Dan Cook: November, 2005
Globe and Mail Update
Timing is everything
Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien has filed a court motion challenging Judge Gomery's findings.
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 01:03 p.m.
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U.S. news
Want a break from the election?
Twins: Jenna and Barabra Bush celebrated their
24th birthday on South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas.
Zoo: The
panda cam at Animal Planet is down.
Bubba's wife: The United States must
"finish what it started" in Iraq.
Dubya: President George W. Bush is promising to place
drones on the U.S.-Mexican border.
Christmas: House Speaker Dennis Hastert wants the
'Capitol Holiday Tree' to be renamed the 'Capitol Christmas Tree.'
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 12:57 p.m.
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Federal prosecutions
If elected as Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper would create a new position: Director of Public Prosecutions. Simply put, Harper believes politicians shouldn't be accountable to other politicians.
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 11:45 a.m.
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Space politics
It's official: Canada's first astronaut, Marc Garneau, will run for the Liberals in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 10:13 a.m.
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Political handbook
Rule 8,729 of the Political Handbook states: Don't parachute candidates into ridings.
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 10:13 a.m.
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Neato part two
The Liberal Party of Canada continues to blog away: "People keep sayng this campaign is a carbon copy of the 2004 election. But that's not true. Stephen Harper has a right handsome new hairstyle."
Or this dandy: "Big Paul (as we called the massive head, which featured the PM in a boyish haircut and a relentless, toothy smile that we all grew to pathelogically detest) was apparently cramping his style. And frightening small children. We'd pull into small towns in Quebec and we'd invariably hear the frightened screams of innocent toddlers: 'Le nez! Le nez!' "
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 09:03 a.m.
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Dear Volunteer
Via snail mail, Belinda Stronach has invited Conservative volunteers to help re-elect her as a Liberal: "I would like to take this opportunity to personally reach out to you, because you worked so hard to elect me as the member of Parliament for Newmarket-Aurora."
And now for the volunteer reaction: ""She sold out every single person who volunteered for her," said Kylie-Anne Young, 24, of Newmarket. "I think she's scared of losing, quite honestly. She alienated a lot of people, and now she's grasping at straws to get them back."
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 08:46 a.m.
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Anybody but the Bloc
As long as it's not the Bloc, Quebec Premier Jean Charest doesn't care which party you vote for in the federal election.
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 08:30 a.m.
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Poll time
How would you vote if the election were held today?
Canada overall: Liberal 35%, Conservative 29%, NDP 17%, Bloc 14%, Other 5%.
Immigrants: Liberal 46%, Conservative 29%, NDP 17%, Bloc 6%, Other 2%.
Visible minorities: Liberal 38%, Conservative 27%, NDP 19%, Bloc 9%, Other 5%.
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 08:13 a.m.
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Where they are
Paul Martin: Montreal
Stephen Harper: Quebec City
Jack Layton: Toronto
Gilles Duceppe: Montreal
Updated Wednesday, November 30 at 08:13 a.m.
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Jack in the box
Meet Jack Layton. He's Canada's most powerful politician.
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 04:46 p.m.
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Neato blog
You can't make this stuff up. The Liberal Party of Canada has a brand new "neato" blog. Here is an entry from 12:31 p.m. EST today: "Did you see Jack Layton's opening statement? I think that with his words, the NDP leader has finally put to rest the rampant rumour that he got into politics to get results for small kitchen appliances."
Thanks
Kate.
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 01:51 p.m.
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In quotes
Stephen Harper: "On January the 23rd, you will finally be able hold the Liberals accountable, accountable for stealing your money, accountable for breaking your trust and accountable for failing to deliver on your priorities."
Prime Minister Paul Martin: "Stephen Harper
sees no role for government and would turn his back on our investments in early learning, in cities and communities, in helping immigrants adapt to their new lives in Canada."
Jack Layton: In the NDP, "Canadians have a real, positive option - the option to choose a progressive alternative to
Liberal broken promises and Conservative wrong-headedness."
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 11:51 a.m.
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Offline
The NDP's campaign is off to a rough start: NDP.ca is completely offline.
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 11:31 a.m.
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It's official
Election 2006 is officially on and set for January 23, 2006.
The Globe & Mail has launched
Decision 2006, your one-stop shop for all things election related.
CTV's newest addition is a weblog community called
Election 2006.
RevMod's
'Gaffe-o-Meter' is back. Last years results were: Harper 17, Martin 9, Duceppe 2, Layton 9.
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 10:25 a.m.
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Ideas
Warren Kinsella is predicting a Conservative minority.
The Toronto Sun is encouraging voters to
'stick a fork' in the Liberals.
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 10:07 a.m.
