tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59549154969203436212012-01-26T09:07:33.705-05:00Blogging Beyond The News CyclePeter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.comBlogger1831100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-21944717874832664142012-01-05T08:22:00.008-05:002012-01-05T15:33:12.525-05:00

From the day [Pierre Trudeau] resigned in 1984 to today, the Liberal Party has never developed a new and cogent framework for what it believes in. In her book “Divided Loyalties”, Brooke Jeffrey described the turmoil within the Liberal Party from 1984. What cemented foment was the great chasm brought about by the Meech lake Accord. The two competing “visions” of Canada personified by Meech were

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-74371140254322904802012-01-04T22:30:00.010-05:002012-01-05T10:13:59.545-05:00

In a column for the Globe and Mail, Rob Silver rightly points out that there is a lot of hype surrounding the Liberal Party's biennial convention. Much of that hype has resulted from the media's focus on a proposal for using a primary system to select the next leader of the party, which is a bit strange since primaries are no longer on the convention agenda. They're off the table.Primaries were

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-46414214369588540382012-01-03T13:19:00.009-05:002012-01-04T15:17:55.086-05:00

The Liberal Party's proposal for using staggered primaries to select its next leader is unprecedented in the history of Western democratic political parties. And there's a good reason for that: its version is inherently undemocratic.The constitutional amendments drafted by the National Board of the party call for a 21 week leadership contest, with the first regional vote taking place at roughly

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-90602628784526363242011-12-26T08:00:00.001-05:002011-12-26T08:09:25.098-05:00

They're available here.These are the amendments for a new leadership selection process:Electing a Leader using a system of staggered regional voting daysBackground: In order to raise the interest of the public and build momentum while selecting a Leader, the Party would use a modified version of the current Leadership Vote procedure that would enable entire regions to cast their vote on different

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-26206766749068196192011-12-22T11:00:00.004-05:002011-12-26T08:16:06.020-05:00

You can read them here.Here's the final version of the open primary proposal:That the Constitution be amended to extend the right to participate in the selection of the next permanent leader of LPC to all Members and Supporters as defined in section 5, permitting electronic, online and mail-in voting, utilizing a preferential, run-off balloting system, in the context of an appropriately secured,

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-85984031174554165022011-12-04T13:18:00.003-05:002011-12-04T13:46:39.998-05:00

On the policy front, I expect this afternoon's New Democrat leadership debate to be a fairly amicable affair, with the possible exception of Nathan Cullen's proposal to form a non-compete agreement with the Liberal Party. So, in addition to their overall performance, I'll be watching to see how the leading candidates differentiate themselves on questions of style and approach.In an interview with

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-45185177942026893542011-12-01T10:08:00.004-05:002011-12-01T10:30:52.963-05:00

Today we got word that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty reaffirmed his support for the Harper Government's plan to add 30 MPs to House of Commons, 15 of which are destined for his province."We have convinced (Prime Minister Stephen Harper) and I think a number of other provinces have put pressure on the federal government to do what we believe is the right thing in the circumstances," McGuinty

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-26224158281173550572011-11-30T19:15:00.004-05:002011-11-30T21:03:17.134-05:00

I'm starting to notice a trend.Two weeks ago, I noted that an op-ed written by Stephen Harper's point man on Senate reform, Bert Brown, seemed deliberately tailored to blunt the criticisms of Liberal Democratic Reform critic Stephane Dion.Dion has been waging a very public attack on the Conservative's Senate reform bill, and it appeared the government was starting to feel the pressure, hence, the

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-85254406261696345922011-11-29T20:11:00.003-05:002011-11-29T20:39:52.265-05:00

Even if you don't support the National Board's proposal for phased open primaries, the current leadership selection process will likely have to be changed.According to the current rules for selecting the next leader of the Liberal Party, each riding is to be weighted equally. Regardless of the number of members a riding has, it will be given 100 points. How those points are distributed will be

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-11877622381800446492011-11-28T20:10:00.008-05:002011-11-29T08:02:45.835-05:00

The beauty contest that is the New Democrat leadership race may be having a negative impact on the party's political fortunes.Without a substantive policy debate from the candidates to capture the media's and the public's imagination, the NDP has to rely on a weakened front bench in the Commons to make headlines. That's proving to be a tall order for an inexperienced caucus and is probably an

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-52473743300785809182011-11-28T08:47:00.004-05:002011-11-28T09:50:41.069-05:00

Yesterday, the Chronicle Herald's editorial board came out against the Liberal Party's plan for seat redistribution in the House of Commons. Here's the reason they gave for taking that position:Mr. Dion’s proposal would leave the Senate clause untouched, but would require changes to the grandfather clause. He says Parliament could alter the baseline by which seat distribution is calculated

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-85026172175210448832011-11-26T17:14:00.003-05:002011-11-26T17:37:14.199-05:00

Depending on which articles you read these days, the Liberal Party of Canada is either in the early stages of a revolution or preparing for a coronation. One thing is certain, however: it can't do both.The president of the Liberal Party, Alfred Apps, wants to see tables turned, prisons stormed and shots heard round the world. He wants nothing less than a revolution where the well manicured lawns

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-21941793385949033612011-11-25T10:00:00.003-05:002011-11-25T10:43:13.707-05:00

