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TWENTY-THIRD YEAR, NO. 1147 CANADAS POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSWEEKLY MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012 $4.00

Expect a fall charm offensive to give

PM a bounce, says Nanos

Canadas election system mostly clean, but corruption, fraud,

dirty tricks do happen, say political insiders

Federal departments could be forced to dramatically change way they report billions in spending to Parliament

Atleo urged to do more for First Nations, relationship with feds

at a tipping point

PM has time on his side to reform

Senate, says Sen. Brown

Prime Minister Stephen Harp-ers public approval ratings have reached an all-time low in 2012, and Nanos Research presi-dent Nik Nanos says the Conser-vatives may want to begin rehabili-tating their leaders brand this fall.

As the Supreme Court of Can-ada weighs into last years election results in the riding of Etobicoke Centre, Ont., where an Ontario Superior Court ruled it null and void due to voting irregu-larities, and as the Federal Court

Federal government depart-ments could be forced to dra-matically change the way they report to Parliament the billions they spend annually if the gov-ernment acts on the unanimous-ly-approved report released by the House Government Opera-tions Committee last month.

Parliament does not effective-ly fulfill its role and standing com-mittees are at best giving perfunc-tory attention to the governments spending plans, said the report.

The committee released a set of cross-party recommendations for improving the way Parliamentarians review the government spending estimates, a system that both MPs and Parliamentary experts have called arcane and subject to partisan abuse.

The Canadian system, Mem-bers of Parliament, and that includes government backbenchers, were having to vote on multi-bil-lions of expenditures with basically no information, said NDP MP and

Chiefs of the Assembly of First Nations re-elected Shawn Atleo for a second three-year term as national chief last week, giving Mr. Atleos approach to the fed-eral Conservative government a second chance, but some observ-ers say election results would have been different if those at the grassroots level had been allowed

Prime Minister Stephen Harp-ers point-man on Senate reform, Alberta Senator Bert Brown, says the number of his Tory Upper Chamber colleagues who are against the PMs Senate reform bill is small and to expect progress on the bills passage in the fall.

Please see story on Page 4Please see story on Page 16

Please see Civil Circles on Page 22 Please see story on Page 5Please see story on Page 6

PMs approval rating is still the best, but it has plummeted in 2012, and pollster Nik Nanos expects the Tories to begin directly addressing

Stephen Harpers declining popularity come September.

Meanwhile, Canadas Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand recently

said the government may have to regulate contact with voters during

an election campaign.

MPs and Parliamentary experts call the current process arcane and subject to partisan abuse.More action is needed, not more studies and discussions which the government uses as busy work for the AFN, says critic.

As more Senators reach mandatory retirement and step down, the more

Prime Minister Stephen Harper can appoint more reform-minded

Senators, says Senator Bert Brown.

PARLIAMENT: POWER

EXCLUSIVE POLITICAL COVERAGE: NEWS, FEATURES, AND ANALYSIS INSIDE

BY CHRIS PLECASH

BY JESSICA BRUNO

BY LAURA RYCKEWAERT

Donner Prize-winning co-author Lori Turnbull offers powerful advice

ITS TIME TO DEMOCRATIZE THE CONSTITUTION, NOW

Peter Kent has a seemingly lackadaisical approach to climate change. Exclusive p. 3

Conservative Senator Don Meredith on the shootings in Toronto. p. 2

Lori Turnbull, co-author of Democratizing the Constitution, which won the $50,000 Donner Prize for the best public policy book in Canada, has lots to say about Parliaments power. p. 17.

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SCIENCEFeds mount systematic campaign against scientific evidence in decision-making. Exclusive p. 13

DAVID ANGUS

Outgoing Tory Senator David Angus on politics and money. Exclusive p. 7

HILL CLIMBERS

More changes in the Prime Ministers Office. p. 19

CLIMATE CHANGE

Just do it: Tory MP Mike Wallace.

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BY JESSICA BRUNO

BY JESSICA BRUNO AND JAMES GRIGG

HEARD ON THE HILL

2 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

Conservative Senator and ordained minister Don Mere-dith condemned last weeks shoot-ing at a neighbourhood barbecue in Scarborough, in what police described as the worst incident of gun violence in the citys recent history. Two people were killed and more than 20 were injured by gun-fire on Monday, July 16.

Sen. Meredith, who is execu-tive director and co-founder of the

GTA Faith Alliance, an interfaith group that works to find solutions to youth violence, said that he was disgusted by what happened in

the neighbourhood that he had lived in for several years.

Its shocking and absolutely

deplorable. Something

that should never happen in any com-munity across Canada, he

told The Hill Times.The shooting happened during

an outdoor community barbecue at around 10:30 p.m. It is suspected that both shooters were gang members.

Toronto has seen a spike in gun violence this summer. On June 2, two people were killed and seven were injured in a gang-related shooting in the food court of the Eaton shopping centre near Torontos Dundas Square.

Sen. Meredith has 10 years of experience campaigning against youth violence as the executive director of the GTA Faith Alliance community organization aimed at addressing youth violence. He said that the root of the problem is the attraction to gangs that exists in marginalized neighbour-hoods with disadvantaged youth who see drug dealing and guns as their best option.

Sen. Meredith said that the use of guns is the natural exten-sion of the drug economy which results from the hopeless situa-tions youth in some communities face.

We need to provide hope to these young people. One of the things Ive been saying for the last 10 years is that we need to develop more programs that engage our young people in finding jobs, said Sen. Meredith. One of the things weve been doing in the GTA Faith Alliance is training people on tech-nology and then taking the next step and placing them with poten-tial employers. The key is getting

people engaged, encouraged and empowered through various educa-tional means in terms of them turn-ing away from gangs.

He stressed the importance of community empowerment and said people need to become more vocal.

Said Sen. Meredith: They can-not be silent. If they continue to be silent then theyre empowering the drug dealers and gun runners.

Sen. Meredith has developed and advocated for a National Youth Strategy which he says is about engagement, encouragement and support and having a proactive approach to youth violence.

If we dont deal with it and have some sort of national strategy youre going to see [Scarborough] repeated again and again and then were going back to being reactive instead of proactive, he said.

Terrific staffer seeks fitness challenge backer

Heather Tessier, 51, who was ranked No. 9 in this years Terrific 25 Staffer Survey, is 35 days into a 365-day challenge to get fit for next summers National Capital Fitness Expo. Ms. Tessier is plan-ning to compete in next years body-building figure competition.

Ms. Tessier, who is a zumba instructor and an assistant to Con-servative MP Lois Brown (Newmar-ket-Aurora, Ont.), said that she was inspired to take the challenge after attending the latest National Capital Fit Day Expo this past June at Otta-was Capital Exhibition Centre.

