Kenney likes it

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, via Twitter,  pronounces on this piece by Martin Regg Cohn in today's Star; calls it "excellent."

Advice for Ignatieff

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is the most popular politician on Twitter, according to this new tally.

 Still, some folks think he needs some strategic advice.

 Richard Albert at thepolitic.com  counsels  Ignatieff to play up the team.

 Norman Spector, in The Globe, says that Ignatieff's demographic profile (age, class  etc) is working against him. I'm not really sure what  the Liberal leader  can do with that observation.

More annoying words/phrases

"Before the courts" -- University of Toronto law professor Lorne Sossin tells the Telegraph-Journal why governments are using that phrase too much to avoid accountability.
"Off the record" -- the Washington Post ombudsman tells us about some pushback south of the border in the face of rampant OTR rules in the U.S. capital.

Absolutely annoying words

Last week, CNN did a story on the rampant use of the word "absolutely" -- especially in news and politics. I have my own list and would also welcome hearing from readers about other political catch-phrases that ought to be banned.

 Here are my top  four:
"Going forward" -- It's now a comma in some  people's sentences. It's out of control. I think it may have started as cute way to say "here's what's next" or "what's next?" but now it just seems to mean "I'm going to say some other stuff now, okay?"
"Narrative." -- this is actually a lovely word, which means something. A narrative is a coherent story line, with a beginning, middle and end.  But in politics, it's now being used as a synonym for "reason," as in: "Michael Ignatieff can't provoke an election until he has a narrative." 
"Branding" --   Another great word, great concept, which is now totally overused to the point of meaninglessness. Everyone does branding now. Everyone's a brand expert.
"At the end of the day" --   I guess this is where you end up when you keep "going forward."

Listeriosis: On second thought

Two versions were issued this afternoon of the statement by the independent investigator who looked into last year's listeriosis outbreak.  My colleague here, Joanna Smith, notices that the second, *revised* version is missing an interesting paragraph.

"I have been able to conduct my investigation independently and impartially. There has been no interference from any party whatsoever. Overall my experience was positive in that people wanted to help and be part of the solution.  All those who were asked to participate agreed to be interviewed and were open with their information and advice. "

I guess, upon reflection, she didn't feel she wanted to say this. Odd.

****Update (also from Joanna)***

Her spokesperson David Rodier of the outside firm National Public Relations said it was a "true statement" but was removed for "brevity". He said she had planned to address the issue at the press conference tomorrow.

Diplomatic news

There are at least a couple of interesting aspects to the newest round of diplomatic appointments (see below).
Mr. Bachand is a former Progressive Conservative MP from Quebec, who didn't go along with the Canadian Alliance merger -- at first. For a while he served as  the Charest government's representative in Ottawa and slowly slid back into the Conservative fold, running as a candidate in Sherbrooke during the last election.
Meanwhile, in Rome, we have a new ambassador. What happened to the old one? That was Alex Himelfarb, a man who served as Privy Council Clerk to prime ministers Chretien, Martin and, oh so briefly, Stephen Harper. 
Himelfarb quietly retired from his post about a month ago and strong rumours persist that he'll be turning up as chief of staff to Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff this fall.  Neither Himelfarb nor Ignatieff's office are confirming the rumours, but they haven't denied them either. Paul Zed, the current chief of staff to Ignatieff, is expected to return to Saint John in the fall and take another run for office.

Diplomatic Appointments

 

The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced the following diplomatic appointments:

 

André Bachand becomes Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in Paris.

 

James A. Fox becomes Ambassador to the Italian Republic, High Commissioner to the Republic of Malta and Permanent Representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, all in Rome.

 

François Lafond becomes Consul General in Monterrey (United Mexican States).

 

Sandra McCardell becomes Ambassador to the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

 

Stephen Millar becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

 

Andrew Shisko becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Ecuador.

 

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Staff problems

Some signs of unrest among the people who slave behind the scenes   in politics  -- in Conservative and Liberal ranks.

 A lengthy Facebook post/invitation discusses how a group of people within the Conservative party would like to form a youth wing, but they're being thwarted and apparently threatened by Parliament Hill staffers.

