in place to allow us to prosecute those who do us harm. In addi-tion, we must ensure that the necessary supports are in place to support those who are victim-ized by violent crime. The gun registry helps to prevent crime and prevent victimization.

The gun registry does not deny long gun ownership. It only asks that you register. We register our pets, why not our guns. As we mark the 20th anniversary of the terrible tragedy at Ecole Polytechnique and the loss of 14 female students, it is dishearten-ing that the federal government is moving to eliminate the gun registry at the same time.

Now is the time for all who believe in a safe society, all who believe in preventing gun violence, to speak with one loud, clear, reso-lute voice. Stand up for safe com-munities. Keep the registry.

Canada’s long-gun registry protects public safety, don’t pass private member’s billBefore a police officer knocks on a door, they want and need to know whether the person behind that door owns a gun. The gun-registry provides police with that valuable and sometimes life-saving knowledge and is one of the reasons why police support keeping it.

Justice file: Canada’s federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, pictured. Ontario’s Attorney General Chris Bentley, meanwhile, says the long-gun registry should not be scrapped and is urging all federal MPs to vote against getting rid of it.

BY Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley



CANADA’S MILITARY

In my military law practice, I occasionally run across a com-

pelling case begging for justice and equity for which there is no apparent legal solution. This is because, inter alia, the law of lim-itations or some other legal prin-ciple or doctrine acts as a barrier to a court appearance or other judicial outcome. Not surpris-ingly, when this happens, the file, by its very length and complex-ity, defends itself against the risk of being read or studied further by anyone, whether the media, a politician, or an ombudsman.

I have had one such experience two years ago when, with much chagrin and frustration, I had to decline acting for Lt.-Col. Sean Dennehy recommending instead that he turn over to the DND/CF Ombudsman the realities and truths of his claim’s existence. I did so because, I believed that, by vir-tue of his open-ended mandate, the ombudsman can call upon a whole arsenal of powerful equitable rem-edies. I was mistaken. This turned out to be an exercise in futility.

Refusing to surrender to his plight or to counsels of hopeless-ness, Dennehy’s cry for justice still begs for a solution. I believe that his experience is not unique. It is, in many ways, illustrative of problems faced by some of our contemporaries, as well as, the habits of mind inherent in our institutions, whose very purpose should be to find remedies to man-made problems. This gives me cause for concern since I expect that as soldiers are repa-triated from Afghanistan there is likelihood that there will be more of such claims which will fall between the cracks and will need to be resolved in a novel manner.

A cry for justice

Dennehy, a quiet, gentle and elegant man of 71, was once deployed as a civilian employee at NATO headquarters in Brus-sels where he was tasked with ensuring that Canada receives critical logistical support dur-ing the Cold War in the event of armed conflict. He served there between 1979 and 1988. Prior to his re-engagement with the Cana-dian Forces in 1988, he visited National Defence headquarters where he was assured by Crown

officials that his NATO service was portable back to Canada and that it would count towards his Canadian Forces annuity. Act-ing on this information, Dennehy moved back to Canada and com-pleted his service in the Canadian Forces. On retirement in 1991, his pension was based on 24 years of military service with further ser-vice as a civilian with NATO. It was certified by Crown officials at around $50,000 annually.

During the second year of his retirement, Dennehy’s world was turned upside down. Suddenly, he was informed that his pension would be reduced forthwith to approximately $18,000. That’s a difference of $32,000 per year. He was also told that government would ‘claw back’ 17 months worth of overpayments.

There is no dispute about these facts. They were later admitted by government during their defence against a civil suit for negligent representation. The government admitted that Crown officials misinformed Dennehy and as a result of their erroneous advice his pension was sharply reduced by 63 per cent and the overpayments were clawed back. Furthermore, in an abundance of transparency and simple humanity, in a letter dated Nov. 23, 2000, a senior counsel at Justice Canada declared: “Mr. Den-nehy received incorrect and inac-curate information from Crown officials regarding the transferabil-ity of his NATO pension rights.” Eventually, Dennehy agreed to a settlement of an amount much less than the pension amounts promised and which he reason-ably expected to receive from the Crown. He is now fighting to recoup his remaining losses to put him in a position where he would have been in had he received his pension as initially advised and paid by the Crown.

The ombudsman

Occasionally, our judicial and administrative system overlooks the humanity of a particular situation if, for no other reason, than the fact that it is bound by the strict and fair application of regulations and rules which do not permit variations to accommodate unique circumstances. Not surpris-ingly, this sometimes results in inequitable situations. When this happens, people, not cases, fall between the proverbial cracks. It is partially for this reason that, in Canada and elsewhere, pub-lic institutions increasingly rely on the operation of ombudsman

organizations to provide a sort of a safety net for these unfortunate folks because their primary mis-sion is to promote fairness and equity. It is also an informal non-judicial resource built on the prin-ciples of independence, impartial-ity and administrative efficiency.

Conceptually, an ombudsman acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and, usually, an individual, concerning improper activities perpetrated against an individual, or in some circumstances, against a particu-lar group. To do so, the ombuds-man needs in great abundance two qualities above all others: leadership and an acute sense of justice. This coupled with finesse, resourcefulness and an indomi-table will to surmount systemic obstacles or other barriers, includ-ing the sheer passage of time.

In response to the urgent recommendation by the Somalia Commission of Inquiry to create an independent inspector general, in 1997 National Defence estab-lished three “ombudsman-like” civilian oversight organizations: the Canadian Forces Grievance Board; the Military Police Com-plaints Commission and the DND/CF Ombudsman. What is of note is that none of these organizations have order-making powers. Their investigations lead to recommenda-tion, the implementation of which remains at the mercy of Defence and military officials. To makes matters worse, in the very recent past, each of these organizations has been militarized which means that Canada has lost the only effec-tive civilian oversight capability into some critical aspects of our military and its modus operandi and these organizations have lost any surviving iota of institutional independence from DND/CF.

DND/CF OmbudsmanOn the positive side, the first

two incumbents into the posi-tion of the DND/CF Ombudsman, André Marin and Yves Côté, who were drawn from the civil society, proved to be most able to think outside the box created and main-tained by law, regulations, cus-toms and traditions. For instance, through their investigation of PTSD, they facilitated the changes in views and perceptions of those suffering from PTSD. After all, it is not that long ago, that those hidebound by regulations labelled PTSD sufferers as lacking moral fibre. Another example of effective investigations is the case of war-rant officers who, on course and away from their units, were denied meals and travel funds. That too was corrected. And, a settlement was reached with Squadron Lead-er (Retired) Clifton Wenzel who was faced with a refusal by the Defence bureaucrats to provide him with an annuity for his most gallant wartime service. These and other solutions to problems cre-ated by strict adherence to regula-tions were brought about by an ombudsman and staff who relied on bold leadership to ensure that justice was done in an informal, and non-adversarial manner, using their powers of investigation, per-suasion and recommendation.

In other words, these two ombudsmen thought outside the box of regulations which had produced an inequitable situation from a legal perspective and which did not right the wrong commit-ted. They saw a complaint as an opportunity to improve the ser-vices offered by an institution by, focusing not on regulation, but on finding a way to “put things right.” Both recognized that strict adher-ence to laws or regulations or cus-

toms cannot and must not be a bar to an investigation or to the search for an equitable solution.

Obviously, the new military ombudsman, retired Maj.-Gen. Pierre Daigle, R 22e R, has huge shoes to fill. A task which will not be made easy by the fact that, contrary to his two predecessors, Daigle has no legal training and, by virtue of his previous service and rank level, is perceived, at least presently at the beginning of his mandate, as a bona fide member of the military estab-lishment. This perception, therefore, will likely continue until he has had an opportunity to “make his mark,” so to speak.

From the beginning, I believed that Dennehy was a case tailor-made for the ombudsman. I also believe that it cries for equity and fairness. One would have thought that, as a retired CF officer enti-tled to a CFSA annuity, the new Ombudsman would have been in an ideal position to appreciate Den-nehy’s vulnerable financial position. Yet, last month, after a 19-month investigation, it was the acting direc-tor of investigation, not the ombuds-man, who informed Dennehy, in a laconic two-page letter, that his com-plaint could not be investigated and that the file had now been closed on the basis that a settlement had been reached between two parties in a legal action. This to the detriment of a man who devoted his life to the military and to the service of this country.

Conclusion

If Dennehy were to be seen as a test case on how the new ombuds-man will be handling complaints, given the current and growing level of stress and fatigue in our military, particularly in the working ranks, mostly as a result of their prolonged deployment in Afghanistan, we may have cause for concern. Over the past decade, our soldiers have relied on the ombudsman to personally assist them with their problems and to act as an articulate and passion-ate advocate to bring justice, equity and fairness; even if his suggested outcomes were in opposition to “tried and proven” answers provided by the NDHQ staff. In the case at hand, I think that Dennehy’s plight deserved, as a minimum, a personal response from the ombudsman himself. It seems obvious that this did not happen and hence this will make Dennehy’s fight from this point forward even more difficult, if not plainly impossible, because the ombudsman is truly the platform of last resort.

An ombudsman’s function is to resolve conflicts with flexibility, imagination and, more often than not, in a precedent-setting manner. In other words, an ombudsman must find a way! Why? Because an ombudsman possessing vision and the ability to think and to operate ‘outside the box’ must see a com-plaint as an opportunity to improve services provided by the particular institution. It must also see it as an opportunity to promote open and accountable government and to enhance the public confidence that government institutions are respecting the principles of fair-ness and equity. In fact, even when a complaint is not supported, it presents the ombudsman with an opportunity to personally review policies and procedures to ensure the highest standard of equity and fairness; a very noble objective.


BY Michel W. Drapeau

As the last resort, DND/CF’s Ombudsman’s intercession is crucial for soldiersAs soldiers are repatriated from Afghanistan, there is likelihood that there will be more grievance claims which will fall between the cracks and will need to be resolved in a novel manner.

The defence files: Canada’s Defence Minister Peter MacKay.Photograph by Jake Wright, The Hill Times

OPINION

OPINION


Despite the economic reces-sion, 2009 has been a record-

setting year for wind energy in Canada. Through November, Canada’s wind energy industry had already passed three major milestones: a new record for annual installations (781 MW —representing $1.8-billion in invest-ment), breaking of the 3,000 MW threshold for total installed capac-ity, and operating wind farms in every province for the first time. In fact, wind turbines now generate enough electricity to power close to a million Canadian homes. Unfortunately, 2009 will also mark another milestone—the premature end of federal govern-ment support for the deployment

of wind energy and other clean renewable electricity sources.

Every Canadian province is now working to significantly grow investment and jobs associated with new emissions-free renew-able electricity. The federal gov-ernment has historically been a critical contributor to such efforts. In January 2007, it launched the ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program to stimulate the deployment of 4,000 MW of new renewable electricity generation by March 2011. By providing a one cent per kWh production incentive for a 10 year period, this program has helped projects obtain value for their environmental benefits in the absence of a carbon pricing mechanism that would allow the market to play that role in Canada.

The ecoENERGY program has

been an enormous success and has played a particularly important role in these challenging economic times. It has been so successful that it will fully allocate its funding and meet its target before the end of 2009, more than a year ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, the feder-al government has made no com-mitment to renew this program or replace it with an alternative that can provide continued financial support until a fully functional carbon market is in place. As of January 2010, new renewable elec-tricity projects will no longer be able to seek such support from the federal government.

As new sources of renewable electricity are seen to be an essen-tial component of most countries’ greenhouse gas emission reduc-tion strategies, it is both ironic and disappointing that the major federal support program for the development of clean and climate-friendly renewable electricity supply is being abandoned just as Canada participates in global cli-mate change talks in Copenhagen.

While the federal government is looking to pursue a common approach with the United States

on climate change issues, the gap between U.S. and Canadian wind energy policy is significant and widening. As ecoENERGY is shutting down, the U.S. economic stimulus package is providing billions of dollars to support deployment of new wind energy production and wind turbine manufacturing facilities over the next few years. It is also working to put in place a national renew-able electricity standard that will provide further impetus for renewable energy development.

In the short-term, projects that managed to secure commitments under the current ecoENERGY program will proceed in 2010, but the uncertainty about future fed-eral policy has already led some international companies to shift their future investment away from Canada to the United States, while a number of American developers are now pulling back from Canada and refocusing on the U.S.. Even Canadian companies are, for the first time, aggressively exploring new opportunities south of the border instead of at home. With the federal government poised to end its support for new renewable

electricity development in Canada, investors are turning to the greater policy certainty, stability and sup-port found in the United States.

The federal government must act quickly to avoid a flow of wind energy investment and jobs from Canada to the U.S.. It must either renew ecoENERGY or put in place an alternative mechanism that provides value for wind energy’s environmental benefits until a fully functional carbon market is in place. While this will not close the current policy gap with the United States, it will help to narrow it. Investors are making decisions every day. A clear signal is needed soon that 2009 will not spell the end of the federal government’s support for renew-able electricity deployment. If not, Canada’s share of North American wind energy investment will fall and a significant economic develop-ment opportunity will be lost to the United States.

Robert Hornung is president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association and represents the interests of more than 450 mem-bers in the industry.


OTTAWA—The announcement that the CRTC was seeking

more public input on a wider range of broadcasting issues than the so-called “ local television tax” itself is a clear sign that the commission has finally deduced that the dimensions of the prob-lem go well beyond the assess-ment of which set of players is less malodorous to the Canadian public. This is possibly bad news for the cable and satellite team that hoped that their opposition to fee hikes would cast them in the unlikely role as consumer champion. It might also be a stickler for Heritage Canada Minister James Moore. While his order for the CRTC review may have been an attractive sound bite, he will likely have trouble closing the box of consumer discontent with the industry and its oversight that the review has now opened.

For most of this decade, the CRTC has followed a pattern of leadership by amnesia in the over-sight of the broadcasting industry. It has expected that, given more

latitude, its regulated entities would eventually achieve the com-mission’s public mandate, despite past disappointing performances. By calling now for comment on broad issues such as affordabil-ity, availability, choice and the business plans of the players, the CRTC has effectively acknowl-edged that market forces are not strong enough to protect consum-ers. More importantly, its agree-ment with the cable and satellite distributors to virtually ignore cus-tomer price and choice concerns if content rules were observed, has become unravelled. It has come apart because the distributors decided to put the commission in the public firing line in the scram-ble for cash by local television and the attempted resolution of the same by the regulator. This turn of events could actually be good news for customers, as well as for the achievement of overall nation-al broadcasting objectives.

What Canada needs for this industry is a regulatory policy that makes cable or satellite distributors offer a basic service that is just that: small, basic and affordable. It needs the commis-sion to cost and cap basic service

and stop cable and satellite com-panies from cramming in more channels, frequently owned by them, to force up subscriber rev-enues. All channels in basic ser-vice should be treated the same in terms of carriage fees. In fact, the commission might do well to first set an affordable rate for basic service and let the players negoti-ate carriage fees around that rate.

In the process, the ramifica-tions of the planned elimination of over the air analogue broadcasting in 2011, now used by some four million Canadian television view-ers, could be lessened by having a low cost basic service television distribution option. Distributors may have to come up with more

competitive bundles and prices to flog channels that formerly enjoyed a basic service sinecure. And local television networks, guaranteed equal treatment with cable owned channels, would also have to be content with a fair share of the smaller pie.

Such moves would represent a genuine revolution to an industry regulated with legislation and a mentality appropriate to an era when television antennas still dotted Canadian skylines. The Broadcast-ing Act does not mention the word “consumer” or “reasonable rates.” Heritage Canada has routinely blocked legislative changes to per-mit funding of consumer participa-tion in broadcasting proceedings,

despite the evidence that the result of the practice has enabled Cana-dians to enjoy some of the world’s lowest local telephone service rates. (This, by the way, contrasts with our dismal performance in Canadian unregulated cable, wireless and broadband services when compared with most developed countries.)

In fact, the prospect of the representation of public consum-er interests potentially competing with Heritage Canada’s tradi-tional industry concerns is vastly unappealing to its bureaucracy, though it is subsidized indi-rectly by subscriber fees. Despite Moore’s claims that his depart-ment “puts consumers first” an online review of Heritage Cana-da’s strategic outcomes, its orga-nization, and described activities shows that “putting consumers first” is a well-hidden objective. A CRTC plea for Heritage Canada funding of consumer representa-tion in the current proceeding was, of course, ignored.

The official scrutiny of the cable and satellite industries has been a half-way house of public regulation since its inception. The operating assumption that consumers could look after themselves has been challenged by the very success of these regulated businesses. Their services are now regarded as important and meaningful to Cana-dians in a way that would have been unimaginable 40 years ago. It is time for policy-makers and regu-lators to step away from the past collegial and desultory supervision to deliver a framework that is really responsive to consumer needs.

Michael Janigan is executive director and general council at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in Ottawa.


By ROBERT HORNUNG

By MICHAEL JANIGAN

New renewable electricity projects no longer eligible for federal government support

Television spat now shows promise for consumers

It is both ironic and disappointing that the major federal support program for the development of clean and climate-friendly renewable electricity supply is being abandoned just as Canada participates in global climate change talks in Copenhagen.

It is time for policy-makers and regulators to step away from the past collegial and desultory supervision to deliver a framework that is really responsive to consumer needs.

What’s on TV: CRTC chairman Konrad Von Finckenstein, pictured on the Hill.Photograph by Jake Wright, The Hill Times

STOPtheTVTAX.ca

The big TV networks recently threatened to not only black out their signals but to require

cable and satellite companies to black out U.S. signals as well, effectively preventing

Canadians from receiving the most popular TV shows. But this isn’t the fi rst time the

networks have resorted to threats and bullying tactics in an attempt to secure a massive,

multi-million dollar bailout.

Over the past year, they’ve consistently threatened to shut down local TV stations, claiming

they just can’t afford to support local TV. At the same time, however, they’ve somehow

managed to increase their spending on expensive U.S. programming by 75% over the past

8 years, to the tune of $775 million in 2008 alone.

This recent threat to black out programming is clearly aimed at the public at large and the

message is clear: pay up or else. What once was referred to as a TV Tax has begun to sound

more and more like a ransom.

Does that sound like the big TV networks have the public’s best interests at heart?

“Pay us or U.S. TV signalswill be blocked at the border.”

OPINION


VANCOUVER, B.C.—Be careful what you wish for, the contemporary adage

goes, or you might just get it. So too might go the refrain for the global economy, as was revealed in “ ‘Cheap stuff a destabiliz-ing force in the world,’ the greenhouse gas of our troubled economy, says hot young author Laird,” in the Nov. 16 issue of The Hill Times and the Q&A with Gordon Laird, author of The Price of a Bargain: The Quest for Cheap and the Death of Globalization.

His arguments echo those of economist Jeff Rubin in Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller Oil and The End of Globalization. Once the cost of oil need-ed to power trans-oceanic container ships exceeds Asia’s low-wage manufacturing advantages, trade conducted over long distances will eventually grind to a halt. In the longer term, this isn’t good news for Canada, since most of our exports to Asia involve heavy bulk cargo.

So one might reasonably ask: Did Ottawa’s political elites anticipate the pos-sibility of such a scenario? If the amount of money being poured into projects like the Pacific Gateway initiative is any indication,

the short answer is no. But this comes with many layers. As with most economic deci-sions whose origins are born in “high level” political policy-making, there are many behind-closed-door political considerations that rarely come to public light.

One such layer may come as some-thing of a surprise to those who believe public transparency is one of the guiding principles of public policy making. In fact, when tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of public dollars are at stake, the process can be anything but transparent. Of course some of this is for very good reason. Competitive bids for large govern-ment contracts by corporations require confidentiality.

One of the most under-reported, under-scrutinized areas of national political report-ing today are the corporate contributions made to provincial political parties, and their individual candidates. Just as major real estate developers have long been known to back the campaigns of municipal politicians who think as they do, it would be naïve not to wonder whether something similar might also be taking place at the provincial level due to major infrastructure projects. As to which corporate enterprises might have a vested interest in such projects, one need

only ask: to whose benefit? In British Colum-bia, accusatory fingers are most often aimed at members of the local chambers of com-merce, big civil engineering firms, construc-tion companies, and last but by no means least, the big law firms that confidentially handle the affairs of such clients.

