New singing duo on Twitter.

 This is adorable. The Premier of Ontario and Canada's Industry Minister are singing together on Twitter.

Here's how it started, with a tweet from @Dalton_McGuinty.

In Northern Ontario to talk about the Ring of Fire (the great mining opportunity, not the great Johnny Cash song)

Then @TonyClement_MP replied:

@Dalton_McGuinty Don't you find however that Love is a burning thing/And it makes a fiery ring ?

Over to the Premier, again.

@TonyClement_MP Tony, you should know I keep a close watch on this heart of mine. I keep my eyes wide open all the time.

And back to Tony.

@Dalton_McGuinty Thx. I fell for you like a child/Oh but the fire went wild. It's out now...

The Prime Minister and "audacities"

First,  apologies for being  AWOL from this blog and Twitter for the past few days. I've been in the midst of feature-writing and a quick one-day trip to London, ON and my old alma mater of UWO.

Enough about me. On the way back and forth from London, I read Lawrence Martin's new book, Harperland, and we have a story posted online now.

One thing I didn't include in the writeup was what Martin is calling "The March of Audacities"  -- a long list at the back of the book, on all of Harper's audacious moves in politics. As a device, it's very similar to the appendix that Martin put at the end of his 1997 book on Lucien  Bouchard, called: "The Contortions of the Mind," which was a 50-item list of Bouchard's "brazen" contradictions and reversals. 

Martin says that his "March of Audacities" (do you get the feeling he wanted to make this the title?) should give you a sense of the book, in tone and content. So I'm going to put the list here (it stretches over two pages at the end, in tiny type).   Make of it what you will:

The march of audacities: It included the following: The in-and-out money shuffle. The David Emerson appointment. The unprecedented vetting system. Naming an unelected senator to cabinet. The Tushingham censorship. The elimination of the Access to Information database. The scrapping of the appointments commission. The Cadman affair. The nixing of the Court Challenges Program. NAFTA-gate. The misinformation campaign on Afghan detainees. Reversals on half of the promised accountability measures. The secret handbook on how to obstruct committees. The launching of personal attack ads between elections. The smearing of opponents for being anti-Israeli and not supporting the troops. The attempt to censor publication of a book by Tom Flanagan. In addition: Attacking Elections Canada. Attacking Dalton McGuinty as the small man of Confederation. Declaring Ontario the last place to invest. Ordering police to remove journalists from a hotel lobby to prevent coverage of a Tory caucus meeting. Labelling Louise Arbour a national disgrace. Attempting to discipline an academic for criticizing the government. Making a bid to vet even the press releases of the auditor-general. Scripting supporters' calls to radio talk jocks. Blocking information on cabinet ministers' use of government jets. Hiding justice department studies on crime. In addition: Belittling gala-goers. Releasing an online attack ad featuring a bird defecating on the opposition leader's head. Plagiarizing the Australian prime minister's speech. Hiding a firearms report to prevent embarrassment on the gun registry. Downgrading Diane Ablonczy for her support of gay pride week. Smearing the bank executive Ed Clark as a Liberal hack for his statement on the deficit. The Rights and Democracy fiasco. Attempting to strip political parties of public funding. Alleging that he opposition leader has no right to form a government. Declaring Brian Mulroney persona non grata. Slashing the budget of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In addition: Putting Tory logos on government cheques for stimulus funding. Withholding details of stimulus funding. Granting stimulus funding disproportionately to Tory ridings. Firing the nuclear agency head Linda Keen. Halting Peter Tinsley's probe on Afghan detainees. Ousting Paul Kennedy from the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP. Smearing Richard Colvin. Defying Parliament's right to documents. Padlocking Parliament. Snuffing out democratic challenge to MP Rob Anders. Barring cabinet staffers from testifying before committees. The record-breaking omnibus budget bill. The move on Statistics Canada.

Come to think of it, the crowds are bigger at Tim's

A small photo comparison of the speakers and the crowds at the current session of the United Nations, as sent to me this afternoon by a UN watcher. Perhaps the audience was detained at the bathroom at around 2ish.