I went to that competition last June and I got inspired, and decided to do it. Im the type of person whos all or nothing, Ms. Tessier told The Hill Times. Ive always wanted to do it, its one of the things on my bucket list... I figure whats holding me back?

Ms. Tessier is currently train-ing six days a week, including three days with a personal trainer. Her routine includes an hour of weight training followed by a half hour of interval cardio training.

Shes documenting her progress

on her blog, changesin365days.blogspot.ca, and is seeking spon-sorship from companies that make womens skin care products.

Im trying to target ladies who are 50 plus, who are sitting on their butts after supper eat-ing ice cream and maple syrup instead of getting out, she said.

Franke goes to Ottawa

Artisan muck-raker and recent Hill Times Quizzi-cal Twitter Sum-mer Challenge win-ner Franke James was in Ottawa last week to enjoy her prize two tickets to the Thurs-day, July 19 performance of Wicked at National Arts Centre.

Readers were asked to come up with a headline for the Prime Min-isters most recent Cabinet shouffl that saw Julian Fantino (Vaughan, Ont.) replace Bev the other OJ Oda at CIDA, and Bernie Valcourt add military procurement to his growing list of minister of state titles.

Ms. James won with the Public Image Ltd.-inspired headline This is NOT a Cabinet shuffle: Oda cut. Fantino scores. Valcourt goes on defence, which the non-partisan Hill Times Quizzical Challenge secretariat deemed sufficiently cheeky.

The Toronto-based artist made headlines last year after Canadian officials at embassies in Europe pressured organizers to withdraw support for Ms. James 20-city European tour of artworks critical of Albertas oilsands development. Through access to information requests, Ms. James confirmed that diplomats blocked Ms. James work from being shown at Cana-dian embassies in Europe, and had pressured private sponsors to withdraw support. Last November she brought the offending art-works to Ottawa for what became her Banned on the Hill art show.

The self-described inconve-nient artist and her husband Bil-liam James are now collaborat-ing on a project to highlight the Harper governments silencing of dissenting opinion.

Theres so much proof of the government silencing people, Ms. James told The Hill Times, who credited last years spat with the Canadian government for focusing

her creative energy on issues of freedom of speech and censorship.

Ms. James recently penned an essay on applying the consensus-based Forest Stewardship Council model to Canadas oil and gas industry for the September issue of Corporate Knights Magazine.

This has been hugely success-ful for forest industry steward-ship, Ms. James said. I think they can apply the same thinking to oil stewardship.

Ms. James art and writing can be found at www.frankejames.com.

Senior public servants move on to retirement, new challenges

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced more changes on Friday afternoon to the senior ranks of the public.

John Knubley, currently deputy minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, will become the deputy minister of Industry, effec-tive Sept. 17.

Suzanne Vinet, currently presi-dent of the Economic Develop-ment Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, will become deputy minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, also effective Sept. 17.

Daphne Meredith, currently chief Human Resources Officer, will become deputy minister of Western Economic Diversifica-tion, effective Sept. 4.

Daniel Watson, currently deputy minister of Western Economic Diver-sification, will become chief Human Resources Officer, effective Sept. 4.

Paul Rochon, currently associ-ate deputy minister of Finance, will become associate deputy minister of Health and concur-rently special adviser to the min-ister of Finance on negotiations for a Canadian securities regula-tor, effective Aug. 7.

The Prime Minister also announced that Richard Dicerni, deputy minister of Industry will retire from the public service on July 30.

Meanwhile, there were other changes made to the senior ranks of the public service a few weeks ago too.

Mary Chaput took the helm of Veterans Affairs last week, upon the retirement of long-serving public servant Suzanne Tining. Ms. Tining was deputy minister of the depart-ment since 2007. Prior to that, she worked in the Privy Council Office, at the Economic Development Agency for Qubec, and spent more than 20 years at Transport Canada.

Ms. Chaput has been at Veter-ans Affairs since October 2010, when she was appointed associ-ate minister. In that time, a prior-ity was the departments five-year transformation plan. Prior to her time at Veterans she was execu-tive vice-president and chief oper-ating officer at the Public Health Agency of Canada. Ms. Chaput started her career in the federal public service in 1999 when she became director general of the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Replacing Ms. Chaput as associ-ate deputy minister is Anne Marie Smart. Ms. Smart comes from the Privy Council Office where she was special advisor, communica-tions and consultations. Ms. Smart has also worked at Environment Canada and Human Resources.

One of Ms. Smarts colleagues at PCO will be taking on more work as of August 1. David Maloney, senior advisor to PCO, will also

be responsible for the Regulatory Cooperation Council, a Canada-U.S. body announced by the two heads of state in February 2011. The council is meant to increase co-ordination and transparency between the two coun-tries on regulations.

Mr. Maloneys career in pub-lic service started in 1982, in the research department of the Bank of Canada. He also worked for 12 years at Finance Canada. Before joining PCO in January of this year he was executive vice-president of CIDA.

Bob Hamilton will soon be moving out of his office at Trea-sury Board Secretariat, where he is currently senior associate secretary, into new digs at Envi-ronment Canada, where he will become the departments new deputy minister on August 1.

He has worked at Environ-ment before. In 2009 he was asso-ciate deputy minister. Mr. Ham-ilton replaces Paul Boothe, who retires from his 33-year career in the public service on July 31. Mr. Boothe has been at the head of the department for two years.

Mr. Boothe has held senior positions at Finance, Industry and Treasury Board, and was the Sec-retary of the Treasury Board in Saskatchewan.

On August 27 Marie Lemay, who has been at the head of the National Capital Commis-sion since 2008, will be going to Infrastructure Canada, where she will be associate deputy minister. Ms. Lemay has a background in municipal administration, and she has worked for the city of Gatineau and the municipality of Chelsea, as well as helming the Canada Coun-cil of Professional Engineers.

FEATUREBUZZ

HEARD HILLON THETory Senator Meredith urges public to be more

vocal against community violence; Tessier enters 365-day-get-physical challenge; and PM changes senior ranks of federal public service

B Y C H R I S P L E C A S H A N D J A M E S G R I G G

CORRECTIONS: THE HILL TIMES, JULY 16 ISSUE

Re: Canada still has no plan to address climate change, (The Hill Times, July 16, p. 23, by Green Party Leader Elizabeth May). Ms. May incorrectly wrote that one Parliamentary secretary said anyone opposed to pipelines and tankers was against Canada, and that when asked to withdraw the remark as un-parliamentary, she refused. Conservative MP Shelly Glover, Parliamentary secretary to the minister of Finance, in an exchange in the House on Feb. 15, 2012, with NDP MP Peter Julian, accused the NDP of being anti-Canada for not supporting the governments priorities. Ms. May attempted to raise it as a point of order, but the House Speaker didnt allow it. The Hill Times apol-ogizes for publishing this mistake.