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Belinda's referendum
Stephen Somerville is the president of the Newmarket-Aurora Conservative riding association. And he's not too happy with Belinda Stronach: "This election will be a referendum on what Belinda did. People are coming from all parts of Canada to work on our campaign. What she did was wrong on so many levels. She betrayed her party, her leader, the values she ascribed to, Conservative voters and all the campaign volunteers, who were stunned. Stunned."
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 08:57 a.m.
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171-133
Poll time.
How would you vote today? Liberal 35%, Conservative 29%, NDP 17%, Bloc 14%, Green 5%.
Which party leader do Canadians trust most to be Prime Minister?
Martin 35%, Harper 28%, Layton 21%, Duceppe 9%, Nobody 8%.
Which one of the parties do you think has a hidden agenda?
Liberal 33%, Conservative 25%, NDP 7%, Bloc 3%, Green 1%.
Do Canadians believe it is time for change of government?
Yes 54%, No 39%, Don't know 7%.
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 08:34 a.m.
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Black & White
Judge Amy St. Eve, 40, will be presiding over Conrad Black's arraignment on fraud charges. Her father Bill has some advice for Mr. Black: "He'd better watch himself. Amy will cut him down. She's not going to be fearful of this man."
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 08:21 a.m.
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Entitled to his entitlements
David Dingwall made gum famous. And now he's missing in action. Yesterday, Dingwall was scheduled to appear before the government operations committee. But he was a no-show and a special summons has been issued.
The last word goes to the NDP's Pat Martin: "I don't care if we have to drag him here in handcuffs in the back of a paddy wagon."
Updated Tuesday, November 29 at 08:09 a.m.
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Showdown in Parliament
The main event on Parliament Hill begins at 6:45 p.m. EST. Here follows some online options.
Live Audio: Coverage on CBC Radio begins at
6:30 p.m. EST.
TV Webcast: Coverage begins at
4:30 p.m. EST.
Print: Full results will be available on
Globeandmail.com
Updated Monday, November 28 at 05:22 p.m.
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The news
Toronto: Olivia Chow has quit Toronto city politics. She will be running federally for the NDP in the coming election.
China: Bird flu virus in humans
mutating.
PEI: Voting begins on
electoral reform.
US: 50 Cent thinks President Bush is "incredible . . .
a gangsta."
Ottawa: Health Canada officials spend close to
$10,000 for luxury rooms at the Fairmont Chateau Montebello.
Updated Monday, November 28 at 03:55 p.m.
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Rolling the dice
Is this Stephen Harper's last day in the House of Commons?
Updated Monday, November 28 at 02:45 p.m.
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Dates & Times
Today at 6:45 p.m. EST: No-confidence motion in the House of Commons.
Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. EST: Prime Minister Paul Martin will ask the Governor General to issue election writs.
January 23, 2006:
Likely date for an election.
Updated Monday, November 28 at 10:56 a.m.
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Christmas is cancelled
If you're planning on spending the holidays with Governor General Michaëlle Jean, make sure you don't call her decorated tree a 'Christmas Tree.' The new official name is 'Holiday Tree.'
Updated Monday, November 28 at 09:19 a.m.
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Grits v. Grits
Ukrainian Liberals are quite unhappy that Michael Ignatieff is being parachuted into the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
Perhaps, this quote from Igantieff's book has something to do with it: "I have reasons to take the Ukraine seriously indeed. But, to be honest, I'm having trouble. Ukrainian independence conjures up images of peasant embroidered shirts, the nasal whine of ethnic instruments, phony Cossacks in cloaks and boots . . ."
Updated Monday, November 28 at 08:28 a.m.
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MacKay Off Message, Again
Question: What happens if Stephen Harper fails to show growth in Ontario?
Answer: Mr. Harper "will have to make a
personal decision whether to stay on," said Peter MacKay, the Conservative deputy leader on CBC Radio.
Updated Monday, November 28 at 08:11 a.m.
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Bad week
It hasn't been the best week for Prime Minister Paul Martin. First he had to deal with the matter of a no-confidence motion. Then Stephen Harper likened his party to 'organized crime.' And now Bono's mad.
Updated Friday, November 25 at 05:11 p.m.
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Blog awards
Dailypixel blog publisher, James Cogan, explains why supporting the Canadian Blog Awards may be a very bad idea. Makes sense to me.
Updated Friday, November 25 at 02:01 p.m.
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Organized crime
The Prime Minister's communications director has threatened to sue the Conservative Party. Scott Reid is poring over transcripts regarding comments made by MP's Peter MacKay and John Reynolds. Further, Prime Minister Paul Martin is demanding an apology from Stephen Harper.
Updated Friday, November 25 at 01:07 p.m.
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King Byng
Michael Taube's latest column suggests History is on Harper's side.
Updated Friday, November 25 at 10:36 a.m.
