The Public Health Agency of Canada is looking to make public the drug company affiliations — and therefore any potential conflict of interest — of its expert advisers, CBC News has learned.
This new direction was set out in an email over the holiday weekend to CBC/Radio-Canada reporter Frédéric Zalac and follows a months-long investigation by reporters from three different news organizations in three different countries into the effectiveness of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu and how it has been promoted.
Made by the giant Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., now known as Roche, Tamiflu was seen by some as a front-line defence in the H1N1 flu outbreak of 2009.
Tamiflu, from the Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Roche, is one of the world's most prominent anti-viral drugs, but researchers are asking how effective it is. (Reuters)
The company has sold roughly $10-billion worth of Tamiflu in the 10 years since the drug was launched, much of that in the years surrounding the avian and H1N1 flu scares. In Canada, the federal and provincial governments stockpiled nearly $180-million worth of anti-viral drugs, most of that Tamiflu from Roche Canada.
These stockpiles came about largely on the recommendations of the Public Health Agency of Canada and its expert advisers, as well as some independent flu experts.
Now, nearly half of the Tamiflu in the National Antiviral Stockpile is about to expire and Ottawa and the provinces will have to make a decision whether to reinvest.
A CBC documentary, which was broadcast on The National on Monday night, reports that certain other researchers in Canada, Italy, Britain and the U.S. are now challenging the claims by Roche that Tamiflu can significantly reduce complications or hospitalizations due to the flu.
The documentary also raises concerns about possible side effects surrounding the drug — strange behaviours and psychiatric delusions — that some countries, Japan in particular, have reported.
Using freedom of information requests, the investigation found hundreds of similar cases in Canada and the U.S., which were reported to health authorities but have not been made public.
It’s often difficult to establish a clear causal link between a drug and rare adverse reactions. Roche says its research suggests that these side effects result from the flu itself and high fevers, not the medication.
In the course of the CBC investigation, Zalac also reported that three of Canada's most prominent flu experts — Dr. Donald Low and Dr. Allison McGeer of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and Dr. Fred Aoki of the University of Manitoba — had received research funding or acted as a consultant or speaker for Roche during the period when Tamiflu was being promoted.
Their research involvement with Roche and other anti-viral drug makers was not a secret within the industry.
All three would sign the now standard conflict-of-interest declarations when speaking at professional events or publishing papers. And the Public Health Agency says it has always been aware of the drug industry affiliations of its private sector advisers and takes these into account.
Dr. Donald Low, microbiologist in chief at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, says he doesn't feel the drug companies influenced him in any way. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)
But these relationships were rarely reported in broader public forums, in the media or even when some of these individuals would appear in marketing videos or flu-warning commercials on television produced by Roche.
Responding to these concerns, Low told Zalac that he doesn't feel the drug companies influenced him in any way.
"I do a lot with industry," he said. "And it doesn't take long to catch up to you if you are making statements that in your heart you don't believe and you don't have the data to support."
As for the Public Health Agency of Canada, it released a statement that said it would be inappropriate at this point to release the drug company connections of its advisers without their consent.
PHAC says that its advisory committees provide advice but that the agency makes the final decisions. However, because of the questions raised in the CBC documentary, the agency said it "intends to establish a policy on the release of information relating to members of its expert or advisory groups/committees."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The documentary "Tamiflu Inc." was a joint international project involving the CBC/Radio-Canada and NPR (National Public Radio) in the U.S. and RSI (Swiss-Italian Television) in Europe. Its primary reporters were Frédéric Zalac for CBC, Serena Tinari for RSI and Sandra Bartlett for NPR.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Globalive in the Federal Court of Appeal .
Globalive Wireless Management Corp. squared off with competitors in the Federal Court of Appeal on Wednesday arguing that its cellular upstart, Wind Mobile, has more than enough Canadian ownership to operate.
Lawyers from competition cellular upstart Public Mobile argued that with more than 65 per cent of the company's debt being held by a foreign company, Wind is controlled by foreign interests.
Lawyers from Globalive fired back saying the startup cellular firm has passed government benchmarks used to determine acceptable levels of Canadian ownership and has obtained federal approval to operate in Canada. The company says, while Egyptian firm Orascom owns most of its debt, the foreign company only has 33 per cent of Globalive voting shares, not enough to influence company decisions.
Also on hand were lawyers from the Attorney General of Canada's office who supported the federal government's decision by arguing that while there are foreign ownership limits, there are no limits on the amount of cash a Canadian company can raise from foreign sources of funding and Globalive is free to raise cash from international investors in order to compete in Canada's cellular market.
Globalive has been fighting to prove it does not violate Canadian telecommunication ownership laws since it first launched in 2009.
That fall the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled the company's ownership structure, coupled with longer-term loan agreements with Orascom, were enough to push Globalive over foreign ownership restrictions and barred it from starting up business.
The Conservative government, citing a need for more competition in the Canadian cellular market, overturned the CRTC's decision. Wind opened for business in December of that year.