Re: Senate Energy, Environ-

ment Committee to release major report on Canadas energy future this week, (The Hill Times, July 16, p. 24). The story incorrectly reported that the Senate Energy Committee held more than 37 meetings. In fact, the committee meet 100 times. The Hill Times apologizes for this error.

CORRECTION: THE HILL TIMES ONLINE, JULY 19 Re: Doctors, scientists vow

to continue protests against Harper governments agenda, (The Hill Times online, July 19). The story incorrectly reported that the Council of Canadians was behind organizing the July 10 so-called Death of Science rally on Parliament Hill. The Council of Canadians helped promote the event, along with a number of other organizations.

Conservative Senator and pas-tor Don Meredith.

Lets get physical: Heather Tessier, Ive always wanted to do it, its one of the things on my bucket list.

Hill Times Quizzical Summer Challenge winner Franke James.

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3THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

TORONTOEnvironment Minis-ter Peter Kents seemingly lacka-daisical approach to climate change stands in sharp contrast to the grow-ing incidence of extreme weather events scientists can now connect to climate change. The high tem-peratures and drought conditions that this summer are causing many food commodity prices to soar, with corn now at record levels, are one example of how climate change is now impacting on our lives. What climate scientists have been predict-ing for some timevolatile weather with droughts, floods and extreme heat wavesis now becoming a more regular occurrence.

This years Summer in March saw temperatures soar, followed by a return to frost conditions, decimating apple and cherry crops in Ontario and Great Lakes states. Drought is currently plaguing much of the U.S. Midwest corn belt and parts of southern Ontario, while record temperatures in cities such as Washington have caused deaths and destruction. Forest fires have devastated parts of Col-orado. Britain has been inundated with massive rainfalls, giving the

wettest-ever April-June. Russia has experienced flash floods while drought conditions are threaten-ing the grain crops of Russia, Kazakhstan, China and India.

As The New Scientist warned in an editorial, our weather is not only becoming more extreme as a result of global warming, it is becoming even more extreme than climate scientists predicted, so that we need to start planning for ever more ferocious heat waves, storms, floods and droughts. This is the future we are building for todays children, because of todays inadequate policies, with the world moving to a planet that is four degrees Celsius hotter by 2060 and with more than two bil-lion additional mouths to feed.

There is now growing evidence that human-induced climate change is contributing to extreme weather events we have been experiencing in recent years. A series of articles by climate scientists published by the American Meteorological Society shows how the accumula-tive effect of rising greenhouse gas emissions increases the probability of extreme weather.

While the experts caution that climate change cannot be blamed for every instance of an extreme weath-er event, reminding us that we have always had bad weather, scientists are now in a position to demonstrate that climate change is playing a role in some extreme weather events.

For example, the scientists are able to show that the harsh drought that hit Texas last year was about 20 times more likely to have occurred due to climate change than because of natural vagaries in climate. Like-wise, the unusually warm weather in Britain last year was 60 times more likely than due to natural variations. The scientists exam-ined a number of other extreme weather events from 2011, including Thailands floods and East Afri-can drought, as well as the Texas drought and hot British weather.

Yet asked recently whether it was time, since we are barely half-way to meeting our 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction target, for the federal government to look at carbon pricing, Kent told The Hill Times that its been off the table for some time. Various forms of carbon pricing, such as a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system, Kent claimed would do nothing to reduce the greenhouse gas megatonnage. We believe sector-by-sector regulations will reduce actual GHG emissions.

This claim that carbon pric-ing would do nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is only true if the price was set so low that it would not influence business investments or consumer choices. But British Columbias carbon tax appears to be having an impact and there is considerable economics research to demonstrate not only that a carbon price would work but

that it is the preferred way to deal with climate change. A carbon price not only changes investment behav-iour, since businesses or consum-ers have to take the future carbon price into account, but also provides a strong incentive for innovative entrepreneurs who know there will be a growing market for low-carbon innovations they develop.

A recent study by three econo-mists at the International Mon-etary Fund argued, contrary to Kents position, that well-designed fiscal policies (emission taxes or their cap-and-trade equivalents, with allowance auctions) should form the centrepiece of efforts to promote greener economies.

One reason, they said, is that there is growing acceptance among policymakers that emissions pricing instruments are far more effective at exploiting the entire range of emissions reduction opportunities than are regulatory approaches.

As a result, they recommended levying environmental taxes directly on potential damages from the carbon and local pollu-tion content of coal, natural gas

and oil products as these fuels enter the economy, with a system of refunds for emissions capture at downstream facilities.

Kents reliance on heavy-handed regulatory schemes is strange reasoning for a conservative since Kents regulatory approach entails much more government interven-tion in business decision-making than a carbon price, which relies on the market to respond. With carbon pricing renewable forms of energy would not need big public subsidies or feed-in tariffs in order to be com-petitive and many forms of energy efficiency in buildings and trans-portation would become more eco-nomically attractive without having to offer subsidies or tax incentives.

Kent is most unlikely to be our environment minister in 2020 so will not be around to explain our more extreme weather events. But he will likely be around to experi-ence more instances of extreme weather and it wont be pretty.

David Crane can be reached at crane@interlog.com.

news@hilltimes.comThe Hill Times

Kents reliance on heavy-handed regulatory schemes strangeWith carbon pricing renewable forms of energy would not need big public subsidies or feed-in tariffs in order to be competitive and many forms of energy efficiency in buildings and transportation would become more economically attractive without having to offer subsidies or tax incentives.

OPINIONCLIMATE CHANGE & POLITICS

POLICY BRIEFING

CONSUMER SAFETY & REGULATION Publication Date: Aug. 20, 2012 Booking Deadline: Aug. 15, 2012 For more information or to reserve your government relations and public affairs advertising space, contact The Hill Times display advertising department at 613-688-8825.

In this rst-ever Consumer Safety and Regulation Policy Brieng, The Hill Times will take an in-depth look into how the federal governments massive omnibus budget bill will update Canadas food regulations and speed up the approval process on new health claims, food additives, and chemical contamination caps. Well also explore Health Canadas new regulations on foods and soft drinks boosted with high levels of certain vitamins and minerals.

The Hill Times will examine the Competition Bureaus concerns that Canadas credit card issuers have established a system that obstructs the normal rules of the marketplace and costs consumers billions of dollars annually.

Well also delve into the possibility of the CRTC taking a more interventionist role in the $17-billion cellular sector by developing a national code for wireless services and well look at the CRTCs decision to bring in new rules that will lower the sound of loud commercials on television.

Well examine the issue of Canadian consumers trying to take control and lower their debt burdens amid warnings from Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney and other policy makers.

Top political and government players to take part.

BY David CraneIt really is the environment: Environment Minister Peter Kents seemingly lacka-daisical approach to climate change stands in sharp contrast to the growing inci-dence of extreme weather events scientists can now connect to climate change.