1) Sheila Copps and Paul Martin kiss and make up:[Copps] said parts of [Martin's] 2008 autobiography, Hell or High Water, that involved her included distortions, fabrications and figments of Martin’s imagination. He insisted it was an accurate history.Asked again about the book, Copps said, “Hey, everybody has written books.”She attended a recent Montreal fundraiser with Martin and he signed a

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-83462849733651688102011-11-22T13:00:00.010-05:002011-11-22T18:45:15.067-05:00

John Ibbitson has some advice for Liberals: mind your manners and stop thinking, or you'll die!Take a look at this:Someone should tell these malcontents that the one thing the Liberals absolutely cannot afford is a divisive, faction-ridden convention in January. Either the third-place party unites, or it dies.The malcontents, Ibbitson refers to, are those who dare to question the prudence of

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-48686919121662250452011-11-21T19:01:00.003-05:002011-11-22T06:14:44.893-05:00

On Friday, the Globe and Mail's Gloria Galloway and I had this brief exchange on Twitter:Here, rescued from the memory hole thanks to Google, is the offending passage:This morning, I came across the article again to find that the passage was gone:_______________The "ur doc" can be found here.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-73866410295089076482011-11-21T08:21:00.002-05:002011-11-21T09:11:26.278-05:00

From Brockville's Recorder & Times:The world needs a new economic order if it is to mitigate the effects of climate change, former Liberal leader and onetime environment minister Stéphane Dion told a local environmental group on Sunday.With a previous limit on global warming now all but impossible, the only way to prevent the catastrophe from escalating is to put in place global trade rules that

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-8879562352713798192011-11-20T10:25:00.004-05:002011-11-20T10:34:44.353-05:00

Earlier this week, the Globe and Mail deconstructed the logo for the Coalition-Avenir Quebec. Here's my take:A high school textbook image of the distant past; plusthe unfortunate architectural present; equalsan aesthetically challenged future.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-14375363776891118992011-11-19T12:07:00.013-05:002011-11-20T10:16:49.668-05:00

When Stephane Dion and Marc Garneau released the details of the Liberal's seat redistribution plan for the House of Commons, I have to say, I was shocked. Here's why:Bob Rae cautious about more for West; move must consider Quebec - August 30Asked if Canadians should consider revisiting the 25-per-cent offer to Quebec, he responded: "My own view is that we should have a very open discussion on the

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-69653378825598495222011-11-18T18:37:00.008-05:002011-11-19T05:34:12.224-05:00

The National Post Editorial Board:This editorial board may have been a little cavalier on Thursday, when we rejected Liberal MP Marc Garneau’s suggested redistribution scheme out of hand. Now that Mr. Dion has entered the scene and put numbers behind Mr. Garneau’s words, the notion doesn’t seem quite as ridiculous as Mr. Garneau’s somewhat speculative rhetoric suggested. The Liberal plan is very

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-8049794540619522072011-11-18T10:15:00.019-05:002011-11-19T05:40:20.986-05:00

Yesterday, the National Post published an editorial highly critical of Liberal House Leader Marc Garneau, and the Liberal's position on seat redistribution for the House of Commons. The editorial concluded:That rules out redistribution, which leaves only Commons expansion as a means of making seat distribution more nearly equal.There was only one problem: the argument leading up to this

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-40439172939755706202011-11-17T11:50:00.016-05:002011-11-18T09:44:47.235-05:00

In their editorial today, on the Liberal Party's position regarding the redistribution of seats in the House of Commons, the National Post editorial board clearly demonstrates they're in need of a high school level Canadian Civics refresher course.Let's take a closer look at Poli Sci 101 for Marc Garneau, shall we.We don't expect most Canadians to be aware of the intricate rules that govern seat

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-75955983229981292942011-11-16T19:01:00.006-05:002011-11-16T21:21:09.860-05:00

Steve at Far and Wide has an excellent post today that captures the excitement an open primary could bring to the Liberal leadership race. And I agree with Steve and others who feel that expanding voter eligibility would go a long way toward democratizing and rebranding the Liberal Party.The Devil, as they say, is in the details.For example, the open primaries used by the French Socialist Party

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-78406233166515418742011-11-16T12:28:00.007-05:002011-11-16T15:58:42.792-05:00

Earlier this morning, Warren Kinsella offered a broader set of reasons then I have, concerning the folly of the Liberal caucus' opposition to the government's Fair Representation Act. One of these reasons: it dismisses Liberal Premiers who are in favour of the bill.Well, that's not exactly accurate. While it may anger Dalton McGuinty and Christy Clark, Quebec's Liberal Premier might actually like

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-6115821282316549022011-11-15T16:20:00.008-05:002011-11-15T16:37:24.825-05:00

OTTAWA—Canada’s Parliament doesn’t need any more MPs, federal Liberals say, declaring unexpected opposition to a plan to put 30 more seats in the Commons by the next election.“It doesn’t make any sense in these days of financial restraint,” Liberal MP Marc Garneau said Tuesday at a Commons committee studying the legislation that would give 15 extra seats to Ontario, six seats each to B.C. and

