BACKBENCHERS So in Election Here’S to You, Mr
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Twitter matters American political satirist Stephen Colbert, host of his and even more SPEAKER smash show The Colbert Report, BACKBENCHERS so in Election Here’s to you, Mr. Milliken. poked fun at Canadian House Speaker Peter politics last week. p. 2 Former NDP MP Wendy Lill Campaign 2011. p. 2 Milliken left the House of is the writer behind CBC Commons with a little Radio’s Backbenchers. more dignity. p. 8 COLBERT Heard on the Hill p. 2 TWITTER TWENTY-SECOND YEAR, NO. 1082 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSWEEKLY MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011 $4.00 Tories running ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2011 Lobbyists ‘pissed’ leaner war room, Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the hustings they can’t work on focused on election campaign, winning majority This campaign’s say it’s against their This election campaign’s war room Charter rights has 75 to 90 staffers, with the vast majority handling logistics of about one man Lobbying Commissioner Karen the Prime Minister’s tour. Shepherd tells lobbyists that working on a political By KRISTEN SHANE and how he’s run campaign advances private The Conservatives are running interests of public office holder. a leaner war room and a national campaign made up mostly of cam- the government By BEA VONGDOUANGCHANH paign veterans, some in new roles, whose goal is to persuade Canadi- Lobbyists are “frustrated” they ans to re-elect a “solid, stable Con- can’t work on the federal elec- servative government” to continue It’s a Harperendum, a tion campaign but vow to speak Canada’s economic recovery or risk out against a regulation that they a coalition government headed by national verdict on this think could be an unconstitutional Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff. restriction on their Charter rights. Please see story on Page 6 combative personality Please see Lobbying on Page 16 whose appeal can be figured mathematically. Liberals put Tom Korski p. 7 MPs vow to on game face Conservative Party of Canada Photo quickly revive in campaign, Bonjour Québec: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, pictured in Quebec, last week on the campaign trail. Copyright Bill in Donolo travelling with Ignatieff next Parliament NDP war room working Coalition will be Some 40 bills died on One Grit said Bloc Leader the Order Paper when the Gilles Duceppe ‘bailed out’ 16 hour days, ‘surviving on constant theme for government was defeated. Grit Leader Michael Ignatieff by calling Stephen Harper ‘a caffeine and adrenaline’ Tories during election By BEA VONGDOUANGCHANH liar,’ in first week. ‘They have a few surprises up their sleeves for Nanos poll last week shows fear of Some 40 bills died on the Order Paper when the Harper govern- By BEA VONGDOUANGCHANH Day minus 10 and down,’ says Robin Sears. coalition not taking hold in voters’ minds. ment was defeated on March 25 in an historic contempt of Parlia- Liberals claim they have the By JESSICA BRUNO By TIM NAUMETZ ment vote, but political observ- best war room so far during the ers say the government’s bill to st Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 41 election campaign, but Con- On the third floor of a brick and mortar heri- Experienced war-room Conservatives were update the Copyright Act was one servatives are also taking note of tage building, at 279 Laurier Avenue West, a rumoured last week to be in favour of dropping of the most important ones. the Grits’ improved electioneering quick walk from Parliament Hill is the New the hidden-agenda-coalition attack against Conservative incumbent Dean from their 2008 effort. Democratic Party’s orange and green-splashed, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, but the young Del Mastro, who is running for re- “Obviously the Liberals’ game eco-friendly, campaign hive. Turks won out and the relentless effort—some- election in the bell-whether riding is better than it was the last time. Inside are 150 campaign workers, some paid, times appearing as just a few lines in one of of Peterborough, Ont., and who sat That’s not surprising. I mean, some volunteer (the campaign would not release Stephen Harper’s lifeless speeches, sometimes on the legislative committee study- they’ve got some good people over the proportion of each), all working towards one in a blaring “COALITION WATCH” bulletin ing Bill C-32, the Copyright Mod- there. They’re to be commended,” goal: a federal NDP government, which may be from Conservative campaign headquarters— ernization Act, told The Hill Times said Summa Strategies vice-pres- unrealistic considering the party’s at about 16 will continue grinding away at Ignatieff until that he is “disappointed” the bill ident Tim Powers, a Conservative per cent in public opinion polls. But the party is voting day. died before an election was called, Please