Photograph by Jake Wright, The Hill Times

4 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

This coming fall I would expect that theres going to be some sort of charm offensive to help slowly get Stephen Harpers brand back to where the Conservatives have had it for the last number of years, Mr. Nanos told The Hill Times follow-ing the release of his firms latest national trend lines last week.

Prior to his brand taking a hit, he had a lot of coattails that the government and the party could ride on. Those coattails are shorter now, Mr. Nanos said.

Nanos Research routinely charts public approval of feder-al leaders through its leadership index, which is the total of the percentages of respondents who believe a given leader to be most competent, trustworthy, and have the best vision for the country.

According to Nanos Researchs recent polling, 23 per cent of sur-vey respondents said that they trust Stephen Harper (Carlgary Southwest, Alta.) the most among federal leaders. Some 27.1 per cent responded that the Prime Minister was the most competent federal leader, and 22.6 per cent said the Prime Minister had the best vision for the country. The sum of the per-centages gives Stephen Harper a leadership index score of 72.7.

The Prime Minister continues to enjoy a strong advantage over the

other federal leaders in terms of pub-lic approval of his leadership. NDP leader Tom Mulcair (Outremont, Que.) was a distant second with a leadership score of 46.8, 15.8 per cent of respondents said Mr. Mulcair was the most trustworthy federal leader, 12.8 per cent said he was the most competent, and 18.2 per cent said he had the best vision for Canada.

Interim Liberal leader Bob Raes (Toronto Centre, Ont.) lead-ership index score improved slightly in the month following his announcement that he would not seek the permanent leadership of his party. Mr. Rae rivalled Mr. Mul-cair with a leadership score of 41.5, 14 per cent of respondents said Mr. Rae was the most trustworthy, 14.5 per cent said he was the most com-petent, and 13 per cent said that he had the best vision for the country.

But while the Prime Minister continues to enjoy a strong lead over his rivals, the long-term trend line for the Prime Ministers public approval has been in falling since last fall, when Mr. Harpers score was at an all-time high of 114.2. In September, 36.5 per cent of respon-dents said he was most trustwor-thy, 40.9 per cent said he was most competent, and 36.8 per cent said he had the best vision for Canada.

Mr. Harpers overall leadership score fell to 97.2 in October and stabilized in that range in the final months of 2011.

Public confidence in the Prime Minister dropped even more dra-matically beginning in Febru-ary, 2012, when details began to emerge of an Elections Canada investigation into allegations of vote suppression during the 2011 federal election campaign. Between February and May, Mr. Harpers leadership index plum-meted more than 36 points from 102.4 to 65.8, and has improved only slightly in the months since.

Mr. Nanos observed that Prime Minister Harpers reputation as a federal leader has declined more significantly than the reputation of his own party.

Theres been a more dramatic drop in Stephen Harpers person-al brand, compared to that of the Conservatives, noted Mr. Nanos, who said that public disappoint-ment with the handling of the F-35 procurement and costing have been particularly damaging to the Prime Minister, the government, and the Conservatives.

The Conservatives brand has been built around economic stew-ardship and competency, Mr. Nanos said. For a lot of Canadians, wheth-er they vote for the Conservatives or another party, theyre wondering how the Conservatives could have made mistakes in terms of estimat-ing the costs related to the F-35.

The Nanos survey is the latest in a series of summer polls that

reflect a decline in public confi-dence in the government.

A July 13 poll by EKOS Research showed support for the Tories down 9.4 percentage points over last Mays election results, to 30.2 per cent. The poll put the New Demo-crats two percentage points ahead of the Tories, with 32.3 per cent sup-port, while the Liberals were just below 20 per cent, and Green Party support was at 10 per cent.

EKOS President Frank Graves told The Hill Times that not since 1989 has a government seen such a significant drop in support with-in one year of securing a majority mandate at the polls. That year marked the beginning of the end for Brian Mulroneys Progressive Conservative government. Mr. Mulroney entered his second term with 169 seats, but stepped aside as party leader in 1993. His party was reduced to two seats in the House of Commons following the 1993 federal election.

Mr. Graves said that it was too far from the next federal elec-tion, slated for the fall of 2015, to tell how current numbers would impact the Conservative govern-ment in the long run, but agreed that issues such as the F-35 pro-curement, vote suppression alle-gations, and the governments omnibus budget bill have dragged down public approval for the gov-ernment and the Prime Minister.

Its not that the public are reacting to any individual pratfall. It seems to be more of a critical mass of frustration with the gov-ernments management style the way theyre conducting themselves in office, Mr. Graves observed.

A June poll by Forum Research and The National Post put sup-port for the Conservatives at 30 per cent, while 37 per cent of respondents said that they would vote for the NDP, and 22 per cent said that they would vote Liberal.

June polling by Angus Reid showed the government and offi-cial opposition neck and neck, with the Conservatives polling at 34 per cent, the NDP at 35 per cent, and the Liberals at 19 per cent.

Nanos Researchs July poll put the Conservatives ahead of the NDP by 3.3 percentage points, with the parties receiving 33.6 and 30.3 per cent support, respectively. The Liber-als trailed with 26.5 per cent support.

A signif icant number of respondents did not approve of any of the federal leaders in the latest Nano polling14.8 per cent said none of the leaders were trustworthy, 12.5 per cent said none of the leaders were compe-tent, and 12.3 per cent said that none of the leaders had the best vision for Canada, giving None of them a leadership score of 39.6.

cplecash@hilltimes.comThe Hill Times

NEWSPRIME MINISTER & CONSERVATIVES

PMs approval rating is still the best, but it has plummeted in 2012, and pollster Nik Nanos expects the Conservatives will begin directly addressing Stephen Harpers declining popularity come September.

Continued from Page 1

Expect a fall charm offensive to give PM a bounce, says Nanos

Leadership score: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, pictured July 6, at the Calgary Stampede. The sum of the percentages gives Mr. Harper a leadership index score of 72.7. But while the Prime Minister continues to enjoy a strong lead over his rivals, the long-term trend line for the Prime Ministers public approval has been in falling since last fall, when Mr. Harpers score was at an all-time high of 114.2.

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to vote, as mounting, widespread frustration with the governments failure to act on First Nations issues has brought the AFN to a tipping point.

The chiefs who are sitting here [voting], theyre the conservative ones. The feeling out in the com-munities and out on the streets is more radical. If they were to have had the election open to the general Indian public, we would have found much more different leadership, said Doug Cuthand, a member of the Cree Little Pine First Nation in Saskatchewan and a columnist for The Star Phoenix.

Some 540 chiefs voted in last weeks election. Mr. Atleo was re-elected on the third ballot of the day, receiving 67 per cent of the vote in the end.

Under the AFNs charter, a national chief must receive at least 60 per cent support. Only chiefs of the AFN can vote to elect a nation-al chief, and whether a reserve has a population of 200 or 2,000, its a one-chief-one-vote system.