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-57631658337611154172011-11-15T09:05:00.002-05:002011-11-15T09:10:25.772-05:00

dis·in·gen·u·ous   [dis-in-jen-yoo-uhs]adjectivelacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere: Her excuse was rather disingenuous.Liberals must "let democracy blow through," Copps says by Jane TaberPart of the argument in restricting a bid by Mr. Rae was that he could use his interim leadership as a launching pad for a permanent run. He’d have an

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-77780980845763412062011-11-14T19:26:00.006-05:002011-11-14T22:46:00.056-05:00

In late October, Senator Bert Brown wrote an op-ed for the Hamilton Spectator titled, Seize the moment: Reform the Senate. In his column, Sen. Brown went beyond the Harper Government's traditional talking points on Senate reform and offered up two new and intriguing ideas.First, Sen. Brown outlined a possible road map for constitutional Senate reform, suggesting that once a majority of provinces

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-37817969995451822472011-11-14T12:24:00.010-05:002011-11-14T13:28:56.909-05:00

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-16235926555607399432011-11-13T11:50:00.005-05:002011-11-13T12:15:14.726-05:00

One of the hallmarks of democracy is an informed electorate. The phased open primaries proposed by the National Board of the Liberal Party, falls significantly short of adhering to this important principle.The campaign for permanent Liberal leader will (most likely) occur between February 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013. That's a five month campaign. The National Board's proposal for a series of open

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-47104885511026644752011-11-11T10:18:00.011-05:002011-11-11T19:00:02.601-05:00

Let's take a closer look at Key Proposal 7:That the Constitution be amended to extend the right to participate in the selection of the next permanent leader of LPC to all Members and Supporters as defined in section 5, permitting electronic, online and mail-in voting, utilizing either a preferential or run- off ballot system, in the context of an appropriately secured, national voting process

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-66918014618348255172011-11-11T07:30:00.003-05:002011-11-11T08:01:27.879-05:00

The Liberal Revolution, Toronto Star editorial boardPeople who hit rock bottom sometimes try to save themselves by getting into a 12-step program. Step 4 involves making “a searching and fearless moral inventory” of oneself as a condition of moving forward. If the “Roadmap to Renewal” document issued by the federal Liberals on Thursday is any indication, the party may finally be on the path to

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-85593372211343550432011-11-10T14:42:00.011-05:002011-11-10T18:38:41.339-05:00

Here's a link to the entire 79 page document.Building A Modern Liberal PartyIn the wake of the Canadian federal election of May 2, 2011, the Liberal Party of Canada (“LPC” or “Party”) faces an unprecedented challenge. Reduced to third party status in the House of Commons for the first time since Confederation, with the support of fewer than 20% of those voting and with a shrunken caucus of just

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-13359419453129959802011-11-10T10:22:00.021-05:002011-11-10T13:29:11.605-05:00

Speaking to students at Carleton University, Bob Rae said:It won't be me. [...] I'm not going to run for leadership.This clear, definitive statement stands in sharp contrast to a report by Postmedia News from only a few days ago:Rae would not say whether he would run for leadership should a new executive change its policy on preventing interim leaders from running for permanent leadership.“The

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-55100925248369155672011-11-08T10:32:00.004-05:002011-11-08T11:56:38.387-05:00

Andrew Coyne tweeted:This proposal to elect Liberal leaders, and I gather nominate riding candidates as well, by open primaries is a terrible ideaLiberals, and all parties, need to make leaders more accountable to caucus, not less. Leaders elected by public at large can ignore caucus.And candidates need to be more accountable to their memberships, not less. Open votes for nominations make party

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-44586015692391093702011-11-08T07:35:00.010-05:002011-11-08T11:53:00.416-05:00

OK, so New Democrat's want to use the tax code to live out their Robin Hood fantasies - that's old news, and perfectly legal. But when the NDP starts advocating unconstitutional theft from the provinces to line their own political pockets then it's time to call them what they are - power hungry thugs.The NDP wants Quebec to be guaranteed 24.3% of the seats in the House of Commons, forever,

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-87469162473579954832011-11-07T13:38:00.000-05:002011-11-07T13:40:54.836-05:00

You Don't Reposition Your Troops And Leave Yourself Open To Attack!__________A week ago, I published a series of post highly critical of how Liberals handled their response to the government's Fair Representation Act (FRA). The gist of these posts was that Liberals should have simply declared victory, attacked the Conservatives for taking four years to finally get it right, and go after the New

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-67498239241331979842011-11-07T12:36:00.001-05:002011-11-07T12:38:23.327-05:00

Namely that Postmedia News got it wrong on the Senator's new override proposal for a reformed Senate.Re: "Father of Triple-E Senate rethinks 'equal' part?; Proposal gives Ontario, Quebec veto power on legislation: professor," The Journal, Nov. 3.This article mischaracterizes the intent of our Senate reform proposals and wrongly insinuates that "equal" is no longer a focus in a future "elected,

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-56294921576302539072011-11-06T10:43:00.006-05:002011-11-06T15:00:38.204-05:00

Yesterday, in front of a crowd of Liberal faithful, Bob Rae lamented the "competing ambitions and warring factions" that have plagued the party.Shortly afterwards, Postmedia News reported that:Rae would not say whether he would run for leadership should a new executive change its policy on preventing interim leaders to run for official leadership.“The executive would clearly have to make a