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Gambling man
On Wednesday, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said he thinks were headed for another Liberal minority government: "Unfortunately, if I were a betting man, I would. But I wouldn't want to see that outcome."
Here's the Conservative reaction courtesy of MP John Reynolds: "Peter [MacKay] was wincing Wednesday, like all of us were, when we heard the initial comments made from a casino. You have to wonder what's going on there."
Anyone else care to wager a bet?
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer: "I've got to work with whoever gets elected, so I'm a real cautious person. I'm not placing any bet."
Quebec Premier Jean Charest: "I'm not betting on the federal election campaign. I have other fish to fry."
Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris: He won't make any predictions about the election outcome. But he stands firmly behind Stephen Harper.
Updated Friday, November 25 at 10:00 a.m.
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Dear Joe
The Globe & Mail editorial board has a message for Liberal MP Dan McTeague and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe: Let Fiddy in.
Updated Friday, November 25 at 8:47 a.m.
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Connie
Conrad Black had this to say about U.S. prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald: "I accept that he's a competent prosecutor, but he doesn't know anything about this case. He just sweeps in for the press conference."
As for the charges against him: "There is no truth or substance whatsoever to these charges," Lord Black said. "This has been one massive smear job from A to Z."
Updated Friday, November 25 at 8:47 a.m.
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War of words
Here follows a selection of quotes from Thursday.
Stephen Harper: "If I belonged to an organization and led an organization that was found to have been involved in a massive corruption ring using organized crime to defraud taxpayers, I cannot understand why anyone found in that position would want to be associated with that organization."
Peter MacKay: It was "a simple reference to the fact that the Liberal Party who are organized were involved in criminal activity... they gave kickbacks to themselves through an organized scheme of government that funnelled money through advertising firms back into their own party coffers."
Scott Reid: "We will not allow them [Conservatives] to campaign on the basis of falsehoods and smears and if they need to get a lawyer's letter to mind, then they will."
Joe Volpe: "This kind of sleaze on the other side does not help us to deal with the issues in a realistic and positive fashion."
John Reynolds: "Mr. Volpe is a sleazebag. He certainly put that across very well in the House today. I imagine that's the kind of campaign he will want to run in Ontario but we will fight back very hard."
Joe Volpe: The "mudslinger just finally got some of it on his own and didn't like it. [He John Reynolds] spent $138,000 last year travelling. What did he do? Travel by luxury jet everywhere? Drink champagne? Slug down a little bit of caviar?"
John Reynolds: Mr. Volpe "is a liar because I don't drink champagne, nor do I eat caviar, I don't like it."
Updated Friday, November 25 at 8:29 a.m.
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Survey says
A new poll suggests the biggest problem facing the Liberals is a 'desire for change.' Ranking in second place is the sponsorship scandal.
Updated Thursday, November 24 at 5:27 p.m.
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Hardware for softwood
A couple of hours after the Tories announced a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons, the Liberal Government has an announcement of their own: $1.5-billion in softwood aid.
Updated Thursday, November 24 at 2:08 p.m.
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The news
Blog war: Robert McClelland picked a fight with Warren Kinsella. Warren won.
Quebec: Preston Manning fears
a unity crisis.
Litigation: U.S. Prosecutors alter filings to ensure
Lord Black is the focus.
Election: Conservatives
introduce no-confidence motion in the House of Commons.
U.S. Thanksgiving news: Its official,
Nick & Jess have split.
Updated Thursday, November 24 at 10:24 a.m.
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I want my share
Brian Mulroney has filed a lawsuit against Peter C. Newman in Ontario Superior Court. Mulroney is challenging 'ownership and profits' from The Secret Mulroney Tapes.
Updated Thursday, November 24 at 08:31 a.m.
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Santa Goodale
Since Monday, the Liberals have announced or re-announced roughly $10-billion in spending.
Updated Thursday, November 24 at 08:23 a.m.
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Crystal ball
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein thinks were headed for another Liberal minority government: "Unfortunately, if I were a betting man, I would. But I wouldn't want to see that outcome."
Updated Thursday, November 24 at 08:23 a.m.
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Hands off
It appears the Liberals caught a sneak peek at a Conservative policy leaflet and adopted the ideas as their own.
Updated Thursday, November 24 at 08:23 a.m.
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Bouncing balls
The Department of National Defence is spending $126-million on Gelaendenwagen vehicles. They will be produced at Magna's plant in Graz, Austria.
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 03:42 p.m.
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Quote award
And the award goes to the NDP's Pat Martin: "(This recent spending) is like a Roman orgy. With the tightened election timetable, it's a Roman orgy with a premature ejaculation."
Special thanks to
Warren Kinsella and
the Calgary Grit.
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 03:12 p.m.
