More belated political musings

I write this from Arizona, where I've been attending a work conference this week in the Phoenix area. I'm staying through the weekend to see some hockey, as the Coyotes play their home opener vs. the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. The old Jets vs. the new Jets, should be fun. And Monday, it's off to Ottawa to cover another conference, so busy times. And another offering of random thoughts on happenings political.

* I find this NDP ethics complaint against Lisa Raitt a little puzzling, as I'm having a hard time seeing Air Canada's CEO logging into the reservations system and upgrading cabinet ministers in the hope a larger seat and a cheese plate will influence labour policy. If they have documents, I'd love to see them. A gate agent doing a battlefield upgrade, I could see, although I doubt the unionized gate agents are fans of the minister these days. But the CEO? And to what end? They couldn't have a more pro Air Canada government, whether its on labour or landing slots. I'm more astounded a cabinet minsiter's staff booked her into economy in the first place. Besides, she must have enough e-upgrade credits already. Super elite!

* Were I Tom Mulcair, I'd stop whining about Quebec memberships. Because every time he opens his would to complain about the lack of NDP members in the province, it reminds me he was the guy responsible for building the party in the province and apparently, he didn't do a very good job of it. Which doesn't bode well for his ability to organize a successful leadership run. It's more obvious the NDP's surge was all about Layton, and not so much the diligent work of his Quebec lieutenant. (Which isn't to say they can't hold it without Jack, but that's another story) He'd be better sticking to some of this policy stuff, where I find myself thinking he sounds almost reasonable.

* Remember when I asked if anyone would stand up for equality of parliamentary representation? As I feared the answer, apparently, is no one.

Fears of a Quebec backlash have delayed the Harper government’s plan to give the growing parts of Canada a larger share of seats in the House of Commons.

As a result, the changes the Tories promised in the spring campaign may not be in place in time for the 2015 election, leaving millions of voters once again underrepresented in Parliament.

So none of the major parties, it seems, is willing to stand up for basic math and principle in a matter as fundamental as our parliamentary representation. That's sad, and also sadly unsurprising.

* Our generous R&D tax credits are a competitive advantage; the piece of the puzzle we're missing is assistance with commercialization. We should invest there. If that's that they mean by direct subsidies, then ok. But I don't want to see the government trying to pick winners and losers. Support un-directed research, then help it get from the lab to the marketplace. That's the way to grow a 21st century economy.

* The Conservatives are zealous in their respect for areas of provincial jurisdiction:

Despite these initiatives and studies that link school food to increased success in the classroom, Canada is unlikely to shed its title as the only G8 country without a national meal program. The federal government says it has no plans to take on school food.

“We see education very clearly as a provincial/territorial jurisdiction, so it's nothing that's being considered by our government at this point in time,” said Steve Outhouse, a spokesman for Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq.

Except when it's an issue they actually care about:

Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, who announced Tuesday that Ottawa is plowing nearly $30-million into the 1812-1814 conflict’s bicentennial, says he wants to sharpen efforts to teach Canada about its past.

“In only four of Canada’s 10 provinces are students required to take history before they graduate from high school,” he said. “I think that’s a sadly low number so I want to work on improving that.”

The Harper government will feed students ciriculum changes, but not a healthy lunch. I'll leave it to them to explain the jurisdictional nuance that reconciles those positions.

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Final thoughts on the shuffle

With my post yesterday on Rona Ambrose’s prorogation mountain climbing I did touch somewhat on this week’s shuffle of Stephen Harper’s cabinet, but I did want to comment a bit more broadly on the topic before moving on.

I don’t think it was really much of a shuffle of note. Most of the major jobs stayed the same. Sure, Lisa Raitt was down (but not out, what do you need to do to get booted by Harper?) and Rona Ambrose was up. Whatev.

Much attention seems to be focusing around Stockwell Day’s move to Treasury Board, which is being taken as a sign that the government is about to get serious about cutting spending. I need to take a contrarian view on that one for three reasons.

First, this government was the highest spending government in Canadian history BEFORE the downturn and stimulus, so if they did suddenly decide to be fiscally prudent it would be quite a turnaround for them.

Second, even if they did want to go on spending cut bonanza, what is it about Stock Day that makes him the ideal poster child for probity? I don’t recall his term as Alberta Treasurer being marked by spending restraint. All I do recall is the government having to pay for him to defend against lawsuits and pay for settlements.

Third, there seems to be some fundamental confusion about the role of the president of the Treasury Board. To quote the Winnipeg Sun:

The president of the Treasury Board’s job is to monitor that spending after a fiscal blueprint has been approved by Parliament. If the budget itself — expected in March — does not contain the kind of frugality required to start reversing this orgy of government spending we’ve seen in recent years, Harper could appoint Ebenezer Scrooge to head the Treasury Board and it wouldn’t amount to a hill of beans.

If the government wanted to launch a rationalization and efficiency kick, asking departments to give back existing budget, then TB head would be the guy to lead it. I recall Reg Alcock leading a program review under Paul Martin. I wouldn’t count on big savings though. Every government comes into power promising to cut waste, and always finds there’s far less waste then they thought. Or are willing to cut.