see story on Page 7 Please see story on Page 21 Please see story on Page 15 Please see Legislation on Page 4 2 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011 FEATURE: BUZZ Colbert pokes fun at Canadian politics ON HEARD THE HILL BY BEA VONGDOUANGCHANH Backbenchers, the CBC Radio show: ‘one-third of MPs gone in four years, no pension, no fanfare, work too hard, drink too much, gain weight, go into debt, screw around and wreck marriages’! Courtesy of the Colbert Report Hello nation: Stephen Colbert, host of The Colbert Report, had some fun last week on his show. or those who are missing all the drama Reach matters in election cam- American political satirist Stephen Col- tive for the people of Winnipeg South Centre.” Fon Parliament Hill (because there’s not bert, host of his smash show, The Colbert The Liberals quickly responded, say- enough drama during an election cam- paign on the Twitterverse Twitter matters, and building networks Report, poked fun at Canadian politics ing that Ms. Glover’s comment was agism paign), they can tune into CBC’s Radio last week when he covered the collapse of because there are several Conservative MPs drama series Backbencher. will matter in this election campaign, says a new report by government relations firm the Stephen Harper government. who have been in Parliament longer than The subtitle of the show is “One Woman’s He joked that he wanted to see U.S. Pres- Ms. Neville, who was first elected in 2000. Journey Through the Snake Pit of Canadian Ensight Canada. In its analysis of how Twitter was used ident Barack Obama’s state of the nation There are 17 Conservatives who were elect- Politics.” Ouch. address “to get answers about the shocking ed first in 1997, and running for re-election, Written by former during the release of the federal budget, Ensight said, “While Twitter may not count regime collapse on everybody’s mind.” He including Prime Minister Stephen Harper. two-term NDP MP went to a Fox News clip saying, “Canada’s Wendy Lill, Backbench- as many Canadian users as Facebook, we found that it is nonetheless home to a coalition minority government led by Prime Flanagan on Donner Prize short list ers is about a paramedic, Minister Stephen Harper fell today.” Nellie Gordon, who rep- vibrant and highly engaged community of Former Stephen Harper adviser Tom political observers and activists.” “The Canadian government has fallen!” Flanagan’s book Beyond the Indian Act: resents the riding of East exclaimed Mr. Colbert. He said it was a Nova. She decides to run The report also said that “reach mat- Restoring Aboriginal Property Rights has ters” and although the conversations on “chilling story” and that since the defeat, been shortlisted for the Donner Prize. for office on a whim and “marauding bands of rebel Inuit are storm- wins her seat. The drama Twitter were “driven by a core group of The other four finalists include: Perverse activists and partisans,” the potential reach ing Parliament on beaverback while embat- Cities: Hidden Subsidies, Wonky Policy, and series takes listeners into tled Prime Minister Stephen Harper orders caucus meetings, com- and “reverberations” through the Twitter- Urban Sprawl, by Pamela Blais; Le CHUM, Former NDP MP verse can make an impact. Mounties to dump cauldrons of boiling une tragédie québécoise, by Robert Lacroix mittee meetings and maple syrup on them. It is the only story the whole House of Wendy Lill. “The parties that were most effective at and Louis Maheu; Arrival City: The Final mobilizing their supporters were able to that anyone is talking about.” Migration and Our Next World, by Doug Commons experience Cue loud, apocalyptic music. Mr. Col- from the fictional character of Ms. Gor- expand their potential reach beyond their core Saunders; and Oka: A Political Crisis and network,” the report said. “[NDP leader] Jack bert called his coverage of the Canadian Its Legacy, by Harry Swain. don’s perspective. Ms. Lill, a playwright, “regime collapse” “Chaos in Chaonada.” writer, historian, represented Dartmouth, Layton demonstrated an impressive ability to The books represent the best in Cana- have his message carried to a broader audi- He then said, “Nation, we’ve only begun dian public policy. N.S., from 1997 to 2004. to scratch the surface of this panic in the “Hundreds of elected representatives ence. If he can replicate his success during the “This year’s selection addresses some election period, he may have an opportunity provinces. For more dramatic details let’s of the most challenging issues in public from different parties arrive in Ottawa go to the BBC.” after every election, sit up at the back near to engage in conversation with voters outside policy; the authors are offering a national of the political community on Twitter.” An English BBC reporter is then heard and international perspective, and policy the gold curtains and provide the cannon saying, “Today a confidence motion simply fodder for democracy.