Comments (3)

Last night, a number of people – many of them Jewish, in fact – drew to my attention the tweet below, authored by Sue-Ann Levy.  When I saw it, I was appalled as they were.  I condemned what she said, and I suspect many others will continue to do so.

Suggesting that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim is Truther/Birther territory.  Suggesting that there is something wrong with being a Muslim is just as bad.

I don’t know Levy, at all, but I would hope that she reflects and retracts and apologizes for what she posted.  It was not helpful, to say the least.

Comments (30)

…and I can tell you that senior Conservatives were quite unenthusiastic about him as federal leader. But that’s that.

Comments (4)

Liberal leadership season is upon us!

It’s all pretty historic, too. For the first time ever, Grits are lining up to choose leaders in Quebec, Ontario and federally. Never before have the three largest Liberal configurations been holding leadership races simultaneously.

Historians will be excited by that, of course, but historians routinely get excited about all kinds of things that aren’t. The rest of us, should we care?

Well, sure. In Ontario, card-carrying Liberals will be selecting the man or woman who, however briefly, will be premier of Canada’s largest province. In Quebec, Canada’s next-largest province, Liberal partisans are currently musing about the three top candidates to succeed Jean Charest, all men.

And federally, of course, the Liberal Party of Canada is now preoccupied with finding a leader who (it is hoped) will win them back Official Opposition status in 2015, and (it is fervently hoped) government status after that.

All of the Liberal parties are going about things differently. Federally, the leadership race will not conclude until next spring. The leading candidate in that race — some might say the only candidate — is Liberal MP Justin Trudeau. Trudeau is so popular, comedian Mike Bullard was moved to tweet this: “Saw and heard Justin Trudeau tonight. The arthritis in my right knee is now gone.”

Comments (1)

Over on Twitter, I made repeated attempts to ask Gerry Nicholls about what Harper did at the NCC, since Nicholls is clamouring about what he didn’t.  He repeatedly refused to answer.  My “responsible communication” defence thus assured, I wrote the following letter to PMO.  I’ll let y’all know when (and if) I get a reply.

I am a columnist with QMI/Sun Media.

Recently, in response to a column I wrote that made passing reference to Stephen Harper’s time at the National Citizen’s Coalition (NCC), former NCC senior officer Gerry Nicholls wrote a letter to the editor.  In part, his letter states:

“Yes, Prime Minister Harper was indeed NCC president, back in the late 1990s. But he was not, as Kinsella asserts, a “lobbyist.”

As NCC president, Harper’s job was to use advertising campaigns, constitutional court challenges and media appearances to raise public awareness about the importance of free markets, smaller government and individual freedom.”

As you are perhaps aware, such “advertising campaigns” may fall within the definition of “grass roots lobbying” under the provisions of the Lobbying Act, R.S.C. 1985, c.44.  In section 7, therein, Parliament requires disclosure of “particulars to identify any communication technique, including grass-roots communication.”

I made repeated attempts, in a public forum, to question Mr. Nicholls’ about the nature of these NCC advocacy campaigns, and whether disclosure took place.  He made references to legal action, but declined to answer.

Therefore, I wish to ask your office whether (a) public office holders were in any way part of the target audience of the communications campaigns Mr. Nicholls referenced and, if so, (b) whether lobbyist registration was considered or attempted, and why not if not.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Warren Kinsella, LL.B

Comments (13)

There haven’t been a lot of reviews so far – book pages are becoming a lot less plentiful, sadly – but Matt Price at the Huffington Post gave it a thorough read.

Here it is in true blurb style: “[Kinsella] deserves credit for writing this book, period… he is absolutely on the money…[Fight The Right] is well worth picking up.”

Ha! But you can (and should) read his full review, here, bouquets and brickbats included.

Comments (4)

I’m moving to Canada!

Oh, wait.

Comments (13)

Says it all, don’t you think?

Comments (14)

Gerry Nicholls is formerly a “senior officer” with the far-right lobby group, the National Citizens Coalition.  Last week, I wrote a column that mentioned in passing Stephen Harper’s time heading the NCC.  Nicholls objected to what I wrote, and apparently sent a letter to the Sun.  Here is what he wrote, in part:

Comments (19)

Story here.

If this bastard thinks we’re going to forget about these women, he’s got another thing coming.

Comments (7)