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-27100894114149947982011-11-06T00:50:00.015-04:002011-11-06T14:57:01.977-05:00

Derek Spaulding of Postmedia News is reporting from Victoria that:[Bob] Rae would not say whether he would run for leadership should a new executive change its policy on preventing interim leaders to run for official leadership.“The executive would clearly have to make a decision in that regard. I certainly haven’t made any other decision,” he said in an interview. “I don’t want to [discuss it]

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-37931361199438741832011-11-05T12:04:00.002-04:002011-11-05T12:17:11.384-04:00

The deal that ultimately lead to the repatriation of Canada's Constitution was struck thirty years ago, yesterday. Some interesting and informative essays have appeared in recent days to mark the anniversary of the so-called "night of the ling knives".They are strictly for lazy weekend afternoon reading:The myth of the long knives by Ron GrahamThirty years ago today, Pierre Trudeau reached an

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-2313827339684389592011-11-04T21:45:00.005-04:002011-11-05T07:46:51.390-04:00

A constitutional conference on Senate reform may occur in the not too distant future.Recently, Senator Bert Brown outlined the political events that would trigger a meeting of First Ministers to hash out the terms of a reformed upper chamber.The time when Canadians will be able to democratically choose their senators will soon be upon us.It will be at that point that those provinces that hold

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-25458509414784093582011-11-04T17:51:00.001-04:002011-11-04T17:52:34.819-04:00

I'm not sure if this actually clarifies matters, but here it is:On Friday, [New Democrat leadership candidate Romeo Saganash] issued a statement saying when he made his comments about the Sherbrooke Declaration, he was talking about the issue of secession generally and how it is regarded in international law."We should not blur the distinction between international law and politics," said

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-4940410222438165662011-11-03T18:30:00.007-04:002011-11-03T19:35:13.229-04:00

This is BIG. OTTAWA - NDP leadership hopeful Romeo Saganash is questioning one of his party's signature policies: its insistence that a bare majority referendum vote would be sufficient to trigger negotiations on Quebec secession.The Cree MP, who represents a vast northern Quebec riding, is doubtful the 50-per-cent-plus-one threshold is consistent with the Supreme Court's 1998 opinion on the

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-46434886118764464492011-11-03T07:04:00.009-04:002011-11-03T12:33:39.449-04:00

Contrary to the headlines in Postmedia News outlets and the reporting of Peter O'Neil, Quebec and Ontario would not get an effective veto under a new Senate reform proposal.The article says:[Alberta Senator Bert] Brown's new proposal for a Triple-E upper chamber — elected, effective and equal — would give each province the same number of seats, but would hand effective veto power during votes on

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-76202655185654263332011-11-02T19:18:00.011-04:002011-11-02T23:39:58.565-04:00

"I live my faith. Just watch me."For example:After his speech Trudeau told The Examiner that if there's one thing students need to understand, it's that they matter."That the choices they make, their participating, the engagement they make with the world around them is important and has an impact on the world they hope to shape," he said.Trudeau steered away from partisan politics.He said he

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-80499416357254348862011-11-02T09:52:00.009-04:002011-11-02T12:37:16.664-04:00

Thomas Mulcair's campaign for leader of the New Democrats is two weeks old. Last week, he accused NDP officials, in general, and Brian Topp, in particular, of being beholden to organized labour. It's one thing for the Conservatives to make that charge, but one has wonder why Mulcair would deliberately trash a traditional base of support for his own party. Is there a dormant anti-union wing in the

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-52963032035704676532011-11-01T19:30:00.008-04:002011-11-02T08:25:17.580-04:00

Forget the unilingual nominee for Auditor General. Forget the restoration of "Royal" titles to the Canadian navy and air force. And while you're at it, forget the buying spree on Elizabethan portraiture. These are all minor nuisances: a tactless and tacky prelude to the real battles that lie ahead between Quebec and Stephen Harper - the ones over power and money.Let's review: *The Omnibus Crime

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-43509802082890114942011-10-31T13:00:00.015-04:002011-10-31T19:42:27.606-04:00

(Pre-Twitter title: Snatching Defeat Out Of The Jaws Of Victory: A Word Of Advice For The Liberal Caucus)----------In an op-ed for the Toronto Star titled Canada's Unequal Voters, Matthew Mendelsohn and Sudjit Choudry write:Canada has a series of constitutional and legislative guarantees that protect the existing number of seats in the four Atlantic provinces, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Voters in

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-66375954700498690022011-10-30T12:21:00.019-04:002011-11-19T09:19:03.569-05:00

On Thursday's edition of Power and Politics, Evan Solomon and Stéphane Dion had the following exchange:Solomon: Let's get Mr. Dion's perspective. Is this fair for Quebec, given the fact that Mr. Uppal has now said that if there is redistribution of seats, Quebec will be awarded seats based solely on their demographics, their population?Dion: Yes, as it should be. What's the problem with that? In

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-1600056602413365132011-10-28T05:50:00.010-04:002011-10-28T08:26:03.272-04:00