But let’s be clear. Unlike their federal counterparts, provincial political parties are not prohibited from receiving cor-porate donations. It’s entirely legal. But given what’s at stake—as both Laird and Rubin pointed out—we should be keenly aware of the risks. Among the risks is that provincial parties will remain more financially “incented” by private corporate interests in the short-term than the public interest in the long-term, especially if they can get away with it. As ever, the problem is money, for money talks, especially when it can translate into the means needed to both attain and retain political power.

And in B.C., this may be especially wor-risome because many federal Liberals and Conservatives belong to the B.C. Liberal Party—an unofficial amalgam of the two that arose purely for practical marketing reasons after the B.C. Social Credit Party collapsed following Bill Vander Zalm’s term in office, and the NDP rose to power. In other words, the same networks of people can wear one of two distinct political hats depending on what the circumstance requires. Problem is one of those hats can and does receive funds from the corporate sector. Those who have long worked the carnival circuit have a name for it—the shell game. First you see it. Then you don’t.

But that’s not all. Thanks to the asym-metry in the funding of federal versus

provincial parties, over the last five years the fulcrum of political power in Canada has been slowly moving out of Ottawa and is taking up residence in those provinces where energy resources play a major role in their economies. Policy translation? As long as big oil interests can provide fund-ing to provincial parties, one can expect maximum resistance toward the tough reforms needed to reduce CO2 emissions, like carbon pricing—the very option Laird says we’ll need to get out of the economic pickle we’re in.

Yet if more and more of Canada’s pub-lic policy machinery falls into the hands of private profit-making interests through the back door of provincial political party funding, this simply won’t happen. Is that what we really want? Do we want a cor-porate plutocracy akin to that found in the U.S., a land that boasts the best democ-racy money can buy and an economy on the skids to match?

If our country ever hopes to be able to prioritize the type of rational long view policies to which Laird refers, then federal politicians must lock the provincial party back door through which corporate inter-ests have already entered our national political home uninvited. But if this kind of political shell game is allowed to continue, all of us will likely lose in the end because the damage to the longer term sustainabil-ity of our economy will be enormous.

Paul H. LeMay is a Vancouver-based member of the Liberal Party of Canada, and a former special assistant to the late Liberal Senator Sheila Finestone.


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Globalization: Gordon Laird, author of The Price of A Bargain: The Quest for Cheap and the Death of Globalization. Paul LeMay says he’s concerned that Canada’s public policy machinery is falling into the hands of private profit-making interests through provincial political parties.

By PAUL LEMAY

Stop political shell game or public policy As long as big oil interests can provide funding to provincial parties, one can expect maximum resistance toward the tough reforms needed to reduce CO2 emissions, like carbon pricing—the very option Laird says we’ll need to get out of the economic pickle we’re in.


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Thank youSenate considers televising proceedings

ceedings, as well as House committees, and Senate committees are all broadcast on CPAC.

But as far as broadcasting the Senate Cham-ber, Sen. McCoy said the discussion in committee right now is centering on whether television is the way to go, or whether it’s an old-fashioned medium that should be bypassed altogether.

Sen. McCoy maintains a blog to shed some light on the issues she works on as a Senator and said some of her colleagues have begun to do the same. She said the Senate is not up on the plethora of communications tools that are available, and something as basic as mak-ing the Senate’s website more user-friendly so that citizens can more easily access archived committee proceedings would be a step in the right direction.

Some Senators on the committee have raised concerns about television not being interactive enough in that someone watching Chamber or committee proceedings doesn’t get the full pic-ture just by flicking on the TV at any given time.

CPAC president Colette Watson, who testi-fied before the committee on Oct. 20, said it would be more expensive to put the Senate proceedings on TV because it would require a transmission facility for a satellite. Ms. Watson said depending on what the Sen-ate decides to do it could cost $3-million to $8-million, and there would also be additional unspecified costs associated with wiring a Chamber that is 143 years old. If the Senators decide not to put the Chamber proceedings on television and broadcast on the web instead it could be done for as little as $1-million.

She said CPAC viewers are not keen on the “antagonistic drama” that often plays out in the House of Commons, particularly in Ques-tion Period, and televised committees are often more informative and viewer-friendly. The daily Question Period, which is the most important part of House proceedings for ministers, MPs, and journalists, and where news shows often take snippets for reports, is one of CPAC’s least-watched programs; its audience has declined by 90 per cent in less than a decade.

“When I took over in 2001, the average audi-ence for Question Period was about 150,000 to 200,000, depending on the debate or the time of the Parliamentary season. Beginning in winter 2006, at the height of the Gomery Inquiry—I may have the dates wrong—the ratings started to slide significantly, and they have been on a considerable slide since then. We have gone from an audience of 200,000 in 2001 to 75,000 in 2004, and today it hovers at around 20,000,” Ms. Watson told the committee.

Although she noted that part of the decline in audience share is due to the fact that CTV Newsnet, as well as CBC started airing part of Question Period, she attributes the bulk of the dropping off in interest to viewers being turned off by the hyper-partisanship that often dominates House of Commons proceedings. Historically the Senate has been less partisan than the House, but some Senators say it’s become more political in recent years.

Sen. McCoy said the committee would continue to study the issue into the new year and then present their recommendations to the Senate before making a final decision.


But Senators say TV could be passé as House’s Question Period ratings tank.


OPINION

NEW COMMUNICATIONS


Imagine: someone from the gov-ernment comes to your door. It is

your workplace, but it may also be your home if you happen to have a home office. They search and seize your computers, your files and anything related to your business, including the goods that you sell or produce. They can do this without your permission and without giving you prior notice or warning. They can hold on to these goods long enough to disrupt your business and ruin your livelihood. There are no means for preventing this: no judicial review, no recourse for action, no due process.

Have you committed a heinous crime? No, if you had, it would be the police at your door and they would have to get a war-rant issued by a judge to have the right to come on to your private property and take possession of your goods. Have you already been found guilty of a crime? Nope, there is only a suspicion by

bureaucrats, not backed by any judicial or scientific review, and there’s nothing you can do about it and no one you can go to until well after the fact.

Flashback to an eastern bloc country at the height of the cold war? No, this is Canada in the 21st century.

Are you a drug smuggler, porn producer or human trafficker? Wrong again: you are someone who, as an occupation, makes or sells ordinary consumer goods to Canadians and you may be com-pletely innocent of any wrong doing. The folks at your door demanding entry are not even trained police, they are Health Canada inspec-tors—and the only thing you can do about it is to complain to other Health Canada bureaucrats.

Last week the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Sci-ence and Technology completed its review of the highly-touted Bill C-6, the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). The CCPSA is a long-awaited bill intended to replace consumer safety legislation that has not been updated in Canada for more than 40 years. Given the changes in trade and consumer trends in this time span, with increased glo-balization and complex and con-voluted supply chains, the update

is welcomed—and even overdue. At its heart, the CCPSA has

honourable goals, which is why it passed the House with cross-par-tisan support and flying colours. It prohibits the manufacture, sale or promotion of consumer products that pose an “unreasonable danger to human health or safety,” it pro-hibits false or misleading labelling or advertising of products as it relates to health and safety, it insti-tutes mandatory reporting of inci-dents for goods that have caused serious harm or death, it provides an increase in fines and penalties for those who break the rules, it enhances systems to ensure quick product identification and recall should that be necessary, and much more.

In all, the CCPSA strives to ensure that Canadian consumer goods are safe, and if they prove not to be, that they will be quickly and efficiently withdrawn from the market. Who can argue with that?

Unfortunately, embedded in the minutiae of the legislation are disturbing new powers given to bureaucrats that, in its present wording, would go against the tra-dition of common law in Canada: the right to judicial review and due process, for example. It is these powers that some members of the Senate are rightly con-

cerned about—and not the heart and body of the CCPSA itself.

For this reason, the Senate com-mittee last week voted to amend the legislation to mitigate these powers without taking the teeth out of this important new bill. This is the job of the Senate after all: the Chamber of Sober Second Thought. The Senate has the time, resources and expertise to carefully review our legislation before it becomes law and make recommendations to the House, which may choose to heed our advice or not.

The crux of the matter is this: do we need to rescind our long-established rights and freedoms in the name of safety? No. This is a false choice. Everyone wants a safe world for their families, but let’s not give up some hard earned rights and freedoms to get there. As Shawn Buckley, a lawyer rep-resenting natural health product companies has argued of Bill C-6, “Have consumer products sud-denly become so dangerous that we have to give up fundamental freedoms to protect ourselves, and are we more safe giving the state free range over our property?”

Health Canada is granted extraordinary powers in this bill, and, in the words of Liberal Sen-ator Joseph Day, “Health Canada has overreached themselves.”

Senate amendments are not playing partisan games or dimin-ishing the need for improved safety mechanisms for consumer products. Quite the opposite: the Senate committee amendments highlight some serious concerns over broad definitions of risk in the bill, and emphasize the need for judicial oversight and inde-pendent appeal processes—all proud Canadian traditions few of us would want to lose.

Frankly, it is surprising that Con-servatives are supporting this bill so uncritically, given that they more generally tend to resist unchecked bureaucratic powers and unwar-ranted government intrusion into private business matters—precisely what CCPSA would enable.

Let’s stop criminalizing our world. We should resist the urge to live in a totally controlled, and controlling, society. Let’s make our world safer, by all means. But let’s not lose our rights and free-doms along the way.

Elaine McCoy is an independent Progressive Conservative Senator from Alberta. She previously worked as a lawyer and was the former labour minister in Alberta’s Peter Lougheed government. She live blogged the Bill C-6 hearings at www.albertasenator.ca

The Hill Times

OTTAWA—On Dec. 4, Statis-tics Canada announced an

increase of 79,000 jobs, with the increase largely in the service and education sectors. In late November, Bombardier laid off 715 workers, and then a few days later American CEOs said they have few plans to hire. One step forward, one step back. Two steps forward.

Most economists agree that the recession of the last 13 months has bottomed out. For now. The big concern is whether we will improve a bit and then go right back down: the “W” scenario, where the graph which came crashing down goes up a bit and then goes back down

before it really goes up. Or is it the “U” scenario? Down for a while before it goes back. Sadly, we can agree it’s not the “V” scenario, the sharp decline followed by a sharp upswing.

The talk of better times ahead, however, does get that other 800-pound gorilla on our backs—skills shortages. Until the summer of 2008, that was the biggest threat to economic growth in Canada. Not enough people with the right skills to take things forward. While the shortages were most acute in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, they were present in the rest of the country even in areas where there was notable unemployment. (Through the recession, they remained most pronounced in Saskatchewan.)

The recession gave us a hiatus from that fear, but employers are beginning to worry about that shortage again. It’s not that unem-

ployment is over. In fact many economists are talking about a job-less recovery, where several indica-tors improve, but unemployment remains high. The shortages come in because it is the specialized areas that need people and often they are the ones to kick-off growth projects.

Back in April 2008, the Com-mons Standing Committee on Human Resource and Skills

Development issued their seminal report, “Employability in Canada: Preparing for the future.” One of the few committees that works really well together, this group came up with 70 clear recommen-dations about how Canada as a country can deal with the increas-ing skills shortages. Appropriately, the committee is chaired by the “skilled” Conservative MP Dean Allison who has been able to deal with substantive issues around the all-party table. He got his stron-gest cooperation from Liberal MP Mike Savage, the capable Liberal critic for HRSDC, as well as sev-eral other members including the New Democrat MP Denise Savoie, Bloc Québécois vice chair, Yves Lessard and fellow Conservatives, Lynne Yelich (now minister of state for Western Economic Develop-ment) and Mike Lake (now Parlia-mentary secretary for Industry).

To the credit of these MPs, skills development has not become a wildly partisan issue over which the government will survive or fall. It’s one of the fora where MPs can work together to advance an agen-da—that’s not to say it’s all peace and love, but it’s not bad.

While the report was issued with some sense of urgency, the reces-sion has given us all an extra year or two, at the most, to get things done. By “us” I mean governments, busi-ness, labour, post-secondary educa-tion, sector councils, apprenticeship programs and most of all—the rest of us ordinary souls. Adults upgrad-ing their education and skills. Young people going into education and training for the jobs of tomorrow.

The report’s recommendations, not all of which were unanimously endorsed, called for: increased federal-provincial cooperation on skills development developing Can-

ada’s human resources planning capability by expanding the sector council model mobility assistance, according to the federal-provincial “Agreement on Internal Trade,” and a pan-Canadian approach for assessing and recognizing creden-tials, especially foreign credentials, a coherent pan-Canadian adult learning strategy, despite federal-provincial jurisdictional issues, facilitating increased employ-ment of older workers and work-ers with disabilities.

The federal and provincial governments have been acting on several of these issues and most recently, federal ministers Diane Finley (HRSDC), Jason Kenney (Citizenship and Immigration) and Ontario minister Michael Chan (Citizenship and Immigration) announced the new “Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifica-tions” developed jointly by the fed-eral and provincial governments. It commits that foreign-trained work-ers who submit an application to be licensed or registered to work in certain fields will be advised within one year whether their qualifica-tions will be recognized.

During the downturn, most employers did all they could to hang on to their high skilled and highly-educated employees having learned the hard lesson of the previous five years. Given that they are concerned about the issue again, it is likely because the problem is upon us again. The problem is far from over and the solutions require a projet de societé that all governments and institutions work on together. And for those currently unemployed, training and education is the best thing one can do with downtime.


BY progressive conservative Senator

Elaine McCoy

Let’s stop criminalizing our world

HRSD Committee’s agenda is coming back into vogueQuestion: Do we have chronic unemployment or do we have a skills shortage? Answer: We have an oxymoron. We have both.

BY Andrew Cardozo

Human Resources Minister Diane Finley.Photograph by Jake Wright, The Hill Times

The Hill Times and Embassy’s 2010 editorial and advertising calendar.Plan your advertising now to target Ottawa’s most influential readers all year round.

EditorialCalendar2010

J A N U A R Y

Health Policy Briefing January 18

(The Hill Times)

Back to ParliamentJanuary 20 (Embassy)January 25 (The Hill Times)

Canada’s Emerging Sectors Policy Briefing

January 27 (Embassy)

F E B R U A R Y M A R C H

A P R I L M A Y J U N E

The Hill Times Top 100 Lobbyists List February 1

Transportation Policy Briefing February 8 (The Hill Times)

Embassy Report on Education February 17

Technology Policy Briefing February 22 (The Hill Times)

Embassy Report on Canada & the Global Economy

March 10 (Embassy)

Climate Change Policy BriefingMarch 15 (The Hill Times)

40 Influencing Foreign PolicyMarch 24 (Embassy)

Canada & The Arctic Policy BriefingApril 14 (Embassy)

Environment Policy BriefingApril 19 (The Hill Times)

Sexy & Savvy SurveyApril 26 (The Hill Times)

J U L Y A U G U S T S E P T E M B E R

O C T O B E R N O V E M B E R D E C E M B E R

Natural Resources Policy BriefingMay 3 (The Hill Times)

National Security, Emergency & Disaster Management

May 5 (Embassy)

Terrific 25 Staffers ListMay 10 (The Hill Times)

Defence Policy BriefingMay 31 (The Hill Times)

Water and OceansJune 2 (Embassy)

HealthJune 7 (The Hill Times)

Embassy’s Sexy and Savvy Survey

June 9

Agriculture Policy Briefing July 12 (The Hill Times)

Embassy’s Party GuideJuly 14 (Embassy)

Business & BordersJuly 21 (Embassy)

Environment Policy BriefingAugust 11 (Embassy)

Green Energy & the Economy Policy Briefing

August 16 (The Hill Times)

Welcome to CanadaAugust 25 (Embassy)

Embassy Report on EducationSeptember 8 (Embassy)

Back to Parliament September 15 (Embassy)September 20 (The Hill Times)

Biotechnology Policy BriefingSeptember 27 (The Hill Times)

Embassy’s Top 20 BooksOctober 6 (Embassy)

Technology & Innovation Policy Briefing

October 11 (The Hill Times)

Agriculture Policy BriefingOctober 20 (Embassy)

Aerospace Policy BriefingOctober 25 (The Hill Times)

Defence Policy BriefingNovember 10 (Embassy)

Canada’s North Policy BriefingNovember 15 (The Hill Times)

Best Political BooksNovember 22 (The Hill Times)

Ontario & the Gobal Economy ReportDecember 1 (Embassy)

Energy Policy BriefingDecember 6 (The Hill Times)

All Politics PollDecember 13 (The Hill Times)

Embassy’s Year in ReviewDecember 15

100 Most Influential ListDecember 20 (The Hill Times)

EXCLUSIVE FEATURE


Influence can be defined in sim-ple terms as determining who

leads as opposed to who follows. Political insiders say “influ-

ence” means the “ability or oppor-tunity to persuade, motivate or guide those with power.” Others say it’s the “ability to have your voice heard in the right places to potentially play a part in shaping outcomes.”

Whatever the definition, there’s no denying that influence, especially in official Ottawa, comes in many different ways, whether it’s being at the centre of the levers of government, or qui-etly influencing the scope of the national political agenda from the outside.

After consultations over the last month with government insiders and well-informed politi-cal players, The Hill Times pres-ents its third annual list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Government and Politics in Ottawa for 2010.

POLITICIANS

Transport Minister John Baird

Mr. Baird is the go-to person on almost everything high-profile that the government needs to either promote or deflect. He’s responsible for distributing most of the $40-billion stimu-lus package for infrastructure projects and recently has taken up answering questions on the government’s handling of Afghan detainees. He chairs the Cabinet Committee on the Environment and Energy Security and also is a member of the Cabinet Com-mittees of Priorities and Planning and Economic Growth and Long Term Prosperity. He’s considered a leadership candidate, and could be shuffled into a more high pro-file position in the next Cabinet shuffle. He’s a pit-bull with politi-cal stamina.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon

As Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Cannon is working on some of the most important interna-tional files such as Canada-U.S. relations and Canada’s mission

in Afghanistan. Mr. Cannon is vice-chair of the powerful Cabi-net Committee on Priorities and Planning and a member of the Cabinet Committee on Afghani-stan and Foreign Affairs and Security.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest

Mr. Charest leads a major-ity government in a province which has 75 seats in the House of Commons, the second highest number of seats in the country. He ran unsuccessfully in 1993, but he is still today seen as a potential future leader of the Conservative Party.

Industry Minister Tony Clement

Neither colourful or contro-versial, Mr. Clement chairs the Cabinet Committee on Economic Growth and Long-term Prosper-ity, which is responsible for con-sidering “sectoral issues including international trade, sustainable development, natural resources, fisheries, agriculture, transport, infrastructure and communities and regional development, as well as longer-term matters concern-ing Canada’s economic growth and prosperity.” He has been a key member of Cabinet who’s leading the recovery through the econom-ic downturn.

International Trade Minister Stockwell Day

Mr. Day chairs the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan and is a member of the influential Cabinet Committees on Priori-ties and Planning and Economic Growth and Long-term Prosper-ity. He’s known as an effective minister, is the lead on several of the new free trade agreements which the government has made a priority, and is considered a potential leadership candidate.

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe

In a minority Parliament, the government has to work with all parties in order to pass leg-islation. As the leader of a party with 48 seats in the House of Commons, Mr. Duceppe can help boost or break the Conservatives.

By BEA VONGDOUANGCHANH

Continued on Page 25

Lawrence Cannon

Tony Clement Lisa Raitt

Gilles Duceppe

Stockwell Day

John Baird

Jean Charest

Jay HillDoug Finley

Marc GarneauDavid Smith

Jim Flaherty

Stephen Harper

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MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS IN 2010

Photographs by Jake Wright and Cynthia Münster, The Hill Times


EXCLUSIVE FEATURE

Conservative Senator Doug Finley

Campaign strategist and backroomer, he was recently appointed to the Upper Cham-ber, after running the Conserva-tives last two election campaigns as the party’s director of politi-cal operations. Sen. Finley is married to Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, and has Prime Minister Stephen Harp-er’s confidence. He’s expected to work on the governing Conser-vatives’ next election campaign as well.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty

Mr. Flaherty is one of only a handful of ministers who has held the same portfolio since the Conservatives took power in January 2006 but with an expected Cabinet shuffle coming up, he could be moved. As the Finance Minister, he is respon-sible for a $230-billion budget and is the lead political figure on guiding Canada’s recovery of the global economic downturn. He sits on the very influential Priorities and Planning Cabinet Committee and is considered a leadership candidate.