However, after a complaint by Public Mobile in February, a Federal Court judge quashed the government's decision to overrule the CRTC. The judge ruled the government had overstepped its authority by overturning the decision of the telecommunication's regulator.
The judge's decision in February set up Wednesday's showdown in the Federal Court of Appeal, where lawyers spent the day arguing over whether Wind should have ever been allowed to open for business in Canada. The company spent more than $442 million in a 2008 spectrum auction to purchase cellular frequencies so it could begin offering service to Canadians and now has more than 300,000 subscribers across the country.
Judges at the Court of Appeal will now consider the arguments put before them and render a decision.
A court loss wouldn't immediately threaten Wind's customers, as the company could still try to take its case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Prior to to last month's federal election, the Conservative government also promised to change legislation limiting foreign ownership. While that hasn't happened yet, a newly elected majority government could make those changes in the coming weeks.
Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Globalive+touts+Canadian+ownership/4806726/story.html#ixzz1N9gfO9yT
Lawyers from competition cellular upstart Public Mobile argued that with more than 65 per cent of the company's debt being held by a foreign company, Wind is controlled by foreign interests.
Lawyers from Globalive fired back saying the startup cellular firm has passed government benchmarks used to determine acceptable levels of Canadian ownership and has obtained federal approval to operate in Canada. The company says, while Egyptian firm Orascom owns most of its debt, the foreign company only has 33 per cent of Globalive voting shares, not enough to influence company decisions.
Also on hand were lawyers from the Attorney General of Canada's office who supported the federal government's decision by arguing that while there are foreign ownership limits, there are no limits on the amount of cash a Canadian company can raise from foreign sources of funding and Globalive is free to raise cash from international investors in order to compete in Canada's cellular market.
Globalive has been fighting to prove it does not violate Canadian telecommunication ownership laws since it first launched in 2009.
That fall the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled the company's ownership structure, coupled with longer-term loan agreements with Orascom, were enough to push Globalive over foreign ownership restrictions and barred it from starting up business.
The Conservative government, citing a need for more competition in the Canadian cellular market, overturned the CRTC's decision. Wind opened for business in December of that year.
However, after a complaint by Public Mobile in February, a Federal Court judge quashed the government's decision to overrule the CRTC. The judge ruled the government had overstepped its authority by overturning the decision of the telecommunication's regulator.
The judge's decision in February set up Wednesday's showdown in the Federal Court of Appeal, where lawyers spent the day arguing over whether Wind should have ever been allowed to open for business in Canada. The company spent more than $442 million in a 2008 spectrum auction to purchase cellular frequencies so it could begin offering service to Canadians and now has more than 300,000 subscribers across the country.
Judges at the Court of Appeal will now consider the arguments put before them and render a decision.
A court loss wouldn't immediately threaten Wind's customers, as the company could still try to take its case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Prior to to last month's federal election, the Conservative government also promised to change legislation limiting foreign ownership. While that hasn't happened yet, a newly elected majority government could make those changes in the coming weeks.
Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Globalive+touts+Canadian+ownership/4806726/story.html#ixzz1N9gfO9yT
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Canadian voters can mark Oct. 19, 2015 on their calendars as the date of the next federal election — but they might want to use a pencil and keep an eraser handy.
OTTAWA — Canadian voters can mark Oct. 19, 2015 on their calendars as the date of the next federal election — but they might want to use a pencil and keep an eraser handy.
The date is a result of a bill introduced in 2006, shortly after the Tories won their first minority government. At the time, then-democratic reform minister Rob Nicholson introduced the legislation to establish precise election dates. Under the bill, which passed in 2007, Canadians are supposed to go to the polls on the third Monday in October, in the fourth calendar year after a general election.
As it happened, the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn't follow the bill's guidance.
In 2008, Harper convinced the then-governor general that Parliament had become dysfunctional and should be dissolved, sending Canadians to the ballot boxes.
Advocacy group Democracy Watch soon asked the Federal Court to rule that the prime minister had broken his own election law.
The court sided with the government, noting that nothing in the law affected the powers of the governor general, including the power to dissolve Parliament. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the decision, and when Democracy Watch asked the Supreme Court of Canada to weigh in, the request was rejected.
So, "unless (Harper) decides to observe the law, it's not worth the paper it's written on," said Errol Mendes, a law professor at the University of Ottawa. "He already proved you can get around the law."
But Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister's Office said the government will follow the law.
"Canada has a law in place for fixed election dates, brought in by our government," said Sara MacIntyre. "We have no plans to change this."
According to the Constitution, the longest a government can sit without an election is five years. So some wait to see if Harper will extend his majority past the next fixed election date, which is in under five years.
"He can ignore the next election date," Mendes argued. "He ignored it with the 2008 election, and the weakness of the law was reinforced with the Federal Court's decision."