No, if you want to cut spending it’s not done by Treasury Board. It’s done by Finance during the budget process. And last I checked, that department is still headed by the highest spending finance minister in Canadian history, the same guy who left Ontarioins with a massive hidden deficit. With Jim Flaherty still in his job, I’ll believe this new probity when I see it.

No cabinet personalities

The overarching thought I had when considering this shuffle is how bland and interchangeable most of the Harper ministers are. And it really speaks to the differences in governing philosophy and the role of government between Liberals and Conservatives.

It seemed to me that the Liberals always many activist ministers, who pushed and fought for programs and initiatives that they believed in and were important to them. John Manley and later Brian Tobin on wireless broadband. Lloyd Axworthy on land mines. David Anderson on a range of environmental files. And many others. They had things they wanted to get done, and they lobbied hard to do so. They had personalities.

In contrast, the Conservative ministers seem more simple managers. They get their marching orders from the PMO and they work quietly and diligently on the file, managing the day to day. But I get no sense of a vision, of any minister being truly engaged in their portfolios, bringing drive and a personal interest to move files forward. Perhaps the one exception is Jason Kenney who, while I often disagree with him on policy, is very much personally engaged in his portfolio and seems to have a vision driving him. The rest of them, I sense you could have everyone trade with the minister to their left at the cabinet table and it wouldn’t change a thing.

Of course, both Conservatives and Liberals would say that their approach is the right one. And it wouldn’t (just) be partisanship. Liberals believe in activist government as a force for good in society, Conservatives want government to manage its narrow responsibilities well and otherwise stay out of the way.

It’s an interesting contrast, though. In the end, there’s only one minister that matters, and that’s the one in the Langevin Block. The other pieces are entirely interchangeable.

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Stephen Harper's Top Ten Cabinet Duds

So, apparently Stephen Harper is going to shuffle his cabinet tomorrow. And hopefully apologize to New Zealand on Greg Thompson's behalf, before they cut off our sheep supply.

And by the by, I'm willing to fly business/first class to New Zealand and can be at Rideau Hall for the morning, if anyone at the PMO is reading this. If you fly me Air Canada, you can even book it in economy and I'll use a certificate to upgrade. See, I'm saving the taxpayers money already!

And if the PMO is reading, hopefully the reports that tomorrow’s minor cabinet shuffle will reward incompetence by retaining ministers who have failed miserably in their portfolios are untrue. But alas, Stephen Harper seems content to keep a tight rein on the Conservative agenda and stick to a course that lacks any vision for Canada’s future.

If Harper was willing to start clearing out the deadwood however, here are ten ministers he'd be well advised to shuffle off into the sunset:

1. Lisa Raitt

Her greatest hits: Botching Canada’s medical isotope supply; her insensitive “cancer is sexy” comment caught on tape; leaving a top secret briefing binder at a TV station and then forcing her young ministerial aide to take the fall for it; signing off on thousands of dollars of questionable expenses as President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority (TPA) and then, once in federal cabinet, organizing a partisan fundraiser out of the TPA offices. She now faces no less than three investigations – by the Ethics, Privacy and Lobbying Commissioners.

2. Peter Mackay

Ever since becoming a reality TV star, Mr. Mackay’s ratings have plummeted – first for attacking sympathetic civil servants who speak the truth, and then for using the Canadian Forces as a shield for all political criticism.

3-5. Jim Flaherty
Tony Clement
and John Baird

In a move that should terrify investors, Mr. Harper is leaving his Harris-era cohort of front-bench ministers intact.

John Baird has little more to show for his infrastructure spending spree than delayed projects and underwhelming job creation.

Jim Flaherty is responsible for a record $56 billion deficit.

And Tony Clement shrunk his side of the balance sheet after giving away Nortel’s made-in-Canada technology.

Mike Harris would no doubt be proud of what his children hath wrought.

6. Jim Prentice

The onetime cabinet superstar has lost all independent willpower. Charged with the impossible task of trying to communicate the government’s excuses for inaction on the environment, he became the laughing stock of the world in Copenhagen.

7. Gerry Ritz

Combining his cavalier attitude with a dangerous mismanagement style, Minister Ritz felt it was funny to make jokes while Canadians were dying of listeriosis.

8. Jay Hill

Conservative MPs use Mr. Hill’s Parliamentary "disruption" manual as a guide on how to dismantle important committee work. Mr. Hill’s Afghanistan committee no-show technique wasn’t even good enough for Mr. Harper, who took it a step further and canceled Parliament altogether.

9. Helena Guergis

After nearly two years of promising an ‘Action Plan’ to advance women’s equality, we wish that Minister Guergis had achieved nothing. Instead, she has stood silently in the background while her cabinet colleagues chipped away at women’s equality rights – whether through cuts at Status of Women, the cancellation of the Court Challenges Program or attacks on pay equity – leading to a growing gender gap under her government.

10. Stephen Harper

Our Prime Minister has shuttered our dearest democratic institution for the second time in a year so he can stage daily Potemkin village photo ops. He followed up his tirades against delayed government legislation by killing 36 of his own bills, and blew up his Senate reform agenda by appointing more cronies in one year than any Prime Minister in history.

But if Stephen is shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic, perhaps it would be best if the captain went down with the ship...