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U.S. news
John Kerry was elected this week as a Jury Foreman. "I enjoyed it," Kerry said. "It was very, very interesting and very instructive."
President George W. Bush at the turkey pardon: "I know
Marshmallow and Yam are going to feel pretty good strutting around sunny California, remembering the cold days of Minnesota."
Bob Woodward on CNN's Larry King: "And all of the
juices, my wife Elsa told me this is you could almost just almost hear it the reporting news juices running."
The Thanksgiving
travel rush has begun.
Ted Koppel
signs off.
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 01:57 p.m.
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Google war
Conservative pundit Stephen Taylor thought it would be funny to play around with Google. He was able to come up with the following response:
"The Liberal party has created a culture of entitlement."
Well Mr. Taylor, two can play at that game.
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 11:48 a.m.
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Whistleblower
Allan Cutler, the federal bureaucrat who blew the whistle on AdScam, is now seeking the Conservative nomination in Ottawa-South. If Cutler is successful, one of his opponents will include Liberal David McGuinty.
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 11:34 a.m.
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Blame everyone else, except yourself
Michael Jackson has some thoughts on his money problems: Jews. "They suck...they're like leeches...I'm so tired of it," Jackson tells former adviser Dieter Wiesner's answering machine. "The Jews do it on purpose."
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 09:20 a.m.
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Lost in the mail
Yesterday, I posted an item about Defend Marriage Canada. Simply put, the goal of the group is to help elect MP's opposed to same-sex marriage.
Larry McLean, a reader, wrote me this morning. You see Mr. McLean is having a problem getting some answers. "I have written to this and other groups asking them how my gay neighbours getting married will negatively affect my family. It would seem they either don't get my e-mails or don't have an answer.
If these people were really interested in the future of marriage in Canada they might want to explore why there are so many failed marriages. It they were really interested in protecting our children they might put their resources into helping children of broken marriages.
On the other hand they should seek counseling regarding their own sexuality and why they feel threatened by a homosexual life style."
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 09:00 a.m.
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History & Mulroney
Charles Adler's latest column is sure to generate lots of calls to his syndicated radio show. Here's a snippet: "Mulroney was shown accurately as championing free trade and national unity, the quest to get Quebec's signature on the Constitution. The GST battle was just a side dish on the TV menu.
None of these battles was easy. How do we judge what's easy? Through the Chretien/Martin 20-20 safety lens."
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 08:32 a.m.
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Fiddy
Immigration Minister Joe Volpe may ban music sensation 50 Cent a.k.a. Curtis Jackson, from entering Canada. Mr. 50 has shows scheduled in Toronto, Halifax, Saint John, Montreal, Quebec City, and Ottawa.
As for the man behind the request, meet Liberal MP Dan McTeague: "I don't think people in Toronto or any urban centre need or want to hear Mr. Jackson's message right now. I think it's time we send a message of our own to those who glorify violence that their gratuitous violence and movies are not welcome in our country."
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 08:00 a.m.
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Space MP
Marc Garneau is expected to run for the Liberal party in the next federal election. While the Liberals haven't confirmed the news, here's the official line: "We're not there yet," said Transport Minister Jean Lapierre. "When there's an announcement to make, we'll do it at the appropriate time."
Updated Wednesday, November 23 at 08:00 a.m.
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Advice from a Lord
New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord has some advice for federal Liberals: don't demonize Andre Boisclair.
Updated Tuesday, November 22 at 04:03 p.m.
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Strange bedfellows
Ex-Tory MP Grant Hill and Ontario MP Pat O'Brien have founded Defend Marriage Canada. The collective goal is to help elect MP's who oppose same-sex marriage.
Updated Tuesday, November 22 at 03:45 p.m.
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Happy Thanksgiving
Over at the White House, U.S. President George W. Bush has just pardoned two turkeys named Marshmallow and Yam. The turkeys are now headed via First-Class to Disneyland. As for Bush, he's off to his ranch in Crawford, Texas where Cindy Sheehan is planning to spend the holidays.
Updated Tuesday, November 22 at 03:03 p.m.
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Jean v. Paul
Last year the Justice Department advised the Federal Cabinet not to fire Jean Pelletier. Nonetheless, Pelletier was fired. Last week via Federal Court, Pelletier won his job back. Today, Ottawa served notice that they may fire him — again.
Updated Tuesday, November 22 at 01:07 p.m.
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The news
Thanks to the Charter of Rights: the case against Pierre Trudeau's ex-wife Margaret has been thrown out of court.
The print edition of Frank Magazine
is back on newsstands.
The speculation is over: Cabinet Minister John Efford
won't be seeking re-election.
Jenna Bush looking
"absolutely lovely" at Fat Baby.
