Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault met privately with political organizers including staff from NDP headquarters to discuss a bill that stood to benefit New Democrats, the House affairs committee learned yesterday. Elections Canada did not comment: "NDP headquarters staff were invited and attended those meetings." READ MORE
Household debt in Canada is nearly $3 trillion, more than the value of all economic production nationwide, Statistics Canada said yesterday. The cost of credit fees and charges alone was costing billions, a StatsCan analyst told the Commons industry committee: 'It is beyond historical experience.' READ MORE
Parks Canada knew more than 150,000 acres of dead pine were left standing in Jasper National Park prior to a devastating July 24 fire, records show. The figures were disclosed in Parliament at the request of Conservative MP Arnold Viersen (Peace River-Westlock, Alta.): "Parks Canada undertook a broad preliminary and broadly scoped search." READ MORE
Senators have gutted a Bloc Québécois bill to shield dairy, egg and poultry quota holders in future trade talks. Free trade farm groups opposed the bill as protectionist: "Amendment voids the bill of its substance and intention." READ MORE
One of the Commons’ newest MPs yesterday choked back tears in her maiden speech as she thanked home voters for sending a single mother to Parliament. “Taking my place in the chamber is a true honour, an honour that I don’t take for granted,” said New Democrat MP Leila Dance (Elmwood-Transcona, Man.). READ MORE
More fraud rings have been uncovered in federal contracting, a senior manager disclosed last night. “It would be inconceivable” that more criminality will not be documented in coming months, the Commons public accounts committee was told: "It is something that is going to be ongoing." READ MORE
A federal cap on oil and gas emissions will result in thousands of industry layoffs, a draft text of regulations confirmed yesterday. The document contradicted claims by Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson that “there will be thousands and thousands of jobs created.” READ MORE
Father was a man of few words. He’d left school in Ontario to take up Saskatchewan land with his brothers, then left to fight at Vimy and Passchendaele. He suffered afterwards from the effects of gas attacks in the trenches. I remember a hot summer day, driving in the 1935 Ford near our place when Father pointed to a relief work gang scrubbing out brush in the ditches: “Do you want to do that or do you want to go to school?” he asked. At 17 I took the train from Melville to Ottawa to study journalism at Carleton College. It was my first time on a train. I sat up the whole way.