Liberal MP Marc GarneauInsiders say Mr. Garneau is

the future of the Liberal Party. Quiet and understated, his role as the industry critic and as Que-bec lieutenant gives him a large platform to influence in various ways. He is also a trusted adviser to Liberal leader Michael Igna-tieff because of his quiet loyalty and being a responsible member of the official opposition.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Mr. Harper is a “master strate-gist.” Nothing happens without him knowing about it and as the Prime Minister, he’s obviously the most powerful and most influential person in Ottawa.

Government House Leader Jay Hill

As the government House leader, Mr. Hill is well-versed in the arcane House standing orders and is able to use them to

the government’s advantage to influence the legislative agenda with the government’s priori-ties. He is a long-time Harper supporter and a trusted minis-ter who is the vice-chair of the powerful Cabinet Committee on Operations.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff

As the leader of the Official Opposition, Mr. Ignatieff holds a significant influence on the national political agenda, despite his current troubles. He leads a party with 77 seats in the House of Commons and 51 in the Senate.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney

Mr. Kenney is seen as being an effective minister since being promoted last year. He has been the lead for the gov-ernment on priorities such as ethnic community outreach, new visa rules for immigrants, as well as the a new citizenship guide. He is a shrewd strategist, a loyal Harper supporter and a regular spokesperson on issues affecting the government which aren’t necessarily related to his portfolio. He too is a party pit-bull with political stamina.

NDP Leader Jack LaytonMr. Layton leads the smallest

party in Parliament, but with 37 MPs, can’t be counted out. He’s been effective in the past in mak-ing deals with governing parties to keep their governments afloat, and is influential because the Conservatives need support from at least one other party to pass legislation during this minority government.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay

Mr. MacKay holds one of the highest-profile jobs in this gov-ernment, especially now with the Afghan detainee issue reap-pearing in the media. He chairs the Foreign Affairs and Secu-rity Cabinet Committee and is a member of the powerful Priorities and Planning Cabinet Committee as well as the Cabi-net Committee on Afghanistan. He could be shuffled to a new post in an upcoming Cabinet move.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty

As premier of the largest province in the country, Mr. McGuinty is a critical player on the national scene for economic and political reasons. His profile has been heightened recently because of the HST debate in Ontario and federally.

Conservative MP Ted Menzies

Insiders say Mr. Menzies is the de facto Tory caucus leader who is a shoo-in for Cabinet, were it not for him being from Alberta when there’s already a handful of Albertans in Cabinet. As the Parliamentary secretary to the finance minister, he is a strong performer in Question Period when his boss is away, and is very knowledgeable on finance and trade issues.

NDP deputy leader Thomas Mulcair

Mr. Mulcair is seen as an influ-ential player because of his vis-ibility, outspokenness and knowl-edge of all his files. His profile is heightened because he’s the only elected NDP MP in Quebec in this Parliament and he’s considered a future leadership candidate.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson

There are currently 14 bills crime and justice bills on the Order Paper in Parliament, and Mr. Nicholson is the lead. The government’s priority on justice issues and legislation make Mr. Nicholson a key player in this government. He sits on the pow-

erful Operations Cabinet Com-mittee and is the vice-chair of the Cabinet Foreign Affairs and Security Committee.

Environment Minister Jim Prentice

Mr. Prentice chairs the Opera-tions Cabinet Committee which “provides the day-to-day coor-dination of the government’s agenda, including issues manage-ment, legislation and House plan-ning and communications.” As one insider said, “if Mr. Prentice doesn’t put it on the agenda, it goes nowhere.” Mr. Prentice also sits on the powerful Priorities and Planning Committee as well as the Environment and Energy Security Cabinet Committee. He’s been front and centre in effectively communicating the government’s environmental stance, raising his profile sub-stantially in the last year. Mr. Prentice could be moved to a more high-profile portfolio in a Cabinet shuffle. No matter where he goes, he has influence.

Liberal MP Bob RaeMr. Rae is considered number

two in the Liberal caucus, fol-lowing, of course, the leader. He has been a forceful and strong opponent during Question Period for the Liberals and knows his foreign affairs files very well. Mr. Rae’s an influential player in the Liberal Party of Canada.

Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt

Ms. Raitt has had to weather three dicey political storms that could have been career-ending, however, she’s survived the iso-

tope crisis, the briefing binder, and the tape recorder fiasco, and has come out as one of the more capable ministers who knows her files and is trusted to do a good job. She sits on several key Cabinet committees such as Eco-nomic Growth and Long-Term Prosperity and Environment and Energy Security.

Conservative MP James Rajotte

Mr. Rajotte is popular on all sides of the House and is a loyal Harper supporter which gives him clout within the party. As the House Finance Committee chair, he also wields influence when it comes to pre-budget consulta-tions and is considered a shoo-in for Cabinet, if only he was not from Alberta.

Liberal Senator David Smith

Sen. Smith has been a top Ignatieff supporter and is a trust-ed backroomer who has deliv-ered success for the Liberal Party for decades. He is one of the top political advisers and confidants after years at the political game.

Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl

One insider said Mr. Strahl is not the most powerful minister, but is very well-respected among the Conservative caucus and his peers and “respect is a currency.” He is a trusted minister who knows his file extremely well and was a key player in last year’s apology to aboriginal victims of the residential schools.

Peter MacKay Rob Nicholson

Jack Layton

Dalton McGuintyChuck Strahl

Tom MulcairBob Rae

Michael Ignatieff

Jason Kenney

James Rajotte Jim Prentice

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EXCLUSIVE FEATURE


POLITICAL STAFFERS

Conservative Party Director of Political Operations Jenni Byrne

Ms. Byrne took over Doug Finley’s job after he was appoint-ed to the Senate in August. Her previous job as PMO director of issues management cemented the PM’s confidence in her and she’ll now be running the Conservative Party’s election campaign, along with Sen. Finley.

Liberal Leader Chief of Staff Peter Donolo

Mr. Donolo is a veteran politi-cal strategist and most recently the executive vice-president and partner of The Strategic Counsel in Toronto. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff hired Mr. Donolo to shake things up in the OLO because of his successful and extensive experi-ence in political communications during the Jean Chrétien era. He is Mr. Ignatieff’s closest adviser, which makes him influential in shaping the political scene.

PM’s Chief of Staff Guy Giorno

As the chief of staff to the Prime Minister, the low-profile Mr. Giorno is the most powerful political staffer on the payroll in the Harper govern-ment. Also, he is the chief political strategist and adviser to the Prime Minister. Despite last year’s political debacle during the coalition crisis, he has a reputation as a smart politi-cal adviser and strategist.

PMO Director of Issues Management, Priorities and Planning Jasmine Igneski

Ms. Igneski has been a loyal Harper supporter and has risen through the ranks from policy adviser in John Baird’s office and now to her current position, previ-ously held by Jenni Byrne. Ms. Igneski’s job is to craft strategy to deal with issues facing the govern-ment on a daily basis, where she is very influential in shaping not only how the government responds to the news of the day, but shapes the agenda as well. She is also the link between the party’s headquarters and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Transport Minister Chief of Staff Chris Froggatt

Mr. Froggatt co-chairs the weekly chief of staff meetings with PMO Chief of Staff Guy Giorno, and has been respon-sible for several of the staffing shakeups in ministers’ offices in the last year, making him an influential player in O-town. As the Transport Minister’s chief of staff, he also helps to oversee the $40-billion stimulus fund.

Conservative Resource Group Executive Director Gary Keller

Mr. Keller, who was recently the chief of staff to the Chief Government Whip, is the new executive director of the caucus’s research bureau. This is the team that provides support on every-thing from House speeches, MPs’ statements, QP questions, press releases, “Ten Percenters,” com-mittee work and partisan policy, political research on other parties and digging up dirt on other party leaders and their caucuses. As the executive director, Mr. Keller has the ability to influence what goes on the public and political agenda of the day.

Bloc Québécois Leader’s Chief of Staff François Leblanc

In the current dynamics of the minority Parliament, Mr. Leblanc wields significant influence as chief of staff to the third-place party that has to prop up the Conservative government.

NDP Leader’s Chief of Staff Anne McGrath

Holding the positions of party president and the chief of staff to the leader, Ms. McGrath is the top political aide to Mr. Layton. In the current minority Parliament, she has influence in helping to set her party’s agenda and whether NDP members will support the Conser-vative government.

Principal secretary to the Prime Minister Ray Novak

Mr. Novak, has been a close assistant to the Prime Minister since he won the Canadian Alliance lead-ership and is one of a few staffers who has the most access to his boss.

Executive Assistant to Grit Leader Jim Pimblett

Mr. Pimblett, formerly known as former prime minister Paul Martin’s “wallet” because he was so close to him, will be one of the two closest people to Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff. His time in the PMO was “high pressure and high performance” giving him the nec-essary experienceand he’s to be a part of the caucus’s day to day operations.

Liberal Party National Director Rocco Rossi

Mr. Rossi’s fundraising exper-tise is widely respected. His influence comes from how he performs as a fundraiser, which of course, if successful could influence the outcome of the next election.

PMO Associate Director, Communications, Press Secretary and senior Que-bec adviser Dimitri Soudas

Since the departure of former communications director Kory Teneycke, Mr. Soudas has taken on a higher profile as the Prime Minister’s spokesperson. He has enormous access to Mr. Harper, and is a key strategist in the PMO.

Chief of Staff to Finance Minister Derek Van Stone

The chief political aide to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is one of the select few Conservative aides who played an important role in the preparation of last year’s budget and $40-billion stimulus fund. Mr. Van Stone wields influ-ence by being close to Mr. Flaherty.

LOBBYISTS & CONSULTANTS

Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Perrin Beatty

The CCC bills itself as “Cana-da’s largest and most influential business association” which is “the primary and vital connection between business and the federal

government.” With 300 chambers of commerce which make up its membership representing 175,000 Canadian businesses, Mr. Beatty is a powerful and influential player.

Hill and Knowlton president and CEO Michael Coates

Mr. Coates heads up one of the most influential lobby firms in the country, and is a close friend and adviser of the Conservative Party. He’s also played key roles in recent federal elections, such as debate prep for the Prime Minister and is expected to do so again in the next election. He counts Bell Canada, SNC Lavalin Nuclear Inc. and Merck Frosst among his clients.

Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers president David Collyer

As the CAPP president, Mr. Collyer has the government’s ear as energy and environmental issues play a large role on the political agenda today. Mr. Collyer is a former president and country chair of Shell Canada, and has been a vocal advocate for “respon-sible” climate change policy which balances the economy and the environment, which is the govern-ment’s strategy when it comes to environmental policy.

Businessman Paul Desmarais Sr.

Mr. Desmarais is the former chair and CEO of Power Corpora-tion and sits on the advisory board of the Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C.,-based global private equity investment firm with more than $84.5-billion of equity capital. He counts former prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Jean Chrétien, former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy as friends which increases his domestic and international clout.

Canadian American Business Council Executive Director Maryscott Greenwood

With Canada-U.S. relations high on the priority list for this

government, Ms. Greenwood will play an influential role in shaping the agenda for the business com-munity, especially when it comes to “Buy America” and climate change issues. She is based in Washington, D.C., but insiders say she is also a staple of the Ottawa Hill com-munity. Prior to joining the CABC, she was chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa for four years.

Summa Strategies President Tracey Hubley

Ms. Hubley has been a suc-cessful defence and procurement lobbyist for years and counts Avcorp Industries Inc., Magna International Inc., Boeing Global Sales Corporation, Navistar Defense and several other aero-space firms as her current clients. She’s been influential in advising the government on its billions of defence dollar contract spending.

Canadian Bankers Association president Nancy Hughes Anthony

Ms. Hughes Anthony repre-sents Canada’s 54 banks, foreign subsidiaries and branches. With the government’s various moves to make changes to the banking, debit and credit card systems, Ms. Hughes Anthony has an even larger role to play, especially in helping to aid the recovery of the global economic downturn.

Canadian Council of Chief Executives president and CEO John Manley

Mr. Manley spent 16 years as a Liberal MP, including 10 years as a high-profile Cabinet minister. Prior to joining the CCCE, whose members’ assets total more than $3.5-trillion, the government called on him to serve as the chair of the panel on Canada’s future in Afghanistan. He has close ties to both the Lib-erals and the Conservatives and he’s an influential asset to the CCCE when it advocates on fis-cal, taxation, trade, energy, and environmental issues.



Rocco Rossi

Gary Keller Anne McGrath Guy Giorno Jenni Byrne

Chris Froggatt

Ted Menzies

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EXCLUSIVE FEATURE

Deputy chair of TD Bank Financial Group Frank McKenna

The former popular premier of New Brunswick and Canadian ambassador to the U.S., Mr. McK-enna is one of the most prominent Liberals in the country. He is well-respected for his judgment on both economic and political issues.

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters President Jayson Myers

Insiders say Mr. Myers is a quiet but strong mover and shaker who is liked by members of both the government and the opposition. He continues to have a presence on issues such as taxation, internation-al trade, and the environment.

Earnscliffe Strategy Group Principal Geoff Norquay

Mr. Norquay’s top profile as a successful lobbyist comes from his long history with the Conser-vative Party, starting with Brian Mulroney’s PMO where he worked as an adviser and then as the com-munications director in Mr. Harper’s OLO. He is currently registered for 10 clients including Microsoft, Astral Media and Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies Rx&D. He is also registered to lobby for Globalive Wireless Management Corp., which is spearheading the lobby effort in Canada for more wireless competition.

Summa Strategies VP Tim Powers

Mr. Powers is a long-time, trusted and high-profile Conserva-tive who is well-connected to the party and senior PMO officials. He started blogging for The Globe and Mail last year, which has height-ened his profile and does the polit-ical talk show circuit weekly.

Crestview Public Affairs Co-founder Mark Spiro

Mr. Spiro is a “brilliant mind” who was a key adviser and top organizer on the federal Conserva-tives’ recent electoral successes. As one of the Conservatives’ pollsters, he focused on helping the party win several of the swing ridings in the last election to increase

their seat count in the House of Commons by 20. He has the ear of many senior government officials and top political players.

PUBLIC SERVANTS & OFFICIALS

Deputy Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Yaprak Baltacıolu

Ms. Baltacıolu was appointed Transport DM in July, during the height of the $40-billion stimulus spending for infrastructure proj-ects. She is not a stranger to high-profile positions, as the former Agriculture DM during the listerio-sis crisis which cemented the Prime Minister’s confidence in her. She also spent four years at the PCO as the assistant secretary to the Cabi-net (Social Development Policy) and then as deputy secretary to the Cabinet (Operations) where she provided strategic advice and sup-port to the PM and Cabinet. She’s married to Defence deputy minister Robert Fonberg and The Globe and Mail recently described them as Ottawa’s “power couple.”

Chief Public Health Officer David Butler-Jones

Dr. Butler-Jones has been the lead public servant on the H1N1 influenza breakout, coordinating efforts with Health DM Morris Rosenberg on a federal-provincial-territorial response to the pan-demic. He’s been influential in the government’s communications strategy on preventing contraction of the flu and lessening its impact on the general population.

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney

Mr. Carney is responsible for the monetary policy in Canada, which, during a recession is extremely important. He declared that Canada was in a recession early this year and took steps to stimulate the economy by lowering interest rates, significantly influenc-ing Canada’s economic recovery.

First Secretary and Liaison Officer, Intelligence Office, Canadian Embassy in Wash-ington, D.C., Richard Colvin

Mr. Colvin blew the whistle on

an international story by announc-ing that Canadian soldiers know-ingly transferred Afghan detainees to the Taliban who would then torture them. During his 15-year diplomatic career, he was posted to Afghanistan in October 2007 where was head of the political section and chargé d’affaires. His knowledge of events is sure to influence the fed-eral political scene as the opposition charge they will not let up on the issue for at least the next year.

Secretary to the Treasury Board Michelle d’Auray

Wayne Wouters previously held this post, but promoted Ms. D’Auray to the position when he was appointed the PCO Clerk’s position in July, showing confi-dence in her abilities to provide advice on policies, directives, regulations and program expen-ditures as the top bureaucrat at the Treasury Board Secretariat.

Superintendent of Financial Institutions Julie Dickson

Ms. Dickson is Canada’s “most powerful woman in Canadian banking,” according to The Globe and Mail, and has been influential in keeping the country’s banks from going under during the glob-al economic recession. Insiders say she is quiet but smart and the banks respect her. She also has the confidence of the government.

Natural Resources Deputy Minister Cassie Doyle

Ms. Doyle brings years of knowledge and expertise to the Natural Resources Department at a time when energy and the environ-ment are high profile public policy issues. She is a loyal public servant who is able to effectively carry out the government’s agenda.

Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Leonard Edwards

Although foreign affairs is seen as not being a top priority for the government, the govern-

ing Conservatives are actively engaged in a number of for-eign affairs initiatives such as free trade agreements and, of course, the Afghanistan war. Mr. Edwards has more than 30 years of international experience and wields influence because he is responsible for working on a number of files that cross depart-ments, such as National Defence and International Trade.

RCMP Commissioner William Elliott

Although some insiders say the RCMP is a “mess” at the moment and Mr. Elliott’s influence has declined in the last year, by vir-tue of his position, he’s still an important player because he has the ability to influence everything from national security, domestic intelligence and justice policy.

National Defence Deputy Minister Robert Fonberg

With Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan and the Con-servative government making national defence a top priority, Mr. Fonberg’s significant experi-ence allows him to influence the agenda. He will have to handle the controversial Afghanistan detainee torture issue but with his extensive experience in the senior ranks of government, insiders say he’ll be able to perform well. He and his wife, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Deputy Minister Yaprak Baltacıolu, are consid-ered Ottawa’s “power couple” for holding two of the largest portfo-lios for this government.

Auditor General Sheila Fraser

She hasn’t had as explosive a report as when she discov-ered the Liberals’ sponsorship scandal, but Ms. Fraser releases two in-depth reports a year on value for money or program effectiveness in various gov-ernment departments which

almost always impact the federal political agenda and future policy decisions.

Finance Deputy Minister Michael Horgan

Insiders consider Mr. Hor-gan, former executive direc-tor for the Canadian, Irish and Caribbean constituency at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, a “genius” who was tapped to rebuild the Finance Department’s reputation which has recently taken a “beating.” As Finance DM, he will be in charge of the relatively small, but central and uniquely influential, policy-oriented department, with a staff of about 765 people. The Finance DM is informally called a “super deputy” in normal times, but given the current economic climate in which Canada is trying to come out of a recession and fight a deficit, the position is key.

PCO Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Operations Daniel Jean

Mr. Jean’s responsible for providing advice to Cabinet on policy and operational issues and manage Cabinet’s decision-making system, which, by the very nature of his job title makes him an influential player in the government’s operations.

National Security Adviser to PM and Associate Secretary to Cabinet Marie-Lucie Morin

Ms. Morin, a former diplomat and former DM of International Trade, is considered an effective and smart public servant whose influence comes from being num-ber three in the PCO hierarchy in her role as the associate secre-tary to Cabinet, and as the Prime Minister’s top adviser on national security issues.



Geoff Norquay Frank McKenna

John ManleyTim Powers

David Jacobson

David Butler-Jones

Richard Colvin

Gary Doer

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EXCLUSIVE FEATURE


Chief of Defense Staff General Walter Natynczyk

Mr. Natynczyk has been a loyal soldier and public servant and is far less outspoken than his predecessor, but with Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan and the Conservatives’ priority to increase military spending and defence procurement, he is a leading and influential player in ensuring the government’s “Canada First” defence policy materializes.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page

Mr. Page has 25 years of experience in the public service, including years in the Depart-ment of Finance, Treasury Board and the Privy Council Office. He’s become a thorn in the gov-ernment’s side, but he was hired to “ensure truth in budgeting” and that’s what he’s doing. He’s been influential in the media which forces the government to respond, and he’s pushing for his budget increase, despite all the odds against him. There are a lot.