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Harper gang: MacKay went rogue attacking Colvin

If there's one thing Stephen Harper won't do it's admit defeat or that he's wrong, despite all evidence to the contrary, but the spin being put out by his people on the Afghan torture issue is telling:

However, it is understood that two Conservatives who have been the subject of much shuffle speculation will not be moving. Peter MacKay, the Defence Minister, will keep his job, despite being heavily criticized for his role in the Afghan detainee issue.

Senior Conservatives said Mr. MacKay was guilty of "freelancing" when he attacked the credibility of public servant Richard Colvin over his testimony on the detainee issue before a parliamentary committee last fall. Still, moving the Defence Minister would be an admission of defeat by a government that maintains it has done nothing wrong on the file.

Yes, MacKay came up with his attack line on Colvin all on his own. And every Conservative spokesthingy and pundit that took to the airwaves parroting his attack-line on Colvin, that was purely coincidental, and the PMO knew nothing at all about that because the Harper team tends to be rather hands-off when it comes to communicating the message, and usually just lets its ministers and surogates go out there and say whatever.

Riiiight.

Don't worry Peter, you'll keep your job for now because it would embarrass the boss to punt you now. But I'd be updating the CV, because once the heat dies down...

The same insider suggested more likely candidates to be shuffled include Lisa Raitt, the Natural Resources Minister, who has been at the centre of a series of controversies after leaving a secret document in a TV newsroom and being caught on tape calling the isotope shortage "sexy."

I give you until the fall, at best.

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Isotopes meet H1N1 in an unsexy confluence of Conservative incompetence

While the politicians and the media may have moved onto other, seemingly sexier crisisis (ed. surely not sexier than cancer?), that doesn't mean the isotope crisis has gone away, or has even been solved by Lisa Raitt and the Conservatives.

Indeed, doctors are warning that the (Conservative-mishandled) isotope crisis could be worsened by the (Conservative-mishandled) H1N1 flu pandemic. Provinces and health authorities are facing increased costs due to both H1N1 and the isotope shortage. It's like two tales of Conservative incompetence fusing together into a big, ugly, bouncy blue ball of poor management.

From the Ottawa Citizen (can't find a link):

Canada's doctors say the ongoing medical isotope shortage "is not sustainable," especially while there is a flu pandemic eating up health-care resources.

They are pushing the federal government to quickly come up with short-term solutions and to take a second look at its decision to get out of the isotope business.

Dr. Anne Doig, president of the Canadian Medical Association, told the House of Commons health committee Monday that the health-care system was "coping" with the shortage of isotopes, which are used in treating and diagnosing conditions including cancer and heart disease, but that the country's doctors were worried about the toll it was taking. "In particular, the resulting increased demand on resources -- both human and financial -- and especially now in the midst of a pandemic, is not sustainable," Doig said.

...

Dr. Jean-Luc Urbain, president of the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine, told the committee that doctors and technologists had been able to minimize the effects of the shortage through extraordinary efforts, but that it was having damaging and long-lasting consequences.

He said the enrolment of medical students in nuclear medicine was down, some specialists were heading for the U.S., and some technicians had lost their jobs.

Urbain was critical of decisions made by the Conservative government, including its cancellation of the MAPLE reactors and a $22-million grant given to McMaster University in Hamilton to upgrade an old reactor there.

He said the money should have gone to investigating how to get the MAPLE reactors up and running. The MAPLE reactors were built next to the NRU reactor, but encountered technical problems and have never been approved for use.

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Harper: So disapointed in the failiure of others

Dear nuclear people: Stephen Harper is very, very disappointed in you!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is urging Canada's beleaguered nuclear agency to pick up the pace in repairing a leaky reactor at Chalk River, Ont., which won't be back up and running until at least next spring.

Harper said he's "disappointed" with the latest delay in returning the reactor to service, adding that Ottawa will continue to push Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. to supply isotopes as soon as possible.

"We do hope there will be more action, more quickly, on the part of Atomic Energy of Canada," he said Thursday in Kitchener, Ont.

It's just a shame that Harper is only the Prime Minister and the leader of the Canadian government, so there's nothing he can do about the isotope crisis other than express his disappointment in the failures of others.

And it's a shame his Natural Resources minister, Lisa Raitt, is equally powerless here.I mean, she's only the minister responsible for AECL. There's nothing she can do or could have done.

It's just all so ... disappointing.

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Ignatieff will talk isotopes during Nova Scotia visit today

This week Michael Ignatieff's Hiding in Plain Sight Summer Tourpaolloza 2009 takes him to the Maritimes.

Today he's in Cape Breton, where events are scheduled to include a visit to the wharf at Port Morien with MPs Roger Cuzner and Mark Eyking to talk with local fisherman, a bbq at noon at the Big Fiddle in Sydney and then a meeting with local officials and tour of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital’s cancer centre.

He’s expected to speak to reporters there on the need to produce more medical isotopes for early cancer diagnoses.

Medical isotopes are used to diagnose heart disease and some cancers, but earlier this year the world’s supply began to decline. So far, Nova Scotians haven’t been denied tests because of the growing shortage, according to a Canadian Press report.

Its a timely visit, given the continued incompetence Lisa Raitt and the Harper Conservatives have demonstrated on the isotope crisis as more and more Canadians have their medical testing delayed or postponed and costs for hospitals increase.