 Here's U.S. President Barack Obama

And here's Swiss President Doris Leuthard:

And here's our own Prime Minister Stephen Harper 

Hey, you there in the middle. Someone wants to talk to you.

Do you see any sort of pattern here? It's getting kind of crowded in the middle, don't you think?

From a news release today by the NDP:

Put middle class recovery before wedge politics: Layton ....

Layton says the party will focus on building a real middle-class recovery, pushing the government to uphold its stimulus commitments, make life more affordable for families and seniors, and build a prosperous green economy to spur job growth.

From Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's speech to the Canadian Club in Ottawa this week:

But not spending beyond our means – not raising taxes on hard-working Canadian families – that’s not about being harsh. It’s about keeping us safe. It’s about ensuring Canadians can provide for their families. That their government can provide the priority services they need and expect. That their children and grandchildren can look forward to a great future in the best country in the world. That we can be ready to meet a crisis, and come out of it even stronger. Families get this. Small business owners get this. Canadians get this, and that’s why they get what our government is doing.

From a recent Liberal party announcement about Michael Ignatieff's plan to tour the country this fall doing "Open Mike" sessions.

“We know where we stand and who we’re fighting for,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “The answer’s clear: we’re fighting for the hard-working, hard-pressed middle-class Canadian family.  We’re fighting for Canadians who are worried about paying for their kids’ college tuition, saving for retirement, keeping our health care system universally accessible, and regaining Canada’s prestige on the international stage.”

Scott Simms' vote

In recent days and weeks, much has been made of the fact that we haven't heard from Newfoundland Liberal MP Scott Simms on the issue of the long-gun registry. In fact, last we heard from him, in May, he was still thinking about things.

But in between May and now, tragedy struck Simms. His father, Reginald, took his own life -- with a long gun. Simms has indeed been quiet, but a lot of that has been because he's been dealing with the emotional fallout of his father's death. Our story is online now here.

This morning, he shared that story with his Liberal colleagues at caucus and as I hear it, there were many tears. Reportedly Ignatieff choked up when it was time to take the floor again and caucus members lined up to  embrace  Simms.

It makes all the games and the jeering and the attacks look pretty petty. We found out about the story and put it up online before the vote -- not in small part because the prospect of Simms being jeered in the Commons, when he changes his vote, was too ugly to contemplate. Our condolences and sympathy to Mr. Simms.

Cowboys, hockey, now pirates!

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty gave a speech yesterday, which prompted several people to start talking like pirates around their offices. I guess if Paul Martin can talk about hell and high water, what's wrong with his successor getting us thinking about rogues on the high seas?  

You can read the text of the speech here, but I highly recommend Scott Feschuk's annotated version. 

Please adjust your privacy controls

 What's the betting that this story  will prompt a flood of formal requests to Canada's Privacy Commissioner, from people who have found themselves at odds with Ottawa? I'm thinking that it will send chills down the spines of other critics of the government, as it probably should. And if you need a reminder of that cast of characters, here's a new video. (Warning -- video contains opera.) 

The idea that someone's private, medical information became cannon fodder in a policy dispute with Ottawa is outrageous on many levels -- but perhaps most so when set against the summer's controversy over the census, or, for that matter, on the gun-registry issue.  Remember, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government was arguing that Statistics Canada was being too "intrusive" in the information it was gathering.  A large part of its stance against the gun registry (up for a vote today in the Commons) rests on a similar argument -- that the government shouldn't be intruding into the private homes and lives of "law-abiding gun owners." 

But the file on veterans'-affairs critic Sean Bruyea sets a whole new standard for intrusiveness. Canada's Privacy Commissioner, coincidentally, is due to speak today on her ongoing dispute with Facebook, but Bruyea's story serves as a little reminder that we may have some pressing issues closer to home on who's collecting data on us, and for what purpose. 