But aside from Harper's move to an early election in 2008 (the opposition, not Harper, spurred the 2011 election), there's no reason to believe the Conservatives will skirt the law, said Dennis Pilon, who teaches Canadian politics at the University of Victoria.
Fixed election dates have been successfully legislated in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and New Brunswick. Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan have passed legislation and will be having their first fixed-date elections this year.
"Here in B.C., the provincial Liberals have stuck to their fixed election date like clockwork," Pilon said. "(But) if the PM has any reason not to stick to the fixed election date, there is really nothing stopping him from ignoring it."
Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/decision-canada/Critics+fear+Harper+will+flout+fixed+election/4812415/story.html#ixzz1N3tBv44V
The date is a result of a bill introduced in 2006, shortly after the Tories won their first minority government. At the time, then-democratic reform minister Rob Nicholson introduced the legislation to establish precise election dates. Under the bill, which passed in 2007, Canadians are supposed to go to the polls on the third Monday in October, in the fourth calendar year after a general election.
As it happened, the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn't follow the bill's guidance.
In 2008, Harper convinced the then-governor general that Parliament had become dysfunctional and should be dissolved, sending Canadians to the ballot boxes.
Advocacy group Democracy Watch soon asked the Federal Court to rule that the prime minister had broken his own election law.
The court sided with the government, noting that nothing in the law affected the powers of the governor general, including the power to dissolve Parliament. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the decision, and when Democracy Watch asked the Supreme Court of Canada to weigh in, the request was rejected.
So, "unless (Harper) decides to observe the law, it's not worth the paper it's written on," said Errol Mendes, a law professor at the University of Ottawa. "He already proved you can get around the law."
But Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister's Office said the government will follow the law.
"Canada has a law in place for fixed election dates, brought in by our government," said Sara MacIntyre. "We have no plans to change this."
According to the Constitution, the longest a government can sit without an election is five years. So some wait to see if Harper will extend his majority past the next fixed election date, which is in under five years.
"He can ignore the next election date," Mendes argued. "He ignored it with the 2008 election, and the weakness of the law was reinforced with the Federal Court's decision."
But aside from Harper's move to an early election in 2008 (the opposition, not Harper, spurred the 2011 election), there's no reason to believe the Conservatives will skirt the law, said Dennis Pilon, who teaches Canadian politics at the University of Victoria.
Fixed election dates have been successfully legislated in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and New Brunswick. Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan have passed legislation and will be having their first fixed-date elections this year.
"Here in B.C., the provincial Liberals have stuck to their fixed election date like clockwork," Pilon said. "(But) if the PM has any reason not to stick to the fixed election date, there is really nothing stopping him from ignoring it."
Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/decision-canada/Critics+fear+Harper+will+flout+fixed+election/4812415/story.html#ixzz1N3tBv44V
Saturday, May 21, 2011
the Conservative Party of Canada conflict brewing over voting rules.
A battle is shaping up inside Tory ranks ahead of the party's national convention next month, once again pitting members of the old Canadian Alliance party against former Progressive Conservatives in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, the Canadian Press has learned.
The matter has even prompted Defence Minister Peter MacKay, one of the founding fathers of the Conservative party, to speak out in a letter to fellow Conservatives.
At issue is the "deal-breaker" policy that brought the two parties together in 2003 — the concept that all riding associations would be treated equally during a leadership and policy conventions no matter how many members they had.
The rule was important to Progressive Conservatives because it would keep a check on the power of large western Canadian associations that could easily swamp a leadership vote.
Delegate voting rule
From the Conservative Party of Canada constitution:
7.5 The following shall be entitled to vote as delegates to a national convention:
7.5.1 an equal number not exceeding 10 from each electoral district association elected in such number and in such manner as determined by National Council which shall include a requirement that at least one such delegate reflect youth participation, and as an additional delegate the president of the electoral district association as of a date set by National Council;
One proposed amendment, from Immigration Minister Jason Kenney's electoral district association, would rewrite that subsection this way (changed or new wording in bold):
7.5.1 Each electoral district with 100 or more members in good standing will be allocated a maximum of ten delegates, elected in such manner as determined by National Council, which shall include a requirement that at least one such delegate reflect youth participation, and as an additional delegate the president of the electoral district association as of the date set by National Council. Electoral districts with fewer than 100 members in good standing will be allocated one delegate per ten members up to a maximum of nine delegates, also elected in such manner as determined by National Council.
Kady O'Malley has more on the proposed party constitution changes, including full list of submissions, in her blog.
But now several riding associations, including Immigration Minister Jason Kenney's and Ontario MP Scott Reid's, want to alter the rules to move the party toward a system closer to that of "one member, one vote." Both Kenney and Reid were former Canadian Alliance members.
MacKay, who has fought aggressively at previous conventions against such amendments to the party's constitution, is calling on riding presidents to keep the proposals from even making it to the convention floor.
'Divisive debate' not needed: MacKay
"This is a divisive debate our Party does not need to have again, having rejected similar proposals in our founding agreement, and at two national conventions," MacKay wrote on May 17 in an email obtained by The Canadian Press and CBC News.