And we saw yesterday that one of the sources Raitt has continually been holding up as a Chalk River alternative, Australia, is falling apart. As the Liberals have been saying all along, Australia was never a viable alternative given their own internal issues. And now that has been sadly confirmed:

A fledgling Australian nuclear reactor isn't yet making enough isotopes to cover for a downed Canadian reactor that used to produce a third of the world's supply.

Doctors say Australia's OPAL reactor could still be a few months away from running at full speed.

"I've been told unofficially about two months, two-to-three months," said Dr. Christopher O'Brien, head of the Ontario Association of Nuclear Medicine.

"So, some time mid-fall."

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If it wasn't Jasmine MacDonnell's binder, whose was it?

The Calgary Grit has posted a portion of the transcript from the court hearings in Halifax last month, where former Conservative staffer Jasmine MacDonnell went to court to unsuccessfully try to block Stephen Maher and the Halifax Chronicle Herald from publishing the contents of the infamous Lisa Raitt tape.

This is the tape, you'll remember, where Raitt, the Natural Resources minister, said that cancer and radiation leaks are the new sexy and questioned the competency of the health minister. It's a position Harper and Raitt doggedly defended in question period before she finally apologized, a day later.

But back to the transcript. You'll remember the first faux pas (that we learned of) of Raitt and her then staffer, MacDonnell, was the binder of isotope related files, some of which were stamped "secret" that was left at CTV's Ottawa studio.

After some "investigation" by the Prime Minister's Office, we were assured this wasn't Raitt's personal binder, and so she shouldn't have to quit, because that makes this different from the Maxine Bernier affair. The binder was left by a staffer, and so MacDonnell, the communications director, was made to walk the plank.

Said Stephen Harper:

"(Raitt) was undertaking ministerial activity in the company of her staff, who were responsible for these documents, certainly for accounting for these documents later . . . and she had a reasonable expectation that that would be done."

Said Raitt herself:

"The procedures in place were clearly not followed. Corrective action has been taken. And I have accepted the resignation of the individual who is responsible for the documents."

Said PMO spokesperson Kory Teneycke:

Teneycke said that ultimately the staffer was individually responsible for the secret documents and would only say the "government is globally responsible" for the system's failure in this case.

So, from their comments it would seem pretty clear the Conservatives were telling us that MacDonnell was reponsible for the binder, she misplaced it, so she offered to resign and it was accepted. Don't blame Raitt, blame the staffer.

So with the binder, and then the tape recorder that MacDonnell left in a press gallery bathroom and then failed to pick-up from Maher for months, Maher and the Chronicle Herald argued there was a pattern of forgetfulness demonstrated by MacDonnell.

It was an assertion, thouugh, that the transcript from the court hearings shows MacDonnell's lawyer was determined to discredit:

AWAD: “My friend also mentioned that, I guess Mr. Maher, in his draft article, has characterized Ms. MacDonnell as careless, the Minister’s judgment may be questionable in that she promoted Ms. MacDonnell. That’s how they want to spin this story my lord. It’s not about medical isotopes. The Chalk River shutdown was in May – the conversation that was recorded inadvertently was in January. This isn’t about last week or the last two weeks medical isotope issue, this is about a private conversation. Not a confidentiality question, a privacy question, and the rights exist, in my submission, in this country. Mr. Grant suggested that the binder that was left at CTV was Ms. MacDonnell’s; there’s no evidence of that before your lordship, that’s never been demonstrated. Similarily that she “lost” her job, my lord the evidence is absolutely that she resigned.”

Why was MacDonnell seemingly not willing to stipulate that it was her binder? That was at the crux of the Conservative spin on this: it wasn't Raitt's binder, it was the staffer, the staffer resigned, so shut up already.

If it wasn't MacDonnell's binder, whose was it? Was it actually Raitt's all along? If that's the case, why did MacDonnell quit? And if she was taking one for the team, why didn't she back it up during the hearing? Indeed, why did her lawyer make a point of essentially calling the entire CPC defence in the binder drama into question?

It's puzzling.

And not.

Also, let's not forget, MacDonnell was willing to make a deal with Maher to stop publication, or at least keep her out of it.

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Raitt's apology, and the boys in the PMO

I didn't get to see Lisa Raitt's tearful apology Wednesday as I was in the car driving back to Toronto, but knowing her family history on the subject, I don't doubt its sincerity. The only thing I question is its timing.

I was flabbergasted to watch question period Tuesday afternoon and see Raitt and Stephen Harper refusing to offer an apology for the cancer is sexy comments, even ridiculously trying to turn it on the opposition, accusing them of crass politics. I was even more surprised when I watched John Baird get up and apologize for his f* Toronto comment, or at least indicate he had called Mayor David Miller to apologize.

It really made me wonder just transgressions rate apologies in Harperland, and which don't.

Later that evening I ran into a Conservative blogging colleague in a local pub, and we discussed the day's events. And I asked him, why didn't Raitt just say of course I know cancer isn't sexy, I was speaking about the issue and I see now that was a poor choice of words, my family has been touched by cancer itself, and if anyone was hurt or offended by my poorly chosen words, I sincerely apologize.

An apology on day one would have really taken the air out of the story. Of course, you'd still hear about it from partisans like me. But Canadians, by and large, are a forgiving bunch, and an apology would have gone a long way. Most would have accepted it. My Conservative friend mentioned an apology being an admission of wrong-doing that would only embolden the opposition, but I sensed he was a tad perplexed by the strategy as well.