Bob Novak gets in a
First-Class fight: "Some guy pushed me and I pushed him back."
Updated Tuesday, November 22 at 12:27 p.m.
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X marks the spot
Yesterday on CNN, an enormous X appeared on U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's face. The official rationale is as follows: "We concluded this was a technological malfunction not an issue of operator error. A portion of the switcher experienced a momentary glitch. We obviously regret that it happened and are working on the equipment to ensure it is not repeated."
Updated Tuesday, November 22at 11:08 a.m.
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Connie
Conrad Black's arraignment in Chicago court has been re-scheduled for Nov 30th.
Updated Tuesday, November 22at 10:41 a.m.
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Bedtime reading
PETA has a comic book aimed at kids. The title of September's edition is 'Your Daddy Kills Animals.'
And here's just one of many kid friendly paragraphs: "Imagine that a man dangles a piece of candy in front of you… As you grab the candy, a huge metal hook stabs through your hand and you're ripped off the ground. You fight to get away, but it doesn't do any good... That would be an awful trick to play on someone, wouldn't it?"
Updated Tuesday, November 22at 10:20 a.m.
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Kiss my ass
Sandra McGrath, a Liberal campaign volunteer has written directly to Prime Minister Paul Martin. She is demanding an apology from Pubic Works Minister Scott Brison. Mcgrath claims the Cabinet Minister told her to "kiss my ass."
Updated Tuesday, November 22at 09:52 a.m.
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Dear Steve
The Globe & Mail editorial board has a message for the Tories: Leave the GST alone.
Updated Tuesday, November 22 at 09:00 a.m.
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Hair
After more than 26 years behind the anchor chair at 'Nightline,' tonight is Ted Koppel's last broadcast. His final guest will be Sports journalist Mitch Albom, who also authored "Tuesdays With Morrie."
Goodnight Ted, you're a class act.
Updated Tuesday, November 22 at 09:00 a.m.
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Only in B.C.
On November 17th, B.C. MLA's unanimously voted to give themselves a pay raise of about 15%. And on November 21st, those same MLA's voted unanimously to overturn their pay raise.
The last word goes to political analyst Norman Ruff: "Talk about dysfunctional groupthink. They all looked bad. They all should have known better."
Updated Tuesday, November 22 at 09:00 a.m.
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Turboprop
Devon Holding & Leasing Inc. is allegedly a CIA-controlled shell corporation. Bloc MP Francine Lalonde wants to know why one of their planes was in Newfoundland last week.
Updated Monday, November 21 at 4:20 p.m.
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Top ten
What do 'misguided criminals,' 'intrinsic aptitude,' and 'thought shower' have in common? They are all part of the Top Politically Incorrect Words for 2005.
Updated Monday, November 21 at 3:44 p.m.
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Santa Ralph
From the good news department: Alberta Premier Ralph Klein has announced an endowment fund that will provide 325 students with scholarships. Enterprising minds from all provinces and territories are welcome to apply.
Updated Monday, November 21 at 01:42 p.m.
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Big ticket presentation
Aside from Monday Night Football, rarely does a main event come around on a Monday evening. The Secret Mulroney Tapes airs tonight at 8 p.m. EST on CBC-TV. If you tune in, you'll find this dandy: "I'm no better or worse than anybody in terms of the truth. I'm just as truthful or as full of shit as anybody who's ever held the office."
Or this one: "They're (the press are) all married to one another and they're shacked up with one another. And their wives are on the payroll of the CBC."
If you've already heard enough from Mulroney, CTV has Corner Gas and Global's got Prison Break.
Updated Monday, November 21 at 12:30 p.m.
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House votes
With a federal election on the horizon and a rush on to pass priority bills, it appears the Liberals will be undermining their own legislation with recorded votes.
Updated Monday, November 21 at 10:50 a.m.
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Jagger & Iraq
Seems everyone has an opinion on the Iraq debacle. Today, we hear from Sir Mick Jagger: "It makes me very angry that (Tony) Blair already knew that arms of mass destruction were simply an excuse and had nothing planned for the day after. Only now is the U.S. discovering the reality of Iraq."
Updated Monday, November 21 at 09:53 a.m.
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Too much info
I almost upchucked my french toast when I read this Maclean's article: 'When even the privacy commissioner's cellphone records are available online, we've all got security problems.'
Updated Monday, November 21 at 09:53 a.m.
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Till Tuesday
Cabinet Minister John Efford is planning a big announcement tomorrow. While the exact nature of his statement is still unclear, here follows the most likely scenarios; a) he won't be seeking re-election, b) he will resign his Cabinet post, c) he is moving to Florida.
Updated Monday, November 21 at 08:55 a.m.
