Month: October 2019

This Should Go Well….

Where does Canada go from here?
  A conversation with two Prime Ministers
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien and the Right Honourable Stephen Harper have been Prime Minister of Canada for 19 of the past 25 years and are two old warhorses who refuse to go to pasture. On October 31 they will share a stage, coming together to discuss the future of Canada, its position on the global stage and navigating a ‘post-truth’ world.The Hyatt Regency | 700 Centre Street SE | Calgary, AB

 

 

Move Fast Break Things

Politico reports that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg started hosting dinners with conservatives and trying to cultivate new friendships back in July amid concerns about those who accuse social media platforms of censorship and left-wing bias. A source says that Zuckerberg is especially worried about the government taking action to break up his company.

“The discussion in Silicon Valley is that Zuckerberg is very concerned about the Justice Department, under Bill Barr, bringing an enforcement action to break up the company. So the fear is that Zuckerberg is trying to appease the Trump administration by not cracking down on right-wing propaganda.” a source told Politico’s Natasha Bertrand.

Some of the most prominent conservatives who met Zuckerberg at his homes include Senator Lindsey Graham, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, and radio host Hugh Hewitt, all of whom have accused tech companies of treating conservatives unfairly. Other names of interest include Mary Katharine Ham, Ben Shapiro, Matt Continetti, Guy Benson, Brent Bozell and Byron York.

There’s gotta be a Mistake!

Ethics watchdog pushes for ‘collusion’ probe of Conservatives, oil lobby 

 The Conservative Party and Canada’s largest oil and gas lobby group stand accused of possibly “colluding” in violation of the country’s elections law, according to a complaint made to a federal commissioner.

Ethics watchdog Democracy Watch said Thursday it was calling on Commissioner of Canada Elections Yves Côté to investigate whether the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and the Tories broke the Canada Elections Act.

Court Painter rendering of Andrew Scheer at dusk

The complaint centres on the fact the lobby group and the Conservatives have both done business with an advertising firm co-founded by Hamish Marshall, who is Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s campaign manager.

Court Painter rendering of Hamish Marshall at dawn

Not Above the Law

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government broke the law by not holding public consultations before it scrapped the province’s cap and trade program, an Ontario court has found.

According to Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR), the minister must provide for public notice and comment on proposed regulations and legislation that could have “a significant effect on the environment” at least thirty days before implementation.

One Ontario judge noted that the decision handed Friday “makes a point broader than its four corners: it makes the point that the government is not above the law and may not insulate itself from judicial review when it acts unlawfully.” #onpoli

Hup – two – three – four !

 

Andrew Scheer is registered for selective service — the U.S. agency that runs the military draft

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is registered with the U.S. Selective Service System, the federal agency that administers that country’s military draft, a party spokesperson confirmed Friday.

Scheer confirmed Thursday that he is a dual Canada-U.S. national — his father was born in the U.S. — but said he is in the process of renouncing his American citizenship.

Under U.S. law, all American men between the ages of 18 and 26 must register with the Selective Service System, the U.S. federal agency that maintains information on men who could be conscripted into the military through a system known as “the draft.”

U.S. citizenship comes with many rights and privileges — the freedom to live, work and vote in the world’s largest economy — but it also carries unique responsibilities that the U.S. demands of its citizens.

For example, under U.S. tax law, an American citizen living anywhere in the world must report their global income and file returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). U.S. citizens must file income, estate and gift tax returns with the IRS.

Scheer has said he has filed U.S. tax returns.