2013 06 12
Reality Check: Liberals want new committee for Senators to investigate where they live

The question “where do you live?” is generally something most folks can answer.

2013 06 12
Conservatives perform acrobatics on PBO and fiscal transparency

Conservative Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board Andrew Saxton has been caught performing a volte-face in the House of Commons on the PBO.

2013 06 10
Reality Check: Part II – more möbius strip logic from Chris Alexander and the Conservatives

This weekend, Conservatives continued their dance of confusion surrounding allegations from CBC that Nigel Wright had control over a secret CPC fund while he was chief of staff to the prime minister. 

2013 06 07
The Conservatives’ möbius strip logic

Thursday, CBC revealed that when Nigel Wright was Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, he had control of a top secret Conservative Party fund.

2013 06 06
Reality Check: How many times will the Conservatives break their own record?

Conservatives have once again broken their own record for shutting down debate, now for the 42nd time. 

2013 06 05
Reality Check: Memories of Senate reform and Mariachi bands – when Conservatives had principles

During the late 1990’s the precursor to the Conservatives, the Reform Party, held many strong democratic principles, not the least of which was their loathing for the status quo Senate. 

2013 06 04
Conservative shut down debate for the 40th time, happy anniversary!

It was only 48 days ago that the Conservatives smashed the all-time record for shutting down debate in the House of Commons. Not content to sit on their laurels, the Conservatives are now pushing forward at top speed.

2013 06 04
Harper gave instructions to his caucus – but his staff wasn’t aware?

Last week, in Question Period exchanges with NDP leader Tom Mulcair, Stephen Harper twice denied instructing his staff to deal with the Senate expense scandal.

2013 05 30
Top 15 Senate spenders during the last election

During the last election, Canadians may have been surprised to find senators showing up and campaigning for their respective political parties while still being paid by the public.

2013 05 29
Shutting down debate for the 37th time

For the fourth time in four days the Conservatives have moved to shut down debate on legislation in the House of Commons. This time it’s on a bill relating to freight rail. The bill was shut down after only three hours of debate at this stage.

2013 05 28
Reality Check: Conservatives shut down debate for the 36th time

Having outdone themselves yesterday with two votes to shut down debate, Conservatives are back at it again today, shutting down debate in the House on Bill C-49.

2013 05 27
Shutting down debate: Time number 34

Today, the Conservatives are moving to shut down debate on a 955 page bill on tax changes. Bill C-48 is 427 clauses, and the Conservatives are now pushing for the curtain to be drawn after only a few days.

2013 05 22
Social Security Tribunal patronage bonanza!

The Conservative patronage machine has moved into full flight once again. This time they devised a way to appoint more of their friends and insiders – invent more cushy appointments seats!

2013 05 17
Another Conservative Senator leaves under an ethical storm cloud: Epic failure of leadership Part VI

Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper used to promise he would clean up the unelected, unaccountable Upper Chamber. Now he's in the middle of one of the biggest Senate scandals in history and is being forced to defend the many dubious actions of the Conservative senators he appointed.

2013 05 16
About those election expenses, Senator Duffy: Epic failure of Leadership – PART V

CBC is reporting today that while campaigning in 2011, Senator Mike Duffy might have been making expense claims to both election campaigns and the taxpayers at the same time.

2013 05 16
Reality Check: Senate expense scandal cover-up: a failure of leadership PART IV

 “We must clean up corruption and lift the veils of secrecy that allow it to flourish. We must do nothing less than replace the culture of entitlement with the culture of accountability.”

2013 05 15
Reality Check: Senate expenses and a 90k payout: a failure of leadership PART III

“There's going to be a new code on Parliament Hill: bend the rules, you will be punished; break the law, you will be charged; abuse the public trust, you will go to prison.”

2013 05 14
Senate expense scandal: A failure of leadership PART II

Last week, in the wake of a damming audit report on the abuse of expenses by Conservative and Liberal Senators – calling for the repayment of almost $200,000 in expenses these Senators claimed but were not entitled to – Conservatives tried to redefine what leadership on accountability actually means.

2013 05 13
Senate expense scandal: A failure of leadership

"There's going to be a new code on Parliament Hill: bend the rules, you will be punished; break the law, you will be charged; abuse the public trust, you will go to prison.”

2013 05 10
Conservatives are friends of the GTA?

Today Jim Flaherty once again embarrassed himself in front of Torontonians, as he has done many times before. He used tortured logic to try and accuse Tom Mulcair and the federal NDP of hurting Toronto by opposing the Conservatives’ reckless agenda.

2013 05 08
Reality Check: Conservatives break their own Time Allocation record, again

Today, the Conservatives broke their own record for use of Time Allocation in a sitting Parliament – AGAIN!

2013 05 07
Reality Check: Missing $3.1 billion – what about the rest of the money?

The Auditor General reported to parliament about how $3.1 billion of the $12.9 billion allocated to 35 departments for the Public Security and Anti-Terrorism Initiative simply can’t be accounted for.

2013 05 07
Reality Check: The missing $3.1 billion - has unpleasant financial reporting stopped?

The Auditor General reported last week that the Conservatives can’t account for $3.1 billion in Public Security and Anti-Terrorism spending between 2001 and 2010.

2013 05 07
Reality Check: The missing $3.1 billion – about those Public Accounts…

Yesterday, Conservative ministers Tony Clement and Jason Kenney said some strange things in the House of Commons about the $3.1 missing billions:

2013 05 02
Privacy Catastrophe Remix

In response to a Written Question by Charlie Angus the government has revealed their utter incompetence at managing and protecting the private information of Canadian. 

2013 05 02
Another record shattering use of Time Allocation by the Conservatives

Today, the Conservatives broke their own record for use of Time Allocation in a sitting Parliament.

2013 05 01
Stephen Harper then and now, boondoggle edition

After losing track of $3.1 billion in anti-terrorism spending, Stephen Harper said that it was just an issue of a “lack of clarity”. He didn’t even acknowledge the problem that was raised by the Auditor General: A $3.1 billion void between what was spent and what was reported on the government’s Anti-Terrorism Initiative.