"Our membership has repeatedly spoken on this issue, and we should treat the matter as closed and move on to building upon our cross-Canada successes instead of weakening the foundation upon which those successes have been built."
Quebec Tories are also angry about the amendments, with some viewing it as the possible final nail in coffin of the party in the province after a disappointing election campaign there. Already, riding association presidents fear they won't be able to encourage dispirited members to be delegates at the June convention.
"Quebecers see it as them being forced out of the party," said Peter White, a longtime party member and riding association president in the Quebec riding of Brome-Mississquoi.
"I think it would be terrible, it would be a disaster."
White also calls the moves shortsighted, saying the numbers of members in a particular riding association goes up and down over different periods of time.
Bernard Cote, riding association president in a Montreal-area riding, said he was alarmed by the resolutions.
"We want to ensure that we'll be able to elect a leader who is representative of all the regions of the country, and that's why we insist on the rule of the equality of the ridings," Cote said.
But Ontario MP Gord Brown, a supporter of the equality of the ridings, doubts that the issue will occupy much space at the convention.
"I don't think this is going to be a big issue," Brown said. "What they're really going to do is celebrate the election victory."
Weighting of ridings proposed
Under the current system, each electoral district association is weighted the same when it comes to calculating support for a leadership contestant.
The proposal from Reid's association, according to party documents obtained by The Canadian Press, would weight the votes from an association based on how many members they have.
Kenney's riding is proposing that only associations that had 100 or more members in good standing would get to send the full slate of delegates to a convention.
"The reason for the amendment is that there is a sense of inequality in some ridings with respect to equal voting rights for all ridings when some ridings are larger than other ones, and other memberships in various ridings are in relative terms quite small," said John MacNeil, former president of the Calgary Southeast Conservative association.
"There's a sense of lack of proportionality."
Such a change to the constitution would take the support of a majority of delegates and a majority of delegates from each of the individual provinces.
Reid did not immediately return a message, nor did the Conservative Party of Canada.
The matter has even prompted Defence Minister Peter MacKay, one of the founding fathers of the Conservative party, to speak out in a letter to fellow Conservatives.
At issue is the "deal-breaker" policy that brought the two parties together in 2003 — the concept that all riding associations would be treated equally during a leadership and policy conventions no matter how many members they had.
The rule was important to Progressive Conservatives because it would keep a check on the power of large western Canadian associations that could easily swamp a leadership vote.
Delegate voting rule
From the Conservative Party of Canada constitution:
7.5 The following shall be entitled to vote as delegates to a national convention:
7.5.1 an equal number not exceeding 10 from each electoral district association elected in such number and in such manner as determined by National Council which shall include a requirement that at least one such delegate reflect youth participation, and as an additional delegate the president of the electoral district association as of a date set by National Council;
One proposed amendment, from Immigration Minister Jason Kenney's electoral district association, would rewrite that subsection this way (changed or new wording in bold):
7.5.1 Each electoral district with 100 or more members in good standing will be allocated a maximum of ten delegates, elected in such manner as determined by National Council, which shall include a requirement that at least one such delegate reflect youth participation, and as an additional delegate the president of the electoral district association as of the date set by National Council. Electoral districts with fewer than 100 members in good standing will be allocated one delegate per ten members up to a maximum of nine delegates, also elected in such manner as determined by National Council.
Kady O'Malley has more on the proposed party constitution changes, including full list of submissions, in her blog.
But now several riding associations, including Immigration Minister Jason Kenney's and Ontario MP Scott Reid's, want to alter the rules to move the party toward a system closer to that of "one member, one vote." Both Kenney and Reid were former Canadian Alliance members.
MacKay, who has fought aggressively at previous conventions against such amendments to the party's constitution, is calling on riding presidents to keep the proposals from even making it to the convention floor.
'Divisive debate' not needed: MacKay
"This is a divisive debate our Party does not need to have again, having rejected similar proposals in our founding agreement, and at two national conventions," MacKay wrote on May 17 in an email obtained by The Canadian Press and CBC News.
"Our membership has repeatedly spoken on this issue, and we should treat the matter as closed and move on to building upon our cross-Canada successes instead of weakening the foundation upon which those successes have been built."
Quebec Tories are also angry about the amendments, with some viewing it as the possible final nail in coffin of the party in the province after a disappointing election campaign there. Already, riding association presidents fear they won't be able to encourage dispirited members to be delegates at the June convention.
"Quebecers see it as them being forced out of the party," said Peter White, a longtime party member and riding association president in the Quebec riding of Brome-Mississquoi.
"I think it would be terrible, it would be a disaster."
White also calls the moves shortsighted, saying the numbers of members in a particular riding association goes up and down over different periods of time.
Bernard Cote, riding association president in a Montreal-area riding, said he was alarmed by the resolutions.
"We want to ensure that we'll be able to elect a leader who is representative of all the regions of the country, and that's why we insist on the rule of the equality of the ridings," Cote said.