The Conservative Party of Canada has chosen to turn a blind eye to the activities of its own staffers who - unsatisfied with only impugning the motives of grieving parents of fallen Canadian soldiers [** ed note: that's a reference to Ryan Sparrow, party aide now back in government working on EI}  - have now decided to employ their defamatory rhetoric to create a "phony war" against fellow conservatives in the hopes of proving their loyalty to the PMO and keeping their cushy party jobs. The party cannot turn a blind eye to the activities of those under their employ.

As I understand it, there's a rift behind the scenes between those who believe the Conservatives should have a youth group and those who don't. This is  rooted in an even older battle between Conservatives and old Reformers...  in the libertarian spirit of the old Reform Party, everyone was equal already and there was no need for special women's groups, or youth groups, or such things.

At any rate, before Liberals are tempted to be smug about this behind-the-scenes struggle, they might want to turn an ear to some reports from Michael Ignatieff's meeting with staffers the other day. The Liberal leader didn't earn any goodwill, it's said, by chiding staffers for a 10 a.m to 3  p.m. work ethic. Many of the staffers who work longer hours than that took umbrage at the insult.

So there it is. It's the middle of a summer without heat or much political news in Ottawa, but some hot tempers are reportedly simmering in the staffers' ranks. It's worth noting because if politicians are turning off/angering  even those young people closest to them, how on earth do they expect to make themselves appeal to the groups of youth -- and beyond -- who don't give a damn about politics?

Spotted at Metropolitain

Apparently Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor from Blue Rodeo, who are playing here tonight at Bluesfest, are lunching at the Metropolitain in Ottawa today -- with former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier.  Now there's an interesting lunch group.

Yo no hablo chino

No wonder the Mexicans are angry.  An alert reader has spotted a wee problem with the French-language forms giving Mexican nationals instructions on how to get a visa for Canada.

TOURISTES: Si vous occupez un emploi, l’original d’une lettre de votre employeur, signée et écrite sur du papier à en-tête de la compagnie, confirmant que vous êtes autorisé à prendre congé, et incluant les informations suivantes : votre nom, votre titre d’emploi et salaire actuel. La lettre doit aussi inclure le nom et l’adresse de votre employeur en caractère chinois, ainsi que le numéro de téléphone et de télécopieur.

Yes. Apparently they need to provide a letter  giving the name and address of their employers -- in Chinese.

It's the girls' fault?

This press release renders me mute. We've come a long way, baby.

MATANE, QC, July 16 /CNW Telbec/ - The Government of Canada is pleased to provide support to Regroupement des femmes de la région de Matane for its project, Et toi ton couple, ça clic? (So, Are You Clicking as a Couple?). This project aims to promote equitable, non-violent behaviour in the romantic relationships of adolescents by targeting the hypersexualization of girls as a root cause of dating violence. The Honourable *Helena Guergis*, Minister of State (Status of Women) made the announcement today.

"Through support for this project, we are addressing a priority issue for this Government - to end all forms of violence against women and girls across the country. By learning self-esteem and self-respect, the girls involved in this project will adopt solid values that will guide them in all aspects of their lives," said Minister of State Guergis. "By focusing on outreach, the project will help hundreds of girls, as well as their mothers, sisters, friends and relatives, become empowered to contribute to their community and their country. I am proud to be part of a Government that recognizes the significance of this issue and the need to take concrete steps to end violence against all women."

The Minister of State announced $144,361 in funding over 36 months for the project Et toi ton couple, ça clic? Funding for this project comes from the Women's Community Fund of the Women's Program of Status of Women Canada.

"Research shows that hypersexualization puts pressure on girls to engage prematurely in sexual activity and also promotes violence in intimate relationships," said Ms. Marie-Laure Leymonie, Coordinator of the Regroupement des femmes de la région de Matane. "Thanks to funding from the Government of Canada, the girls will learn to identify abusive behaviour, set limits and have healthier, more equitable relationships."

As part of the project, 15 girls in the Regional County Municipality of Matane will be trained to act as community outreach workers and agents of change in their schools and communities, and more than 1,000 youths, including 350 boys, will become better equipped to combat violence in their romantic relationships.