Daily Archives: 1/1/2007
Afghan War Top Canadian News Story
| 1/1/2007 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan, War on Terror |
The war in Afghanistan and Canadian participation in it has been voted as the top news story of 2006 in a Canadian Press vote. The war has been brought home by the stark images of flag draped coffins being returned to Canada. In perspective while Canada has sent home 44 of our young in those coffins, the British have sent home 38 and the Americans 200.
While we’re most familiar with the battle stories, the stories of suicide bombers and our battle deaths, what we don’t see much of is the other side of Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan. That is the work of the reconstruction teams working in Kandahar province to bring economic and social stability to the villages the combat group have managed to secure.
Electoral Chief Kingsley Resigns
| 1/1/2007 | Posted by Patti under Canadian Politics, Harper |
The day after the Conservatives finally admitted they were wrong on their convention expense stand Canada’s Chief Electoral officer, Jean-Pierre Kingsley,tendered his resignation. The letter of resignation gave little indication of how or why the decision was reached indicating only that Kingsley intends to “pursuing my professional interests in the international sphere”.
Harper and Kingsley have a long history of clashes and the resignation coming so closely on the Conservatives admitting wrong after a long struggle with Kingsley over the issue has raised questions from many quarters. Kingsley at this point is not having much to say other than what was in his letter. While no one can reasonable completely ignore the possibility that Harper has carried out another of a long string of pay backs since he came to power, it also has to be kept in mind that Kingsley may have decided it was time to move to other pursuits after 17 years in his position and choose now to make the move. The timing could have been one last flip of the bird at Harper knowing it would raise questions.
Not surprisingly, the Conservatives lack the grace to simply give the man his due for the work he has done and let him move out of public office quietly. Instead, they are responding to the questions by trying to complain that Kingsley didn’t set in place his ‘natural successor’, didn’t stay to implement changes that he had pushed for that are coming in to place through the Accountability Act and that Kingsley’s office didn’t pursue findings from the Gomery Report.
The one complaint that the Conservative mutterers have voiced that has some validity is the lack of successor. Not that I would expect anyone to replace themselves unless done so with some encouragement and agreement from the employer. The point is that it is very possible that by spring we will once again be facing an election in this country, that is not a good scenario to be launching a new Chief Electoral Officer into unless he/she had been trained and groomed by the preceding officer and could step quickly into the position.
Now, the upside of that problem is that since it is the responsibility of parliament to appoint the new officer then parliament will need to restrain themselves from triggering an election before a new officer is in place and able to get up to speed.
Isn’t that rather convenient for Harper? He’s been kept in power since last January by the lack of a Liberal leader. Now, just as the Liberal leader is getting up to speed, a key electoral officer has to be replaced. Naw, he wouldn’t have done that on purpose. Would he?
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