Heath Deputy Minister Morris Rosenberg

Mr. Rosenberg has been the DM of Health since December 2004, and his experience in the public service has helped him to successfully influence the man-agement of the H1N1 flu pan-demic. He’s worked with Chief Public Health Officer David But-ler-Jones to organize a federal-provincial-territorial response to the pandemic.

PCO Deputy secretary to Cabinet, Legislation, House Planning and Machinery of Government Yvan Roy

Mr. Roy manages legislation, House business, and the machin-ery of government to ensure everything is running smoothly and is the closest person to PCO Clerk Wayne Wouters.

Environment Canada Deputy Minister Ian Shugart

Although the Environment does not appear to be a huge priority for this government, Mr.

Shugart is the lead on the envi-ronment and energy portfolio, especially in Canada-U.S. talks on both issues.

PCO Clerk Wayne WoutersMr. Wouters has been in this

job for only half a year, but his almost three decades in the civil service in several departments and in top positions, gives him the experience, knowledge and authority to influence not only how the bureaucracy is run, but also how the government runs. As the top public servant, Mr. Wouters is essentially the DM for the Prime Minister. He is the most powerful bureaucrat in the land and is the PM’s most influ-ential adviser.

MEDIA

CBC’s The National’s At Issue Panel

Maclean’s national edi-tor Andrew Coyne, Decima Research’s Allan Gregg and The Toronto Star columnist Chantal Hébert make up CBC’s must-watch At Issue panel, which garnered 760,000 viewers last season. The 13-minute segment is watched by political junkies and insiders, as well as top decision-makers who tune in to hear the provocative and thoughtful insight into the week’s top politi-cal stories.

Canwest reporter David AkinMr. Akin was one of the first

reporters to regularly blog about the day’s political news, which has influenced the wave of politi-cal reporters’ blogging in and around Parliament Hill. He’s often the first to break stories on his blog, which has a strong fol-lowing, and he’s at the forefront of the use of new web technolo-gies such as Twitter and Face-book to tell political stories.

La Presse bureau chief Joel Denis Bellavance

Mr. Bellavance is one of a few reporters on Parliament Hill who “has the pulse of Quebec” in Ottawa. He often breaks stories and can be seen on television giving thoughtful insight into the politics of the day, which political insiders pay careful attention to.

Le Devoir reporter Hélène Buzzetti

Ms. Buzzetti has been on the Hill for several years. She has good contacts, she gets scoops and the English media often chase her stories. Her stories are must-reads for anyone who wants to follow not only what’s going on in Quebec, but also the national scene.

CTV Power Play host Tom Clark

Coming from Washington, D.C., Mr. Clark has been on the Hill for little less than a year with his supper-hour Power Play show, and has established himself as one of the top must-watch politi-cal shows in town by politicos of all stripes. He had big shoes to fill, but as an experienced and trusted broadcaster, he’s stepped into his own by asking tough questions of the top political players and generating a buzz with the stories he highlights on his show.

Toronto Star senior writer Susan Delacourt

Ms. Delacourt has covered Parliament Hill for more than 20 years and is currently act-ing Ottawa bureau chief for Canada’s largest circulation daily newspaper. She’s created a web niche for herself with a large following on her popular Star blog on which she offers insightful commentary about the day’s political happenings. Top political players and other media carefully watch and often follow her lead.

La Presse columnist Alain Dubuc

Mr. Dubuc is a veteran jour-nalist and columnist who’s been watching Quebec and federal politics for more than 30 years. He’s a National Newspaper

Award-winner who is read by top political players and govern-ment officials.

CTV Ottawa bureau chief Bob Fife

Mr. Fife has been covering federal politics since 1978 for a variety of news organizations and is now the influential Ottawa bureau chief for CTV. He’s a workaholic who regularly breaks national stories and is well-con-nected to government sources.

Toronto Star, Le Devoir, The Hill Times columnist Chantal Hébert

Ms. Hébert is respected among politicos, insiders and government officials for her straightforward, insightful, well written and factual columns. She’s reported on and observed politics since 1975 and is the win-ner of the Public Policy Forum’s Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Jour-nalism. Her words are serious business and have the power to influence the national political and media agenda.

Globe and Mail Ottawa bureau chief John Ibbitson

Before becoming the paper’s Washington bureau chief, Mr. Ibbitson covered federal politics with insightful and insider col-umns. He’s back as the Globe’s Ottawa bureau chief and has been setting the media and politi-cal agenda while contributing to the Globe’s newsroom blog which is updated several times a day and is closely followed.

National Post columnist John Ivison

Mr. Ivison has been on the Hill for almost a decade and is well-connected to the top politi-

cal players. It also helps that his wife, fellow Post reporter, Julie Smyth, walks regularly with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s wife, Laureen, and their children go to school together. His column is a must-read for those who fol-low the federal political scene closely.

Halifax Chronicle-Herald Ottawa bureau chief Stephen Maher

Mr. Maher covers federal politics from an Atlantic Canada angle, but has made a name for himself in national reporting by breaking several major stories which other national reporters have closely followed. He has a presence among all MPs, govern-ment, backbenchers, opposition and the like, often getting scoops and influencing the national agenda.

Calgary Herald, National Post columnist Don Martin

Mr. Martin, as one insider described him, is the “statesman” of political columnists. He has been covering politics for three decades and is a trusted colum-nist who has good contacts in all parties. He is often the first to break stories through significant scoops and is an influential play-er in setting the media agenda. Political insiders always want to hear what he has to say.

Globe and Mail columnist Lawrence Martin

Mr. Martin has been report-ing on and observing the Hill for years, offering thought-provoking and intelligent com-mentary on some of the largest issues facing the country, mak-ing his column a “must read” for anyone who follows the nation-al political scene.



Wayne WoutersWalter Natynczyk

Kevin Page Hélène Buzzetti Chantal Hébert David Akin

Stephen Maher Joel-Denis Bellavance

Bob Fife Dimitri Soudas

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Photographs by Jake Wright, Cynthia Münster and Jeff Davis The Hill Times

Political satirist Rick Mercer

Mr. Mercer continues to influence the political agenda by shaping public opinion through his satire. He has a strong televi-sion following and offers a dif-ferent perspective of the day’s top stories that many political insiders and decision makers take note of.

National Newswatch founder Will LeRoy

Mr. LeRoy has made Nation-al Newswatch the go-to news aggregator for all things and people political. Stories that go viral on the internet and set the agenda are often first seen on nationalnewswatch.com. Reporters check the website multiple times daily to see if they’ve missed a top story and lobbyists, top government offi-cials and, of course, other media look to it as a source of reliable information. It’s hot.

CTV Question Period host Craig Oliver

Throughout his 50-year career in journalism, Mr. Oliver has built a solid reputation for journalistic excellence. Because of this, he’s not only respected, but trusted among the politi-cal players, other media and viewers for his thoughtful and insightful views.

CBC blogger Kady O’Malley

Ms. O’Malley is an experi-enced Hill reporter who has emerged as the “live blogging” queen. She has created a niche for herself and has a large fol-lowing of not only Hill denizens, but the general public and pub-lic servants. As one insider said, her live blogging of certain com-mittees or political events are the only way some people follow the federal political scene, espe-cially from afar, which gives her an influential platform.

Corriere Canadese, The Hill Times and The Toronto Star columnist Angelo Persichilli

Mr. Persichilli’s columns

appear in Canada’s largest circulation daily, The Toronto Star, and Parliament Hill’s influential weekly, The Hill Times. He has a large reader-ship and has close connec-tions to both the governing Conservatives and the Lib-erals, often getting scoops which shape the federal polit-ical scene.

Canadian Press bureau chief Rob Russo

The Canadian Press’s slo-gan is “Canada’s Trusted News Leader,” which suitably fits. CP is often the first news agency to break stories. As its bureau chief, Mr. Russo is responsible for setting the day’s news agen-da, which makes him influential in shaping the federal political

Globe and Mail senior reporter and CTV Question Period host Jane Taber

Ms. Taber has been on the Hill covering federal politics since 1986 and is very plugged in to official Ottawa. Her new web presence on The Globe’s website has heightened her profile and she often breaks stories on her Ottawa Note-book blog.

Sun Media columnist Greg Weston

Mr. Weston writes for the largest media chain in the country, giving his “must-read” column a significant platform and readership. He often “drops bombs” in his well-written and well-argued columns which political observers and insiders take note of regularly.

OTHER PUBLIC FIGURES

Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer

Mr. Doer was one of the most successful provincial premiers before quitting elect-ed politics for the diplomatic circuit. Prime Minister Ste-phen Harper appointed him recently as Canada’s ambas-sador to the U.S., an impor-tant role in today’s political environment of heightened Canada-U.S. relations.

University of Calgary professor and pundit Tom Flanagan

Mr. Flanagan was once a close adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which makes his critical eye on the govern-ment even more noteworthy. His columns which can be found often in The Globe and Mail influence the national political scene, as reporters often follow his ideas as stories, and the gov-ernment must react.

Former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier

Since leaving the Cana-dian federal bureaucracy as the top soldier, Mr. Hillier has kept himself in the spotlight by writing books and join-ing charitable organizations. He’s back in the spotlight now because of the contro-versy surrounding the Afghan detainee torture and what Canada’s role was exactly. As Canada’s top soldier in Afghanistan, he likely knows more than what’s publicly available and he could influ-ence any future probe or inves-tigation into the allegations.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson

Mr. Jacobson has been in Ottawa for two months only, but by virtue of his position, is already an influential player on Canada’s political scene. With Canada-U.S. relations growing to include significant issues such as “Buy America,” the war in Afghanistan, a North American cap and trade system, and an economic recovery, Mr. Jacobson will play an important part in all bilateral discussions.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin

Chief Justice McLachlin’s rulings are obviously looked at and listened to carefully and are able to influence future laws Parliamentarians make.

Canadian Ambassador to China David Mulroney

Mr. Mulroney’s influence comes in two categories. As the former head of the Afghani-stan Task Force, he’s also likely to know more than what’s publicly available. If there’s a probe or inquiry into the events surrounding the Afghan detainee torture, his comments could influence the outcome. Secondly, the Prime Minister has put Mr. Mulroney into a key position to negotiate with China as Canada focuses on building trade relationships with emerging economies.

Nanos Research president and CEO Nik Nanos

Top political players care-fully look at Mr. Nanos’ work because of its pinpoint accuracy and insight. He can often be seen on political talk shows and quoted in news stories for his trusted take on the federal political scene.



EXCLUSIVE FEATURE THE TOP 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS IN OTTAWA IN 2010POLITICIANS1. Transport Minister John Baird2. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon3. Quebec Premier Jean Charest4. Industry Minister Tony Clement5. International Trade Minister Stockwell Day6. Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe7. Conservative Senator Doug Finley8. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty9. Liberal MP Marc Garneau10. Prime Minister Stephen Harper11. Government House Leader Jay Hill12. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff13. Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney14. NDP Leader Jack Layton15. Defence Minister Peter MacKay16. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty17. Conservative MP Ted Menzies18. NDP Deputy Leader Thomas Mulcair19. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson20. Environment Minister Jim Prentice21. Liberal MP Bob Rae22. Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt 23. Conservative MP James Rajotte24. Liberal Senator David Smith25. Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl

POLITICAL STAFFERS1. PMO Director of Political Operations Jenni Byrne2. Liberal Leader Chief of Staff Peter Donolo3. PM’s Chief of Staff Guy Giorno4. PMO Director of Strategic Planning Jasmine Igneski5. Chief of Staff to Transport Minister Chris Froggatt6. Conservative Resource Group Executive Director Gary Keller7. Chief of Staff to Bloc Québécois Leader François Leblanc8. NDP Leader’s Chief of Staff Anne McGrath9. Principal secretary to the Prime Minister Ray Novak10. Executive Assistant to Liberal Leader Jim Pimblett11. Liberal Party National Director Rocco Rossi12. PMO press secretary and senior Quebec adviser Dimitri Soudas13. Chief of Staff to Finance Minister Derek Van Stone

LOBBYISTS, CONSULTANTS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE1. Canadian Bankers Association president Nancy Hughes Anthony2. Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Perrin Beatty3. Hill and Knowlton president and CEO Michael Coates4. Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers president David Collyer5. Power Corporation Chair and CEO Paul Desmarais Sr. 6. Canada U.S. Business Council executive director Scotty Greenwood7. Summa Strategies President Tracey Hubley8. Canadian Council of Chief Executives president and CEO John Manley9. Deputy chair of TD Bank Financial Group Frank McKenna10. Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president Jayson Myers11. Earnscliffe Strategy Group Principal Geoff Norquay12. Summa Strategies Vice-President Tim Powers13. Crestview Public Affairs Co-founder Mark Spiro

PUBLIC SERVANTS & OFFICIALS1. Deputy Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Yaprak Baltacıolu 2. Chief Public Health Officer David Butler-Jones3. Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney4. First Secretary and Liaison Officer, Intelligence Office, Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Richard Colvin5. Secretary to the Treasury Board Michelle d’Auray6. Superintendant of Financial Institutions Julie Dickson7. Natural Resources Deputy Minister Cassie Doyle8. Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Leonard Edwards9. RCMP Commissioner William Elliott10. National Defence Deputy Minister Robert Fonberg11. Auditor General Sheila Fraser12. Finance Deputy Minister Michael Horgan13. PCO Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Operations Daniel Jean14. National Security Adviser to PM and Associate Secretary to Cabinet Marie-Lucie Morin15. Chief of Defense Staff General Walter Natynczyk16. Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page17. Health Deputy Minister Morris Rosenberg18. PCO Deputy secretary to Cabinet, Legislation, House Planning and Machinery of Gov-ernment Yvan Roy19. Environment Canada Deputy Minister Ian Shugart20. PCO Clerk Wayne Wouters

MEDIA1. CBC The National’s At Issue Panel Chantal Hébert, Allan Gregg, and Andrew Coyne2. Canwest reporter David Akin3. La Presse reporter Joel Denis Bellavance4. Le Devoir reporter Hélène Buzzetti5. CTV Power Play host Tom Clark6. Toronto Star reporter/columnist Susan Delacourt7. La Presse columnist Alain Dubuc8. CTV Ottawa bureau chief Bob Fife9. Toronto Star, Le Devoir, The Hill Times columnist Chantal Hébert10. Globe and Mail Ottawa bureau chief John Ibbitson11. National Post columnist John Ivison12. Chronicle-Herald Ottawa bureau chief Stephen Maher13. Calgary Herald, National Post columnist Don Martin14. Globe and Mail columnist Lawrence Martin15. Political satirist Rick Mercer16. National Newswatch’s Will LeRoy17. CTV Question Period host Craig Oliver18. CBC blogger Kady O’Malley19. Corriere Canadese, The Hill Times and The Toronto Star columnist Angelo Persichilli20. Canadian Press bureau chief Rob Russo21. Globe and Mail senior reporter and CTV Question Period host Jane Taber22. Sun Media columnist Greg Weston

OTHER PUBLIC FIGURES1. Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Gary Doer2. Pundit and University of Calgary professor Tom Flanagan3. Former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier4. U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson5. Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin6. Canadian Ambassador to China David Mulroney7. Nanos Research president and CEO Nik Nanos

—Compiled by Bea Vongdouangchanh


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LIVES LIVEDGAUTHIER DIESGauthier dies after 40 years in public service

Former tough-as-nails Liberal MP and retired Senator Jean-Robert Gauthier, pic-tured, died on Dec. 11 in Ottawa after a long illness. Mr. Gauthier, who was nicknamed “J.R.” when he served as the federal Liber-als’ whip from 1984 to 1990 and House leader from 1990 to 1991, ran unsuccessfully for the House Speaker’s job in 1994, but lost by one vote to Gib Parent. Mr. Gauthier represented the Ottawa-Vanier riding from 1972 until he was appointed to the Senate by then-prime minister Jean Chrétien in 1994. He retired on his 75th birthday 10 years later. Mr. Gauthier was a vocal advocate for Ontario francophones.—The Hill Times

MEDIAGLOBALIVE DECISIONGlobalive allowed to enter Canadian cellphone market

Industry Minister Tony Clement took the rare step of overturning the CRTC’s decision to reject an application from Globalive because it did not deem the company to be sufficiently Canadian owned. Using the same law, the Cabinet found that while the shares may have been majority foreign owned, the own-ership structure was sufficiently Cana-dian—and this should result in more con-sumer choice and maybe better prices.

This is a major blow to the protection-ist and cosy world that the commission ensures for those titans of free markets, Rogers, Telus and Bell, our only three national cell phone providers. (Over-turning is rare, and it’s worth noting that almost all commissioners have been appointed by the current Cabinet.) Two issues need to be watched now: will the new company actually offer cheaper ser-vices or will it simply rise to what appear to be very similar prices by the big-three? Is this more relaxed approach to foreign ownership in telecommunications going to leak over to the broadcasting world, where culture is the main product?—Andrew Cardozo

WESTERN DEMOCRACYPOLITICAL INSTABILITYA Big Dys: Electoral Expert names Canada the most dysfunctional Western democracy

Canada has replaced Italy as the most dysfunctional Western democracy, says Henry Milner, a Canadian expert on elec-

toral systems. Mr. Milner expressed his views about Canada’s fall into political instability in an article titled “The New Italy” in the latest issue of Inroads: The Canadian Journal of Opinion.

“Political science undergraduates used to learn about Italy as the model of dys-functional political institutions, character-ized by frequent elections and constant uncertainty under minority governments at the mercy of shifting political allianc-es,” writes Mr. Milner.

He continues on that Canada used to be predictable and uninteresting to the rest of the world, but since the arrival of the Bloc Québécios and the merging of the Reform and Canadian Alliance parties with the Conservative Party, the excep-tion has become the rule.

“It seems, finally, to have become a matter of conventional wisdom that we are stuck with minority governments and the instability that goes along with them,” Mr. Milner writes.

Mr. Milner is a co-publisher of Inroads as well as a professor at the University of Montreal and a visiting professor at Umea University in Sweden.

The electoral expert advocates for Canada to adopt a system of proportional representation (PR) similar to that of Ger-many or New Zealand.

“It is possible to debate the overall merits of PR,” says Mr. Milner, “but there can be no question that it is better suited to minority government than our current system.”—Yael Berger

INUITGLOBAL WARMINGCopenhagen agreements should protect Arctic, says Inuit Leader

Inuit Tapiriit Kana-tami Leader Mary Simon, pictured, says any agreements made at Copenhagen must address ways to pro-tect the Arctic and recognize the damag-ing effects of global warming in the North.

Ms. Simon said she wants special consid-eration and funds for communities at risk, such as the Inuit popu-lations in Canada. The Commonwealth counties announced last week they will put $10-billion towards greener adapta-tions, but Ms. Simon said G20 countries should invest at least double that amount. She also advocates for more money to be invested by 2020.

Ms. Simon is joining Environment Minister Jim Prentice and the other Canadian delegates at the summit in Copenhagen.

“I will be attending in two capacities,” she said. “First, to advocate on behalf of Inuit in Canada, and second, to advise Minister Prentice on the measures needed to combat climate change in the Canadian Arctic.”

Mr. Prentice announced on Dec. 10 that Canada’s targets will follow the cap and trade system in accord with the Unit-ed States, and will use “absolute caps” to put a price on carbon to reduce pollution and emissions.

Ms. Simon said she doesn’t want to look at Canada’s targets in a vacuum. She said she wants to see how effective Canada’s targets will be within a global reduction strategy, after all countries have declared their targets in Copenhagen.

“We need to change the language of the debate from what cannot be done to what must be done,” said Ms. Simon. She says Inuit communities are in immediate danger from rising temperatures and cli-mate change, but this is a global concern because everyone has contributed to the problem and everyone will suffer the con-sequences.—Yael Berger


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Politics Page Photographs by JAKE WRIGHT AND CYNTHIA MÜNSTER

Canada’s place in the world: Industry Minister Tony Clement delivered a speech at the Canadian Club on ‘Canada’s Place in The World,’ at the Chateau Laurier Hotel on Dec. 8 in Ottawa.