It's worth reflecting, too, on this whole government's approach to information -- as something to be hoarded by those in authority,  used to discipline  those who would challenge that authority. That's become all in day's work for those of us in the media here on Parliament Hill, where the rule is that information/interviews are granted to the deferential/sycophantic. Fair enough; we've all learned to live with that. It's not news that information is power or currency in Ottawa; but  should be disquieting to all of us when information becomes a weapon. 

Ignatieff's new (sort of) advisers

The tragic death of Mario Lague this summer left a huge hole in Michael Ignatieff's office. Mario was the communications director, but he was also a senior, respected voice around the Liberal table on all matters Quebec.

Today, the Liberals announced how the void will be filled. Patrick Parisot, (seen right)  currently Canada's ambassador to Algeria, is stepping down from his diplomatic tasks to join Ignatieff's office as principal secretary.  Parisot is known to many of us who've been around here a long time -- he was a senior communications guy for Chretien too, back in the 1990, working with Peter Donolo (who's now Ignatieff's chief of staff.) 

As well, Leslie Church (seen left), who had been acting communications director since Mario's death in August, steps into the job officially. Women communication directors are rare in Ottawa,  that's something for folks of my gender to celebrate.

10 things we can do without

Last week, the Public Policy Forum released a list of the top 10 ways to improve Parliament, as discussed at its conference in Ottawa. Thus inspired, here's my list of the top 10 things that should NOT return to the Hill along with MPs today, after the long summer break. They're mainly media-related, since, well, that's where I work. 

1. Talking points for political panels on TV. Seriously. For years, we've known that these noise-fests are bad TV and even worse politics, but MPs/strategists keep showing up on the sets of those shows and thinking that it's best to use these occasions to repeat oft-said party lines. Enough. 

2. Anonymous "senior Liberal strategists." Come on. We all know that everyone in that party seems to think of him/herself as a senior strategist, but for decades now, people have been using that anonymous cloak to trash the leader and complain that no one is listening to the brilliant communications advice that is being offered off the record to the media. I'm a bit bored with that now. Ditto for suggestions that the Liberals need a better leader, who turns out to be the person who didn't win last time. That's so 1984-2008. One more revolt/mutiny, and your party is done. And then where would all you senior strategists be? 

3. Speaking of strategists, it's probably time to wind down the declaration that the Prime Minister is a superior tactician. See "summer of 2010." 

4. The "culture of deceit." The phrase, inserted into every Liberal question last spring, is tired now and, uh, we get that you're repeating it over and over and want us to say it too. And that's why we won't. 

5. Questions to Jack Layton about his health and whether he's well enough to ___________ (show up, bring down the government, etc.) Clearly he is recovering, able to do his job  and he wants to keep this cancer struggle private. So let's wish him well and leave it at that. 

6. Every day, before Question Period, Conservative backbenchers read prepared attacks on Michael Ignatieff that usually feature "tax and spend Liberal" and "just visiting" and "he's just in it for himself." I keep wondering what these backbenchers' constituents would feel, seeing this show. Is that why they sent their man/woman to Ottawa? And it's not true that the more you say it, the more likely I am to insert that in a story. See points #2 and #4. 

7. Media conspiracy theories. On both sides. Confession: we're too disorganized to start a conspiracy. We think in terms of one day; sometimes, given the rapidly shorter news cycle, one hour. We simply don't have time for meetings on how to bring down the government and install a Communist or far-right regime. For those who persist in believing this, two words: Kory Teneycke. Look how well that worked out. 

8. Anonymous, vicious  commenters to blogs. Personally, I've never been overly bothered by anonymity in the comments section, but in practical terms, the policy has run its course. The anonymous attacks are so silly and predictable now that no one is paying attention to them anymore. In fact, they're officially a joke among us and yes, we do believe that you live in your parents' basement and/or that you're drunk when you press "send".  (Sorry to you who put all that effort into writing that vitriol. It's now part of the wallpaper, like bathroom graffiti.) 