But Ontario MP Gord Brown, a supporter of the equality of the ridings, doubts that the issue will occupy much space at the convention.
"I don't think this is going to be a big issue," Brown said. "What they're really going to do is celebrate the election victory."
Weighting of ridings proposed
Under the current system, each electoral district association is weighted the same when it comes to calculating support for a leadership contestant.
The proposal from Reid's association, according to party documents obtained by The Canadian Press, would weight the votes from an association based on how many members they have.
Kenney's riding is proposing that only associations that had 100 or more members in good standing would get to send the full slate of delegates to a convention.
"The reason for the amendment is that there is a sense of inequality in some ridings with respect to equal voting rights for all ridings when some ridings are larger than other ones, and other memberships in various ridings are in relative terms quite small," said John MacNeil, former president of the Calgary Southeast Conservative association.
"There's a sense of lack of proportionality."
Such a change to the constitution would take the support of a majority of delegates and a majority of delegates from each of the individual provinces.
Reid did not immediately return a message, nor did the Conservative Party of Canada.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Ontario's deputy chief coroner has been told she was wrong to exclude controversial prison videos of forced injections at the Ashley Smith inquest underway in Toronto.
Ontario'sdeputy chief coroner has been told she was wrong to exclude controversial prison videos of forced injections at the Ashley Smith inquest underway in Toronto.
A panel of judges ruled Thursday Dr. Bonita Porter made a mistake by not reviewing and including the prison videos recorded in prison just months before Ashley Smith died in her cell. (Courtesy of Ashley Smith's family)
A panel of three judges with Ontario's Divisional Court ruled Thursday that Dr. Bonita Porter made a mistake by not reviewing and including the prison videos recorded at Joliette Institution in Quebec just three months before Smith died in her cell.
The videos depict medical staff threatening and forcibly injecting the troubled 19-year-old New Brunswick teen with anti-psychotic drugs against her will, which one psychiatrist described as illegal.
The incident happened just three months before she strangled herself at Grand Valley Institution near Kitchener, Ont. Smith had spiralled into despair, having been transferred between prisons 17 times in the final 11 months of her life.
The coroner originally refused to even look at the videos of the forced injections, ruling they were not relevant to the girl's state of mind at the time of her death.
But the court struck down that decision Thursday, stating that given the coroner's own expanded scope at the inquest it is difficult to understand why the coroner would conclude that the videos are irrelevant. Refusing the family access to these videos amounts to a denial of natural justice and runs the risk of having to repeat the inquest process, the court ruled.
Lawyers for Smith's family are now calling on the coroner to issue summons for all the videos recorded during the injections, and also during each of her 17 prison transfers, so they can be played for the inquest jury.
A panel of judges ruled Thursday Dr. Bonita Porter made a mistake by not reviewing and including the prison videos recorded in prison just months before Ashley Smith died in her cell. (Courtesy of Ashley Smith's family)
A panel of three judges with Ontario's Divisional Court ruled Thursday that Dr. Bonita Porter made a mistake by not reviewing and including the prison videos recorded at Joliette Institution in Quebec just three months before Smith died in her cell.
The videos depict medical staff threatening and forcibly injecting the troubled 19-year-old New Brunswick teen with anti-psychotic drugs against her will, which one psychiatrist described as illegal.
The incident happened just three months before she strangled herself at Grand Valley Institution near Kitchener, Ont. Smith had spiralled into despair, having been transferred between prisons 17 times in the final 11 months of her life.
The coroner originally refused to even look at the videos of the forced injections, ruling they were not relevant to the girl's state of mind at the time of her death.
But the court struck down that decision Thursday, stating that given the coroner's own expanded scope at the inquest it is difficult to understand why the coroner would conclude that the videos are irrelevant. Refusing the family access to these videos amounts to a denial of natural justice and runs the risk of having to repeat the inquest process, the court ruled.
Lawyers for Smith's family are now calling on the coroner to issue summons for all the videos recorded during the injections, and also during each of her 17 prison transfers, so they can be played for the inquest jury.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Sowing the seeds of discontent in the Conservative Party of Canada,
Louis XIV, the French Sun King, once remarked that for every vacant office he filled, he created 10 malcontents and one ingrate. Stephen Harper may discover the harsh truth of that statement for himself, as his backbench MPs begin to realize that this is as good as it is likely to get.
The new Cabinet unveiled by the Prime Minister Wednesday was familiar to the point of contempt. Mr. Harper said his main focus was on continuity, with changes limited largely to replacing those ministers who retired or were defeated in the election. The existing deck was shuffled to move John Baird to Foreign Affairs and Tony Clement to Treasury Board, where he will be charged with cutting $4-billion a year from the government’s $80-billion a year direct spending budget.
