In today’s Sun: No column!

Not sure what happened to it – I can’t find it online. For the two of you who actually read my stuff, I will endeavour to find it!

In the meantime, happy first day of March.


Christy Clark: young faces on the political landscape

From my friend and former colleague John Ibbitson:

Provincial governments are in the midst of generational change, as Christy Clark joins the swelling ranks of new premiers who will take on Ottawa in a contest for wealth and power.

Ms. Clark will replace outgoing British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell – an icon, if one were needed, for the old, tired crew who have either left, been pushed or face being pushed by voters who want new voices at the table playing a different political game.

Two comments.

One, it’s high time: too many old farts like me still dominate Canadian politics.  Perhaps Christy’s win – a smart, sensible, single mom – signals a new day dawning.

Two, her win makes me feel old! I remember well the 1993 federal campaign, when a younger Christy Clark was camped out at a smallish desk outside our cramped war room space.  Then, as now, she was an amazing person, and clearly destined for great things.

Go Christy, go!


From the complaint against the Hudak/Hillier PCs

Dear Commissioner,

Pursuant to Section 30(1) of the Member’s Integrity Act, I have reasonable and probable grounds to believe the Member for Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox, & Addington, Mr. Randy Hillier, has contravened Ontario parliamentary convention.  I am requesting that you conduct an inquiry under Section 31(1) of the Member’s Integrity Act and render an opinion.

INTRODUCTION

The evidence outlined below and attached will show that Mr. Hillier is abusing taxpayer dollars and public resources for partisan political activity in a neighbouring riding. Mr. Hillier is using his website and legislative resources to further the interests of one of the candidates seeking the PC Party nomination in the riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills. This activity is not only a violation of parliamentary convention, but arguably of basic ethical standards.

EVIDENCE

Mr. Hillier is the Progressive Conservative Member for Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox, & Addington, which shares a border with the riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills.

Mr. Hillier maintains a constituency website, www.randyhilliermpp.com, that is registered to his constituency office (105 Dufferin Street, Unit 1, Perth, Ontario, K7H 3A5).

Mr. Norm Sterling is the Progressive Conservative MPP for Carleton-Mississippi Mills. The Progressive Conservative Association in Carleton-Mississippi Mills is in the midst of nominating their candidate for the provincial election to be held on October 6, 2011.

Mr. Jack MacLaren is the other candidate for the Progressive Conservative Nomination in Carleton-Mississippi Mills.

Mr. Hillier and Mr. MacLaren “are good friends” (Ottawa Citizen, February 18, 2011), and both served terms as President of the Ontario Landowners’ Association, with Mr. MacLaren succeeding Mr. Hillier after the latter resigned to run in the provincial election in 2007.

On February 10, 2011, Mr. MacLaren sent out an email to an undisclosed list with the subject line “Jack MacLaren – A change is needed for Carleton Mississippi Mills Riding.” (See Exhibit A.)

The email asked recipients to support Mr. MacLaren in a number of forms, including by purchasing a membership to the Ontario PC Party, forwarding the email to others in the riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills, and engaging with Mr. MacLaren through social media tools.

In total, the email had six external links:

  • To Mr. MacLaren’s website, jackmaclaren.com;
  • To share Mr. MacLaren’s website;
  • To like Mr. MacLaren’s Facebook page;
  • To follow Mr. MacLaren on Twitter;
  • To subscribe to Mr. MacLaren’s YouTube channel; and,
  • To unsubscribe from the e-mail list.

All six external links were routed through www.randyhilliermpp.com, Mr. Hillier’s constituency website. (See Exhibits B1 through B6.)

[snip]

The evidence demonstrates that Mr. Hillier is using his constituency office resources, paid for by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, to further the interests of a personal friend seeking a nomination for the PC Party.

That individual, Mr. Jack MacLaren, is a candidate in a neighbouring riding, currently represented by Mr. Norm Sterling, a duly-elected Member of Provincial Parliament.

Mr. Hillier is thus using Legislative Assembly funds to undermine and attack a Member of the Ontario Legislature in good standing.

Mr. Hillier has violated the Member’s Integrity Act and the parliamentary convention encompassed in it by allowing the use of his website for partisan political activity by Mr. MacLaren.

I request an inquiry under Section 31(1) of the Member’s Integrity Act and submit that Mr. Hillier’s violation of parliamentary convention be reprimanded under Section 34 (1)(b) of said Act.


CBC News: Hudak OKs Hillier’s illegal use of tax dollars

“Liberals filed the complaint alleging Hillier is abusing tax dollars for partisan political activity.

Their complaint says Hillier is using his taxpayer-funded MPP website to help an email fundraising campaign by Sterling’s rival.”

It’s bad enough that Timmy Hudak did a dirty deal with a far-right extremist group to secure the PC leadership.  Now he’s indifferent to the fact that Randy Hillier is using his taxpayer-funded website to prop up the candidacy of his pal Jack MacLaren against poor old Norm Sterling.

It’s against the rules, and it’s arguably breaking the law.  BCL has more.


In today’s Sun: hypocrisy abounds

Some days, people in the Third World can be forgiven for being unimpressed with the rest of us.

Take the pro-democracy protests continuing to sweep the Middle East, for example. The way a few are going on, you’d think westerners were on the front lines in Tahrir Square in Cairo, battling the forces of repression themselves.

Instead of watching it, you know, from the comfort of their living room. On a big flat-screen.


Done With Dolls

Last week after SFH practice, we got together with the legendary Cam Carpenter at the Shanghai on Queen West, and he told us he had just come from seeing the most amazing thing: tweenish Toronto girls in a band named Done With Dolls.  A bunch of record execs were there, dragged by their similarly youngish daughters, and Done With Dolls just blew the roof off the place.  “The execs were just standing their with their mouths hanging open, not believeing what they were seeing,” said Cam.

It took me a while to track down this vid (and here’s another one!).  If you’re not down with Done With Dolls after hearing their lyrics (about their lives) and seeing them (with braces, no less!) you have no heart.

I predict these girls are going to be huge, huge, huge.  Just wait.


My God, I love punk rock

We saw the Menzingers just before Christmas, supporting the Flatliners.  This is the bit of godlike genius they were playing as we tumbled into Sneaky Dee’s. Perfect.