Snow in Ottawa: It came in like a lion last week on Parliament Hill. MPs are gone until Jan. 25.

What’s up doc: Senators, MPs, and journalists flocked to the Diabetes Day clinic on the Hill, including former heart surgeon Wilbert Keon.

Ellen Malcolmson

Tory Sen. Wilbert Keon

Global’s Kevin Newman

Sen. Keon

Industry Minister Tony Clement

Jim Armour and Kory Teneycke

Kim Furlong Tory MP Dean Del Mastro

Steven HogueNational PostJohn Ivison

The scene at the Chateau Laurier Hotel

It’s snowing on the Hill The light is on in the PM’s office

POLITICS


The last week of the Canadian Parlia-ment in the first decade of the 21st

century did not disappoint. Fuelled by the fury of the Afghan detainees scandal, the ever-present and endlessly entertaining turmoil of the Liberal Party and many a Christmas soirée, in the last bit of 2009 the good people of the Parliament Hill com-munity proved they don’t need election speculation to make this place interesting, and fun.

Things got started at a party for the Conservative Aboriginal Caucus, hosted by Winnipeg MP Rod Bru-inooge in his West Block office. Mr. Bruinooge is the chair of the Aborigi-nal Caucus, which also includes Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, Rob Clarke, Shelley Glover, and Senators Patrick Brazeau, and Gerry St. Germain. The event was well attended by staff-ers, media, MPs, Sena-tors, Cabinet ministers, and chiefs from all over Canada. It featured an excellent food and drink spread, including a bar staffed by Spirits Canada, which provided guests with a host of tasty bever-ages, including specialty martinis and zesty moji-tos. Mr. Bruinooge said there are a lot of distillers in Manitoba, including the quintessentially Cana-dian (and inarguably delicious) Crown Royal whisky, so he likes to pro-mote the industry.

Mr. Bruinooge was particularly proud of the cupcakes, provided by Isobel Cup-cakes, which is located in Ottawa. He told a few guests if they weren’t the best cup-cakes they ever had he would buy them dinner. Party Central grabbed one on the way out and can attest that he probably didn’t have to buy too many dinners.

After leaving West Block, Party Central boarded one of the Parliament Hill shuttle buses that were transporting people up Sussex Drive to the palatial Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, which is located between the Lester B. Pearson Building and the Saudi Arabian Embassy, and is owned by the Aga Khan Development Network. The House Speaker’s Office and the folks at the delegation hosted a reception for the ‘Quilt of Belonging,’ a 120-foot long textile mosaic that “recognizes Canada’s diversity, celebrates our common humanity and pro-motes harmony among people.” And there were also wine and hors d’oeuvre.

Wednesday evening was the Liberal Christmas party, which was a good place to reflect on all that can happen in one year in politics. At last year’s holiday bash, held Dec. 15, Leader Michael Ignatieff, benefit-

ing from the aborted coalition of his prede-cessor Stéphane Dion, had been in the top job for exactly one week, and one Liberal described the mood in the party as “cau-tious and exhausted happiness.”

Many Liberals thought they would be celebrating Christmas in the Langevin Block by this time, and while that pos-sibility is as remote as ever the mood this year could be described as exhausted and unhinged jubilation to be still in one piece. Yes, while the former natural governing party has had a damn rough go of it lately,

they deserve plaudits for never losing their joie de vivre.

Around 800 Grits, mostly MPs and their staff from Ottawa and from the ridings, crammed into the Crowne Plaza hotel for a night of dinner, danc-ing, and lots and lots of drinking (there was a cash bar, but they didn’t care). When Mr. Ignati-eff took to the podium he received a standing ovation and a thunder-ing “Michael, Michael” cheer, and proceeded to give a very non-cerebral, crowd-pleasing, and brief speech.

He thanked the unseen and long-suffering staff-ers who “make sure that every hair on Geoff Regan’s head is in place, the people that tell Hedy Fry that leopard skin leo-tards are still in style, all

the great people that manage to keep every-one sober until 3 p.m. Newfoundland time. And all those people of a particular crowd who group around a particular Member of Parliament and manage to get any work done at all because he’s just so dreamy, I mean Justin Trudeau.” He also paid tribute to fallen Grit warriors Jerry Yanover and Richard Wackid, and concluded by giving a toast to the Liberal Party.

Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, an Angli-can minister, said a touching pre-dinner prayer, while clad in a kilt. The Scottish kilt-wearing tradition is to go without undergarments, although Mr. Oliphant said he aired on the side of caution and opted for the undies. Justin Trudeau wore a kilt to last year’s Christmas party and claimed he went commando, although it was rumoured that his diligent and pro-tective staffer, Louis Alexandre-Lanthier, insisted at the time that he break with tra-dition and wear underwear.

At around 10 o’clock partygoers headed down to the Byward Market for an after party at The Drink, where Liberals drank to better times ahead until the wee hours.



The Tory aboriginal caucus served up the holiday spirit and some delectable cupcakes, and the Liberals might

be tired but they’re upbeat as ever

The last week of Parliament for 2009 was one to remember, and no one missed the election speculation

PARTY CENTRALB Y H A R R I S M A C L E O D

Party Central Photographs by CYNTHIA MÜNSTER

Retired Independent Senator Marcel Prud’homme and Senate Speaker Noël Kinsella

The Quilt of Belonging

Romanian Ambassador Elema Stefoi, Croatian Ambassador Vasela Korac, and House Speaker staffer Anthony Carricato

Liberal staffer Matthew Rowe and Liberal Senator Mobina JafferConservative Senator Consiglio Di Nino

Conservative Senator Gerry St. Germain and MPs Shelly Glover and John Duncan

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson

Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt

Global TV reporter Jacques Bourbeau and Tory MP and host Rod Bruinooge

Conservative MPs Chris Warkentin and Nina Grewal

First Nation Christian Leader Kenny Blacksmith and Mr. BruinoogeConservative SenatorPatrick Brazeau

The cupcakes

The scene at the Conservative Aboriginal Caucus Christmas Party

Bloc MP Nicole DemersImmigration Minister Jason Kenney

Drinks at the Tory Aboriginal Caucus Christmas Party

FEATURE


Yep, there’s definitely more to politics than dirty old partisanship which is

why CPAC created its new show, On the Bright Side.

Hosted by CPAC reporter Glen McIn-nis, Puneet Birgi and Heather Seaman, the show which was launched in the fall, looks at the many positive events that [really do!] happen in federal politics and on Par-liament Hill.

Colette Watson, president and general manager of CPAC, said there is more to politics than Question Period.

“MPs and Senators work really, really hard and most of the time what Canadians, at large, get to see is what went wrong. We’re hoping to show some of the other stuff,” Ms. Watson said.

Since it debuted on Sept. 20, the show has broadcast stories on The Hill Times’ 20th anniversary party, the MPs’ fitness club on the Hill, the new all-party arts caucus, a soccer game between MPs and the Hill media, and many others.

Mr. McInnis, 43, who has been with CPAC for nine years, said the soccer game was a fun story to cover. He also played. “They throw all the political stripes aside and concentrate on things that are of com-mon interest,” he said, adding “I didn’t score, at all actually. I was pretty useless, but I still had fun.”

The former host of CPAC’s Outburst, Mr. McInnis said his old show was interesting because he got to talk to people on the street but said he likes On the Bright Side because he’s back on the Hill.

He was born and raised in Glace Bay, N.S., and spent many years working in Nova Scotia and in Calgary before coming to Ottawa.

Mr. McInnis still finds time to play in two bands, Kilbride, which plays at NDP MP Peter Stoffer’s (Sackville-Eastern Shore, N.S.) annual All Party Party, and Big Slick, a rock band with some East Coast flare.

“Glen is all about positive stuff. He likes to get out and just interact with Canadians who aren’t involved with poli-tics,” said Ms. Watson.

Ms. Seaman, the show’s Toronto-based contributor, who also works for Rogers and has worked for 680 News, CHUM radio and the A-channel in the past, said she’s the go-to person in Toronto, and mostly focuses on what MPs are doing in their ridings. She said it’s been an uplift-ing experience to look at the cooperative side of politics.

Ms. Birgi, who recently graduated from Carleton University in public affairs and policy management, said she had no previ-

ous journalism experience but has a love for politics.

“I was in the elevator with Justin Trudeau the other day and I just kept telling myself, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, stay calm.’ It’s almost like meeting Justin Timberlake,” Ms. Birgi said. She said she has a lot of fun working on the Hill and said meeting MPs is a lot like meeting celebrities.

Ms. Watson said she brought Ms. Birgi on the show to give a youthful and fresh perspective.

“When I’m thinking of ideas for the show I ask myself, ‘What would my friends want to see?’ ” said Ms. Birgi.

Mr. McInnis said he has no problem finding story ideas that focus on the “Bright Side.” He said MPs from differ-ent parties put their differences aside and cooperate more often than people would think. He said these stories have been under reported and there is a need to tell the positive side.

“We just focus on the positive things that are happening on Parliament Hill,” he said. It’s an unorthodox approach to political reporting, but it’s getting good reviews,” he said.

NDP MP Megan Leslie (Halifax, N.S.) said a CPAC camera crew fol-lowed her for the day in her riding recently and she thought it was a great idea. She said it’s a nice chance for people to see what goes on beyond Question Period.

“Everyone wants to talk to me about Question Period and I keep saying to them it’s only 45 minutes,” said Ms. Les-lie. “Yes it’s appalling, yes it’s an affront to democracy what’s happening in there, but it is only 45 minutes. There’s a lot more to what we do than those 45 minutes.”

Declared Ms. Leslie: “They got to come on HMCS Sackville with me to go for the veterans’ lunch and they came for an unveiling of a statue and talked to some of my constituents.”

On the Bright Side airs Sundays at 8:30 p.m.

Ms. Watson said CPAC still has their usual political shows for tough questions and covers Question Period and more par-tisan politics, but she said “we just thought once a week on Sundays let’s focus on the good stuff.”

Mr. McInnis said he is happy to be working on the show, telling stories about MPs that wouldn’t otherwise be told and showing a perspective that often gets over-looked.

“Deep down, when the cameras are off, at the end of the day, these people really do have a certain amount of respect for each other and they like each other.”


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CPAC’s new show looks at sunny side of politics, for a bright twistBehind the scenes of the House’s politically partisan Question Period, MPs actually do work together sometimes.

Cheer up, people: CPAC’s On the Bright Side’s hosts Puneet Birgi, Heather Seaman, and Glen McInnis.Photograph courtesy of CPAC


POLITICAL HISTORY BOOK REVIEW

KINGSTON, ONT.—Political history junkies can look for-

ward to a banner year of anniver-saries to celebrate across the Hill and afar in 2010.

Naturally, the year begins with the annual celebration of Sir John A. Macdonald Day on Jan. 11. As always, my own adopted city Kingston (Scarborough, of course, being my hometown), will be the headquarters. The City of Kingston, building on its Sir John A. Macdonald Walking Tour, In Sir John A’s Footsteps!, which attracted people like former prime minister Jean Chrétien, NHL broadcasting legend and hometown Senator Hugh Segal to lending their voices for read-ings of the tour (found online at the City of Kingston’s website), has promised to unveil a “surprise” at the annual noon ceremony at Sir John’s statue in the city.

For those wondering why Chrétien would lend his voice to a tour celebrating Sir John A. Canada’s greatest Tory, it should be remembered that Chrétien also celebrates his own birthday on Jan. 11. Chrétien will in fact be turning 76 on this date in 2010. History buffs will recall that Sir John A. himself was 76 when he fought and won his last campaign

as PM in 1891. No word if Mr. Chrétien will be making a come-back attempt in 2010 to assist his troubled party in light of this.

January also marks the 75th anniversary of Tory R.B. Ben-nett’s famous Bennett New Deal radio addresses. Bennett shocked friend and foe alike in taking to the airwaves in January of 1935 and outlining a series of radical reforms placing him very much on the progressive wing of Canadian history. One can only hope that Canadian broadcasters use this anniversary to reacquaint listeners and students especially of a time when radio played such a key role in political discourse in Canada.

And continuing with R.B.—who, by the way, still doesn’t have a statue in his honour on Parlia-ment Hill which is inexcusable—one of his anniversaries in 2010 should be one that all present-day Conservatives embrace. It will be 80 years ago this coming summer that R.B., who represented Cal-gary in the Commons like today’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, won a smashing majority victory over Mackenzie King and his Lib-erals in the 1930 general election.

Me thinks that the Tories of today should have a grand dinner in R.B.’s honour in 2010 to mark this victory by their party and past leader. Come to think of it, such an event would also be a perfect time for Bennett’s statue for Parliament Hill to be announced.

And still the Tory anniversaries keep coming in 2010! It will be 90 years ago, again next summer, that

one of the greatest Parliamentar-ians to ever grace Parliament Hill, Arthur Meighen, became prime minister. He took over, of course, from Sir Robert Borden in 1920. The year 2010 will also be the 50th anniversary of Meighen’s death and like Bennett, he too lacks a statue on Parliament Hill. This is another unforgivable slight to the memory of a former prime minis-ter and also should be rectified in the New Year.

Of course, no Tory can forget John Diefenbaker. Well, it will be 50 years ago that Dief the Chief’s cherished Bill of Rights became law. All Canadians, of all parties, should embrace that anniversary.

For the Liberals, again in opposition today, 2010 affords them the opportunity to honour one of their greatest, Lester B. Pearson. It was in September 1960 that Mr. Pearson gathered a stel-lar list of thinkers here at Queen’s University for the famed Kings-ton Conference. By doing so, Mr. Pearson and his team were able to lay the intellectual groundings of what became one of the most activist governments in Canadian history—the Pearson ministries between 1963 and 1968.

Let the celebrations begin!Veteran Hill Times Political His-

tory columnist Arthur Milnes, who served as research assistant to for-mer prime minister Brian Mulroney on his 2007 Memoirs, is a Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Democ-racy at Queen’s University.


OTTAWA—I wish I could shadow history Prof. Yale

Templeton for a day for amuse-ment. You thought history pro-fessors were boring generally? Yale Templeton would probably be the most boring human being you’ve ever met. His students’ comments at RateMyProfessor.com include “Recommended for anyone with insomnia,” and “Pro-fessor Templeton should have given up lecturing when he died.”

Templeton passed his exams at Cambridge without any origi-nal thought. But by memory he could footnote all of his facts with the author, title, edition, place, and date of publication, and page number. His teachers thought he was a genius.

He plods over inane Civil War statistics. He is collecting “all evidence available” for a scholarly article on the inci-dence of poisonous snake bites at Confederate military hospi-tals. Very serious stuff.

Unfortunately, I can’t shadow Templeton, a professor of history at an “unnamed” university in Toronto, because he is the central character in Michael Wayne’s new satirical novel, Lincoln’s Briefs.

And it is Templeton—the polar opposite of Indiana Jones—who stumbles upon Lincoln’s secret-coded briefs hidden in Northern Ontario. The briefs show that Abraham Lincoln was not assas-sinated, as traditionally thought. In an elaborate scheme, Lincoln faked his death to run away to a remote region of Northern Ontar-io, where he could live a peaceful life on a secret commune and pursue, in safety, his desire to be a transvestite. Yes, Lincoln was a cross-dresser.

So when Templeton haphaz-ardly exposes Lincoln’s secret in his introductory history class, roaring headlines appear in the national media, and the story becomes a sensation. The Toronto Sun recruits one of Templeton’s female students as a sunshine girl.

From suspension from the university to being tracked by the CIA, the wholesome Temple-ton is led through a series of adventures that teach him a little something about life—and set up, as you can imagine—a series of comedic situations.

What a premise for a book. And it reads like it was penned by a comedian—not a professor. Michael Wayne is a history profes-

sor and an expert on American slavery and race relations at the University of Toronto. He is the author of the prize-winning book, The Reshaping of Plantation Soci-ety: The Natchez District, 1860-80.

For full disclosure, he is also a former professor of mine. I took, I think, every one of his African American history courses during my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto. He’s the only professor from those days who I still keep in contact with.

At the time, I never expected him to write a wild satire like this. But who did. His courses were serious stuff. We talked about the black construction of race, the white construction of race, slavery, Reconstruction, civil rights, and much more.

Then again, I just learned that some years ago he also co-authored a children’s musical comedy called Barkadoodle: Or Can Lillian Finsterwald, Age 8, Save the Galaxy? And during my undergrad I recall him telling me quietly, during a conversation about Richard Pryor, that he was the son of the late Johnny Wayne of Wayne and Shuster fame. Remember “Star Shtick”?

That must be where Wayne gets his gift for comedy. That, combined with his first-hand view of university life, provide for both hilarious and some-times biting satire about the adventures Yale Templeton.

The book is filled with a wide range of memorable characters, from Butterworth, who is pursu-ing a new, $3-billion fundraising campaign just when Templeton embarrasses the university, to CIA agent Bobbi Jo Jackson, who Templeton unwittingly foils with his story about Lincoln and his charming love for historical facts.

The characters are clever. But it’s Wayne’s knack for comic irony, puns and double enten-dres that makes this book so much fun to read.

For example, Templeton’s mother never imagined that his father “would be shot in a mug-ging,” writes Wayne, describing the unexpected death of Temple-ton’s father. “But then neither she nor anyone else who knew him had been aware he was down in Harlem mugging wel-fare recipients on those days he forgot to take his medication.”

It’s the kind of stuff that a his-tory professor—and son of the Mr. Spoof of “Star Shtick”—would come up with. It’s like it was writ-ten for TV or film. I can already see the movie script for a madcap comedy starring Leslie Nielsen as Yale Templeton. This is good, hon-est—and funny—Canadiana.

The Hill Times

Great Emancipator was a woman in a man’s body, reallyMichael Wayne’s new novel, Lincoln’s Briefs, is both a hilarious and sometimes biting satire about the adventures Yale Templeton.

BY Simon Doyle

Save the date: Sir John A. Macdonald Day, ehNext year, remember to celebrate our past prime ministers’ birthdays. Just do it.

BY Arthur Milnes

The PM club: Former prime minister Jean Chrétien shares his birthday with Sir John A. Macdonald, arguably Canada’s greatest prime minister ever. Mr. Chrétien will be 76 on Jan. 11, Sir John A. Macdonald Day. Remember to celebrate.


NEWS


Southwest, Alta.) likes good foot soldiers and Ms. Hoeppner, whose been aggressively toeing and repeating the party line on a vari-ety of issues, is one good Harper foot soldier.

“Mr. Harper seems to like his good little soldiers who don’t ask any questions, who don’t do their independent homework to verify that when they get up and make statements, they’ve actually got their facts behind them and who completely resist ever admitting that they made a mistake, that’s the kind of soldier Mr. Harper likes in his caucus, so I think Ms. Hoeppner has a great deal of potential,” she said.

Ms. Hoeppner, 45, was first elected in 2008 by 17,662 votes to represent the mostly rural Manitoba riding of Portage-Lisgar. It was has been a Reform, Canadian Alli-ance, and Conservative riding since it was formed in 1997. Prior to getting elected, she was a Conservative party organizer and

the Manitoba campaign manager for Mr. Harper’s leadership run in 2004. She previ-ously also worked in the financial planning industry as well as ran her own political consulting firm. She rose to prominence recently when her private member’s Bill C-391, the Repeal of the Long-gun Registry, came up for debate and a vote in the House.

The bill was controversial because people on both sides of the debate are passionate and emotional about it. Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville, Sask.) introduced a similar bill several times but it never passed and it was recently withdrawn to allow space for Ms. Hoeppner’s bill, which is more straightforward and simply proposes to scrap the registry which the Jean Chrétien Liberal government created in 1996. Only the Bloc Québécois voted en masse against it, and enough MPs from the NDP and Liberal parties voted for it that it passed second read-ing and is now at committee for further study.