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Old hands on board
The Liberals have banked $12-million for the election campaign, the NDP are sitting on $5-million and the Conservatives top the list at $16-million. And the Conservatives have another trick up their sleeve: Senators Hugh Segal and Pierre Claude Nolin. "We want some history on the bus and airplane with the leader," said John Reynolds, the co-chair of the Conservative campaign. So, when issues "come up that are from the past that the younger members of our party, of our crew, don't remember, we will. Which helps for a quick response to things."
Updated Monday, November 21 at 08:55 a.m.
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Mixed messages
Sunday wasn't a good day for the Tories. Deputy-Leader Peter MacKay gave a vintage performance on CTV's Question Period. Problem is, he wasn't on message. MacKay suggested that his party could attempt to defeat the Liberals prior to November 28th. This of course smacks in the face of a deal between the Bloc, NDP and the Tories.
Steve Harper came to the rescue and ran into damage control, issuing a press release Sunday night to clear up the confusion: "I will move a non-confidence motion on Thursday, Nov. 24 and that motion will come to a vote on Monday, Nov. 28."
As for the NDP, they were none too impressed: "Peter MacKay has spouted off before, but he doesn't speak for the party," said a party strategist to Canadian Press, who asked not to be named.
Updated Monday, November 21 at 08:55 a.m.
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James v. Jim
Later tonight, we will know who the next Mayor of Vancouver is. Will it be James Green, Jim Green or Sam Sullivan? It's a tight race, and your guess is as good as mine. But, I do know this: one of the two Green's is mighty peeved.
Updated Saturday, November 19 at 03:23 p.m.
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Sorry, sort of
Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew has issued a clarification on the 'loser' comment: "I was talking about their (separatist leaders) loser speeches . . . I certainly don't think the people who held the positions were losers," Pettigrew said Friday.
Either way, his comments won't help the federalist cause in Quebec.
Updated Saturday, November 19 at 03:23 p.m.
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Analyze this
Technology never ceases to amaze me. An Israeli firm is planning to deploy lie detectors, aimed at tightening up airport security. Within 30 to 75 seconds, and a simple "yes" or "no" -- the system can immediately detect a liar. No word yet, if they are planning a Canadian version for Question Period.
Updated Friday, November 18 at 03:43 p.m.
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Off to summer school
According to a poll by Canisius College, fifty-two percent of respondents gave President Bush a grade of D or F on Iraq. And just for the record, eleven percent gave him an A.
Updated Friday, November 18 at 12:37 p.m.
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Jean gets the last laugh
Jean Pelletier, who was fired as the Chairman of Via Rail by Prime Minister Paul Martin, just won his job back.
Updated Friday, November 18 at 11:10 a.m.
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Winter blues
Why do the colours pink, green, orange, and white make the NDP's Brad Lavigne happy? His campaign signs will show much better against the snow, as opposed to Paul Martin's pink-coloured face.
Updated Friday, November 18 at 08:51 a.m.
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Plame Woodward
Our man in Washington, Alan Freeman, writes in today's Globe & Mail on how Plamegate has tarnished Bob Woodward's reputation. Alan's right. However, don't count Woodward out just yet. Look for a book deal, a made for TV special and many more speaking engagements.
Updated Friday, November 18 at 08:51 a.m.
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Oh Lord
So, you've heard all the Lord Black news you can handle. But, did you know his former partner David Radler, has been cooperating with authorities since 2004?
Updated Friday, November 18 at 08:51 a.m.
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Just in time for Christmas
Ever wanted to make your own 'Team Martin' campaign sign? Now you can.
Updated Thursday, November 17 at 02:03 p.m.
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Poor Sinclair
Remember the Tory-Alliance merger? Sinclair Stevens hasn't forgotten. The former Conservative cabinet minister lost another legal battle, in an attempt to overturn the merger. This time, he was ruled against by the Federal Court of Appeals.
Updated Thursday, November 17 at 01:06 p.m.
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Memo to you three
Via Air Force Martin, the Prime Minister sent the following message to Jack, Gilles & Steve: "When you are talking about the holiday season, there are also other religions that have different New Year's at different dates and their holidays at a different date and I think we have to be respectful of that -- the orthodox churches, for example," Martin said. "It's up to the opposition. I don't want a Christmas election."
Updated Thursday, November 17 at 12:17 p.m.
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And the real PM is?
You figure the brain trust at the Prime Minister's office would get around to registering the domain name primeminister.ca. No chance. Leave it to James Cogan to aggregate all the news Paul Martin doesn't want you to see.
Updated Thursday, November 17 at 11:40 a.m.
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Survey says
On Wednesday, I reported the following: The Honourable Member from Newmarket-Aurora, Belinda Stronach, is conducting a survey on her website. She would like to know what issue is most important to her constituents. While the poll doesn't close until November 30th, the interim results are in: fifty-two percent of respondents want Democratic Renewal. Hmm, isn't Stronach the Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal?