The New Democrat Leader of the Opposition is waiting to get her marching orders from the Liberal Premier of Quebec, before she'll sign off on the Conservative government's seat redistribution bill.That was the upshot of a press conference held by the NDP's Interim Leader Nycole Turmel and Democratic Reform critic David Christopherson, yesterday.For half an hour, Turmel and Christopherson fielded

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-77102264370912629492011-10-27T11:26:00.024-04:002011-10-27T14:23:52.654-04:00

Here it is from a government backgrounder:A representation rule would apply such that if a currently overrepresented province becomes underrepresented as a result of the application of the updated formula, additional seats would be allocated to that province so that its proportional representation according to population is protected.Insofar as Quebec is concerned, the longstanding position of

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-73160283010865887462011-10-26T20:50:00.015-04:002011-10-27T07:32:46.761-04:00

Take a look at this:In an interview with The Globe, [Thomas Mulcair] recounted how he informed the Canadian national director of the Steelworkers, Ken Neumann, that he opposed a reserved voting block for unions at the NDP leadership convention in March.“It was quite clear he wasn’t used to being told ‘no’ by anyone in the NDP. And I said ‘no.’ I said, ‘Why not let the membership decide?’” Mr.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-7461815771702314822011-10-25T19:10:00.009-04:002011-10-26T11:14:41.658-04:00

In an interview with Straight Goods News, Brian Topp put forward one of the questions he wants New Democrats to have uppermost in their minds when they cast their ballots for a new leader.Do New Democrats want to become an angry and divisive party?Responding to a question on the rural-urban divide, Topp said:The Conservative playbook is to get their base angry and persuade progressive people not

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-50233205492357323612011-10-24T20:40:00.017-04:002011-10-24T22:30:10.606-04:00

Earlier today, I published a post on the New Democrat's use of the euphemism "political weight" to hide from Canadians their policy to guarantee Quebec 24% of the seats in the House of Commons, in perpetuity. Shortly afterwards, the Hill Times published an article that gives us an example of just how insidious this kind of deceptive Orwellian language can be.Here's what the article says:The

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-44388214314105673372011-10-24T09:56:00.012-04:002011-10-25T07:43:26.794-04:00

In his essay Politics and the English Language, George Orwell writes:In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible. [...] Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.Tracing the use of such euphemisms can be a profitable exercise for those who value clarity and sincerity in our political discourse

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-28076625683225547762011-10-23T11:31:00.012-04:002011-10-23T19:58:59.153-04:00

Whenever I'm in the company of progressives, and the topic turns to Barack Obama, the question quickly arises: "What went wrong?"Warren Kinsella recently had a similar conversation, albeit with someone who has slightly more impressive credentials than the folks I talk to: a former advisor to President Bill Clinton.So what did "the Clinton guy" have to say: the public has checked out on Obama; a

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-90123780760944398152011-10-22T19:15:00.013-04:002011-10-22T23:08:55.927-04:00

In mid-September, we get this in a Conservative Party memo:[Brian] Topp is a union boss and has deep union ties. [...] How could Brian Topp speak on behalf of all Canadians, when he is so tied to big union special interests.Then earlier this week, we get this comment from James Moore on Thomas Mulcair:He has basically said he doesn't care what happens to British Columbia's representation so long

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-16795612567825559802011-10-21T12:50:00.010-04:002011-10-21T21:54:13.932-04:00

Yesterday, the Canadian Index of Wellbeing report was released. CIW's advisory board chair Roy Romanow said:The CIW shows us what GDP cannot: our country is not reaping all of the benefits of our economic growth. Our quality of life has actually gone down in areas such as the environment, leisure and culture, and time use, with only modest gains in health. And even in areas where growth has been

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-3153526903348495952011-10-19T09:00:00.008-04:002011-10-19T11:12:41.223-04:00

I'll have a more detailed post on this once the legislation is tabled, but for now, a word of caution.If the Harper Government uses the Quebecois nation resolution - as the New Democrats and the Mowat Centre advocate - in order to justify giving Quebec an additional two seats in the House of Commons, it will set a dangerous precedent.This legislation amounts to an important test case. It will

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-34736700372519542422011-10-18T10:40:00.002-04:002011-10-18T10:57:26.029-04:00

Steve V., October 17, 2011: from A Liberal MessiahHowever, I would argue we Liberals are in a unique circumstance, our perch precarious. It is important that grassroots Liberals rally behind the flag, and in some respects the post-election period has been encouraging. That said, I see no emerging crystallizing force on the horizon, no commonality that can breakout beyond a conversation between

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-57553641124298504462011-10-17T08:35:00.014-04:002011-10-17T14:25:18.059-04:00

While in British Columbia yesterday, New Democratic Party leadership candidate Brian Topp seems to have forgotten his party's longstanding policy to grant Quebec 24% of the seats in the House of Commons in perpetuity:"Also [I] believe a small adjustment should be made to maintain the provinces of Quebec's... something like its traditional role in the house with an appropriate balance so we need

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-22434012199742707422011-10-16T08:09:00.000-04:002011-10-16T08:11:12.829-04:00

On October 3rd, New Democrat mp Jean Rousseau introduced Bill C-312, the Democratic Representation Act. The bill seeks to guarantee the Province of Quebec a percentage of the seats in the House of Commons in perpetuity. The bill reads, in part:The proportion of members from the Province of Quebec shall remain unchanged from the representation that it had on November 27, 2006, when the motion was