The Conservative Party fully supported

the bill, despite a similar government-spon-sored bill on the Order Paper in the Senate which has never been debated and is still at second reading. The Conservatives used the vote on Ms. Hoeppner’s bill in early Novem-ber to run a series of radio ads in 17 oppo-sition-held rural ridings overtly pressuring the MPs to vote for it. According to observ-ers and a top source in the Conservative party, it was also a “chance to remind voters of this in the next election campaign.”

NDP MP Megan Leslie (Halifax, N.S.), who was also first elected in the 2008 elec-tion, said that having worked on her own private member’s bill she has discovered how difficult it is to prepare one and to just come up with a ready-made bill to supplant Mr. Breitkreuz’s is suspicious.

“She said in the media that she doesn’t own a long gun herself. Is this really that pressing an issue for her?” Ms. Leslie said. “I’m not trying to put together a conspiracy theory at all but I question what is going on generally within the Conservative caucus.”

Government House Leader Jay Hill (Prince George-Peace River, B.C.) told The Hill Times previously that the party had decid-ed to use a private member’s bill to advance this issue that he described as a “motherhood or bedrock Conservative policy,” because it’s the most successful way of getting legislation passed as parties don’t generally whip their votes on private members’ bills.

Ms. Hoeppner declined an interview request, but Conservative MP Shelly Glover (Saint Boniface, Man.) told The Hill Times the long-gun registry is an important issue for Ms. Hoeppner as a rural MP. Ms. Hoeppner’s early date in the private mem-ber’s business lottery made it convenient for her to introduce the bill.

During an S.O. 31 Member’s Statement on Nov. 4, the day the House voted to send her private member’s bill to committee, Ms. Hoeppner decried the long-gun registry as not having done what the Liberals said it would, which is to crack down on criminals. “Instead, it has targeted hard working farmers, hunt-ers, sports shooters and aboriginals,” she said. “It is time that we in the House do what our constituents have asked us to do and we end

the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry.”The day before the vote, during a scrum in

the House of Commons foyer, Ms. Hoeppner also said scrapping the registry would save taxpayers money. “I mean, it cost $2-billion to actually create the registry,” she said, adding that there is an estimated 20 million other long guns in Canada that still need to be reg-istered. “The database has to be cleaned up. So I think the cost would be quite high.”

The reporter noted, however that the $2-bil-lion is already spent and could not be returned, to which she replied: “But that policy’s bad poli-cy and I think if it’s conceptually flawed a lot, it needs to be changed and it needs to be changed to actually benefit law abiding citizens.”

Pollster Chris Adams, vice-president of Winnipeg-based Probe Research Inc., agreed with Ms. Glover’s assessment. He told The Hill Times that Ms. Hoeppner represents a socially conservative part of Manitoba “so she probably feels fairly safe if she expresses certain views that might not be considered mainstream views from the normal, central Canadian press.” He said Ms. Hoeppner being a woman helps the optics of presenting a gun-related bill.

“I think Candice Hoeppner is speaking from what she’s always believed and from what her constituents strongly believe and I’m sure they’ve voiced their views on this many times,” said Mr. Adams.

“Candice Hoeppner’s position on this really reflects what is a long-time position of non-urban voters in Manitoba and if you look at our [NDP] Member of Parliament for Churchill, Niki Ashton, she has in fact spoken against the gun registration as well, which isn’t really the position of her party. I don’t think they are being clever on their position, I think they are representing the core feelings of rural Manitobans,” said Mr. Adams.

Opposition MPs were incensed recently when Ms. Hoeppner was prominently featured in a government-organized memorial for the 20th anniversary of the Dec. 6 École Polytech-nique shootings in Montreal, calling it hypocriti-cal and an insult to the victims and their families.

Liberal MP Hedy Fry (Vancouver Centre, B.C.), chair of the Status of Women commit-tee (of which Ms. Hoeppner is vice-chair) said she spoke with Suzanne Laplante-Edward, the mother of one of the victims, and she told her she was appalled that the memorial to her daughter was hosted by “someone who’s destroying the legacy in the gun registry.”

Ms. Glover, a Winnipeg police officer on a leave of absence, has been very outspo-ken in support of Bill C-391. She said that opposition parties are politicizing a tragedy that would not have been averted, had the gun registry been in place at the time.

Although they are both rookie MPs, Ms. Hoeppner’s longtime involvement with politics means that she knew more of the inside workings of party politics and was able to show Ms. Glover the ropes, she said.

Ms. Glover said she was “appalled” by suggestions that Ms. Hoeppner is her par-ty’s puppet.

“That is so disgusting, to have another woman, when we represent a small portion of women in politics, for another woman to attack a woman and call her something like that is disgusting,” said Ms. Glover.


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Tories’ Hoeppner face of long-gun registry repealRookie Tory MP Candice Hoeppner pushes end of long-gun registry and anti-Israel attacks against Liberals.


Here she comes: Rookie Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner has become the governing party’s new face against the long-gun registry and she has also spoken on a number of controversial party issues.


Conservative circulars as well as those being distributed by at least one other party, the NDP, are directly aimed at sway-ing voters for the next federal election.

Conservative MP Peter Goldring (Edmonton East, Alta.) said the research group, which falls under Government House Leader Jay Hill’s (Prince George-Peace River, B.C.) responsibility in the bylaws that govern spending for all party officers in the Commons, is the contact point when MPs are asked to sponsor mail-ings of the so-called Ten Percenters.

“I know when we’re signing off on sheets, it’s through the CRG,” Mr. Goldring said in an interview about the circulars, which came under intense scrutiny before the Commons adjourned for the Christmas break.

The House Affairs Committee held a stormy meeting over a Conservative Ten Percenter Commons Speaker Peter Millik-en (Kingston and the Islands, Ont.) ruled had breached the privileges of Liberal MP Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Que.) because of its suggestion he was anti-Semitic and anti-Israel.

Mr. Goldring declined to comment directly on the circular distributed in Mr. Cotler’s riding, but said he believes rules governing the flyers should be amended to moderate the overtly political tone and con-tent that has creeped in over the past few years, including recent NDP flyers he said he believes are targeting him for electoral purposes.

“I get an awful lot of Ten Percenters from the other parties, and particularly from the NDP in Edmonton East, they’re kind of targeting,” said Mr. Goldring. “I do believe that we could have it in a little more moderation, but the rules allow it that way. I would not have a problem with rules tightening up a bit.”

Asked about the circular in Mr. Cotler’s riding, which linked the Jewish MP to a conference in Durban, South Africa that took on anti-Semitic and anti-Israel over-tones, Mr. Goldring said: “I just don’t know enough about it to be able to say one way or the other, other than that you try to have Ten Percenters that don’t go into real con-troversial areas, at least I do.”

He added: “By and large the people in the ridings, they really want something that is informative for them, maybe help-ing them to understand what the govern-ment is doing, and its policies and prin-ciples that you don’t ordinarily get out of the newspapers.”

Mr. Goldring’s comments about the role the Conservative caucus research group plays in the government attack flyers is revealing, following statements NDP MP Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore, N.S.) made about Conservative Ten Per-centers in his riding that falsely claimed he had supported the federal gun registry. Mr. Stoffer told the Procedure and House Affairs Committee the Conservative MP who sponsored the flyers, Maurice Vel-lacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin, Sask.), said after apologizing for them that he had not taken part in their design. Mr. Velacott

and other MPs whose names appear on the flyers must nonetheless authorize their distribution.

Mr. Stoffer told the committee he wanted an apology from the Conservative backroomers who prepared the docu-ments, since they must have been aware of his long history opposing the registry. All parties take part in the Ten Percenter program, named for the rule that allows any MP to send flyers to 10 per cent of the households in any other riding, and it is likely the research groups in the other parties also take part in the scheme. Each of the other research groups also receive public funding through the Commons budget.

Mr. Cotler told the House Affairs Com-mittee the flyers distributed in his riding under the name of Treasury Board Presi-dent Vic Toews (Provencher, Man.) were aimed at influencing the electoral choice for Jewish voters. Partly because of that, he demanded that Mr. Toews or the Conserva-tive Party repay the Commons for the cost of the distribution.

“The flyer was in the format on an elec-toral option,” he said, noting the circular included a photograph of Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) and what appeared to be an electoral ballot with the names of all the major party lead-ers, including Green Party Leader Eliza-beth May.

“Constituents were asked to mark their electoral choice in respect of the parties,” Mr. Cotler said. “I want to suggest to you that the sending of such a flyer in the form of an electoral solicitation outside the framework of an electoral writ is, in my view, an inappropriate use of the flyers.”

Mr. Goldring expressed a similar view, saying the NDP flyers being circulated in his riding promote the election of Ray Martin, the former leader of the Alberta NDP who is attempting for the third time to be elected to the House of Commons. “That’s exactly why the NDP are targeting Edmonton East. They’re preparing for the next election and Ray Martin was a former provincial NDP leader and they’re creating a bit of a re-name recognition for him.”

Liberal MP Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Law-rence, Ont.) was also targeted by the same Conservative flyer that circulated in Mr. Cotler’s riding. Like Mr. Cotler’s riding, Mr. Volpe’s riding includes a large Jewish population.

Mr. Volpe said Commons bylaws stipu-late MPs cannot be “overtly partisan” with the Ten Percenters and other literature they circulate as MPs. “Well, you can’t get more partisan than putting on your logo [the fly-ers in Mr. Volpe’s riding and Mr. Cotler’s contained the 2006 Conservative election slogan: Stand Up For Canada] and party name.”

The House Affairs Committee has set a deadline of Jan. 15 for all parties to submit names for a list of witnesses in Mr. Cotler’s privilege complaint, which could prove to be one of the most controversial inquiries the rules committee has yet undertaken.



NEWS FEATURE

The Spin Doctors by The Hill Times

“Do you agree with the 23 former ambassadors who say the government’s attacks on the

credibility of diplomat Richard Colvin threatens to create a chill over Canada’s foreign service?”

Mike StoreshawConservative strategist

“I have no doubts about the professionalism and qualifi-

cations of Canada’s foreign service. Their reputation in the world is first-rate, and they do a fine job of

advancing Canada’s inter-ests. I don’t believe that reputation, on the whole,

stands to be damaged by the fact that one individual’s tes-timony about serious matters in Afghanistan is being held

up to equally serious scrutiny.“My view, frankly, is that

the high level of professional-ism for which our foreign ser-vice is known would lead all of its members to understand that allegations as grave as those involving torture deserve to be

viewed critically at all levels.

“The government has not been the only party to take this necessarily critical view of Richard Colvin’s allegations, and find that they required more hard evidence to be seen as absolutely credible. Senior officials like David Mulroney and senior military person-nel like former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier have raised serious questions about the allegations made. They have strenuously refuted any suggestion that Canadians in Afghanistan have ever acted in a way that has been anything less than in full compli-ance with international law.

“The questions that have been raised about Mr. Colvin’s allegations have been fair, and contrary to some of the mythology around this situation, they have not attacked him personally or cast aspersions on his character or competence. They have simply pointed out that there does not seem to be a solid basis of facts to substantiate allegations of a sustained pattern of likely torture of detainees transferred by Canadi-ans to Afghan authorities.”

Greg MacEachernLiberal strategist

“ ‘Excessive and needlessly inflam-matory’: while no one around Ottawa might confuse columnist Don Martin with a member of the diplomatic corps (and Don, that’s not a shot, really) that’s how he described Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s attacks on Richard Colvin

last week. “So add that view to the

growing list of former ambas-sadors who think the govern-ment’s approach was offside,

and a chief of defence staff’s

bombshell of a public con-tradiction of the govern-ment’s position and ask yourself: will the chill stop at the Foreign Service? Make that a strong frost rather than a chill, and one that extends to the public sector, as the treatment of Linda Keen demonstrated. Unfortunately, if the result of this chill is that fewer Canadians pick public service as a career option, we’re all the lesser for it.”

Karine SauvéBloc Québécois

“The letter from the 23 ambassadors shows just how disgraceful the Harper govern-ment’s attempt was to discredit Richard Colvin over the issue of Afghan detainees. The gov-ernment smeared Mr. Colvin by implying that he was exag-gerating, even lying. It has since transpired that Mr. Colvin was telling nothing but the truth. Just

recently the army chief of staff confirmed that, in May of 2006, detainees whom Canada had trans-

ferred to the Afghan author-ities were indeed tortured.

“We must not forget that diplomats are their govern-ment’s eyes and ears abroad. If we respect them to even the slightest degree, we must attach a certain credibility to what they tell us. They are the ones on the ground, after all. For purely political reasons the Harper gov-ernment preferred to close its eyes to the situation for years, and now the whole issue has smacked it in the face. How long do we have to wait for the resigna-tion of Defence Minister Peter MacKay?”

Karl BélangerNDP strategist

“Stephen Harper’s people have two aims here. First, deflect dangerous truths. Second, absolutely scare the snot out of other whistleblowers. They thought they could do it by carpet-bombing a man’s credibility with low blows. Blows so low that the ranks of ex-ambassadors defending Colvin could reach 50 this week.

“The Conservative anger machine has gone too far this time. In Colvin, they’ve targeted someone who’s so respected that he’s serving, even now, as the secretary and liaison officer in the intelligence division at the Canadian Embassy to the United States of Ameri-ca. The Conservatives’ attack strategy is collapsing because it takes Canadians for fools—they know who to believe.

“This government’s whole approach to the detainee debacle is unrav-elling. Defence Minister Peter Mackay has on nine separate occasions told the House of Commons that there’s no evidence that transferred prisoners were tortured—even as the entire country was shown evidence of torture.

“Enough is enough. Each day this episode is left to fes-ter makes it that much harder for Canada to regain its respect on the world stage. The minister needs to resign. New Demo-crats were the first to call for a public inquiry to uncover the truth for all Canadi-ans to see, and clearly, a public inquiry is needed, more than ever.”

Tory research group produces controversial attack flyers: MP GoldringTory MP Peter Goldring says the rules governing the flyers should be amended to moderate the overtly political tone that has creeped in over the past few years.


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BYWARD MARKET HERITAGE LOFTCan be furnished or unfurnished, one bedroom + den, 1.5 bathrooms, AC, 12 foot ceilings, hardwood & slate through-out, 6 appliances, available immediately. 613-727-1400, www.house-rent.com

CENTRALBeautiful one bedroom + den condo ° Hardwood floors ° Open kitchen w Granite/Stainless Steel ° In-Suite Laundry ° Extra Storage ° Indoor park-ing ° $1450 613-725-2541

CENTRETOWNFurnished and unfurnished rentals in pre-mier Ottawa condo addresses. Walking distance from Parlaiment, DFAIT, NRC and all the Capital’s core destinations. 700 Sussex, 200 Rideau, 40 Landry. Charles Sezlik, Sales Rep. Prudential Town Centre Realty Inc. Sezlik.com. 613-744-6697

CLOSE TO EXPERIMENTAL FARMFurnished Condo, 3 bedrooms, bright and sunny, beautifully decorated. Call 613-293-9452

DELUXE CONDO Elegant, quiet and beautiful 1400 sq. ft. condo with river-view, 2-bdrms, 2 baths, 6 appls, fireplace, inside parking, A/C, large windows. Only 10 minutes from downtown & 5 from Gatineau Park. It is a definite MUST SEE!! $ 1,400. 613-290-6139

DOWNTOWN - LAURIERMondrian. Brand new, spectacular, all glass, 2 bedrooms, balcony, pool, gym. $2200. 613-298-6828

DOWNTOWN-LAURIERMONDRIAN - Stunning brand new open concept condo. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, large balcony. $2000. 613-292-6185FOR RENT AT PLACE CHAMPLAIN, HULL 2 bedroom condos in a newly-built pres-tigious building • Exceptional view of Parliament and the Outaouais River • Wood & ceramic floors • 6 appliances • Gas fireplace • Large balcony • Elevator • Near Champlain bridge, Gatineau Park, bicycle path, & buses • from $1400. Martine Brunet, Royal LePAGE La Renaissance, 819-360-6631

0030 CONDOS FOR RENT

HEART OF WESTBORO PENTHOUSEHeat, hydro, parking included, in unit laundry, floor to ceiling windows, hard-wood, breathtaking unobstructed views, 52 ft balcony. $2200 see kijiji.ca id 166543073. 613-875-7929

HULLLuxurious condo at Monsarrat I, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 5 new stainless steel appliances, cen-tral air, indoor parking, 2 min. of Champlain Bridge, 1 350$ plus utilities, 819-962-6515

NEW EDINBURGH2 bedroom, air conditioning, newly renovated, 5 appliances, indoor parking & hardwood floors. Available. $1500/ month. Call Debbie at (613)852-7903.

PENTHOUSE APT ON CANAL3 bedroom + den, fireplace, ensuite laundry, LG living/dining with hardwood, private rooftop deck, in Heritage building downtown. $2500/month. The Tiffany Apts. Call 613-238-4244. www.para-mountapts.com

SUSSEX & CLARENCESpacious, light filled 2 bedroom, 2 bath-rooms. Very large living- dining entertain-ment area, heritage windows, big-bright eat-in kitchen, large master bedroom, generous closet space and ensuite bathroom. Guest bathroom with jacuzzi. Second bedroom study. Secure quiet building. Parking & stor-age. $2,500 plus utilities. 613-241-3555.

WESTBORO/WELLINGTON VILLAGELoft style, 1 bedroom condo above Bridgehead, 800 sq. feet, bright corner-unit, hardwood, granite, 6 appliances, large walk-in closet, additional storage. $1600/month – includes heat, a.c, secure indoor parking. Available Feb.1st or March 1st. 613-291-3551

0032 TOWNHOUSE FOR RENT

ALTA VISTABeautiful 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath, Quiet end unit, Hardwood floors, Garage, Available Nov 1, $1750.00. 613-288-1500. WWW.homes-for-rent.com

CANALExecutive Town House. Can be fur-nished (+$250), 2 Bedroom + Den, 5 Appliances, Gas Fireplace, $1950 613-288-1500 www.homes-for-rent.com

HERON AND BANKExecutive Town House, lovely, spacious, end unit. 3 br, 2.5 bath, gas,appl, Imm. $1600.00, 613-288-1500 www.homes-for-rent.com

0035 SHORT TERM ACCOMMODATIONS

MONTFORTLovely 4 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath, Available Dec 11 thru July 31, $2200, 613-288-1500 www.homes-for-rent.com

0040 HOUSES FOR RENT

ROCKCLIFFE3 bedroom, 2 bath, hardwood & ceramic throughout, Available Immediately, 613-288-1500 www.homes-for-rent.com

STEPS TO RIDEAU RIVER

Location!!! Tennis club, park & bicycle path. 2 Storey 3 bedroom plus finished basement with 3pc bath, den/bedrm and gas fireplace. Garage. Fenced yard. 5 appliances. Available immediately. Pina Alessi, Broker, Royal LePage Performance Realty, Brokerage, 613-733-9100

ALTA VISTA EXECUTIVEStunning, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 6 appliances, central air conditioning, finished basement, available November 1, 727-1400, www.house-rent.com

BYWARD MARKETCharming quiet 3 bedroom house. Full kitchen, washer/dryer. Free Wi-Fi, patio with BBQ. Fully Furnished with all ameni-ties. Weekly & monthly rentals. 1-613-241-9631. www.sobamilina.ca

CIVIC HOSPITALLarge 3 storey, 4 bedroom 2 bath home with 5 appliances, finished basement, patio, garage and hardwood floors. Available January. $2,375 + utilities. 613-834-0055

0040 HOUSES FOR RENT

CRYSTAL BAY/ROCKY POINT

Charming 4 bedroom/3 bathroom. Double garage, beach access. $2200 + utilities. [email protected], 613-799-9191

EXECUTIVE HOME Near Parliament Hill: redecorated, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, garage, fireplace, a/c, all amenities. 613-277-4411; [email protected]

FISHER AND VIEWMOUNTStunning 3+1bd/3bth newly renovated house. Ensuite bathroom, walk-in closet, finished basement, new granite kitchen, fireplace, family, living & dining rooms. $1995/month plus utilities. Available February 1st. Unfurnished. 613-863-7863.