Mr. Atleo, who had been criti-cized as being close to the Conser-vative government and not vocal enough, told the First Nations that he will fight to stop any mining, logging, and pipeline projects pro-ceeding without the consent of First Nations.

We will stand in front of efforts to sweep away our titles and rights, Mr. Atleo said on July 19 after win-ning the leadership, adding that First Nations must be made part-ners in the development of the major resources on their land.

Mr. Atleo was challenged by seven candidates, including four female candidates. Interestingly, the gender equilibrium remained in place throughout all three bal-lots, with one man and one woman being knocked off or withdrawing after each round of voting.

Pamela Palmater, a Mikmaq lawyer whose family comes from the Eel River Bar First Nation in New Brunswick, placed second to Mr. Atleo, and won 27.5 per cent support on the third ballot. Ms. Palmater, an associate professor in politics and public administra-tion at Ryerson University, and an

off-reserve, urban aboriginal voice, told APTN that the unprecedent-ed number of candidates who ran indicates their growing concerns.

We [had] seven candidates challenging Atleo, said Ms. Pal-mater. I think thats almost his-tory. So for me, and what Im hear-ing, that is pretty strong evidence that were not happy with whats happening.

But Herb George, a Wetsuweten hereditary chief of the Frog Clan and current president of the Nation-al Centre for First Nations Gover-nance, told The Hill Times that the AFN chiefs sent a clear message that they need continuity in the relationship between First Nations and the Crown.

I think thats what the chiefs in the assembly were looking for was the continued advocacy of national chief Atleo. The way he conducts himself, his diplomatic style, is what they need, said Mr. George. But the other side of it is that talk at the assembly was the fact that weve got to get organized in our communications and within our nations to deal with those issues regarding land and resources.

In the lead-up to the election, there were rumours of an anyone but Atleo movement as a result of widespread criticism that Mr. Atleo was under the thumb of Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) and the Conserva-tive government, but Mr. Cuthand said with all the candidates, votes never coalesced around one Atleo-alternative. Mr. Atleo started strong on the first ballot with 284 votes, or 53 per cent support, and came just three votes short of 60 per cent on the second ballot.

Meanwhile, the AFN is at a tipping point in its approach to relations with the federal govern-ment, Mr. Cuthand told The Hill Times, adding that theres a point where you just cannot work with them anymore.

Theres no negotiationit started with the Kelowna Accord. The first week that the Harper government came in with a minority, they scrapped an accord that had been worked out in detail with the provinces and First Nations and it would have gone a long ways because there was a funding disparity, and there still is a large funding disparity between First Nations needs and what theyre getting, said Mr. Cuthand. Theres a strong feel-ing that were being bullied, and that the First Nations are in quite a bit of trouble and the message is not getting out there. So theres a strong sense of private frustra-tion and anger growing.

Mr. Atleo is a hereditary chief from the Ahousaht First Nation on Vancouver Island in B.C., and as AFN national chief, will be the top liaison between First Nation chiefs and various levels of the federal government.

On April 23, at a Canadian Club of Toronto luncheon, Mr. Atleo said in order to achieve true reconciliation there must be an economic partnership between aboriginal communities and the rest of Canada.

Almost every resource devel-opment activity currently operat-ing or planned is occurring within 200 kilometers of a First Nations community and right in the mid-dle of our traditional territories, said Mr. Atleo.

In his first term as chief, Mr. Atleos established a national panel on First Nations on-reserve edu-cation in 2010 and organized the Crown-First Nations meeting held in December 2011, which was seen as an important step forward in dia-logue with the federal government.

But since that meeting, the chiefs have said they felt muzzled by Prime Minister Harpers gov-ernment.

Marilyn Poitras, a Mtis and an assistant professor in the Uni-versity of Saskatchewans law fac-ulty, told The Hill Times that more action is needed, and not more studies and discussions, which she said the government uses as busy work for the AFN.

On Mr. Atleos road to re-election he was told that he needs to take a harder line with the government.

Ms. Poitras said national chiefs have the potential for powerful leadership, but are restricted by the fact that the federal govern-ment controls their funding.

If you cant disempower somebody with a stroke of a pen and a chequebook I think that of course you have more power, said Ms. Poitras. Shawn Atleo, I think, is trying to go about this in a way that he is taking measured, contemplative steps about what he says and where he says it. ... I think he has a potential for lead-ership that could turn the corner.

The Department of Aboriginal Affairs underwent a 2.7 per cent cut this yeara reduction of $26.9-mil-lion this year, $60.1-million next year and $165.6-million in 2014-15one of the smallest depart-mental trims as part of the govern-ments cost-cutting measures. The government has also committed $175-million over three years to fund on-reserve education.

But NDP MP and aborigi-nal affairs critic Jean Crowder (Nanaimo-Cowichan, B.C.) told

The Hill Times that many First Nations communities are already so behind financially that any kind of reduction in funding makes a bigger difference.

On July 16, the Canadian Coun-cil of Chief Executives released a report prepared for provincial leaders which urged governments to work with aboriginal communi-ties as full partners in developing energy and mining projects, and to help train their workforce so First Nations can participate and share the wealth of business ini-tiatives in their territories.

I think thats a huge develop-ment as an external or third party coming inand saying, wait a min-ute here. And frankly, I think its one of the few things thats going to put any kind of brakes on the Harper machine, said Ms. Poitras in an interview with The Hill Times.

A share of resource wealth would provide First Nations com-munities with an economic founda-tion, making them less reliant on funding from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, and would open up employment opportunities. First Nations communities argue that just as they have a right to the land, they have a right to the resources it produces and a right to weigh in on environmental assessments.

Theres some everyday issues that face First Nations people that are pretty universal, that unfortu-nately unite a lot of colonialized communities. Theyre the issues that are some pretty basic ones: health issues, poverty, education, justice issues, maintaining language, eco-nomic developments within commu-nities, employment issues. Theres really foundational issues that face a lot of communities, Can I drink the water thats coming out of my tap today? said Ms. Poitras.

In October 2011, as temperatures in Canada dropped, the First Nation community of Attawapiskat in Northern Ontario declared a state of emergency due to a severe housing shortage. Many residents were liv-ing in tents or other temporary shel-ters, and many homes lacked water, electricity or proper sewage dispos-alall factors that directly impact health and quality of life. The drastic conditions in Attawapiskat sparked a flurry of national attention, but they were far from new or unique, and Attawapiskat became the case in point for renewed national discus-sion around the range of issues that continue to face First Nations com-munities, from housing to education to economic opportunities, which are all interconnected.

Education and child welfare are huge i ssues for Fi rs t Nations communities who are

still suffering the impact of the residential school system.