The next afternoon, of course, Raitt apologized. The timing, coming after a round of media interviews with cancer survivors and families of cancer victims, ensured the apology was viewed through a political lens. It made it seem forced, whether that was fair or not. It also extended the media coverage of the story by a day, while a speedier apology would have seemed both more sincere and would have ended the story sooner.

Which made me wonder, just who made the initial call not to apologize? Was it Raitt, or was it the PMO. My money is on the PMO. I think Raitt had the instincts to know right away an apology was needed, and I think the Harper boys have consistently demonstrated they're too stubborn to admit the smallest wrongdoing. Raitt also wanted to resign after the binder incident, but Harper refused that too. His control seems tight.

And this is backed-up by an enlightening passage in this column by the Halifax Chronicle Herald's Stephen Maher (yes, he of the infamous Raitt tape):

Once she was caught in the 24-hour news cycle, she was suddenly not very popular with her cabinet colleagues or the guys who run the Prime Minister’s Office.

They tried to hang tough for a day, but her comments angered cancer patients, so on Wednesday, in a truly ugly scene, she issued a tearful apology on TV, mentioning her own family’s battles with cancer, finally satisfying the public desire for contrition and emotion.

The apology was a day late, journalists complained, at which point someone in the PMO told CTV that Ms. Raitt didn’t apologize the day before because she was crying in her office all day.

Since she stood and answered questions in the House — fighting her corner with dry eyes — we can assume that’s nonsense, a nasty thing to say about a woman in distress, aimed at protecting the geniuses at PMO who forbade her to apologize on Tuesday.

The Tory bosses seem to have contempt for Ms. Raitt now, and are prepared to put everything on her, just as press secretary Jasmine MacDonnell took the fall when Ms. Raitt left her briefing book at CTV.

More disturbing, though, is the way the boys in the PMO tried to discredit Riatt once she was becoming a liability. And in such a sexist way as well. Can you imagine these guys saying the same about a male minister? Not a chance.

Apology notwithstanding, Raitt's political career, once so promising, is unlikely to recover from this incident. Re-election will be a longshot. And as much as she has made mistakes, her situation was worsened, and her instincts overridden, by the testosterone-fueled frat boys in the Harper PMO. That she will have to end up paying the price for their arrogance and their stupidity is really a shame.

One wonders how the rest of the Harper cabinet feels about the way this all went down.

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A question I'd ask in QP today

Mr. Speaker, on an audio recording the Minister of Natural Resources said that the isotope crisis was "an easy one" and that all that was needed to solve it was "money." And Canada has long been a world-leader in the supply of medical isotopes, crucial for the treatment of millions of cancer patients in Canada, and around the world.

Now we learn that the Prime Minister has decided to abandon Canada's leadership position, and get out of the medical isotope business, leaving Canada's medical system beholden to the whims of overseas interests for the supply of this critically-necessary resource.

Mr. Speaker, my question for the Prime Minister is, if this is an easy one, if it is just about money, why is this government turning tail and running on the isotope file?

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What did MacDonnell plan to offer Maher to not publish the tape story?

Just read the affidavit that Halifax Chronicle Herald reporter Stephen Maher filed with the court in the Lisa Raitt injunction court hearing yesterday, and it makes more interesting reading. Particularly this paragraph, where Maher discusses his phone conversation with Jasmine MacDonnell about his plan to publish a story on the contents of the tapes:


It makes one wonder just want more valuable information was she willing to give Maher if he saved her the embarrassment of reporting she'd lost a tape recorder of embarrassing recordings in a bathroom and hadn't retrieved it for five months. More dirt on Raitt? On her ex boss, Gary Lunn? Another prominent Conservative?

I guess we'll never know what dirt she was willing to dish...

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This is a serious matter, seriously sexy that is

Just for fun, here's two recent videos that seem to have some relevance to current events:

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Move over Justin Timberlake, Lisa Raitt is bringing sexy back ... to cancer

Quite the day, yesterday, with the drama around the attempt to suppress the Lisa Raitt recordings, the drama as we waited for the court ruling, and then the revelation in the evening of just what the tapes contained.

I've on a brief visit to Ottawa, and the town was abuzz all day with the story. I attended question period in person yesterday for the first time since Jean Chretien was in the PMO. Unfortunately Stephen Harper wasn't in the house, but it was still a pretty raucous session. There was one or two questions from the Liberals on the tape injunction hearings, but they stuck mainly to the larger isotope issue, hammering Raitt relentlessly. Her friend the health minister did step in to take a few questions, though. That's nice of her. The NDP did press a little harder on the injunction, but I think the opposition was mainly waiting for the tapes to be out before hitting harder.

So, today's session of QP should be interesting. Watching QP in person, besides the heckling (which, sadly, they don't let visitors engage in) I was most interested in watching Michael Ignatieff. While most people of all parties generally read, blackberried or generally didn't pay attention, Ignatieff seemed to listen intently to every opposition answer (not just those to his questions) and would wave his caucus to shush when they got too loud with the catcalls. It's both nice, and a bit cute, that he still shows such interest in their non-answers.

