Cliff White sides Bousquet: I love the discussion about the superports. Tim Bousquet nailed it. You will remember that a lot of the hype about the Atlantica concept was based on the same false assumptions. During that debate one brilliant supporter suggested reducing transportation costs by hiring Mexicans at low wages to drive the trucks. At the time I was working for The Council of Canadians. I was heavily involved in organizing against the initiative, until that is I realized it was a delusional pipe dream cooked up by AIMS and some elements of the business community.  At that point I stopped...

01 November, 2013

James and Deborah Fallows have been visiting remote corners of the US by small plane to tease out the secrets of successful local economies. In Eastport, Maine, they heard lots of talk about the potential of Eastport's deep, ice-free harbour, and relative proximity to Europe, to attract European trade. I noted that the same case has been made for Canso, where construction of the causeway to Cape Breton in 1955 inadvertently created a similarly deep, ice-free superport. Inveterate boosterism deflator Tim Bousquet of  The Coast, a Halifax newsweekly, isn't impressed: I think boosters of both the Canso and the Eastport "superports"—and you and...

31 October, 2013

Loran Tweedie and I attended the biweekly meeting of Richmond County Council last night, where we met Lorenzo Boudreau, ago 90. It was Loran's and my first time attending a Richmond Council meeting. It was Boudreau's 854th. He's been coming since 1984. "To the best of my memory, I haven't missed a single meeting," he said. His memory appears to be good. When Loran introduced himself, Lorenzo asked if he was Jack Tweedie's son. "Grandson," said Loran. "On January 29, 1953, Jack was working at Sydney Auto Parts." "He did work at Sydney Auto Parts," said Loran, "but why do you remember that particular day?" "Because...

31 October, 2013

A disgruntled shopper of our acquaintance recounts his efforts to buy a shed. A shed he could see, but could not buy. Me: I’d like to buy the pre-assembled shed advertised outside your store for $600. Kent guy: We don’t have any. Me: But I see one outside you store. Kent guy: That’s the display model. Me: So the display model is not for sale? Kent guy: No. It’s the display model. Me: So the display model is advertising an item you don’t have for sale? Kent guy: I could order one in for you. Me: Wonderful! Kent guy: It wouldn’t be assembled, though. Me: OK, so I would have to...

31 October, 2013

[See correction and clarification at end.] Two months ago, Atlantic journalists James and Deborah Fallows began traveling around the United States in a small plane, visiting relatively obscure cities in a quest to find out what makes some thrive while others struggle. They spent much of last week in Eastport, Maine, hard up against the New Brunswick border. Jim's initial blog posts bespeak a community well on the way to recovery, populated by leaders determined to go the distance. Since Eastport shares much in common with struggling Atlantic port communities, Maritimers might want to perk up their ears. In a post last...

28 October, 2013

On Thursday, I criticized local news organizations for credulous reporting of an Abacus poll, commissioned by the Company of Canadians and two local anti-fracking groups, purporting to show overwhelming public opposition to fracking. In reality, the only question the survey asked was framed in such a way as to insure that result. David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, disputes my use of the term "push poll" to describe the survey. He has a point. The poll question was not a push poll. Push polls are used by campaigns to influence or change the opinion of respondents under the guise of a survey. As...

25 October, 2013

Contrarian reader Tim Segulin writes: Senators were appointed by the Monarch (via the Governor General on the advice of the PM) from defined regions within Canada on the basis of the excellence they had to offer review of government legislation in its final stages. They were there to be the final quality control against the passing of biased, defective or unfair laws from the Commons. To do that, they had to be independent of electoral politics and political parties. Senators were intended to call it as they see it, and propose constructive suggestions to improve proposed laws without fear of petty political reprisals...

25 October, 2013

A trio of Nova Scotia environmental organizations — the Nova Scotia Fracking Resource and Action Coalition, the Council of Canadians, and Sierra Club Atlantic — scored a public relations coup yesterday when local news organizations reported that "Nova Scotians overwhelmingly support a continued ban on fracking" in a poll commissioned by the group. A news release said the poll, conducted by Abacus Data, a respected Ottawa-based polling firm: ...

24 October, 2013
If I had edited Mike Duffy's speaking notes before his address to the Senate yesterday, I would have red-penciled the opening reference to a "heart condition" aggravated by "months of unrelenting stress,"  and to "my beloved Prince Edward Island," along with a few adjectives  at the end ("monstrous," "outrageous"). As John Iveson noted in the National Post, "Duffy does not cut a very sympathetic figure," and these rhetorical flourishes don't help. Still, it's hard to read this and not suspect that the senator has a point, and that Prime Minister Harper has a problem. It's long, but I urge you to click "read more" and keep reading after the jump.
Honourable Senators, I rise today against the orders of my doctors who fear my heart condition has worsened after months of unrelenting stress. But given the unprecedented nature of today’s proceedings, I feel I have no other choice than to come here to defend my good name. Like you, I took a solemn oath to put the interests of Canadians ahead of all else. However the sad truth is, I allowed myself to be intimidated into doing what I knew in my heart was wrong, out of a fear of losing my job, and a misguided sense of loyalty. pullquoteMuch has been made of the $90,000 cheque from Nigel Wright. I hope I’ll be able to give an explanation of the chain of events, and the circumstances surrounding that gift, without impinging on the rights of others to a fair trial should criminal proceedings follow. Let me summarize it this way: Dec. 3rd, 2012, The Ottawa Citizen ran a story asking how I could claim expenses for my house in Kanata, when I had owned the home before I was appointed to the Senate? The inference was clear. I was doing something wrong. I immediately contacted Nigel Wright, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and explained that I was doing nothing improper. Nigel Wright emailed me back, saying he’d had my expenses checked and he was satisfied that my accounts were in order. That all was in compliance with Senate rules. In fact he said there were several other Senators in the same situation, and that this was a smear. Following the PMO’s advice, I ignored the media. But the attacks from Postmedia continued, and the political heat escalated. So after caucus on Feb. 13th I met the Prime Minister and Nigel Wright. Just the three of us. I said that despite the smear in the papers, I had not broken the rules. But the Prime Minister wasn’t interested in explanations or the truth. It’s not about what you did. It’s about the perception of what you did that has been created by the media. The rules are inexplicable to our base. I argued I was just following the rules, like all the others. It didn’t work. I was ordered – by the Prime Minister – to “pay the money back!” End of discussion. Nigel Wright was present throughout. Just the 3 of us. [Continued after the jump]
23 October, 2013
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