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-48514550822776903712011-10-13T08:50:00.009-04:002011-10-14T10:37:54.223-04:00

A new poll of Quebecers has some welcome findings. Among them is this:[Eighty] per cent believe the repatriation of the Constitution in 1982 was a good thing and 88 per cent think the federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms was a good thing; 75 per cent of French Quebecers think the Charter's protection of Quebec's English minority is good.*These results are a vindication of the common sense and

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-39964778810130496052011-10-09T10:38:00.000-04:002011-10-09T10:42:15.849-04:00

The initial shock and awe of Brian Topp's run for leader of the New Democratic Party has quickly morphed into a father knows best campaign. Topp keeps piling up the endorsements from party bigwigs while the membership seems expected to do as they're told.I've said it before and I'll say it again: given these circumstances, Romeo Saganash is well placed to run a Obama-style bid for the leadership

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-34045843084706152552011-10-03T18:43:00.006-04:002011-10-04T06:36:45.013-04:00

Thanks to CPAC, you can now watch the full debate between David Frum and Lawrence Martin on the resolution: Pierre Trudeau was Canada's most disastrous prime minister. Click here.You can also check out my rebuttal here, and Koby has a thing or two to say on the matter, as well.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-50069380694764414002011-09-30T14:40:00.026-04:002011-10-01T06:36:42.035-04:00

On Tuesday, David Frum and Lawrence Martin debated the resolution: Pierre Trudeau was Canada's most disastrous prime minister. The event was part of a four-part series on historical topics sponsored by the MacDonald-Laurier Institute and the Ottawa Citizen.Arguing in the negative, Martin does a fine job of placing the Trudeau years in their proper historical context and highlighting many of his

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-64895116389650466652011-09-28T11:30:00.011-04:002011-09-28T12:57:14.186-04:00

A lot of ones and zeroes have been spilled in recent days lamenting the non-existent New Democrat leadership race.Some New Democrats insist the race hasn't even began yet. Which only leads me to conclude that the explosions from Brian Topp's shock and awe strategy have sucked so much oxygen out of the room it's left them a bit lightheaded.While Thomas Mulcair, Romeo Saganash, Peter Julian and

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-27192071990517585842011-09-27T09:09:00.002-04:002011-09-27T09:19:42.368-04:00

I'll have more on the New Democratic Party's leadership race - or lack thereof - later. But for now, here's an interview with candidate Romeo Saganash posted on the McGill Daily's web site yesterday.The McGill Daily: What prompted you to run for the NDP leadership?Romeo Saganash: Mainly the fact that I believe in what Jack [Layton, former leader of the NDP] had proposed for Canada and what he had

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-47240759282341514952011-09-25T09:50:00.007-04:002011-09-25T14:06:10.990-04:00

In an interview for Macleans, Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae puts his finger on a very real problem bedevilling the Liberal Party of Canada:“Sometimes issues are in front of you,” he shrugs, “and sometimes issues are not in front of you.” For now, disunity within the branches of his own humbled party is the problem at hand. “The merger I have to carry out,” he says, “is within the Liberal party.”

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-86924490063827772882011-09-22T11:15:00.011-04:002011-09-22T14:35:44.501-04:00

I don't know quite what to make of this.From Brian Topp's Globe and Mail Op-ed, "On Palestine, Harper and Nov.4":Mr. Rabin's successors have failed to carry out his vision, perhaps because they lacked and continue to lack his strength. Perhaps because they have not yet had their fill of war, as he had. Or so some of their conduct would suggest – mirrored, tragically for the Palestinian people, by

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-88060212323623060672011-09-21T13:56:00.012-04:002011-10-09T10:39:26.962-04:00

So here we have Thomas Mulcair strutting about the political stage doing his rogue and peasant slave shtick - weighing his options, hesitating, grappling with his indecision. The whole performance has the air of an anguished soliloquy, right down to the rowdy groundlings in the press core for an audience.Our Hamlet from Hochelaga assures us he wants to act, that is not the question. But something

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-17314024065774466332011-09-20T09:00:00.008-04:002011-09-21T18:31:23.269-04:00

If you thought the exit of the Bloc Quebecois from the federal stage meant the humiliation card was put safely back in the deck, think again.The New Democrat's democratic reform critic David Christopherson says supporting legislation that doesn't guarantee Quebec 25% of the seats in the House of Commons would be "insulting" to Quebecers."We believe that Quebec should maintain the percentage of

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-13262204573213913072011-09-19T09:40:00.019-04:002011-09-19T11:45:20.797-04:00

After Sheila Copps appeared on the September 7th edition of Power and Politics, Evan Solomon assembled the Power Panel to discuss her view that Bob Rae should be able to run for the permanent leadership of the Liberal Party. Rob Silver was the first to offer his thoughts on the matter:The existing executive set down certain conditions which Bob Rae accepted. One of those conditions was he would

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-12351175658920950802011-09-18T20:26:00.002-04:002011-09-18T20:31:12.046-04:00

check out this TV ad from the referendum campaign.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-72255178271842507372011-09-17T11:20:00.007-04:002011-09-17T14:05:36.380-04:00

