Bing Crosby, Eat Your Heart Out

    The courthouse Christmas tree kerfuffle has prompted two Progressive Conservative MPPs to combine their satirical wit in a song.
    John Yakabuski, known for his ability to carry a tune, and Tim Hudak, not known for his ability to carry a tune, wrote up this ditty sung to the tune of the old standby, O Tannenbaum: 

---

Let Us Free the Christmas Tree!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Where can we find your branches?
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Where can we find your branches?

You used to shine in the main hall,
Then they hid you behind a wall.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Where can we find your branches?

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Why must we hide your message?
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Why must we hide your message?

The judge has turned this into a wreck,
By insisting we’re politically incorrect.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Why must we hide your message?

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
We’ll fight to gain your freedom.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
We’ll fight to gain your freedom.

We’ll bring you out from behind the door,
And put you where you were before.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
We’ll fight to gain your freedom

Written by: John Yakabuski and Tim Hudak

Consistency....

It is generally a good thing for politicians to say the same thing in English as they do in French. But did Prime Minister Stephen Harper know that journalists would be comparing and contrasting all his year-end interviews, aired consecutively today (with popcorn!) in the National Press Theatre?

When CBC Newsworld journalist Don Newman asked Harper about the possibility of a cabinet shuffle, the Prime Minister assured him that when it did happen, "you'll be first to know."  Newman said he'd hold him to that promise.

Next interview, same thing -- Radio Canada journalist Patrice Roy asked Harper if he was shuffling his cabinet and right on cue, Harper assured him: "You'll be the first to know."

CTV's interviewers, unfortunately, didn't ask Harper about a cabinet shuffle. Their interview focused more on lifestyle at 24 Sussex, including questions about Harper's new cat and how the Prime Minister  was enjoying celebrity. But we have it on good authority that if Harper does move his ministers around, Lloyd Robertson and Bob Fife will be the first to know. As will Global TV's reporters and of course, the Toronto Star.

 

 

PSA Must Stand For Partisan Self-serving Announcement

Given that Education Minister Kathleen Wynne is bracing for the fight of her political life in Don Valley West, where she faces a challenge from Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory in the Oct. 4, 2007 provincial election, perhaps she cannot be blamed for issuing the following press release:

Education Minister Kathleen Wynne Issues PSA

	    Holiday Season A Great Time To Read With Kids

	    QUEEN'S PARK, Dec. 19 /CNW/ - Education Minister Kathleen Wynne is
encouraging parents to spend time reading with their kids during the holiday
season.
	    Radio stations across Ontario are requested to air the following public
service announcement:

	
	        This holiday season, spend some time sharing the joy of
	        reading with your kids.

	        Reading with your children is one of the best things a
	        parent can do to help them succeed.

	        Education Minister Kathleen Wynne wishes you happy holidays
	        and reminds everyone that children who learn to read for
	        fun in the early years are much better prepared for school
	        and life-long learning.


	    Ministry staff are available for interviews on the value of reading to
children.

	    Disponible en français

Sincere form of flattery?

Back in March, 2005, Paul Martin fired up a Liberal policy convention with a chant: "Promise made, promise kept." He threw it out there at least eight times (transcript available at http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=speech&id=938) and it was widely reported.

So it seemed strange to see this headline on a news release from Prime Minister Harper’s office today: "PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT: CANADA’S NEW GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES SALES PROGRAM FOR THE 11,000 ACRES OF LAND IN MIRABEL, QUÉBEC."

Maybe the people in Harper’s PMO have been going to too many Liberal conventions.

Headline: Just wait for the punchline

John Tory found himself in an odd situation at a recent banquet for Chinese-Canadians in Markham, a riding his party would dearly love to win in an upcoming by-election.

The Progressive Conservative Leader was asked to read aloud from the podium a letter to the crowd from Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Tory thought about the irony for a moment and agreed, reasoning he was the only MPP at the event.

He read the letter verbatim, even the stuff about what a great job the Liberals are doing, without blinking an eye.

Then he ad libbed a post script after reading McGuinty's salutation.

"P.S. John Tory's a great guy."

Tory sent a note to McGuinty in the Legislature the other day relating the tale.

"It was the only line that got any applause," Tory insisted to reporters. "I told him (McGuinty) he should try it more often."

Lumps of Coal

Santa really could take list lessons from the folks at Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office. They do so love dividing reporters into naughty and nice categories.

The invititations went out today for the media Christmas party at 24 Sussex Drive next week -- but not all reporters on the Hill got them. Only one person in the Sun's three-person bureau received an invite, for instance, and reportedly only half the scribes working in the press-gallery "hot room" on Parliament Hill were deemed guest-worthy. Selected reporters at Canadian Press were also excluded.

The Star, meanwhile, is happy to report that all its political-reporting staff and columnists are welcome at 24 Sussex. Well, almost all. The bureau chief will simply send a card this year to wish the PMO communications staff a very merry Christmas.

Lumps of Coal

Santa really could take list lessons from the folks at Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office. They do so love dividing reporters into naughty and nice categories.

The invititations went out today for the media Christmas party at 24 Sussex Dr. next week - but not all reporters on the Hill got them. Only one person in the Sun's three-person bureau received an invite, for instance, and reportedly only half the scribes working in the press-gallery "hot room" on Parliament Hill were deemed guest-worthy. Selected reporters at Canadian Press were also excluded.

The Star, meanwhile, is happy to report that all its political-reporting staff and columnists are welcome at 24 Sussex. Well, almost all. The bureau chief will simply send a card this year to wish the PMO communications staff a very merry Christmas.

You Better Watch Out

Stockwell Day hasn’t always ended up on the prevailing side in the science-versus-belief debate. His views on the historic co-existence of man and dinosaur may have helped cost him an election in 2000 when he was Canadian Alliance leader.

Now Day also seems to have some doubts about climate-change science.

“Hey who knows, maybe Al Gore is right,” Day wrote in a recent edition of Penticton Western News, commenting on the unseasonably cold weather in his B.C. riding. “Maybe all my constituents living high up on the West Bench or Lakeview Heights, or the hills of Logan Lake will soon be sitting on lakeside property as one of the many benefits of global warming. ... All I know is last weekend when I got home from Ottawa there was more snow in my driveway than we usually get in a year."

Tomorrow, Day may face a tough call. Apparently Santa Claus is doing a press conference on Parliament Hill. The jolly red elf is billed as "North Pole Climate Witness" and the subject is listed as: "The devastating impacts of the growing climate crisis on Arctic species and communities." Canada’s Public Safety Minister may question Al Gore, but can he doubt Santa Claus?

Leaks of information ...

Former prime minister Jean Chretien may have accidentally given journalists a heads up on the looming vote result at the Liberal convention.

As the CBC's Susan Bonner just reported, Chretien was being trailed by journalists when he consulted his BlackBerry and suddenly became very interested in one particular message. He crouched down and stared closely at the words on the tiny screen, then drew his wife, Aline, near to him, apparently sharing what he'd read. Journalists watched her mouth the name: "Stephane Dion."

Chretien tried to deflect the journalists' attention with a few jokes. But if it does turn out that Dion won, remember: you heard it from him first.

Hot Hot Hot

After tears, and hugs in front of the glare of cameras, defeated Liberal leadership candidate Bob Rae took one moment when the cameras were no longer on him. Awaiting fourth ballot results he and Arlene, his wife, got into a groove, dancing to the tune "Ole ole, ole ole..sing it hot, hot, hot."