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 Senate Speaker Kinsella hosts CNIB shindig, and Intellectual Property Institute of Canada has a Hill reception
Jessica Bruno
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
PARLIAMENT HILL—Parliament went to the dogs this week, as a number of steadfast seeing-eye pooches and their owners came to the Hill for a reception hosted by Senate Speaker Noël Kinsella and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
May is Vision Health Month, and the group marked the occasion with a lunchtime reception in the Senate Speaker’s well-appointed dining and reception room. Later that day in the House, MPs wore sunglasses to mark their support.
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 PSAC launches grievances against CIDA, Parks Canada
PSAC says CIDA and Parks Canada mishandling mass layoffs, but the agencies say they have done nothing wrong.
Jessica Bruno
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has filed two grievances with senior management at CIDA and Parks Canada for the way they are letting go almost 1,000 staff members, but the agencies say they have done nothing wrong.
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 No market in Tory-run Ottawa for martyrs
In a town where dissenting advice is routinely stifled, where a UN envoy is lectured then given the bum's rush out of town, Kevin Page is still standing.
Tim Harper
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
OTTAWA—With a single word, Kevin Page crystallized the debate about cost overruns on the F-35s.
And as soon as he uttered the word, his office began a pool to predict when the Parliamentary budget officer would be fired.
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 No compromise, no courtesy, no leadership
Susan Riley
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
GATINEAU, QUE.—This hasn’t been a great month for consensus-seekers, for those who hope, against all evidence, that politicians of different stripes, and different jurisdictions, will find compromise once they’ve exhausted their partisan bile. (We can’t deny them their ritual war dances.)
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 Martin writing book on NDP, Moore to host a music night, Famous Five luncheon to discuss women firsts, Chong celebrates Asian heritage, Kenney campaigns in Quebec, and MPs making chicken sandwiches
Bea Vongdouangchanh
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
Globe and Mail columnist Lawrence Martin is writing his 11th book. After writing books on Liberals and the Conservatives, he told HOH last week that it’s time to write one about the NDP, now that they’re the government in waiting.
Mr. Martin, the best-selling author of Harperland, said he will be doing hundreds of interviews for the book, which will be published by Penguin and released in 2014.
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 It's like Harper Hunger Games in federal public service right now
Public servants have embarked on a process to compete with each other for a diminishing number of jobs. The design of this competitive process has created chaos in the workplace.
Sheila Copps
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
OTTAWA—They are known as the Harper Hunger Games.
And they are being played out in federal workplaces across the country, as public servants fight each other to the death in a race to keep their jobs.
The wildly popular book, published in 2008, pits one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts surrounding the mythical Capitol in a fight to the death.
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 Is a massive destruction of records on the way?
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's rush to downgrade federal information holdings and services raises that concern.
Ken Rubin
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
OTTAWA—The Harper government seems intent on downgrading and dismantling a great deal of government information and the services that go along with it. At the same time, it has an accelerated program to go with digital-only records and this could provide the cover to get rid of even more information.
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 Current campaign finance laws bad for democracy
This is why the government should either scrap or at least loosen campaign finance restrictions. The equation is simple: more freedom equals better democracy.
Gerry Nicholls
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Canada’s current campaign finance laws are too restrictive and bad for democracy.
And if you don’t believe me, just ask former Liberal leadership candidates Ken Dryden, Joe Volpe, Hedy Fry and Martha Hall Findlay.
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 'It's time for action' on House oversight of $255-billion spending estimates, say MPs
After months of study, the House Government Operations Committee will draw up a report to improve Parliamentary oversight of the federal government's annual spending estimates. But many experts aren't very hopeful anything will change. MPs hope it will.
Jessica Bruno
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
When it comes to reforming the way Parliament reviews the spending estimates, members of the House Government Operations Committee are hoping the third time will be the charm, even if it takes years for some changes to come to fruition.
“I’m heartened by the fact that the minister himself wrote us, as committee members, a letter saying that he was interested in the study,” said Conservative MP Mike Wallace (Burlington, Ont.), a member of the committee.
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 Week Ahead in Parliament
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
MAY 21 TO 25
• Parliament is recessed.
MONDAY, MAY 28
• House debates Bill C-217, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (mischief relating to war memorials) at report stage.
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 Status of Government Business
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
House of Commons
• S-2 First Nations Matrimonial Real Property Rights Bill (second reading)
• C-4 Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Bill (second reading)
• C-5 Air Canada Back to Work Bill (second reading)
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 Tories raise $5-million, Libs $2.38-million, NDP $1.99-million in first fiscal quarter
But insiders say to wait for next returns to really gauge political support.
Bea Vongdouangchanh
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
The federal Liberals, third place in the House and outpolled nationally by the governing Conservatives and the official opposition New Democrats, out-fundraised the NDP in the first financial quarter this year, but political insiders say not to read too much into the numbers. They say the next fiscal quarter will be more telling of support to Canada’s federal political parties.
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 Lobbying czar should be able to fine lobbyists: House Ethics Committee report
Conservatives are 'serious about moving forward' to enact House committee's recommendations on Lobbying Act, say opposition MPs.
Bea Vongdouangchanh
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
The federal government will likely make changes to legislation following a House committee report recommending that Canada’s lobbying commissioner should be able to fine practitioners who breach the Lobbying Code, say MPs.
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 House set to pass controversial Copyright Bill next week, after 10,000 consultations
But opposition MPs say feds listened to business, not creative interests, and that if Senate doesn't amend the bill, it could be open to court challenges.
Bea Vongdouangchanh
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
Seven years, two governments, four bills, and more than 10,000 consultations later, Canada is one step closer to having an updated copyright regime as the House is set to pass Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, at third reading when MPs return next week.