More bad news.Bob Rae speaks on the issue of guaranteeing Quebec 25% of the seats in the House of Commons during a press conference in August:"As the premier of Ontario, I was concerned about making sure that Ontario got its fair share in terms of seat distribution, but you can't just do what's good for you," he told reporters during a break from a four-day caucus meeting in Ottawa."You've got to

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-33323986912666386122011-09-16T12:40:00.010-04:002011-09-17T13:03:12.102-04:00

So here I am taking Brian Topp and New Democrats to task for parroting the views of the Bloc Quebecois on increasing Quebec's seat count in the House of Commons to a 25% guarantee, when, to my astonishment, I discover that Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae seems to be moving the Liberal Party towards the same position.Here's an excerpt from a Globe and Mail article, published in May of 2010, which

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-13129342930193973282011-09-14T16:05:00.019-04:002011-09-17T13:02:36.987-04:00

During his press conference on Monday, New Democrat leadership candidate Brian Topp invoked a non-existent resolution as justification for increasing the number of seats from Quebec in the House of Commons.Here's what he said:[T]he second issue we must balance is the role of the province of Quebec in the national legislature. And the national legislature has spoken about that matter, it

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-10311978634573711272011-09-13T10:54:00.012-04:002011-09-17T14:01:59.065-04:00

Yesterday, Brian Topp was asked for his views on the Harper Government's plan to increase the number House seats for Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, while the number of seats allocated to Quebec would stay the same. Here's what he had to say:*Well, I believe that more seats should be added to British Columbia, to Ontario and to Alberta where appropriate. There are Federal ridings that have

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-22839944318620601912011-09-10T11:48:00.010-04:002011-09-10T12:21:22.703-04:00

Somewhere in a locked filing cabinet at the headquarters of the Liberal Party of Canada is a piece of paper with Bob Rae's signature on it. And written on that piece paper is a promise, a solemn undertaking by Mr. Rae that "he will not seek the permanent leadership of the Party as part of the next leadership selection process." Mr. Rae agreed to sign the document as a condition for being

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-18877341057448831042011-09-08T11:30:00.008-04:002011-09-08T14:02:42.859-04:00

If you're running to be president of a political party crippled by decades of leadership rivalries and factional infighting, it's probably not the best idea to launch your campaign by reigniting those battles and opening up old wounds.The fact that Sheila Copps failed to recognize this, or recognized it and felt it was politically advantageous nonetheless, makes one wonder if she has the

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-30084116885027951832011-09-03T11:47:00.012-04:002011-09-05T07:16:38.828-04:00

On Monday, a Hill Times article offered up this lead: If the NDP honours Jack Layton's dying wish to hold a leadership convention in January to select his successor—as a top party backroomer predicts will occur—the speedy time frame would severely limit Quebec MP Thomas Mulcair's chances or kill them, two senior New Democrats say. A Globe and Mail editorial published on Wednesday also picked up

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-69788422398603899742011-08-23T05:50:00.002-04:002011-08-23T05:54:52.889-04:00

Keep climbing ...

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-88413428017468878302011-08-15T19:00:00.005-04:002011-08-15T22:44:24.226-04:00

On August 6, Stephane Dion received the 2011 Couchiching Award for Leadership in Public Policy. The following is an excerpt from the speech Mr. Dion delivered at the event. Fighting for a united and better Canada So my prime reason for entering politics was to help keep Canada united. But underlying my decision was a strong urge to help make this a better country. As minister of

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-83939342412085227412011-08-14T08:35:00.004-04:002011-08-14T08:55:39.094-04:00

Former Prime Minister Paul Martin discusses the global economic crisis, the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating and what Canada needs to do now to ensure future prosperity, in this interview from Thursday's edition of The Current.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-87833449718167326022011-08-12T09:20:00.008-04:002011-08-12T10:20:27.822-04:00

On August 7, candidate for president of the Liberal Party, Ron Hartling tweeted this: The opponents mentioned in the CKWS report are Mark Holland and Siobhan Coady. According to Hartling then, either Holland or Coady, or both, will not be running for president of the Liberal Party. In potentially related news, Holland was with Hartling at a recent event, along with Bob Rae and Ted Hsu. Is

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-75468194540451430522011-08-11T06:00:00.007-04:002011-08-11T06:20:56.999-04:00

So we have today in Ottawa a government that stands up for Canada only if it involves the military and matters of trade and money. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives, if they had their way, would turn everything else over to the provinces. And then there is an official Opposition, half of whom are almost certainly soft Quebec nationalists and the other half encourage them in this, both

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-6550430173142560412011-08-09T10:32:00.007-04:002011-08-09T11:45:57.908-04:00

Apologists for Nycole Turmel continue referring to her as someone who's had a change of heart. Brian Topp, president of the New Democratic Party, wrote last Thursday that "... if the unity of the country were the issue, then the recruitment of an articulate, effective, high-profile female Francophone Quebec labour leader to the cause of Canada would be widely celebrated -- not subjected to

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-89848230252524024162011-08-08T10:59:00.000-04:002011-08-08T11:27:01.099-04:00

On July 27, I published a story regarding the Liberal online forum En Famille. In it I quoted Ron Hartling who's running for President of the Liberal Party of Canada. The quote came from a post Hartling wrote for his website, in which he said: As volunteer administrators [for En Famille], we were constantly struggling to maintain respectful debate on the one hand while simultaneously fending off