LAKEFRONT ON BELL LAKEAvailable immediately. 2 bedroom home on beautiful Bell Lake. Only 5 minutes from Wakefield (30 minutes from Ottawa). Fridge, stove, dishwasher, wood stove, small pedal boat included. Suitable for single person or couple only. References required. $750.00 per month plus utilities. Call Bob at 819-459-3391. See the following link for more pictures; http://gallery.me.com/rleblanc1/100255

MONTFORTLovely 4 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath, Available Dec 11 thru July 31, $2200, 613-288-1500 www.homes-for-rent.com

ROTHWELL HEIGHTSBungalow. 4 beds + 2 full baths. Ceramic/hardwood floors. Minutes to schools/bike paths. 5 appliances. First and last. Dec.1. $1,600 + utilities. www.33kaymar.com/ email: [email protected]. 613-741-1046SANDRIDGE RD OFF SCENIC DRIVEWAYDetached - fully renovated, 3 bedroom, finished basement, office, rec room. Strip hardwood, 6 appliances, large fenced yard. Window cover-ings inc. Alarm. $1800 + utilities. 613-255-6494. [email protected]

SANDY HILLVictorian home located on a quiet street in Sandy Hill. Walking distance from the capital’s core destinations. This lovely home offers unique heritage details & is decorated in period style. Boasting enter-tainment sized principle rooms as well as 4 + bedrooms makes it an ideal urban family home. Book your visit today! $2300/mth. Charles Sezlik, Sales Rep. Prudential Town Centre Realty Brokerage Inc. 613 744 6697. www.sezlik.comWELLINGTON VILLAGE – 4 BEDROOMVery central close to shops, transit. 4 bedrooms; 1.5 bathrooms. Renovated kitchen. Central air. Six appliances. $1,885. Kijiji Ottawa ad #171607351. Call 613-299-7185.

0041 APARTMENTS FOR RENTOLD OTTAWA SOUTH

$1975 3 bedrooms, very central, a block away from the Rideau Canal. Five min-utes walk to the Glebe. Bright, spacious and clean, two top floors. Large master bedroom, 6 appliances, deep ergonomic bathtub. Hardwood. Huge deck in the back shaded by trees. Gas central heating. - Personal parking spot (fee). Available Dec 1st. For mature tenants with good references. Isabelle 613-601-7125

PRESTON/SPRUCE2 luxurious apartments, 2-3 bedrooms, 2 storys each, in Victorian house. Walking distance from Parl. and gov. buildings. 2000 $, incl. heat. + parking. 613-724-9639

0041 APARTMENTS FOR RENT

SANDY HILL1+bedroom, 1,000 sq ft, spacious heri-tage, park, renovated, granite, hardwood, 5 appliances, deck, BBQ, includes park-ing, $1,350 + utilities, Feb. 1, 2010. Photos: http://flickr.com/photos/marl-boroughapt CALL 613-247-8260

0043 1 BEDROOM APARTMENTS FOR RENT

DOWNTOWN LUXURYThe elegant Juliana is discreetly nestled along the west edge of downtown where Bronson and Queen intersect. The build-ing offers large air conditioned suites not found anywhere else in the City. Large balconies with panoramic views of the Ottawa River and Gatineau Hills. Within minutes of The Parliament. Must be seen. From $1435. Call for view-ing at 613-688-2222 or visit www.osgoodeproperties.com.

DOWNTOWN MACLAREN/ELGINAvailable for immediate occupancy, $949 utilities included + A/C. Ask about our bonus! Call 613-238-6783 or 613-238-6736


CENTRETOWN - EXQUISITEIn duplex, near Par l iament Hi l l . Hardwood, private deck, 5 appliances. $1275 includes parking, heat, hydro, Bell ExpressVu. Available Jan. 1. 613-235-6037

CLASSY LIVING IN THE HIGHLANDS! Rent a renovated & furnished 2 bed/2 bath condo for $1950/m. Gourmet kitchen! Hardwood floors, 3pc ensuite, indoor parking. Heat, Hydro, Water included! Cindy Branscombe, Royal LePage Team Realty 613-552-2345. www.cindybranscombe.com


ROCKCLIFFE PARK-124 SPRINGFIELD

ROADSpacious 3 bedroom penthouse suite located just a short stroll from Government House. Suite has large rooms and unobstructed views overlooking downtown Ottawa and the Gatineau Hills. Enjoy living in one of Canada’s most prestigious neighbourhoods. Must be seen! Call for viewing 613-688-2222. www.osgoodeproperties.com

WESTBOROSpacious, quiet, 3- bdrm luxury unit, hardwood and large windows, ensuite and full bathrooms, 5 appliances, deck and yards, includes heat, water and 2 parking spaces, $1,650, call 613-521-5831, [email protected]

0047 SHORT TERM FURNISHED CONDOS FOR RENT

HUDSON PARK (KENT/LISGAR)

New Executive Condo from Immediate – April 30th. 1 bedroom with den, full office and balcony, 2 bath with walk-in shower, maple hardwood and ceramic floors. Panoramic view from 12th floor facing south-west. Internet, cable, movie chan-nel and local phone included. All inclusive (linens, dishes, silverware etc). Superior building amenities—lounge with library, roof top terrace, exercise room. Asking $2650 negotiable. 613-878-4748.

0049 FURNISHED HOMES FOR RENT

OTTAWA EAST (EAST GLEBE)Downtown executive home, fully furnished with good taste, quality furniture and art work. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, entertaining size living room with wood burning fire-place, separate dining room, family room, attached garage, 3 balconies overlooking the Canal. Excellent condition with recent renovations. Walk everywhere. Enjoy all Canal activities from your balconies. Superb location! $3,200 plus utilities. Immediate 613-232-3648

0050 FURNISHED RENTALS

DOWNTOWN LAURIER AVENUEDecember 1st. All inclusive/equipped fur-nished 2 bedrooms Executive Condo. 2 bathrooms. 3 Balconies. 24/7 security, indoor pool, gym, 2 parking spots. Short or long term lease. 613-808-2870.

0055 FURNISHED CONDOS FOR RENT

QUEEN ELIZABETH TOWERS

Executive 2 bedroom furnished, all inclu-sive. Internet, cable, Tel, Parking. 24/7 security + pool. 613-297-6074

ALL-INCLUSIVE EXECUTIVE RENTAL470 Laurier – 2 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath, Fully Furnished, Utilities, Cable, Telephone, HS Internet, Biweekly Cleaning, Parking. 4 Blocks to Parliament, Walk to Market, Glebe, Elgin, Tunney’s. Flexible lease terms. Contact Ranyani Perera 613-744-8756.

SUNNY 2-STORY UPSCALE CONDO - COMPLETELY OUTFITTED

Beautifully furnished, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath-rooms, fireplace, central air, gas stove, and more. $2100 all inclusive. 613-299-4445. DETAILS pages.videotron.ca/mycondo

0060 SHARED ACCOMMODATIONS

APARTMENT TO SHAREBright, furnished art deco apartment to share; 10 min walk to Parliament Hill; hardwood floors, balcony; avail Jan 1; $575 includes heat, hydro, internet. 613-567-1495

EXECUTIVE LIFESTYLEFully equipped modern home to share. Gourmet kitchen, fireplace, private bath, indoor pool, gym, squash. Professional. $900/month all inclusive. 613-322-2185.

0072 FURNISHED ROOMS FOR RENT

FURNISHED ROOM(s)In executive home; walk to Rideau Tennis club; 10 mins from Parliament Hill; facing park; parking; private bath; $1000; (613) 842-8793.

0088 LOTS FOR SALE

WAKEFIELDLots with plans and permits. $50,000 each. 613-266-6886

0089 COTTAGES FOR RENT 2010 Dream Home/Cottage Project? Save up to $30,000.00!!! Factory Direct Surplus Inventory Liquidation - Save 50%++ While They Last. Modular Pre-Built Component Packages - Faster/Easier Dry-in Shell - Labour Save $1000’s! Certified Plans - Warranty - References _ 100’s of Dreams Delivered to Happy Families. Green-R-Panel Prefabricated Building Systems - The Smart Way to Build. 1-800-871-7089. Call Today!

HILL TIMES CLASSIFIEDINFORMATION AND ADVERTISEMENT PLACEMENT: TEL. 613-232-5952, FAX 613-232-9055

DIFFICULTY: 1 OUT OF 6

DIFFICULTY: 5 OUT OF 6

Last week's Solutions

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively. Solutions will appear next week.

SUDOKU

DIFFICULTY: 6 OUT OF 6DIFFICULTY: 2 OUT OF 6

0550 INVESTMENTS 0550 INVESTMENTS 0550 INVESTMENTS

Lu KorteSales Representative

Strategic Counsel.Wise Moves.

Direct: 613.884.1311Bus: 613.725.1171

[email protected]

62 Queen Elizabeth

Drive, Golden Triangle

Elegant, open concepthome overlooking theCanal. $915,000

727 Cooper Street,

Centretown SplendidVictorian with high qualitythroughout. $629,000

383 Templeton St., Sandy

Hill Bright, renovatedhome with contemporaryflair. $599,000

Professional Wealth Management Since 1901

GIC rates are as of November 18, 2009 and are subject to change and availability. Insured by CDIC for $100,000 per issuer. RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member CIPF. ®Registered trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. RBC Dominion Securities is a registered trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. ©Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

1-year 2-year 3-year 4-year 5-year

1.55% 2.15% 2.65% 3.05% 3.4%

GIC Rates 240 0 2 315 9

December 9,

GATINEAU PARK BORDERS 3 SIDES OF OUR 42 ACRESThis piece of paradise is strategically located in Aylmer, just below Pink Lake, minutes from Parliament Hill. Perfect for a mansion, embassy, sanctuary,18 hole golf-course or investment. Make your dreams come true and still be in the city. Contact Lawrance Radmore, Office: 613-860-6669, Toll free: 1-888-741-5351, Email: [email protected]

36 CLASSIFIEDS THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009

THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009 CLASSIFIEDS 37

0132 TRAVEL

TIMESHARE RESALES

Save 60-80% off Retail! Worldwide Locations! Call for Free Magazine! 1 -800 -496 -5964, www.ho l i day -group.com/ocn.

0201 COLLECTIBLES

CANADIAN POLAR BEAR SKIN RUGS

FOR SALESizes from 8 feet to 9 feet tip of nose to tip of tail; Prices from $6,500 to $10,500. Will deliver to Ottawa. These rugs can be shipped to any country except the US. Contact [email protected] or 613-256-4057.

0201 COLLECTIBLES

THEATRE SEATING from Queen St. Ottawa 1990s. Four unique classic blue velvet folding. Asking $375. [email protected]. View at: www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/10671790

0211 ARTICLES FOR SALE

#1A STEEL BUILDING SALE Save up to 60% on your new garage, shop, warehouse. 6 colors available! 40 year warranty! Free shipping, the first 20 callers! 1-800-457-2206. www.crownsteelbuildings.com.

A DISCONNECTED PHONE Cheap telephone reconnect with long distance and internet options. Low monthly rates & special holiday offers. Call now! 1-877-336-2274, Phone Factory; www.phonefactory.ca.


A FREE TELEPHONE SERVICE Get Your First Month Free. Bad Credit, Don’t Sweat It. No Deposits. No Credit Checks. Call Freedom Phone Lines Today Toll-Free 1-866-884-7464.

AT LAST An iron filter that works. IronEater! F u l l y p a t en t ed Canada/U .S . A . Removes iron, hardness, sulfur, smell, manganese from well water. Since 1957. Phone 1-800-BIG IRON; www.bigirondrilling.com.

BUILDING SALE PRICED TO SELL! ONTARIO manufacturer since 1980. Quick delivery. SPECIAL SIZES. 12x16, 20X24, 25X30, 30x40, 35X50, 40X60, 48x90, 50X110, 60X150. OTHERS! Pioneer Steel Manufacturers, 1-800-668-5422.

HIGH SPEED INTERNET $18.95 / Month. Absolutely no ports are blocked. Unlimited Downloading. Up to 5Mps Download and 800Kbps Upload. ORDER TODAY AT www.acanac.ca or CALL TOLL-FREE: 1-866-281-3538.

NEW Norwood® SAWMILL Models

New LumberMate® - Pro handles logs 34” in diameter & mills boards 28” wide. Automated quick-cycle-sawing™ functions increase efficien-cy by up to 40% to boost production. www.norwoodsawmills.com/400T - FREE Information: 1-800-566-6899 Ext:400OT.


ROUND DINING ROOM ANTIQUE TABLEcirca 1920, in solid walnut, folded up dimen-sions 23,6”X45”, with 4 inserts up to 3 meters in length ,on 6 legs on wheels, very good condi-tion, $ 2,500.00. Tel.: 613-302-7316

0305 PSYCHICS/ASTROLOGERS

LOVE, MONEY & CAREER What’s up for 2010? By phone 1-900-643-1415, $2.85/min. or by cell Rogers, Fido & Bell Mobility dial the pound key and this number (633486) (#medium) at $2.99/min. 18+ www.mediumcanada.com.

PAST*PRESENT*FUTURE #1 Psychics! *1-877-478-4410* Credit cards / deposit or phone 1-900-783-3800 $3.19 min (18+) For a psychic NOW! Meet us at: www.mysticalconnections.ca.

0320 HEALTH & BEAUTY

WALK IN BATH TUBS FOR SALE Great for Seniors! Easy Installation. Safety Item. Starting at $2,950. Wholesale Distributors Welcome. Please Call Toll-Free 1-866-402-6464.

0601 AUTOMOTIVE

SAVE UP TO $400 ON YOUR CAR INSURANCE. Clean driving record? Call Grey Power today at 1-866-473-9207 for no-obligation quote. Additional discounts available.

0601 AUTOMOTIVE

MOTOR VEHICLE dealers in Ontario MUST be registered with OMVIC. To verify dealer registration or seek help with a complaint, visit www.omvic.on.ca or 1-800-943-6002. If you’re buying a vehicle privately, don’t become a curb-sider’s victim. Curbsiders are impostors who pose as private individuals, but are actually in the business of selling stolen or damaged vehicles.

0825 MOVING

CITYPLUS MOVING AND STORAGEFree estimates, new & used moving supplies, local & long distance. Reliable movers. Agent for northAmerican Van Lines. 613-723-6040. www.cityplus-moving.com

0830 MISCELLANEOUS

LOOKING FOR NEW BUSINESS and added revenue? Promote your com-pany in Community Newspapers across Ontario right here in these Network Classified Ads or in business card-sized ads in hundreds of well-read newspapers. Let us show you how. Ask about our referral program. Ontario Community Newspapers Association. Contact Carol at 905-639-5718 or Toll-Free 1-800-387-7982 ext. 229. www.ocna.org

0849 LEGAL SERVICES

#1 IN PARDONS Remove your criminal record. Express Pardons offers the FASTEST pardons, LOWEST prices, and it’s GUARANTEED. BBB Accredited. FREE Consultation Tol l -Free 1-866-416-6772. www.ExpressPardons.com.

A CRIMINAL RECORD Better Business Bureau Cert i f ied Pardons. FREE no pressure Pardon and Waiver assessments. See if a Pardon is r ight for you! Tol l -Free 1 -800 -507 -8043, www.pa rdon -granted.ca.

0850 FINANCIAL SERVICES

1st, 2nd, 3rd MORTGAGES Tax Ar rears , Renovat ions, Debt Consolidation, no CMHC fees. $50K you pay $208.33/month (OAC). No income, bad credit, power of sa le s topped!! BETTER OPT ION MORTGAGES, CALL 1-800-282-1169, www.mor tgageontar io.com (LIC# 10969).

ARE YOU SINKING IN DEBT? 1st, 2nd & 3rd Mortgages - Bruised Credit - Bank Turndowns - Debt Consolidation - Refinancing - Power of Sale - Past Bankrupt - Home Renovations. We can lend a Hand (Brokerage L i cense # 11384). CANADALEND.com, Email: [email protected], Toll-free 1-877-999-9133 CALL NOW!

CLEAN DRIVING RECORD Grey Power could save you up to $400 on your car insurance. Call 1-877-505-0487 for no-obligation quote. Additional discounts available.

DEBT CONSOLIDATION PROGRAM Helping Canadians repay debts, reduce or eliminate interest, regardless of your credit. Steady Income? You may qualify for instant help. Considering Bankruptcy? Call 1-877-220-3328 FREE Consu l t a t i on Gove r nmen t Approved, BBB Member.

FREE $$$ yourself from debt MONEY $$$ fo r any pu rpose . Dec rease payments up to 75%! 1st, 2nd & 3rd Mortgages & Credit l ines. Bad credit, tax or mortgage arrears OK. Ontario-Wide Financial Co r p . ( L I C# 10171) , To l l - F r e e 1 -888 -307 -7799, www.on ta r i o -widefinancial.com.

LOAN SERVICE by phone, no credit refused, quick and easy, payable over 6 or 12 installments. Toll Free: 1-877-776-1660.

NEED MONEY Have RRSP or locked in pension plan from an ex-employer (LIRA) or (LIF) 3 easy ways to help. Call: 1-866-976-7336.

0920 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

ENERGIZE YOUR INCOME Distribute hot selling energy drinks. Earn up to 10K/month. $11 Billion Industry. No sel l ing, minimum investment 19K. Areas going fast. Free sample/information Package 800-267-2321. Peakdistributors.com.

MONEY MAKER Local route. No selling on your part. For more info call 1-866-978-2569.

PERFECT POST CANADA’S LARGEST FRANCHISE ETWORK of builders and installers of fences, decks and post settings, has Territories available throughout Canada. Enjoy the benefit of brand recognition, national marketing, vol-ume discounts and customer refer-ral program. LOW INVESTMENT. For information contact 1-877-750-5665, [email protected].

0929 EMPLOYMENT

SECURITY GUARDS Security guards wanted ASAP, No experience needed, Training provided. Immediate openings. Pay $10-$18 per hour. 1-613-228-2813 www.ironhor-segroup.com.

WORK AT HOME Top internet marketer will teach you for free. Free memberships to the first 25 people; www.NewRichOnline.com. 1-888-705-1690.

SECURITY GUARDS Security guards wanted ASAP, no experience needed, training provided. Immediate openings. Pay $10-$18/hour. (613) 228-2813, www.ironhor-segroup.com.

0933 CAREER TRAINING

BARTENDING COURSES

Attestation card and Certificate. Master School. 1-800-561-1781 www.bar-tending.com

BEEN LAID OFF Need career training? We can help! Cal l Everest Col lege of Business, Te c h n o l o g y a n d H e a l t h C a r e Today! 1 -866-845-0276. www.EverestCanada.ca, Everest College. MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION RATED #2

For At-Home Jobs. Achieve your goal. Work from home! Start your Medical Transcription training today. Contact CanScribe at 1-800-466-1535, www.canscribe.com, [email protected].

MERRICKVILLE

ARTIQUES CHRISTMAS SHOPPE

2 floors brimming with Christmas Jim Shore Heartwood Creek Collectables Personalized Ornaments Thousands of Decorations Nutcrackers Webkinz Melissa + Doua Puppets 136 St. Lawrence St. Merrickville 613-269-3199

ACCOMMODATIONS

DREAMY CHRISTMAS/NEW YEARS GETAWAY

Montebello Luxury Home - furnished, equipped, inclusive. Panoramic view. Magical, mountain-side setting! www.farhorizon-shome.com 613-489-1081

TRAVEL

BATTLEFIELD TOURSwith Norm Christie. Author & TV host “For King & Empire.” Canada in two World Wars. Ypres, Passchendaele, Vimy, Dieppe, Normandy. July and September 2010 departures. www.uniglobeplus.com 1-800-254-7598

VACATION RENTALS

BYWARD MARKETCharming quiet 3 bedroom house. Full kitchen, washer/dryer. Free Wi-Fi, patio with BBQ. Fully Furnished with all amenities. Weekly & monthly rentals. 1-613-241-9631. www.sobamilina.ca

COSTA RICA LUXURY TREEHOUSE

Ocean and mountain view, unique architecture, 2 bedroom, 2 bath-room, tranquil, private, nature eco-reserve. 416-921-2513. MUST SEE WEBSITE: www.junglavista.com

WINTER HOLIDAY IN ARIZONA Beautiful 3 Bedroom, 2 bath home in Phoenix for rent by the week or month. Visit: http://web.me.com/gary.firth/Site/Welcome.html

V A C A T I O N A N D T R A V E L G U I D E

HILL TIMES GETAWAYS��

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Log on to DailyPubliNet.ca call 613.232.5952 ext. 222

or email [email protected]

BUSINESS DIRECTORY HTHTwork.caThe Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada has an immediate opening for the following position:

Please email your resume no later than December 21, 2009.

