The AFN is apparently back to their demands that Harper and the GG be at the table together at their next meeting – which is untenable. That a number of chiefs think that the GG can force Harper to deal with their issues is a gross misconception that they need to abandon. It’s even worse when one of them comes on Power & Politics and declares that the Queen got it wrong. Because you know, it’s not like she’s been on the job for the past 60 years or anything. Meanwhile, Tim Harper has a very disturbing tale of threats and intimidation going on in the internal politics of the AFN, which includes threats being made against National Chief Shawn Atleo and other regional chiefs. Paul Wells writes about Stephen Harper’s choice between cooperation and confrontation with First Nations.
The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has issued a compliance order to Jim Flaherty for his improper letter writing to the CRTC. Apparently no investigation was needed since it was a clear violation of the code. But that Compliance Order is basically just “Don’t write any more similar letters without my approval.” Oh, and Thomas Mulcair? Also wrote to Harper to shake his finger and tell him to hold his ministers to account when they break the rules, while the party press release blows all sense of proportion out of the water in calling it “attempted influence peddling.”
The Environment Commissioner is leaving his post two-years early to head up a think tank.
The civil service is looking to recruit high-level IT specialists from the private sector as part of their attempts to modernise the government’s IT infrastructure.
The provincial governments around the country have agreed to band together to bulk buy the six most common generic drugs, so as to save money in health care costs around the country.
Greg Weston looks at the issues facing the Canadian Space Agency, including why the new RADARSAT programme was held up for so long.
Over in the Liberal leadership campaign, Joyce Murray will be on home turf during Sunday’s debate in Vancouver, and she reminds us that she’s the “progressive candidate.” Meanwhile, Murray and Deborah Coyne are disputing the interpretation of the “supporter category” rules that allows individual candidates to keep their supporter lists private until the last month of the contest (which, it can be argued, don’t really benefit anyone since people sign up as supporters to vote for one candidate, and allowing the other candidates the list simply subjects those supporters to being harassed continually by eight other candidates). Chantal Hébert previews the debates in her column.
And with the revelation that it is actually a Norwegian maple leaf on the new polymer $20 banknotes, Steve Murray looks at what else is amiss it them.