Update: Turns out, the constituents voice doesn't matter after all: the poll has been taken down thirteen days early. The link doesn't work anymore.
Kate has all the screen shots. Ahh, the power of the blogs.
Updated Thursday, November 17 at 10:27 a.m.
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Change please
Ever wanted to go shopping with the Prime Minister? Rick Mercer does just that.
Updated Thursday, November 17 at 09:27 a.m.
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Reader mail
Michael Barber, a reader, wrote me this morning: "With André Boisclair in, this could result in more Quebecers voting for the federal Liberals." Michael may be right. Here's The Globe & Mail's editorial take.
Updated Thursday, November 17 at 09:27 a.m.
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Oh Connie
Tuesday night was Maclean's 100th birthday. Leave it to Conrad Black to mark the occasion with a $2-million libel suit for Peter C. Newman.
Updated Thursday, November 17 at 09:27 a.m.
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Deep this
The guy who made Deep Throat famous, Bob Woodward, knew the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame since 2003. Turns out, the Bush White House has more leaks than a Vancouver condo. Anyways, Woodward has had to apologize to his bosses at The Washington Post for keeping mum.
Updated Wednesday, November 16 at 04:20 p.m.
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Survey says
The Honourable Member from Newmarket-Aurora, Belinda Stronach, is conducting a survey on her website. She would like to know what issue is most important to her constituents. While the poll doesn't close until November 30th, the interim results are in: fifty-two percent of respondents want Democratic Renewal. Hmm, isn't Stronach the Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal?
Updated Wednesday, November 16 at 03:27 p.m.
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More bubba
"Saddam is gone. It's a good thing, but I don't agree with what was done, " said Bill Clinton, at the American University of Dubai. "It was a big mistake. The American government made several errors ... one of which is how easy it would be to get rid of Saddam and how hard it would be to unite the country."
Hang on, were not done in the Clinton department.
Esquire has named him the world's "most influential man." Booyah.
Updated Wednesday, November 16 at 12:40 p.m.
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Harper, Martin & Clark
Are Paul Martin and Steve Harper attempting to look like Joe Clark? Chantal Hébert thinks so.
Updated Wednesday, November 16 at 10:45 a.m.
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It's the tan man
Fresh from Florida, and sporting a golden tan, Cabinet Minister John Efford returned to Ottawa yesterday. Efford, you see has been ill, and hadn't been to the capital in six months. He claims he was under doctor's orders not to fly. Hey, for a guy under 'no fly' orders, two flights in one week seems like a lot.
Updated Wednesday, November 16 at 09:15 a.m.
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Ding dong
"Families will be interrupted by candidates campaigning on their doorsteps through the Christmas holiday season," said Tony Valeri. It's true. But that's not all. Plan on spending the holidays with Mike Duffy, Don Newman and Jessica Biel.
Updated Wednesday, November 16 at 09:15 a.m.
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Senior v. Junior
Poor George W. Bush. His ratings are at an all-time low. And now, he won't even call his dad back. No wonder Sr., adopted Bill Clinton.
Updated Tuesday, November 15 at 03:03 p.m.
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Mums the word
Can't wait to see the results from the PQ leaders race. I wonder how the Chihuahua voted. And is that houseplant still undecided?
Updated Tuesday, November 15 at 11:43 a.m.
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Hungry?
The Ottawa Sun wants an election now. It has to do with chicken and a pot.
Updated Tuesday, November 15 at 11:19 a.m.
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Poor Mary
This Hour Has 22 Minutes, has beendenied a press pass to the current session of Parliament. Oh Mary, what will you do now?
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Monte and Ralph
So, yesterday was the mini-budget. I'm sure the Conservative finance critic has lots to say about it. "It's not whether or not these ideas are good," said Monte Solberg. Ok, thanks for showcasing your ideas.
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Hanging with Jenna
Washington Post reports Jenna Bush was enjoying a Mojito and a cigarette. She also wore a blue jacket.
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Plan b
The three Amigos (Jack, Gilles and Steve) issued an ultimatum: Paul Martin must call an election vote in January or they'll collectively ruin his Christmas. Sounds simple. Well Paul just had another one of those speeches/statements in the foyer of the House of Commons, and he flatly rejects it. No dice. He plans on keeping his holiday plans with Sheila and the kids.
What happens next? Look for a no-confidence motion on November 22nd or 24th.
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Way to remember
On Friday, November 11th, one lonely news release was issued from the Prime Ministers Office. Think it would have something to do with Remembrance Day? Nope. It's a photo slide show of Paul Martin touring Toronto, Aurora and Brockville.
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The right way
John Edwards, a former U.S. senator and vice president wannabe, finally admits he was wrong about Iraq.