After a marathon 23 votes last Tuesday, MPs passed Bill C-11 at report stage, disappointing the opposition parties who tried to amend the legislation before it’s sent to the Senate.
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 Lead 'robocalls' investigator experienced in 'politically charged' investigations
Elections Canada robocalls investigator Al Mathews, former Airbus investigator, known as methodical, meticulous, and by the book.
Laura Ryckewaert
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
The man behind the controversial robocalls investigation is Elections Canada investigator Al Mathews, a certified fraud examiner, a 30-year veteran of the RCMP who investigated the Airbus affair and the George Radwanski affair and is known as methodical, meticulous and by the book.
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 Government House leader like air traffic controller, directs traffic in daily Question Period political drama
Most days it looks like Cabinet knows the questions, but Cabinet ministers do not get questions in advance of Question Period. The House Speaker gets an advance list of possible questioners only, House says.
Laura Ryckewaert
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
The cameras are always rolling in the House Chamber, but everyone knows the biggest show is the 45-minute daily drama known as Question Period. Both sides of the House prepare accordingly by rehearsing the intended steps of what NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen describes as the “tricky dance” that is QP.
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 Feds send 'strong signal' to PS executives on 'at-risk' pay
In 2010-2011, the government paid out $72.4-million in at-risk pay to 5,712 executives.
Jessica Bruno
Mon, 2012-05-21 (All day)
The government is using the way it pays its executives to send a “strong signal” through the public service that austerity is its priority, says governance expert Maryantonett Flumian.
The federal government has tied 40 per cent of executives’ at-risk pay to how well they did as a group in finding efficiencies in the public service as a part of the government’s strategic and operating review, the results of which where in the 2012 budget. If executives have fumbled the file, they risk losing a portion of their salary.
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 Conservative MP Hawn estimates CF-18 costs $12,000 less per flying hour than F-35 fighter jet
Conservative MP Laurie, who has been deeply involved with the $25-billion F-35 stealth fighter jet project, says the cost of operating Canada's current fleet of CF-18 fighter jets is $12,000 less per flying hour for each plane than the current forecast costs for maintaining and operating the sophisticated F-35s.
Tim Naumetz
Thu, 2012-05-17 20:18
PARLIAMENT HILL—A Conservative MP who has been deeply involved with the $25-billion F-35 stealth fighter jet project says the cost of operating Canada’s current fleet of CF-18 fighters is $12,000 less per flying hour for each plane than the current forecast costs for maintaining and operating the sophisticated F-35s.
Conservative MP Laurie Hawn (Edmonton Centre, Alta.) made the comment on Thursday as he also disclosed that the Department of National Defence will likely have to delay the purchase of any F-35s by at least one or two years, possibly more, beyond its current initial acquisition target year of 2017 because of delays and rising costs.
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 Tories should look at alternatives to F-35s after U.S. subcommittee recommends cutting $528-million from its own purchase, say MPs
'The Americans are delaying procurement or cutting back on their own procurement, and that means our costs go up,' says NDP MP Matthew Kellway.
Tim Naumetz
Wed, 2012-05-16 17:13
PARLIAMENT HILL—A U.S. Congressional recommendation to cut $528-million from planned F-35 fighter jet acquisitions over the next year suggests the costly project the Conservative government has signed on to may be “crumbling before our eyes,” NDP MP Matthew Kellway says.
Mr. Kellway (Beaches-East York, Ont.) and other critics said the reprimand from a powerful budget appropriations panel in the U.S. House of Representatives should make Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) take a serious look at “alternatives.”
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 High-level bureaucratic panel to oversee fighter jets process led by same departments accused of hiding extra $10-billion
A high-level panel of bureaucrats to supervise the multi-billion-dollar acquisition of new fighter jets will be led by top officials from the same departments that were at the centre of a report from Auditor General Michael Ferguson last month that accused the government of withholding $10-billion in costs for 65 F-35 stealth fighters.
Tim Naumetz
Tue, 2012-05-15 09:43
PARLIAMENT HILL—A high-level panel of bureaucrats to supervise the multi-billion-dollar acquisition of new fighter jets will be led by top officials from the same departments that were at the centre of a report from Auditor General Michael Ferguson last month that accused the government of withholding $10-billion in costs for 65 F-35 stealth fighters.
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 CRTC chair appointment likely any day now
And the rumour mill and lobbying campaigns are in high gear for the next CRTC chair.
Andrew Cardozo
Mon, 2012-05-14 13:22
OTTAWA—The rumour mill and lobbying campaigns are in high gear for the next CRTC chair. Konrad von Finckenstein, the volatile former head for the last five years, completed his term in January.
Here are the rumoured candidates:
• Richard Stursberg, a former senior CBC and cable executive, who just penned a book critical of the CBC. Some CBC critics in Conservative ranks might consider him to be a good candidate although they may not like his prescriptions or trust his independent, if not, maverick style.
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 There's a war on nature and democracy
Silence is exactly what the oil industry and federal government wants. They can hide behind all the insults--'radicals,' 'money launderers,' 'terrorists,'--they like. What they want is a country free of views at odds with the most powerful industry on earth: Big Oil.
Rick Smith
Mon, 2012-05-14 (All day)
OTTAWA—Anyone following the NHL playoffs will know shots to the head are an issue. So if you see a concussed environmentalist wandering around, spare a thought.
The concerted attack by powerful oil interests and federal government is disgraceful. No, I’m not talking about laughably being lectured on the so-called ethical quotient of our oil because it’s produced by a democracy—as democratic values are trampled.
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