A federal two per cent cap on funding for First Nations schools, introduced in 1996, has left the First Nations education system under-funded. Less than half of First Nation youth graduate high school and only eight per cent of First Nations, Mtis and Inuit have a uni-versity degree, compared to 23 per cent of Canadas non-indigenous population, and many First Nation communities are without a school, and many more have schools in portable trailers or schools that require extensive renovations. Mr. Atleo has previously estimated that $500-million would be needed to bring First Nations schools up to speed with the rest of Canada.

Though it varies by commu-nity, First Nations communities in Canada are dealing with high suicide rates. Health Canada reports that suicide rates, which have an impact upon the entire community, are five to seven times higher for First Nations youth, compared with non-Aboriginal youth. As recently as last May, the Cowichan Tribes on central Van-couver Island in B.C. declared a state of emergency following four suicides in two months, and even more suicide attempts.

The issue of violence against aboriginal women has garnered international attention. In 2004, Amnesty International reported that aboriginal women between the ages of 25 to 44 were five times more likely than other Canadian women of the same age range to die of violence. And in 2008, the United Nations called on the Canadian government to investigate the deaths and disap-pearances of hundreds of aborigi-nal women in 2008. Since 1980, more than 600 aboriginal women have gone missing or have been murdered. There have been recent mounting calls for a national inquiry into missing and mur-dered aboriginal women.

Unemployment among aborig-inal Canadians, both on and off reserve, is significantly higher than the national rate of 6.6 per cent, according to the 2006 census. That year, 23.1 per cent of First Nations people living on reserve were unemployed, while 12.3 per cent of First Nations people living off reserve were unemployed.

Ms. Crowder said First Nations people havent seen the kinds of gains that they had hoped for after the residential school apology delivered by Mr. Harper in 2008, and people are losing patience.

lrykewaert@hilltimes.comThe Hill Times

Atleo urged to do more for First Nations, relationship with feds at a tipping pointMore action is needed, not more studies and discussions which the government uses as busy work for the AFN, says critic.

NEWSFIRST NATIONS & GOVERNMENT

Continued from Page 1

First Ballot:

Shawn Atleo: 284Pamela Palmater: 95Diane Kelly: 39Terrance Nelson: 35Ellen Gabriel: 33Bill Erasmus: 29Joan Jack: 20 George Stanley: 5

Second Ballot:

Shawn Atleo: 318 Pamela Palmater: 107 Bill Erasmus: 34 Diane Kelly: 34 Terrance Nelson: 25 Ellen Gabriel: 17

Third Ballot:

Shawn Atleo: 341 Pamela Palmater: 141 Bill Erasmus: 30 Diane Kelly: 0

AFN National Chief Election Results:

Shawn Atleo.

6 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

I can definitely say to you without qualification that they are a minority, Sen. Brown said of the dissenters, though he declined to name names or specify how many of the Conservatives 57 Senators disagreed with legislation to intro-duce term limits and provincial Senate elections.

But some Senators who dis-agree with the proposed changes, which are outlined in bill C-7, cur-rently at second reading before the House, have gone public.

Quebec Conservative Sen. David Angus, who retired on July 21 after 19 years in the Red Cham-ber, told The Hill Times that the Senate cannot be elected without amending the Constitution.

I am personally against an elected Senate but Im not against reform, Sen. Angus told The Hill Times last week, adding that he is a very loyal Conservative.

Sen. Angus said in his view the Senate needs to be modernized and made accountable, but that the current bill, which gives the prov-inces the option to hold elections to select nominees, who would then be appointed by the Prime Minister, is not the way to go.

Its very hard to amend the Constitution. I think if we want to amend the Constitution we should face up to it. I dont think you can make an elected Senate without a constitutional amendment, thats my legal view, Sen. Angus said.

I dont believe in tinkering with the Constitution, but Im a very loyal Conservative. And Mr. Harp-er has consistently said since he went into public life that he would like to help reform the Senate and therefore I think he feels commit-ted to that. There are many ways to reform the Senate, Sen. Angus said, a lawyer by profession.

Do I have the answer? No. But let the premiers, the prov-

inces and the federal government meet in a constitutional confer-ence and decide how they want to do it, he said.

The proposed bill also limits Senators appointed after October 2008 to either serving a nine-year term or retiring at the established age of 75, whichever comes first. A Senators term would officially begin whenever the reform legis-lation is passed. If passed in the fall, the term would expire in 2021.

With Sen. Anguss departure last week, there are 57 Conser-vative Senators, 40 Liberals, one Progressive Conservative and two independents. There are now five vacancies: two in Ontario, one in Nova Scotia, one in New Bruns-wick and one in Quebec. More Senators are expected to retire this fall. There are 105 seats in total.

Another Quebec Senator, Pierre Claude Nolin, has also spo-ken out against the reforms, but declined to be interviewed by The

Hill Times as the bill is not yet before the Senate.

Sen. Brown said that time is on the Prime Ministers side when it comes to getting the reforms passed, as more Senators would be reaching the mandatory retire-ment age and stepping down. He deflected the idea that this sug-gests it is Conservatives appoint-ed by prime minister Brian Mul-roney in the early 1990s who are opposed to the reforms.

I dont know about the Mul-roney era, but Im just saying that the more time goes by, the more people reach 75 years of age and they automatically leave the Sen-ate, he said.

As the older members leave, Mr. Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) has the opportunity to appoint reform-minded replace-ments. Since being elected in 2006, he has appointed 46 Sena-tors, and 42 are still sitting.

Mr. Mulroney appointed both Sen. Nolin and Sen. Angus in 1993, but the problem is not just with older Senators. Some Senators who were appointed by Mr. Harper on the promise of working towards Senate reform are also proving problematic, said Mr. Brown.

Some of them are going back on their wordthats a personal decision on their own, said Mr. Brown.

The caucus issues affected Mr. Harpers decision to introduce his reform bill in the House of Com-mons rather than the Senate when it was tabled in June 2011, said Sen. Brown.

I think some of the reaction of the Senators led the Prime Minister to think it was just a lot easier to go forward in the Commons, he said.

This is the eighth time that Mr. Harper has attempted to pass reform legislation since being elected prime minister in 2006. The previous seven bills have died on the order paper due to proroga-tion or elections calls, and none made it past second reading.

Sen. Brown said there would very definitely be progress on the legislation in the fall. How-ever, the bill faces significant criti-cism from the Liberals and the New Democrats.

You need to consult with the provinces. You simply cant do it by an act of Parliament, said Liberal Nova Scotia Senator James Cowan, the opposition leader in the Senate.

Sen. Cowan said that while he is not personally opposed to term limits or elections, the bill leaves a lot of questions about how Parlia-ment would work with an elected Senate unanswered. He also said that the Liberals dont think that Senate reform without Constitu-tional amendment is lawful.