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Hold or fold?
Former NDP strategist, Robin Sears had this to say about Jack Layton: "The challenge, in this kind of situation, is that you have an absolutely even chance of being either a hero or dead." Bang on.
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No eggnog for you
Some Albertans want a Holiday election. Why? To ruin MP's Christmas.
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Funny numbers
Later today, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale is expected to announce another budget surplus. This one should nestle in between the $10.2-billion and $12.5-billion mark. If memory serves correct, he projected the budget surplus would be $4-billion. As usual, the numbers are way off. Now Mr. Goodale, with all this extra cash, might I suggest axing the GST? After all, your party promised twelve years ago.
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Leave me alone, I'm on vacation
Cabinet Minister John Efford has been ill and unable to visit Ottawa for the last six months. Yet, he has found the time to vacation in Florida. Via CBC Radio he took some shots at the real villains. "If they're (news media) saying that people who have a disease or have a problem or disability of some sort, a health problem, that everybody should hide away and perish, that's their opinion. It's not mine."
Now hold the phone just one second. As usual, the media gets blamed and last time I checked, I'm not the one catching rays on South Beach. And Mr. Efford, might I suggest the Red Fish Grill in Coral Gables. Ask for Cameron Diaz's table.
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Ben at 7, Brian at 8
CBC Television keeps churning out the good stuff. The Secret Mulroney Tapes airs November 21st at 8:00 p.m. EST. "Canadians will hear, for the first time, the infamous conversations between former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and journalist Peter C. Newman that spawned the best selling book of the same name."
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Bu-bye
So, Judith Miller has left The New York Times. I wonder if this letter had anything to do with it?
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Belinda on Harper
Don't forget to tune in to This Hour Has 22 Minutestonight at 8:30 p.m. EST. The Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, Belinda Stronach, will reveal to viewers some advice she offered to Stephen Harper. Here's a snippet. "You know, I recommended to Stephen once that to rise in his polls he should take a little Viagra," she told CBC. "But the pill got stuck in his throat and all he got was a stiff neck."
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Kinsella says it best
John Turner has been dispatched to Israel to attend Yitzhak Rabin's commemoration ceremony. I'll let Warren Kinsella take it from here. "Yeah, and we really honour Rabin's memory - which deserves to be honoured, far and wide - by sending the guy who was Prime Minister for about ten days, as opposed to the one who was Prime Minister for ten years.
These people make me puke."
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Don't pull the trigger
This is fascinating. Under a proposed crime bill, gun offenders would go to jail. What, it took these guy's twelve years to figure this out? And don't mind the hypocrisy while were in pre-election mode. Justice Minister Irwin Cotler argued against mandatory minimum sentences when he was a law professor. Something about them being 'legally ineffective.'
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Good politics
When you think of Matthew Good , the first thing that probably comes to mind is music. But when you check out his website, you'll struggle to find any mention of his musical genius. The site is dedicated to democracy, world crises, Iraq and political activism. I've interviewed Matthew several times and I'm constantly amazed at his vast knowledge of history and can-do attitude of how to make this planet a better place. Artists get a bad rap when it comes to anything other than their craft. Good pulls up aces on both fronts.
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Math skills lacking?
A guy by the name of Pierre who runs a web site called Bourque dot something or other, claims his October readership was an astounding 4.1 million. But before all you Internet marketing firms and web traffic analysts get your uplinks in a twist, here's the trick. If you visit his web site and use any of his links, his site will secretly continue to operate in the background and refresh itself every 4 minutes. Every hour you become 15 people and each day you populate into a colony of 360. Not even rabbits have it that good. Bacteria, maybe.
Send your comments on this item to email@dancook.comUpdated Wednesday, November 9 at 5:28 p.m EST
Talk to the hand
In my other job, I interview people from all walks of life - from Sarah McLachlan to The Minister of Democratic Renewal. For the past year and half, one of those on my wish list has been none other than the leader of the Official Opposition, Stephen Harper.
To get through to Steve you first have to make good with Carolyn Stewart-Olsen. After about 25 calls and every excuse under the sun - now I'm on the 'do not call back' list. Turns out I am not the only one that has a problem with Harper's right hand.
The Toronto Star matter-of-factly states that "her relations with the national press, charitably, can be called fractious. "Even a Tory strategist pipes in: "Carolyn Stewart-Olsen is an issue for a lot of people..."
Mr. Harper, to get your message out to Canadians you need to be able to communicate with the messenger. While you're brushing off all those BBQs this winter, you might want to clean house. Or at least check your own messages once in a while.
Send your comments on this item to email@dancook.comUpdated Wednesday, November 9 at 5:28 p.m EST
Posted at Monday, February 27, 2006 EDT 