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-87980112312838360322011-08-07T09:39:00.011-04:002011-08-07T18:54:42.754-04:00

BC New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix on Nycole Turmel one week ago:I want to express my full support for Nycole Turmel as she takes over as interim leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. While Nycole is leading our national party under unfortunate circumstances, I am confident she enjoys the support of New Democrats here in B.C. and across Canada as she takes on this significant

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-61110623957301856202011-08-06T08:39:00.009-04:002011-08-06T12:09:37.836-04:00

On May 4, 2006, Nycole Turmel as President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada endorsed anti-scab legislation introduced as a Private Members Bill by Bloc Quebecois MP Richard Nadeau.Turmel backed Nadeau's legislation despite the fact that New Democrat MP Pat Martin had introduced a similar Private Members Bill on May 1. The Bloc's bill was introduced on May 4.Turmel's endorsement came less

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-91328353767445682012011-08-04T11:53:00.006-04:002011-08-06T14:30:15.018-04:00

Don MacPherson makes an interesting point in today's Montreal Gazette:Another [basic rule of politics] is that not even the subtleties of politics in Quebec allow you to be a member of two competing federal parties [...] at the same time.In fact, despite being on the New Democratic Party's federal council in the 1990's, Turmel was apparently unaware that "holding more than one membership in a

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-31842776350381323912011-08-02T20:16:00.003-04:002011-08-02T20:37:43.140-04:00

Let's cut to the chase.I'd like Nycole Turmel to answer the following question: Is the current Constitution of Canada sufficient for you to remain a committed federalist?Or is she Lucien Bouchard redux: a conditional federalist whose allegiance is based solely on the prospect of drastically altering the formal arrangement of the Canadian federation at some point in the future.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-8617213022675974782011-08-01T18:20:00.002-04:002011-08-02T00:46:56.341-04:00

How I Accidentally Deliberated The Problem Of Ellipses.On Friday, the Jurist over at Accidental Deliberations had an interesting post. Titled "Juxtaposition", it simply presented two quotes and a brief comment. Here it is in its entirety:Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman:Some of us have long complained about the cult of “balance,” the insistence on portraying both parties as equally wrong and equally

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-88038765708383328432011-07-27T22:02:00.019-04:002011-11-07T15:22:10.206-05:00

In 2009, the Liberal Party created en famille, an online discussion forum exclusively for Party members.At the time, en famille was touted by former Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff as a site "intended to [be] your place, reflect your needs and provide you with the means and the scope to contribute to the broader Liberal community in whatever way works best for you."Former Party President Doug

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-55616636248745171972011-07-26T09:50:00.003-04:002011-07-26T09:57:35.135-04:00

Despite a bit of a setback, a group of Liberal Party grassroots activists is moving forward with their project to develop an online Liberal Learning Centre.Here's how LLC Group's site is shaping up so far:Sections would include:- Learning Center (learn about LPC stuff – and learn new skills)- Directory (find members)- Forum (talk to people)- Debate area (debate topics)- Election area (for

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-91807611929138122622011-07-25T17:23:00.001-04:002011-07-25T17:26:42.706-04:00

From one old folkie to another ...

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-74151598238106133542011-07-25T08:17:00.024-04:002011-07-26T06:27:15.830-04:00

A report by former members of the Liberal Party's Change Commission reveals a pattern of deception at the highest ranks of the Party.The Gap Analysis takes a critical look at the National Board's final report on the status of 47 Change Commission recommendations, and finds it fundamentally inaccurate on multiple counts.The Gap Analysis concludes that of the 37 recommendations deemed "completed"

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-502815123659335782011-07-22T14:35:00.006-04:002011-07-22T15:10:19.684-04:00

A Parliament of Canada web page intended to provide information on the Harper Government's Senate reform legislation has mysteriously omitted Stephane Dion's opinion piece for the Edmonton Journal, "Senate Plan Needs Sober, Second Thought".The LEGISinfo web page has over 100 links to articles, columns and editorials on Senate reform, published between June 21 and July 22 of 2011. Dion's op-ed,

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-63107772148902405212011-07-21T18:25:00.002-04:002011-07-21T19:01:05.690-04:00

Carolyn Bennett has started a discussion over at the Liberal Party's new blog:"Some have been asking me if there are things in the Change Commission Report that could/should be enshrined in the Constitution/By-Laws of the Party …. any thoughts ???"Join the discussion here.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-13306433157697386212011-07-21T10:08:00.004-04:002011-07-21T10:17:32.631-04:00

Still more signs PDO lives in the past ...Thanks to an old pal.

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5954915496920343621.post-21056959250186096902011-07-20T15:18:00.006-04:002011-07-20T15:48:37.413-04:00

As Bob Rae meets with Liberals this Summer, he's been hearing complaints about the lack of transparency and poor communication within the party.The July 9 meeting of the National Board (see the agenda below) is a clear example of why the grassroots are right to be concerned.The scheduling of the meeting was first made public on the Facebook page of party president Alfred Apps on June 6. It could

Peter Wrightwaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09224448978718686097noreply@blogger.com0