The necessity of geographic balance meant promotions for two Quebec ministers, Christian Paradis, who becomes Industry Minister, and Denis Lebel, who takes the Transport portfolio, as well as the welcome reintroduction of Maxime Bernier to Small Business and Tourism, and Steven Blaney to Veterans Affairs. Quebecers can hardly bleat – they rejected the Conservatives and still ended up with 80% of the provincial Tory caucus in Cabinet.
British Columbians have more reason to question their representation at the top table, having seen their number drop from six to four ministers.
Ed Fast, the Abbotsford MP first elected in 2006 but relatively faceless since then, was given a huge promotion to become International Trade minister – a move that may give some hope to backbenchers whose happy place is a vision of riding in a government limousine.
The line from the Harper government was this a new ministry that will govern for all Canadians – particularly, it seems, those Canadians who voted en masse for the Conservatives for the first time. The Cabinet included new faces from a range of faiths and ethnicities, including Joe Oliver, a Jewish former investment dealer from Toronto, as the new Natural Resources minister; Tim Uppal from Edmonton as the new Minister of State for Democratic Reform; Alice Wong from Richmond as the new Minister of State for Seniors; and Bal Gosal from Bramalea as the new Minister of State for Sport.
Such blatant pandering is understandable, given the Tories’ electoral success, but it is unlikely to sit well with the legions of Tory MPs (I counted 86) who have been waiting patiently on the backbenches for their chance to shine. Two pale male veterans – Rob Merrifield and Rob Moore – were demoted to free up room for the new appointments.
As one person with inside knowledge of the Tory caucus put it: “I think the issue is now all the egos sitting on the backbenches. The bitching won’t start until the fall – everyone will be too impressed with their new Blackberries and travel points. But wait for it.”
This may, in part, explain why Mr. Bernier is back in Cabinet. Anyone with leadership ambitions and time on their hands could find fertile ground to sow discontent in the coming years.
Mr. Harper admitted he is finding it increasingly difficult to craft a Cabinet, as his caucus grows. It has been an incredibly disciplined group since winning government five years ago – the combination of a tight leash from the Prime Minister’s Office and MPs willingness to sanctify themselves. But the Tories are now in the promised land and disillusionment beckons for those who see themselves as Cabinet material – which is all of them.
If he is to keep his governing coalition intact, Mr. Harper could do worse than spend his down-time reading (or re-reading) Doris Kearns Goodwin’s masterful biography of Abraham Lincoln: Team of Rivals. Lincoln’s political genius, she wrote, stemmed from “the ability to form friendships with men who had previously opposed him; to repair injured feelings that, left untended, might have escalated into permanent hostility; to assume responsibility for the failure of subordinates; to share credit with ease; and to learn from his mistakes.”
To be sure, the Prime Minister is no Abraham Lincoln. One former Cabinet minister told me he never got to know the man behind the icy exterior. But, having nullified the immediate threat from the opposition parties, Mr. Harper is going to have to spend more time on Cabinet and caucus management, if he wants to avoid creating an enemy within.
The new Cabinet unveiled by the Prime Minister Wednesday was familiar to the point of contempt. Mr. Harper said his main focus was on continuity, with changes limited largely to replacing those ministers who retired or were defeated in the election. The existing deck was shuffled to move John Baird to Foreign Affairs and Tony Clement to Treasury Board, where he will be charged with cutting $4-billion a year from the government’s $80-billion a year direct spending budget.
The necessity of geographic balance meant promotions for two Quebec ministers, Christian Paradis, who becomes Industry Minister, and Denis Lebel, who takes the Transport portfolio, as well as the welcome reintroduction of Maxime Bernier to Small Business and Tourism, and Steven Blaney to Veterans Affairs. Quebecers can hardly bleat – they rejected the Conservatives and still ended up with 80% of the provincial Tory caucus in Cabinet.
British Columbians have more reason to question their representation at the top table, having seen their number drop from six to four ministers.
Ed Fast, the Abbotsford MP first elected in 2006 but relatively faceless since then, was given a huge promotion to become International Trade minister – a move that may give some hope to backbenchers whose happy place is a vision of riding in a government limousine.
The line from the Harper government was this a new ministry that will govern for all Canadians – particularly, it seems, those Canadians who voted en masse for the Conservatives for the first time. The Cabinet included new faces from a range of faiths and ethnicities, including Joe Oliver, a Jewish former investment dealer from Toronto, as the new Natural Resources minister; Tim Uppal from Edmonton as the new Minister of State for Democratic Reform; Alice Wong from Richmond as the new Minister of State for Seniors; and Bal Gosal from Bramalea as the new Minister of State for Sport.
Such blatant pandering is understandable, given the Tories’ electoral success, but it is unlikely to sit well with the legions of Tory MPs (I counted 86) who have been waiting patiently on the backbenches for their chance to shine. Two pale male veterans – Rob Merrifield and Rob Moore – were demoted to free up room for the new appointments.
As one person with inside knowledge of the Tory caucus put it: “I think the issue is now all the egos sitting on the backbenches. The bitching won’t start until the fall – everyone will be too impressed with their new Blackberries and travel points. But wait for it.”