9. "Tips" to the media on the state of some politicians' private lives/marriages. Blanket answer: uh, yes, we've heard that before and have you considered that we're not writing that because it's simply a nasty rumour and nothing else? Trust me, if you've heard it at a cocktail party hundreds, thousands of kilometres away from Ottawa, we've heard it too, probably looked into it, and found it's not much more than an urban legend. 

10. And finally, a flurry of meaningless phrases. "Going forward" is the one that  I find particularly irksome, but also "at the end of the day." Narrative is a fine word, when it means something -- ie, a coherent story, with beginning, middle and end -- but it is not a synonym for "reason," as in, "That politician lacks a narrative to call an election." 

Feel free to add your own additions to this list in the comments section. If you want to do it anonymously, fine, but you lose your right to complain about politicians' courage. Standing behind your beliefs, in public, is sort of the point of politics, right? 

Yesterday in politics: the Jaimie Anderson fundraiser

Last night was the first annual fundraiser for the Jaimie Anderson parliamentary internship -- a project I've written about in this space and in the paper in recent months.  It is off to a flying start, if last night's music fest at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Que. is any indication. 

Jaimie was the daughter of Rick Anderson, perhaps best known for his role through the 1990s and beyond as chief adviser to Reform Party leader Preston Manning. The Anderson family as a whole,  actually,  has deep roots in several parties. Michelle Williams, Jaimie's mom, is the daughter of a former Liberal party national director, Blair Williams. And Bruce Anderson, who spearheaded last night's effort with his wife Nancy Jamieson, was former chief strategist and adviser to former Conservative leader Jean Charest. 

Any family with feet in so many political camps can serve as an example of civility between partisans and the crowd last night was vivid evidence -- a healthy mix of long-time politicos of many stripes. CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge was the master of ceremonies (and also a chief organizer). Manning, of course, was right up front, with his wife Sandra, and many of the original Reform caucus -- Monte Solberg, Jay Hill, Chuck Strahl, etc. Because Government House Leader John Baird was there, Mansbridge got to make many jokes about Toronto elites.  Laureen Harper, the Prime Minister's wife, made brief remarks on stage  and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, unable to be there, sent warm greetings. Bob Rae  had been scheduled to give  a musical performance, but wasn't able to make it back in time from recent foreign travels. Liberal MP Albina Guarnieri was also on hand, after telling Ignatieff last week she has multiple sclerosis and won't be running again in the next election.  

At any rate, this blog post would run on forever if I just listed the names of attendees. The whole evening was about Jaimie and amid the music, there were a couple of heartbreaking speeches (by Rick Anderson and Jamieson in particular) and  a similarly tear-inducing performance by Cynthia Dale (Mansbridge's wife) of Jaimie's favourite song, I Will Always Love You. 

An all-Conservative-MP singing group took the stage at one point to belt out Southern gospel tunes. Apparently this band sings every now and then at caucus gatherings and beyond their gospel repertoire, they do dabble in political tunes too for their audiences. And so,  Chuck Strahl, Mark Warawa, Kevin Sorensen, Ed Fast and Randy Kamp treated us to this rendition of the Beatles' tune Yesterday, dedicated to Ignatieff and his travails of earlier this year. (Strahl gave me the lyrics to print here and, uh, Liberals? I'll say in advance,  lighten up; this was not meant to be anything other than gentle humour.) 

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away,

Now it looks as though they're here to stay,

Why did I leave the USA?

Suddenly, I've got problems in the polls you see,

This is not how it was meant to be,

Oh Harvard, how I long for thee

How I've sunk so low, I don't know, but you'll all pay,

I've done nothing wrong, but I'm stuck at Stornoway

Yesterday, I was stateside sipping Chardonnay, 

Now I'm here and I can't get away, 

Why did I leave the USA? 

I wish I had gone for the coalition play,

Cause I won't win now and I'm stuck here with Bob Rae

Yesterday, politics was just a game to play,

Now I need a place to hide away, 

I'l be home, sweet USA. Mmmmmmm, mmmmmm.