I got news if the judgment while sitting on a patio on Sparks enjoying a beverage with some friends, who were quite jubilant, if not overly surprised, at the result. But when Stephen Maher's story showed-up on my BlackBerry, 'ho boy, I have to say we agreed that, despite a few grammar faux pas, it was the greatest story ever written.

I had some sympathy for Jasmine MacDonnell before, as a staffer unfairly forced to take the fall for her minister. The fact she left her recorder with a journalist for five months though, after leaving it in a bathroom at the press gallery, seems to speak to a pattern of leaving sensitive materials in public places that isn't a positive. I mean, she had five months to pick the dammed thing up!

But the how and the why of the recording is really secondary to the content of the tape, to what MacDonnell and Raitt are heard to say, and I haven't heard a denial of the content yet. No claims of editing, or demands to bring in American tape experts. No Gurmant Grewal sightings.

What she said about the health minister is certainly embarrassing, and could lead to some uncomfortable exchanges at the cabinet table. These two ministers need to work in tandem not just to solve this isotope crisis, but to restore public confidence in the health system. Her comments make that task more onerous.

But more damming are Raitt's comments about the crisis itself, and how it's an opportunity for her to make her political star and how she plans to take all the credit for fixing it, because this isn't a moral issue, it's just about money:

This is the really damning passage to me:

Ms. MacDonnell said the isotope issue is hard to control, "because it's confusing to a lot of people.""But it's sexy," says Ms. Raitt. "Radioactive leaks. Cancer."

"Nuclear contamination," says Ms. MacDonnell.

"But it's only about money," say Ms. Raitt.

I'm sure the people who are suffering from cancer, who are waiting for treatment and are facing delays because of this isotope shortage will be heartened to hear their cancer is sexy. That's it's not a moral issue, but it's just about money. Cancer is sexy? I'm sure cancer patients will be happy to hear that, and that this crisis impacting their health is an opportunity to boost Raitt's political fortunes that she's willing to "roll the dice" on. Roll the dice on sexy radioactive leaks? What the hell is wrong with this woman?

All the laughable Conservative conspiracy theories I hear floating around don't change the fact that RAITT SAID THESE THINGS, and that they're abhorrent. How anyone can defend such insensitive and callous comments is beyond me.

And if Stephen Harper stands by her, as in the early going he appears to be, it will speak volumes to his judgment and competence. I promise you, whether the election is next month or next year, no one will forget these comments.

I'm sorry Lisa, but cancer is not the new sexy.

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A very specific denial from the PMO

CanWest's David Akin files a piece on the Raitt tape story that's breaking this AM, and gets comments from a Harper PMO spokesperson, Dimitri Soudas.

Sometimes Dimitri takes a day off to spokesperson for the party, but I think he has his PMO hat on today.

In Akin's story, Soudas issued what I found to be a very specific denial.He said no GOVERMENT DEPARTMENT is involved win THE HEARING itself.

Dimitri Soudas, press secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said no government department is involved in the hearing in Nova Scotia on Monday afternoon. Soudas said he had no knowledge of the matter. Steve Outhouse, who has replaced MacDonnell as Raitt's director of communications, also said his office had no knowledge of the matter.

That's a very specific statement, that would seem to leave lots open to speculation. It's interesting how carefully Dimitri choose his words here, isn't it?

No mention of the Conservative Party, or a statement they're not involved. And his statement doesn't preclude involvement with the actual applicant either, does it?

UPDATE: For the record, the story is now updated with this denial from the CPC side:

Ryan Sparrow, a spokesman for the Conservative Party of Canada, said the party has no connection to the matter.

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More on Raitt tapes from Toronto Star

The Toronto Star has posted a story on the possibly embarrassing tapes alleged to be of embattled Natural Resources minister Lisa Raitt.

Particularly interesting, the Star reports not only does someone want the tapes kept secret, but the person seeking the injunction also wants THEIR OWN IDENTITY kept secret. That seems to me a pretty unusual request, one the judge will need to weigh very closely against the public's right to know.

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Gerald Moir is sitting in an emergency hearing to hear arguments on an injunction motion by the as-yet unnamed applicant who is also seeking an order of confidentiality or publication ban. Such an order could block any publication of the identity of the applicant seeking to stop the newspaper from publishing, said spokesman John Piccolo.

An order of confidentiality, if granted, could also potentially seal the exhibits or entire file, he said.

The case is due to be heard in a Halifax court this afternoon.

I'm on a train now on my way to Ottawa, and I plan to attend question period this afternoon. It occurs to me any injunctions might not apply under the privlege of the Commons chamber. What say you, legal eagles?

Either way, an interesting day shaping up...

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Raitt Gate II: These aren't the tapes Harper meant

Fascinating news breaking this morning. I'll let allnovascotia.com tell it (I don't have a link):

Harper & Co Try to Muzzle Embarrassing Herald Story

Allnovascotia.com

By David Bentley

June 8, 2009

There`s a highly embarrassing sequel to last week's Ottawa hullabaloo over cabinet Minister Lisa Raitt's misplaced nuclear-sensitive documents - and the Harper government is pulling out all the stops to prevent The Halifax Herald from telling it.

The newspaper will be in court in Halifax today to defend against anapplication for an injunction to muzzle information gathered by Hill reporter Steve Maher.