Senior Policy Specialist

We offer a competitive salary and an excellent benefit package.

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NEWS POLITICS


the economic stimulus package, are not scrutinized as closely as they should be, despite the fact that they’re becoming increasingly expensive, says Canada’s Parliamentary budget officer.

“I think very few Parliamentarians know how much money is spent on com-pensation in the federal government,” Par-liamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page told The Hill Times last week.

The federal government paid out $34.9-billion in salaries and benefits to pub-lic servants in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, rep-resenting 13 per cent of the $258.6-billion total budget. It’s an expense that has been steadily increasing over the past decade; in 1999-2000 it cost $19.8-billion and has been growing at a rate of about $3-billion a year.

Mr. Page said this is an area of federal spending that has been somewhat ignored, and should be looked at more closely by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, or an estimates committee.

“I think you’d want to ask yourself, ‘Is the public service, in relative terms, more expensive today than it was five or 10 years ago, and can you justify it? And what does the wage bill look like in the federal public sector versus the provincial sector?’ If you were to compare compensation for public servants, how does it compare with their counterparts in the private sector? … The question is when was the last time we had real scrutiny by the Public Accounts Com-mittee or an estimates committee on that type of very important function,” he said.

Last year the Canadian Federation of Inde-pendent Business released its “Wage Watch” report, in which it found that government and federal public service workers earn on average eight to 17 per cent more than people in the private sector with similar jobs. And when benefits are factored in the gap between public and private swells to as much as 30 per cent. Although others have argued the CFIB’s numbers are inflated and the gulf between levels of compensation in the public and pri-vate sectors can in part be explained by better pay equity between men and women, as well as between immigrants and non-immigrants who are employed by the federal government.

Another factor that is inflating the cost of the federal public service is so-called “classification creep,” whereby manag-ers are reclassifying jobs and increasing entry-level employees’ salaries in order to remain competitive with the public sector. There are no numbers on how prevalent classification creep is in the public service.

One major challenge to tracking federal civil servants’ compensation and other pro-gram expenditures are so-called “horizon-tal costs,” meaning that often in the federal government individuals work on a number of different files at one time, and public servants’ salaries run across all the federal departments, said David Shepherd, a pub-lic policy professor at Carleton University.

“It’s difficult to be transparent about that because public servants work on multiple things all at the same time. So unless you say to a public servant, ‘Listen, on a daily basis give

me a sense of how much time you’re spending on this, that, and that,’ it’s very difficult to get a sense of just how much of their time is going into specific projects. You can even have public servants who are working on multiple pro-grams, so that’s an even higher order,” he said.

Another area Mr. Page said is lacking in adequate transparency and accountability are the annual transfers the federal govern-ment gives to the provinces for things like health care and equalization payments. Fed-eral-provincial transfers totaled $46.5-bil-lion in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, which was about 18 per cent of the total budget.

The 2009 budget, which included an eco-nomic stimulus package that doled out bil-lions in infrastructure funding, was an oppor-tunity to bring about more transparency in how federal money is spent. But because the infrastructure fund requires cost-sharing with provincial and municipal governments, much of the responsibility for monitoring where the money goes and its effectiveness in helping the economy was devolved after the funds left the federal coffers, said Mr. Page.

In the last five years there’s been a marked increase in the amount of informa-tion that is available on government spend-ing for everything from contracting expen-ditures, to lunches public servants charge to their expense accounts. But in order to get more meaningful transparency in the public sphere opposition Parliamentarians should be more proactive in pressuring the government to provide the kind of informa-tion they want made available, said Univer-sity of Victoria Professor David Good.

Prof. Good, who worked in the public service for 30 years, including 15 years as an assistant deputy minister, and is the author of the book The Politics of Public Money: Spenders, Guardians, Priority Setters, and Financial Watchdogs Inside the Canadian Government, said the government should also anticipate some of the areas that Parlia-mentarians and citizens are going to want to know about and take steps to collect and publicize that information.

He cited the federal government’s deci-sion not to track how many jobs, both direct and indirect, were created by the economic stimulus package as an exam-ple of information that should clearly have been available to Parliamentarians and the public in assessing the effectiveness of the federal infrastructure fund.

“Government has a responsibility to do an assessment and to publish an assessment of what they expect the jobs are going to be, both direct and indirect jobs. And that’s always difficult to measure; there are differ-ent views on that from economists, different methodologies are used for that, but I would expect that to be done. But not only should they do it, it should also be assessed clearly by the PBO, it should be assessed by inde-pendent think tanks and banks, academic and research groups, so that you can get a better idea of what actually is the impact of these expenditures. Particularly when the government said very clearly that their objective was to create jobs,” Prof. Good said.


Federal expenditures require greater scrutiny from Parliament, says budget watchdog PageMPs should be paying more attention to compensation to public servants, transfers to provinces, and stimulus spending.


LIBERAL SENATORMILNE RETIRESOntario Liberal Senator Milne retires from Upper Chamber

Liberal Senator Lorna Milne, pic-tured, (Peel County, Ont.) is retiring this week after a long career in the Senate.

“I’m looking for-ward to getting back to my life, I’ve been away from it for 15 years now,” she said.

Sen. Milne was summoned to the Senate by Jean Chrétien in 1995. She served on the Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee and on the Senate’s Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. She was also chair of the Sen-ate’s Rules, Privileges and the Rights of Parliament Committee and president of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association. Sen. Milne’s work in the Senate includes legalizing hemp as a crop in Canada and encouraging the release of the historic post-1901 census records, which she says took her seven years.

Sen. Milne said she has some advice for new Senators. “Do not feel that you have to obey the orders that you’re getting,” she said.

In retirement, Sen. Milne said she hopes to get back into writing and has always been interested in genealogy. She wants to write about Agnes Macphail, the first woman elected to the House of Commons. Sen. Milne’s husband Ross’s father was Macphail’s second cousin.—Yael Berger

DIABETES HILL DAYMPS AND SENATORSMPs, Senators check out Diabetes Day on Hill

A prick, a squeeze and a turn. That’s all it took for Members of Parlia-ment, Senators and Parliamentary staff to check their risk for developing type two diabetes on Monday at Diabetes Day on the Hill.

Conservative Sen-ator Wilbert Keon, pictured, the former world-renowned

heart surgeon, came to the Diabetes Risk Assessment Booth to check his risk and said “it’s very worthwhile” for the public to assess their risk to avoid many of the com-plications associated with diabetes.

Community health workers and advo-cates from the Canadian Diabetes Associa-tion were on hand to do quick tests and evaluate results.

Sen. Keon noted that the government must “pull out all the stops” when it comes to reducing the negative effects of diabe-tes, which he called “devastating.”

Ellen Malcolmson, president and CEO of the Canadian Diabetes Association, attended the event. “Our goal here today is to raise awareness of the seriousness of diabetes and how many Canadians are affected and how much it costs our health-care system,” she said. “We know that the rate of diabetes has doubled since 2000,” said Ms. Malcomson. “The costs of diabetes are also doing the same thing.”

Ms. Malcomson said the Canadian Dia-betes Strategy and the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative are expiring in 2010. She said the CDA wants to make sure those two initia-tives are renewed and wants to see the government spend more than the current $56-million a year on diabetes preven-tion.—Yael Berger

APPOINTMENTINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRSCCCE President D’Aquino joins NPSIA

One of Canada’s most influential public policy experts, Thomas D’Aquino, pictured, is the newest visiting professor at the Nor-man Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. Mr. D’Aquino, the out-going chief executive and president of the Canadian Council of

Chief Executives, specializes in the areas of public policy and business.

Jodi White also recently joined NPSIA as a senior research fellow. Ms. White is the former president of Ottawa think-tank Public Policy Forum and chief of staff to former prime minister Kim Campbell.—Yael Berger

DEMOCRACYCOMMONWEALTHCanadian Democracy Centre should be arm’s length says panel

A Parlia-mentary advi-sory panel on international democratic development released its report on the creation of a new Canadian centre for advancing democracy, recently.

The report is called “Advancing Can-ada’s Role in International Support for Democratic Development.” It offers several recommendations for Steven Fletcher, minister of state for Democratic Reform. Mr. Fletcher is responsible for the creation of the agency following the commitment made by the Prime Minister in the 2008 Throne Speech.

The recommendations include the creation of an independent, non-partisan agency to “support the process of democra-tization by helping to establish or strength-en pluralistic democratic institutions, particularly political parties, in countries where they are absent, or in need of fur-ther encouragement and development.”

Thomas Axworthy, pictured, chair of the panel, said the new agency should be at arm’s length from the government. “We see the new centre more as an agent of Parliament than the executive because it needs more freedom than DFAIT or CIDA,” said Mr. Axworthy.

There is a bit of a debate on the location of the centre. “There is a strong case for Ottawa but an equally strong one for out-side the bubble,” said Mr. Axworthy. “The Asia Pacific Foundation has done very well in Vancouver.”

While being in Ottawa offers greater access to Parliamentarians, operating out-side the nation’s capital might give the cen-tre more freedom and greater influence.

Mr. Axworthy said no matter the loca-tion, Parliamentarians will still have an important role to play by nominating mem-bers of the board and through an agency roster of former MPs and activists willing to work abroad. The report recommends an annual budget of between $30-million and $70-million and also recommends that the agency be selective with the countries they choose to help.

Countries on the table include Cuba, Honduras, Haiti, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Ukraine. The report recommends focusing funds on countries that are not currently in conflict to avoid depleting funds on security. Other criteria include a strong tie to Canada, a large diaspora in Canada and some democratic institutions already in place. Priority will be given to Commonwealth countries and countries in La Francophonie. —Yael Berger

THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2009 39

PARLIAMENTARY CALENDAR

MONDAY, DEC. 14 House Breaks for Holidays—The House

of Commons will break for the Christmas holidays. It will resume sitting on Jan. 25.

Ottawa Leadership Luncheon—Car-leton University presents an Ottawa Lead-ership Luncheon with Thomas D’Aquino. Dec. 14, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., $40. Rideau Club, 99 Bank St., 15th floor, Ottawa, Ont. Contact: Heather Theoret, 613-520-4047 or [email protected]

Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe FLRA Holiday Party—Liberal MP Brian Murphy (Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, N.B.) invites the public to share some holiday cheer at a holiday party. Dec. 14, 5 p.m. Capitol The-atre, 811 Main St., Moncton, N.B. Contact: Julie McSorley at 506-229-0363. TUESDAY, DEC. 15

Handel’s Messiah—The National Arts Centre Orchestra performs Handel’s sea-sonal classic Messiah. Dec. 15 & 16, 7 p.m. $54-$89. NAC, 53 Elgin St., Ottawa, Ont. www.nac-cna.ca

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Media Christmas Party—The PM and his wife, Laureen Harper, will host a Christmas Party on Dec. 15, 6:30 p.m.- 8 p.m., 24 Sus-sex Dr., Ottawa. Invitation only.WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16

Celebrate The Season with NDP MP Glenn Thibeault—Celebrate the season at a holiday party with NDP MP Glen Thibeault (Sudbury, Ont.). Dec. 16, 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Royal Canadian Legion, 1553 Weller St., Sudbury, Ont. THURSDAY, DEC. 17

Bluesky Strategy Group’s Holiday Party—By invitation only. Dec. 17, 5-7 p.m. Jazz’oo European Bar & Lounge, 132 Sparks St., Otta-wa. RSVP to [email protected]

Research Working Group on Retirement Income Adequacy—Provincial and territorial finance ministers will meet to receive the report of the Research Working Group on Retirement

Income Adequacy. The first meeting of this group was held on July 22, 2009, in Calgary and participants agreed to a work plan, which will culminate in a report to ministers. Dec. 17 & 18. Whitehorse, YT. 613-996-7861FRIDAY, DEC. 18

OCRI Government Opportunities—Join guest speaker Kishore Swaminathan, Accen-ture Technology Labs, for a talk on “Technol-ogy Vision for the Next Three to Five Years.” Presented by OCRI. Dec. 18, 7:30 a.m. $40-$80. Ballroom C, Crowne Plaza, 101 Lyon St. N. 613-828-6274 ext. 249 or [email protected]

The Good News of Christmas—The Met-ropolitan Bible Church invites you to its annual holiday concert, “The Good News of Christmas.” Dec. 18, 7 p.m. Dec. 20, 6 p.m. The Metropolitan Bible Church, 2716 Prince of Wales Dr., Ottawa, Ont. www.metbiblechurch.caSATURDAY, DEC. 19

A Vinyl Café Christmas Tour—Join Stu-art McLean, one of Canada’s most beloved storytellers and host of the CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café, for an evening of fun. Dec. 19, 8 p.m. & Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m. $52.50. Southam Hall, NAC, 53 Elgin St. www.nac-cna.caWEDNESDAY, JAN. 6

Michael Marzolini to Address Eco-nomic Club—Chairman and CEO of Pollara Michael Marzolini will give a talk to mem-bers of the Economic Club of Canada. Jan. 6, 7:30 a.m. $79. The Sheraton Centre, 123 Queen St. www.economicclub.caTUESDAY, JAN. 12

Sherry Cooper to Address Canadian Club—Dr. Sherry Cooper, BMO Financial Group, will address members of the Cana-dian Club of Ottawa at a luncheon today. 12 p.m. $40 members; non-members $50. Ball-room, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau St., www.canadianclubottawa.ca WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13

Parliamentary Business Seminar—The Canadian Study of Parliament Group (CSPG)

hosts a Parliamentary Business Seminar “Fol-low the Money: Understanding the Federal Budgetary Cycle.” Jan. 13, 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Room 200, West Block, Parliament Hill. For more information and to register, please call 613-995-2937 or visit www.studyparliament.ca THURSDAY, JAN. 14

Liberal Party of Canada Thinkers Con-ference—The Liberal Party of Canada will convene a policy renewal gathering in the form of a “Thinkers” conference. Details TBA. Jan. 14-16. Montreal, Que.

Taste of the Arctic Fundraiser—To launch the 2010 Year of the Inuit, a fundraiser “ A Taste of the Arctic: a Celebration of Inuit Culture” will be held for the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation. Presented by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Jan. 14. National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Dr. www.itk.ca

86th Canadian Conference—This event is for presidents, CEOs, ministers and deputy ministers and provides them with a forum to discuss top issues with other leaders. By invi-tation only. Jan. 14-16. Chateau Montebello, Montebello, Que. www.conferenceboard.caFRIDAY, JAN. 15

Parliamentary Associations—The Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly will travel to the Ukraine for an Election Observation Mis-sion. Jan. 15-18. For more information, please visit http://www2.parl.gc.ca/iia WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20

How Global Asia will Redefine Western Canada—Join CIC Victoria for a talk with Paul Evans, Director, Institute of Asian Research, UBC. He will discuss “How Global Asia will Redefine Western Canada.” Jan. 20, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For more information, email [email protected] THURSDAY, JAN. 21

The World in 2015: Implications for Canada—This two-day interactive conference will look at the principal issues, players, crisis generators and governance in five years’ time. Speakers from Canada and abroad will provide a fresh prospective and consider what it all means for Canada. For more information, email [email protected]

Parliamentary Associations—The Cana-da-Europe Parliamentary Association travels to London, England and Strasbourg, France

for a Meeting of the Economic Affairs and Development Committee of PACE and the First Part of the 2010 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Jan. 21-29. For more information, please visit http://www2.parl.gc.ca/iia MONDAY, JAN. 25

House Returns—The House of Com-mons resumes sitting after the holidays.

Parliamentary Associations—The Canadian NATO Parliamentary Associa-tion travels to Washington, D.C. and Florida for a meeting of the Defence and Security Committee. Jan. 25-29. For more informa-tion, please visit http://www2.parl.gc.ca/iia WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27

Conservative Caucus—The federal Con-servatives meet Wednesday mornings for their caucus meeting at 9:30 a.m. in Room 237-C Centre Block, when the House is sit-ting. For inquiries, please call Eric Duncan at 613-992-7381. The chair of the national Con-servative caucus is MP Guy Lauzon.

Liberal Caucus—The National Liberal Caucus meets Wednesdays in room 253-D Centre Block when the House is sitting. For more information please call Caucus chair Anthony Rota at 613-995-6255.

NDP Caucus—The federal NDP meets Wednesdays in Room 308 West Block, 9 a.m. For more information, please call senior press secretary Karl Bélanger at 613-720-6463. Caucus meets Wednesdays when the House is sitting.

Bloc Caucus—The Bloc Québécois meets Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. in Room 209 West Block when the House is sitting. For more information call the leader’s press secretary Karine Sauvé at 613-947-2495. SUNDAY, JAN. 31

Parliamentary Associations—The Canadi-an Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamen-tary Association will attend the International Parliamentary Conference on Peacebuilding: Tackling State Fragility, in London, England. Jan. 31-Feb. 6. For more information, please visit http://www2.parl.gc.ca/iia TUESDAY, FEB. 9

Shawn Atleo to Address Canadian Club—Shawn Atleo, National Chief, Assem-bly of First Nations, will speak to members of the Canadian Club at a luncheon today. Feb. 9, 12 p.m. $40 members; non-members $50. Ballroom, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1

Rideau St., www.canadianclubottawa.ca Parliamentary Associations—The

Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association holds its AGM in Ottawa, Ont. Feb 9. For more information, please visit http://www2.parl.gc.ca/iia FRIDAY, FEB. 12

GG to Open Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games— Governor General Michaëlle Jean will officially open the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Vancouver, B.C. Feb 12. 613-957-5555WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17

Nuclear Policies—CIC Victoria wel-comes guest speaker Louise Frechette, for-mer DM of Defence and Deputy Sec. Gen at the UN, and now at CIGI, will discuss her work on nuclear policies. Feb. 17, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For more information, email [email protected] TUESDAY, MARCH 9

Ambassador David Jacobson to Address Canadian Club—U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson will address a members-only luncheon today. March 9, 12 p.m. $40 mem-bers. Ballroom, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau St., www.canadianclubottawa.ca MONDAY, MARCH 29

G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting—Minister Lawrence Cannon will host the March 2010 G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting. March 29-30. Chateau Cartier, Gatineau Que. 613-995-1874. FRIDAY, JUNE 25

2010 G8 Summit—The 2010 G8 Summit is held at the Deerhurst Resort, Huntsville, Ont. June 25-27. 613-293-3259. SEPTEMBER 2010

2010 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Confer-ence—The 2010 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference will be held in Québec City, QC. NOVEMBER 2010

G20 Summit—A G20 Summit will be held in Seoul, Korea. More details to come.

The Parliamentary Calendar is a free list-ing edited by listings editor Alia Heward who can be reached at 613-232-5952, ext. 200. Infor-mation regarding political, cultural and govern-mental events should be sent to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Parliamentary Calen-dar’ by Wednesdays at noon. Our fax number is 613-232-9055. We can’t guarantee inclusion of every event, but we do our best.

[email protected] The Hill Times

THE PARLIAMENTARYCALENDAR

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INFANT MORTALITY: Nigerian Health Minister Babatunde Osotimehin, pictured on Dec. 3 in the Aboriginal Committee Room for the Interparliamentary Union Committee meeting, where MPs were told that in 2008, outside the developed world, more than nine million children died before they reached five years of age and 536,000 women died from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Canadian MPs were asked to support the Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations for the upcoming G8 and G20 meetings in Canada in June 2010.

G8 AND G20: Liberal MP Bob Rae, pictured, also at the Interparliamentary Union Committee meeting on Parliament Hill.

Photographs courtesy of the Interparliamentary Union Committee

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2009 Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus Responds

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