This may, in part, explain why Mr. Bernier is back in Cabinet. Anyone with leadership ambitions and time on their hands could find fertile ground to sow discontent in the coming years.
Mr. Harper admitted he is finding it increasingly difficult to craft a Cabinet, as his caucus grows. It has been an incredibly disciplined group since winning government five years ago – the combination of a tight leash from the Prime Minister’s Office and MPs willingness to sanctify themselves. But the Tories are now in the promised land and disillusionment beckons for those who see themselves as Cabinet material – which is all of them.
If he is to keep his governing coalition intact, Mr. Harper could do worse than spend his down-time reading (or re-reading) Doris Kearns Goodwin’s masterful biography of Abraham Lincoln: Team of Rivals. Lincoln’s political genius, she wrote, stemmed from “the ability to form friendships with men who had previously opposed him; to repair injured feelings that, left untended, might have escalated into permanent hostility; to assume responsibility for the failure of subordinates; to share credit with ease; and to learn from his mistakes.”
To be sure, the Prime Minister is no Abraham Lincoln. One former Cabinet minister told me he never got to know the man behind the icy exterior. But, having nullified the immediate threat from the opposition parties, Mr. Harper is going to have to spend more time on Cabinet and caucus management, if he wants to avoid creating an enemy within.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The federal election campaign appears to have revived Canadians' passion for politics Angus Reid .
The federal election campaign appears to have revived Canadians' passion for politics.
Vancouver-based Angus Reid pollsters have discovered Canadians became more hopeful about politics as the decisive election campaign raged on.
Canadians' revved-up regard for the democratic process held firm even after Stephen Harper's Conservatives won their first majority and the New Democrats for the first time became the official Opposition.
More than 61 per cent of the population told Angus Reid pollsters after the election they were "proud to be Canadian."
"The respect for politicians actually went up during the election campaign. People got engaged," Angus Reid pollster Andrew Grenville said.
Almost half the population agreed a "Conservative majority will be good for Canada," with a solid 64 per cent applauding the NDP's Jack Layton (below left) moving into Stornoway, the Opposition leader's official residence.
Soon after the May 2 election, more than seven out of 10 people agreed that "federal politicians are working very hard to help create a better Canada."
Check out how religion and ethnicity shaped the results
Even though Angus Reid's pollsters sensed fresh political vitality in its survey of 1,019 Canadians, they also found some still harbour distrust of the electoral process.
Almost half of Canadians would prefer some form of proportional representation to our first-past-the-post system, which has allowed the Conservatives and Liberals to form majorities with less than 40 per cent of the popular vote.
In addition, almost two out of three Canadians (and British Columbians) favour "mandatory voting" like in Australia.
Another harbinger of change may be found in how 43 per cent of Canadians support the NDP and Greens forming a coalition, with another 37 per cent backing an NDP-Liberal merger. Of Liberals, a strong two-thirds wanted to join the NDP.
Angus Reid performed an additional experiment to measure Canadians' political pulse, which wound up suggesting the media need to do more to bring citizens into the political process.
An online Angus Reid poll during the live English leaders' debate consistently found viewers expressing strong "annoyance" when the politicians attacked each other.
At the same time, the second-by-second polling revealed Canadians appreciated hearing the politicians' views on issues such as Canada's military role in Afghanistan.
Grenville believes Canadian TV debates could be designed more like U.S. presidential debates, where candidates are discouraged from interrupting.
In further efforts to measure the nation's character, Angus Reid divided Canadians into intriguing clusters of political personalities, such as the "Invigorated Right" and "Serious Cynics."
Angus Reid found 20 per cent of Canadians are part of the law-and-order "Invigorated Right," three-quarters of whom voted Conservative.
At the other end of the spectrum, the pollsters characterized 13 per cent of Canadians as optimistic "Mid-Left Hopefuls," almost half of whom cast their ballots for the NDP.
The biggest cluster - the "Mistrustful Middle" who make up one-third of the electorate - split their vote between the Conservatives, NDP and, to a lesser extent, the Liberals.
Another 18 per cent of Canadians, dubbed "Dashed-Hope Citizens," believe the country is motoring down the wrong track; they avoided the Conservatives and equally supported the NDP and Liberals.
Meanwhile, the "Serious Cynics," the 14 per cent of Canadians who are jaded about the status quo, strongly backed the NDP, handing the party 46 per cent of their ballots.
{Readers can find out their political type by taking the short online Angus Reid quiz at http: //elections.angusreidforum.com).
The polling company's survey also revealed that Canadians generally hold liberal values, except when it comes to serious crime.
Almost four out of five Canadians, but slightly fewer British Columbians, say the courts "need to give much tougher sentences to all those convicted of criminal acts."
However, most Canadians balked at jailing people for minor offences such as breaking and entering, saying: "It does more harm than good."