Allnovascotia.com understands Maher listened to a tape that was recorded by Jasmine MacDonnell, the Nova Scotian who resigned as Raitt's press secretary after Atomic Energy of Canada documents wereleft at the bureau of CTV - which broke the story last week.Opposition members like Halifax West MP, Geoff Regan, said Raittherself should have resigned pointing out that's what External Affairs Minister, Maxine Bernier, did after sensitive papers were left at theapartment of his biker chick girlfriend, Julie Coulliard.

Stephen Harper & Co apparently believe Raitt's political future couldbe seriously in doubt if the Herald publishes what was on the Jasmine MacDonnell tape.

According to one unconfirmed report*, the federal Minister of Natural Resources was recorded making some less than flattering comments abouther cabinet colleague, Leona Aglukkaq, the fed Health Minister who entered parliament for the first time last year as the MP for Nunavut.

Allnovascotia.com understands that the Herald will be confronted incourt by lawyers representing MacDonnell. But sources suggest thatHarperites are plotting the strategy.

There`s a suggestion that the way the Herald obtained the tape willeven be characterized as a breach of criminal code.The paper is expected to respond with a Charter argument, declaringthat nothing less than freedom of the press is at stake.

The Raitt Affair already features a couple of Nova Scotians - and now that reporter, Steve Maher, has been drawn in, that makes a third.

Raitt is originally from Cape Breton, according to the Toronto Star,though she has a master degree in chemistry from Guelph and a lawdegree from Osgood Hall.She lives in Oakville with comedy writer, David Raitt, and was previously CEO of the Toronto Port Authority.Jasmine MacDonnell is 26 and the daughter of Ralston MacDonnell, thewell-known engineering entrepreneur.

*Allnovascotia.com decided not to conventionally source this report,after considering what has happened to the Halifax Herald. The newspaper was apparently minutes away from publishing its story last week, when legal chill intervened

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Video: It's a serious matter

A look back at the day in Ottawa yesterday in just over two minutes. And for the record, not one "seriously" was repeated in the making of this video. Each clip is a new and independent use of the talking-point. And for those Conservative commenters trying to dismiss the atomic docu-scandal as no big deal, clearly the government at least considers it a serious matter...



This is bigger, however, than the scape-goating of some poor staffer. It's bigger, even, than the embattled Lisa Raitt. As Michael Ignatieff said in QP yesterday, it's about the competence of this government. And increasingly, the Stephen Harper government is proving itself incapable of governing responsibly.

Despite knowing there were serious safety concerns at Chalk River for at least 18 months, and really much longer, the government has done nothing but develop talking-points to blame the Liberals while failing to develop a back-up plan for isotope production. It refused to see the economic downturn coming, then promised no deficit, then used a fical update to attack its political opponents instead of addressing the economy, then dramatically underestimated the size of the deficit to the point of absurdity by delivering the biggest deficit in Canadian history. It ignores a growing chorus of provincial leaders and a majority of MPs that want to fix EI. And now TD economists say its plan to get out of deficit is a joke, and we're in for years more of pain than Harper and Jim Flaherty are willing to admit.

It is a serious matter. When will we have competent government indeed?

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Caption contest: Lisa Raitt and her ex-staffer

This picture from the archives of Macleans's Mitchael Raphael is just priceless. It's embattled Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt and her recently ex communications director, Jasmine MacDonnel.


This pic just begs for a caption contest. Leave your entries in the comments!

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Lisa Raitt is twisting in the wind

I do have work to do today, but I did need to take a brief break this afternoon to catch the beginning of question period, where, as you can imagine, Lisa Raitt and the atomic docu-scandal (how’s that for a potential name?) dominated.

Stephen Harper had a previously scheduled engagement in Quebec, but the senior ministers that were in the house left Raitt to fend for herself as she faced a steady barrage of questions from all the opposition parties, until Joe Volpe finally took pity and asked one about all that missing gold at the Royal Canadian Mint (there’s a 24 karat story that’s been overshadowed today).

What struck me was that the other ministers left Raitt to twist in the wind and take every question. Someone is the designated In Charge when Big Daddy is away, but no one stepped-up to take even one question for Raitt and express the government’s confidence in her. Very telling.

As for Raitt, she repeated the same question time and time again, with only minor variations, such as when she outrageously accused the NDP’s Thomas Muclair of sexism. Basically, her lines were its serious, it’s the staffers fault, the staffer resigned, I offered to resign but Harper said no.

She almost seemed a little peeved at times at Harper for now letting her quit. One wonders how much longer they'll let her twist in the wind.

Here’s her first answer, which is pretty representative of all of them:

Lisa Raitt: Mr. Speaker, this is a serious matter. Correct procedures were not followed in this case. Corrective action has been taken. I offered to resign if the prime minister felt it necessary, and he did not accept it. The person responsible for handling the documents offered their resignations.

Speaking of Big Daddy, Harper was in Quebec today, and took a few questions from reporters. Here’s what he had to say on Raitt:

Well, as regards Minister Raitt, she has worked diligently on her files. She was with her employee. She had a reasonable expectation that her aide would look after her documents, and that that person would be responsible for the documents and deal with them if they were missing. Obviously this is a serious question. There should be changes because of this, but it's not the fault of the minister's staff. Bernier, the situation was quite different. But I should also say that i believe Maxime have learned a great deal from that incident. He remains a very important part of our team today and I expect that to remain the case in the future.