Sen. Brown said that ultimate-ly, full reform of the Senate would require constitutional amend-ments, which can only be done with the agreement of seven prov-inces holding at least 50 per cent of Canadas population.

He said that is why his work liais-ing with provincial governments and persuading them to introduce Senate reform legislation in their own legislatures is important.

Thats why I work, why Ive gone across the country four times in my history talking to various premiers and their governments, he said.

Sen. Brown, Canadas second Senator to be appointed after being selected by a provincial

elections contest, will retire next year when he turns 75. He leaves Alberta Conservative Senator Betty Unger, Canadas only other current elected Senator, behind. Sen. Unger was appointed in Jan. 2012. The very first Senator to be appointed after getting elected was Albertas Stan Waters in 1990.

So far, Alberta is the only prov-ince to have held elections for Senate nominees. Saskatchewan has the legal framework to do it too, but has yet to hold an election as it would like the federal gov-ernment to pay for it.

British Columbia is currently considering a private members bill on holding elections, some-thing Premier Christy Clark has said the government would sup-port. New Brunswick is consider-ing government-introduced legis-lation and Prince Edward Island is looking into the matter.

Sen. Angus said that the fear sur-rounding opening up the Constitu-tion for amending the Senate is that it would lead to the provinces trying to strong-arm concessions out of the federal government.

There is a fear today that because we have this issue with Quebec, we have issues with immi-gration, with natural resources with the environment, that are really hot topics, and if you get around the big table, purportedly to deal with sen-ate reform, this premier is going to say, Yeah you want me to vote on your position for Senate, then I want more Senators for my province, or I want the new securities regulator to be placed in Hull, he said.

He also said that the appetite for a Triple-E senate, meaning elected, equal and effective, has passed out of vogue.

The outcry for that is no lon-ger there, he said.

An elected Senate would be dysfunctional and lead to disputes with the House, said Sen. Angus.

If they were to have an elected Senate it would just turn into anoth-er House of Commons, he said.

Sen. Brown said that in his 20-year quest to reform the Senate, he has consulted with Constitutional scholars, and that there is a way to have an elected and effective Senate while retaining the supremacy of the House of Commons.

He said if there is a bill that isnt supported by the majority of Cana-dians, the Senate would be able to veto the bill with the support of a majority of Senators representing seven provinces and 50 per cent of the Canadian population, but the veto would not be considered a matter of non-confidence in the government.

Concerns surrounding the effect of an elected Senate on Can-adas democratic system are over-blown by people unfamiliar with the legislation, said Sen. Angus.

Theres all kinds of constitu-tional people that because they havent studied this document they come up with some pretty funny worries about the future Senate, he said.

The Prime Minister is very committed to Senate reform, said both Sen. Angus and Sen. Brown.

Sen. Brown said that Senate reform is a long term challenge that is for the benefit of the country.

Were putting this together for the next 100 years, not just for the Prime Minister of the day, and I know thats what he wants, he said.

news@hilltimes.comThe Hill Times

NEWSSENATE REFORMS

PM has time on his side to reform Senate, says Sen. BrownAs more Senators reach mandatory retirement and step down, the more Prime Minister Stephen Harper can appoint more reform-minded Senators, says Senator Bert Brown.

Continued from Page 1

Senate reforms stuck: Conservative Sen. Bert Brown, pictured in this file photo at a national summer caucus on Parliament Hill, says time is on the Prime Ministers side when it comes to getting the reforms passed, as more Senators would be reaching the mandatory retirement age and stepping down and more reform-minded would come in.

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7THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

Quebec Conservative Senator David Angus, who retired on July 21 from the Senate at the age of 75, has been one of the most suc-cessful fundraisers, or bagmen, for the Conservative Party and the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, and figures he helped raise more than $100-mil-lion when headed the fund.

Appointed by former Progres-sive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney in 1993, Sen. Angus was the chief of the PC Canada Fund, now called the Conservative Fund Canada, dur-ing the Mulroney years.

The former longtime chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources which released a major report on July 19 in Ottawa, was recently paid an extraordinary tribute in the Senate by his col-leagues, which he said was one of his proudest moment in politics.

The Hill Times spoke with Sen. Angus before he was to have heart surgery on July 23 for a leaky valve. The interview has been edited for style and length.

Before you were a Senator, what has your role been with the Con-servative Party?

I joined up with the Progressive Conservatives when I was a student still and Ive been a loyal Tory ever since. Ive had all the positions. I was the president of my riding, and president of the Young Conserva-tives, chief fundraiser, I ran a num-ber of campaigns both as campaign manager and as a fundraiser. [I ran the campaign] for president of the party in 1977, Joe Clark was the campaign manager, I was the fundraiser, and I was the chief fund-raiser for Brian Mulroneys leader-ship campaign when he ran for the leadership in 1976 and I was raising funds for the national party starting back in the 60s.

When Mr. Mulroney became prime minister, I was chairman of the PC Canada Fund which was the main fundraising arm of the party. I was in that position for 10 or 11 years. Then I became a Sena-tor in 1993. Ive been involved still in party financing ever since and Im very involved again now and with my friend Senator [Irving] Gerstein, Im an officer and direc-tor of the Conservative Fund and chairman of the audit committee and chairman emeritus.

Ive been a loyal supporter of the party, both the old Progressive Conservatives, and the merged

party. Im on the fund of the party, I raise money all of the time.

Reading through the records of your last speech in the Senate and the tributes given to you, Senator Mar-jory LeBreton made the comment that you were the best fundraiser who ever laced on a pair of shoes. Whats your reaction to that?

I think its the normal hyperbole one does in a tribute, but it was very kind of her, I think she was acknowl-edging that I certainly was an effec-tive fundraiser for the party over the years. I think she said some very nice things and I appreciate them.

What made you such a good fun-draiser?

I was invited to be a candidate many times in the 70s, 80s, 90s, but I always preferred the backrooms, if I can put it that way. I raised a lot of money for charity too. Im not afraid to ask. I think a lot of people are shy to ask for money and Ive always felt that the worst thing that can happen is they say no. And Ive always been an outgoing, gregari-ous kind of person. Ive had success at doing it and success breeds more success. Ive always enjoyed it. I went to Princeton University in the U.S. and whilst there I did a major study on money in politics. So even the theory of money in politics is something that interests me and Ive studied.

On that topic, whats your opin-ion on the new election laws lim-iting personal contributions and banning corporate contributions to parties funds?

Political parties are a funda-mental element of the democratic system. I think our system was designed to only have two par-ties. It gets complicated when you have a number of parties if you

want to treat them equally. We have a hybrid system with

both government and personal contributions involved. But you know the old saying: money is the mothers milk of politics. The par-ties have got to be financed or you wont have a proper system. Should there be an element of competi-tion? I suppose if youre no good at raising money youll be no good at running the country, I suppose one could make that argument.