The live-and-let-live views of Canadians came out strongly on sexual morality, with 83 per cent of Canadians agreeing "the lifestyles of gay and lesbian people are just as valid as those of heterosexual people."
However, Canadians aren't opposed to government intervention on non-bedroom-related issues. Three-quarters of Canadians want stricter environmental regulations, saying they're "worth the cost."
Another 68 per cent of Canadians believe governments need to provide more financial aid to the poor, suggesting most Canadians don't oppose political action for the common good.
Finally, even though a majority of Canadians supported various tax cuts, only one out of five agreed that "government debt should be reduced, even if it means cuts in health care."
While cynicism about politics seems to be common on radio talk shows and blogs, these poll results suggest Canadians have not at all given up on the potential of politics.
Scroll through more Canadian-based polls on politics, religion and immigration
Vancouver-based Angus Reid pollsters have discovered Canadians became more hopeful about politics as the decisive election campaign raged on.
Canadians' revved-up regard for the democratic process held firm even after Stephen Harper's Conservatives won their first majority and the New Democrats for the first time became the official Opposition.
More than 61 per cent of the population told Angus Reid pollsters after the election they were "proud to be Canadian."
"The respect for politicians actually went up during the election campaign. People got engaged," Angus Reid pollster Andrew Grenville said.
Almost half the population agreed a "Conservative majority will be good for Canada," with a solid 64 per cent applauding the NDP's Jack Layton (below left) moving into Stornoway, the Opposition leader's official residence.
Soon after the May 2 election, more than seven out of 10 people agreed that "federal politicians are working very hard to help create a better Canada."
Check out how religion and ethnicity shaped the results
Even though Angus Reid's pollsters sensed fresh political vitality in its survey of 1,019 Canadians, they also found some still harbour distrust of the electoral process.
Almost half of Canadians would prefer some form of proportional representation to our first-past-the-post system, which has allowed the Conservatives and Liberals to form majorities with less than 40 per cent of the popular vote.
In addition, almost two out of three Canadians (and British Columbians) favour "mandatory voting" like in Australia.
Another harbinger of change may be found in how 43 per cent of Canadians support the NDP and Greens forming a coalition, with another 37 per cent backing an NDP-Liberal merger. Of Liberals, a strong two-thirds wanted to join the NDP.
Angus Reid performed an additional experiment to measure Canadians' political pulse, which wound up suggesting the media need to do more to bring citizens into the political process.
An online Angus Reid poll during the live English leaders' debate consistently found viewers expressing strong "annoyance" when the politicians attacked each other.
At the same time, the second-by-second polling revealed Canadians appreciated hearing the politicians' views on issues such as Canada's military role in Afghanistan.
Grenville believes Canadian TV debates could be designed more like U.S. presidential debates, where candidates are discouraged from interrupting.
In further efforts to measure the nation's character, Angus Reid divided Canadians into intriguing clusters of political personalities, such as the "Invigorated Right" and "Serious Cynics."
Angus Reid found 20 per cent of Canadians are part of the law-and-order "Invigorated Right," three-quarters of whom voted Conservative.
At the other end of the spectrum, the pollsters characterized 13 per cent of Canadians as optimistic "Mid-Left Hopefuls," almost half of whom cast their ballots for the NDP.
The biggest cluster - the "Mistrustful Middle" who make up one-third of the electorate - split their vote between the Conservatives, NDP and, to a lesser extent, the Liberals.
Another 18 per cent of Canadians, dubbed "Dashed-Hope Citizens," believe the country is motoring down the wrong track; they avoided the Conservatives and equally supported the NDP and Liberals.
Meanwhile, the "Serious Cynics," the 14 per cent of Canadians who are jaded about the status quo, strongly backed the NDP, handing the party 46 per cent of their ballots.
{Readers can find out their political type by taking the short online Angus Reid quiz at http: //elections.angusreidforum.com).
The polling company's survey also revealed that Canadians generally hold liberal values, except when it comes to serious crime.
Almost four out of five Canadians, but slightly fewer British Columbians, say the courts "need to give much tougher sentences to all those convicted of criminal acts."
However, most Canadians balked at jailing people for minor offences such as breaking and entering, saying: "It does more harm than good."
The live-and-let-live views of Canadians came out strongly on sexual morality, with 83 per cent of Canadians agreeing "the lifestyles of gay and lesbian people are just as valid as those of heterosexual people."
However, Canadians aren't opposed to government intervention on non-bedroom-related issues. Three-quarters of Canadians want stricter environmental regulations, saying they're "worth the cost."
Another 68 per cent of Canadians believe governments need to provide more financial aid to the poor, suggesting most Canadians don't oppose political action for the common good.
Finally, even though a majority of Canadians supported various tax cuts, only one out of five agreed that "government debt should be reduced, even if it means cuts in health care."
While cynicism about politics seems to be common on radio talk shows and blogs, these poll results suggest Canadians have not at all given up on the potential of politics.
Scroll through more Canadian-based polls on politics, religion and immigration
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