Howler alert: Harper government has “the highest ethical standard of all time”

Published January 31, 2014

Forget about the ongoing RCMP investigation into the Senate spending scandal and a cover-up in the Prime Minister’s Office. And don’t think about all those times that Elections Canada caught Conservatives overspending during election campaigns. And definitely don’t get stuck on Elections Canada’s ongoing voter suppression investigation involving Conservative Party operatives. And about those fundraisers by cabinet ministers raising conflict […]

Welcome back, Harper

Published January 26, 2014

Now that the House of Commons is back in session after an extended winter break, watch to see how the Conservative government handles problems they’ve created and fights they’ve picked. 1. Stephen Harper’s bagman Will Senator Irving Gerstein stay on Harper’s good side, despite being knee-deep in the Senate spending scandal and cover-up in the […]

Is Preston Manning’s Senate pitch really “minor renovation” or “better housekeeping”?

Published January 23, 2014

The founder of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy says the best way to deal with the Senate is either through “minor renovation” or “better housekeeping.” Speaking on CBC’s Power and Politics on Wednesday, Preston Manning said “at least democratize the thing and put in term limits.” If not, “the other one I picked was the […]

Fisheries minister should be thankful for Senate scandal

Published January 5, 2014

In a year-end interview with her local newspaper The Guardian, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea complained about the amount of media coverage devoted to the “unfortunate situation” that is the Senate expense. Shea said that all the good work being done by the Conservatives was being overshadowed by the Senate “distraction,” saying “it has dominated […]

PMO: our lawyer’s emails were deleted… Just kidding!

Published December 2, 2013

The Prime Minister’s Office has had to rewrite most of its talking points on the Senate scandal, usually after facts surface that challenge the spin. Monday was no exception, after the PMO revealed that emails from Benjamin Perrin, a former PMO lawyer, had been found. They’ve now been turned over to the RCMP as part of its ongoing […]

PMO take note: how The Office handled its email problem