#parl42

[politicalcanadian-blog]

Hold Your Applause, Kenney Says

The veteran Tory wants MPs to cool it, thanks.

While he’s as guilty of it as anyone, and as guilty of not saying anything while they were the government as any Conservative, I generally speaking agree with Kenney here.

That said, read to the end for some interesting questions about how Question Period is going to work. Trudeau seems to imply that person-to-person retail politics is more important than facing the House, to him.

Trudeau did not promise at the time that he would be present in the Commons at least three times a week to answer questions.

"I'm not going to make commitments about staying away from Canadians," Trudeau said. "One of the things that is extremely important for prime ministers is to stay connected to the people that they're serving."

I’m curious how that’s going to play out in the long run. As with so many things, this is too soon to know anything concrete for sure.

[politicalcanadian-blog]

Let’s not allow our excitement over a Speech from the Throne penned by a new Prime Minister distract us from the issues that are being set aside. If we want these things we’ll still have to advocate for them. Never in our history has electing a government been the end of the struggle, and that’s okay, as long as we don’t say, “Mission Accomplished!” and sit back and wait for what we want.

[politicalcanadian-blog]

This section provides reference documents, such as practical procedural guides and technical guides, as well as the different Terms of Use for e-petitions.

After a little work in the House of Commons, e-petitions are now a valid way to present a petition to the House. I suspect that given the amount of time necessary to create this framework that this work had begun under the previous administration, but I don’t know that for certain, so don’t quote me on it.

[politicalcanadian-blog]

Meet the new partisans. Same as the old partisans. - Macleans.ca

Attacking the media over 'Nannygate.' Silence on the hiring of former oil execs. Turns out Liberal partisans are a lot like Conservative ones.

The king is dead, long live the king.

Edit: If you’re a New Democratic partisan, like I tend to be, be aware that if we are better, which I doubt, this is all too easy an issue to fall in to.

[justcdnpolithings]

Harjit Sajjan praises quick response to airline bomb threats

Canada's defence minister says the quick response to several bomb threats that caused three planes to be searched in Halifax this week shows how well the country is able to respond to emerging security incidents.

“Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says the quick response of officials in Canada to several bomb threats that caused three planes to be searched in Halifax this week shows how well the country and its partners are able to respond to emerging security incidents. 

Speaking in Halifax at the conclusion of a three-day international security conference, Sajjan said despite the geographic separation between Canada and recent militant targets overseas, Canadians need to remain vigilant in the face of such threats. 

"We need to trust in our security forces, from the police all the way to the military, and trust in our system to be able to manage the level of threats, as we're doing that on a daily basis," he said.  

Finding the connections between terrorism, criminality and social issues will be crucial to staying ahead of threats and addressing them, he said. 

"How we connect those dots is going to be key," Sajjan said. "And get better at finding the indicators early on so we can deal with the threat when it's at its infancy. That's how we're going to be able to move forward. And Canada is very good at that." “

Read More

[politicalcanadian-blog]

Tom Mulcair concerned about exclusion of men in Liberal refugee plan

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair says the government has not been fully transparent with its plan to resettle 25,000 refugees by year's end and has concerns about the exclusion of men in the name of national security.

Tom’s not the only one. I’m incredibly concerned about the messages it sends. “Oh, Muslims are okay, as long as they’re not young single men,” sound suspiciously like, “We’re afraid of young muslim men.” Isn’t part of the point of this that we’re demonstrating our unwillingness to reject refugees out of fear?

[politicalcanadian-blog]

Can Trudeau make a deal with the premiers to fight climate change? - Macleans.ca

David McLaughlin, former president of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, on Trudeau's chances for a climate change deal

Good look at the potential issues facing the government. As for my thoughts: At least the government is trying, this time.

[politicalcanadian-blog]

What happens when civil servants get partisan

When Ottawa civil servants cheered Justin Trudeau’s arrival, they violated a basic principle of government

So how serious a breach was Friday’s lovefest? Savoie, who describes it as inappropriate, says it was also understandable. Civil servants likely felt “there was a great opening of windows and doors” with the election of a new government, he says. “They felt a certain degree of, ‘Let’s celebrate.’

”Still, Savoie hopes the display is not repeated. “I think there are some role models left in the public service who will say, ‘Hey guys and gals, let’s not do this again.’ ”

This is pretty much how I felt on it.