Well, I think it's a matter of personal action. As I've said, Minister Raitt was working at the time she was undertaking employment activity, ministerial activity in the company of her staff who were responsible for these documents and certainly for accounting for these documents later, and as I say, I think she had a reasonable expectation that that would be done. This is a serious matter and there will have to be changes as I've said, there will have to be an examination of this, and this kind of thing cannot re-occur. That said, in the case of minister Bernier, his actions were much more personal in nature, and that was the difference in the responsibility. That said, as I said earlier, Maxime think has learned a lot from his own experiences. He is a valuable member of our team, and I anticipate him playing a valuable role in our team in the future.

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Reports that reports of Lisa Raitt's death was premature may be premature

All morning the speculation has been will Lisa Raitt resign/be fired for leaving a binder full of secret documents on the Chalk River file at CTV, and not noticing it was missing for a week, or will the Conservatives try to blame it all on some poor staffer (who I'm sure will be rewarded with a nice private sector gig for taking the fall).

Well, unsurprisingly, with accountability being just a buzzword for the Stephen Harper Conservatives, just after lunchtime they opted for door B: let the staffer take the fall. Harper spokesperson (I'm assuming he's on the PMO payroll today) Kory Teneycke went on CTV (hey, why not them?) to break the news:

Well, let me first start by saying that this is obviously a very serious incident. Our government takes the handling of confidential documents very seriously and we have very clear and very firm procedures in place to prevent these sorts of incidents from happening. That being said, an incident obviously did occur where some documents were left at the ctv studio here in Ottawa. And as alt, the prime minister and our office have taken a very careful look at what did occur. It's our assessment that while this was a serious breach, it was not breach by the minister herself. And as such, we expect the minister to continue the good work she's doing on behalf of the government.

(snip)

The minister did offer her resignation if the prime minister felt it appropriate. For her to step down. He obviously did not. And as such, she's staying on. However, I would like to point out that the staff person responsible did offer their resignation and it was accepted.

So, Raitt offered her resignation but Harper said no, some poor staffer resigned instead, and this is different from the Maxime Bernier cause because it just is so leave me alone. And with that, the Conservatives seemed content to ride this thing out.

But then, mere minutes later on that same CTV, reporter Bob Fife reports:

I can report, dan, ctv news has learned that the aide who was walking the plank for the minister is Jasmine McDonell who I think we have a picture of her going in with the minister this morning in from the back way of the house of commons. She's a young aide, press secretary. I can also report sources telling CTV that that briefing document actually was the minister's document. Now, they're going blame this aide for having it. But there's going to be a lot of questions that will be asked here, dan. The minister -- if it was the minister's briefing document, which is what I am told it is, the question would be why wasn't the minister -- why'd the minister ask, hey, where's my briefing document? Why is it missing? In and the same thing would apply to the aides. Any of these documents, they're supposed to be under lock and key because they are marked " and when they are brought out of the office they're supposed to be in a briefcase under lock and key and taken out with somebody watching. When it goes back into the evening it it is supposed to be put back into a safe in the minister's office or at a safe in the minister's home. So there's a lot of unanswered questions here. It's fine and dandy for the prime minister's office to try to have some young 26-year-old walk the plank for this, but the buck stops with the minister.

(snip)

I'm getting this from sources, dan, that i believe to be reliable, who have talked to me in the last little bit. And who say that not only were -- that is the minister's briefing book, but there is essential active commercial information -- sensitive commercial information in that document which we have not reported that would be very advantageous to some of the people bidding on some of our reactors in ontario, and in fact the information that the ontario government would not be very pleased with if it got out. The issue here is the government trying to deflect the blame by blaming some young 26-year-old girl. Other issue, this is we're told the minister's document. And the other factor is sensitive commercial information which ctv has not reported that somebody has to take account for. And it certainly can't be some young kid.

(snip)

The duments that the ctv had and which graham richardson reported on last night were " and they were numbered. And so they are very sensitive documents and these are the kind documents that are traceable. If they're not reported immediately, there should be an automatic trace of what happened those documents. Ctv got these documents late thursday evening. We've had them since tuesday until graham reported on the national last night. So we understand there is an investigation going on now from the privy council office, but every rule in the book was broken as far as I can see in terms of security.

Question period starts in a few minutes and its going to be a doozy. Fife's report kills any chance Teneyck's interview had of ending this thing with the staffer's resignation. This is bigger now, with the commercial aspects, and with the revelation these actually were the minister's own personal briefing books, the PMO and Raitt look like heartless, unprincipled tools for trying to blame this on some young staffer.

What's more, by releasing that Raitt offered her resignation and HARPER refused, this is now bigger than Raitt. Harper gets to wear this now. This whole sorry episode, from the firing of Linda Keen to the complete inaction on the Chalk River file over 18 months to the lack of an isotope backup plan to this pathetic attempt to save the hide of Raitt and not Bernier for the EXACT SAME OFFENSE because he likes Raitt while Bernier was an embarrassment to trying to blame it all on some young kid, it all comes back to the incompetence of this government and Stephen Harper's lack of leadership.

Lisa Raitt's resignation, which is even more necessary now that it was, will be all the more embarassing and painful for this government now because of this pathetic manuvering.

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