To me, the system we have today is as good as it gets. I think its probably one of the best sys-tems in the world. I think the idea of keeping the idea of the govern-ment support is very important.

As Conservatives, were very suc-cessful at our small donations. We do a lot of telephone solicitations, a lot of direct mail in small amounts.

Weve got people who give five, six, seven, eight times a year. Whether its 25 bucks here, or what-ever, its amazing. The records are all public and show that the Con-servatives are very well-financed and I think that the methodology we use is very evolved.

How much money do you think youve raised over the years?

I wouldnt want to venture, but someone told me that I raised over $90-million in the old days. It isnt me, personally, necessarily, I chaired the [PC Canada] Fund, but wed raise $25 million in an election year and $10-[million] or $12-[million] in a non-election year, so you add up the years the fund probably raised well over $100-million while I was chair, but I dont know for sure and I dont keep score.

How did you meet Mr. Mulroney?I met Mulroney in the Young

Conservatives. He was studying law at Laval and I was at McGill

and I guess we were both interest-ed in the party. [John] Diefenbaker had won a minority government in 1957 and in 68 a landslide victory.

Then I met Brian and we got involved in provincial politics. There werent that many Conser-vatives around Quebec but we had a gang of us and we were interest-ed in public life and making Cana-da better. Diefenbaker was a great inspiration, and when he went into a decline, we were involved with Dalton Camp, [Robert] Stanfield came along, Duff Roblin, then Mr. Mulroney came along.

Was that your first taste of politi-cal fundraising?

Id been raising money at the local level, but the 1976 leadership campaign was a big thing. We raised a lot of money, in fact probably too much. Because he became known as the well-financed candidate, too glitzy. I think it was unfair to portray him that way but thats how it worked out. We worked hard, we had a deficit too at the end and had to raise money to cover that.

Youve been quoted and have become known as an opponent to Senate reform. Whats your opin-ion on Senate reform?

I think any institution needs to be continually upgraded and kept up with the times, unfortunately, our Parliamentary system is sub-ject its a fundamental part of our Constitution and its very hard to amend the Constitution. I think if we want to amend the Constitu-tion we should face up to it. I dont think you can make an elected Senate without a constitutional amendment, thats my legal view.

I dont believe in tinkering with the Constitution, but Im a very loyal Conservative. And Mr. Harper has consistently said since

he went into public life that he would like to help reform the Sen-ate and therefore I think he feels committed to that. There are many ways to reform the Senate, but if you want to really reform it, I am personally against an elected Sen-ate but Im not against reform.

If they were to have an elected Senate it would just turn into another House of Commons and itd be better to abolish the Senate, in my view. Im not for abolition, I think the Senate is a terrific institu-tion, it could do much more, but its not well-explained all the good about the Senate is a well-kept secret it seems to me.

Ive been impressed with the people. Its the best thing about the Senate; you meet these people and theyre all so committed to mak-ing Canada better and theyre here for the right reasons. Theyre not here to sit on the dole, which is the way were portrayed. Anyone who knows me knows Im not a guy who wants a free lunch. Ive carried on four or five jobs at the same time. I want to do public service, commu-nity service, I want to give back.

People should take a look at the Senate; sure it needs to be streamlined and modernized. Much like the House of Commons does, and the Supreme Court does. All of these institutions are mired back in the 1800s and today its today 2012 its just a whole new world.

By and large, I find that these are all honest people. Its not as if were paid a gazillion dollars. A lot of people [make sacrifices to be here]. Theyre really doing pub-lic service. They really care about Canada and thats good. As I said in my remarks, my father used to say, Public service is like godliness.

I dont regret being here all these years; on the contrary, I feel a great privilege. And yeah Ill miss it a lot. So Ill probably run for the Senate. Show you how to get elected in Quebec.

So youre against Triple-E senate reform, but you would like the Senate to be modernized?

Yes, of course, the Senate should be reformed, so should the House of Commons or any institu-tion of this age that hasnt been updated to the times. I dont like the word reformed because theres something bad about it. I can give you some things that are very obvi-ous. First of all, the Senate was created before Canada grew from coast to coast. So British Columbia only has four Senators so thats not right, its not proportionate.

So the proportionality and representation of the differ-ent regions is out of whack and hasnt kept pace. But you cant change that without amending the Constitution. So why dont we amend it? If you want to change it, change it properly.

Do I have the answer? No.

Political parties are a fundamental element of the democratic systemRetiring Tory Sen. David Angus talks about money and politics and modernizing the Senate.

THE Q&ADAVID ANGUS

By JAMES GRIGG

Continued on Page 18

Backroom boy: Quebec Conservative Sen. David Angus, who retired on July 21, has been a successful bagman for the party and continues to be. I was invited to be a candidate many times in the 70s, 80s, 90s, but I always preferred the backrooms.

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LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

8 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

A divergence on riding boundaries

Tories underestimate unions

Canadas elections systems weak

Senate question goes unanswered

Spike in drownings in Canada

Midway through the boundary commis-sions proposals, with five in British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Sco-tia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, there is a great divergence of approach to the permissible variance from the quotient for each riding.

Last Nov. 17, Michael Pal told the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, At the Mowat Centre, we suggest that this bill should be amended to allow only a five per cent to 10 per cent variance, with some exemptions for ridings such as Labrador.

Nelson Wiseman testified like Michael, I would prefer that it be narrowed, perhaps to 10 per cent or possibly 15 per cent.

But no action was taken. The permitted variance is still 25 per cent.

Although most commissions will not need to go beyond 10 per cent for almost all ridings, there is no uniform standard. It would have been helpful.

Instead, at one extreme we have Albertas commission proposing all 36 ridings within five per cent of the provincial average or quotient. At the other extreme, we have New Brunswick, which has Miramichi at 28.7 per cent, and four more at 22.6 per cent, 16.8 per cent, 14.3 per cent, and 12.7 per cent, so that half the 10 ridings exceed 10 per cent variance.

In between, we have British Columbia: 13 of the 42 have a more than five per cent variance, but only the exceptional northern Skeena-Bulkley Valley is more than 10 per cent, and even it is only 14.1 per cent over.

Almost as bad as New Brunswick is Nova Scotia with both Cape Breton ridings more than 10 per cent under quotient, while Halifax, with 4.66 per cent quotients, gets four over-sized ridings while parts of Halifax are sliced off into three abutting ridings.

Wilfred DayPort Hope, Ont.

Despicable. At all levels of government the right wing in this country is mount-ing a concerted effort to demoralize working people and their unions simply to please their friends on Bay Street. Its not enough that they sit idly by and watch what is left of the middle class erode before their eyes. They are vehement in their ideology to put unfettered control of the workplace back in the hands of the countrys employers. Stephen Harper, Tim Hudak, Rob Ford and

others are badly underestimating working Canadians. Its true, as it relates to most things political, we are a passive society, however, try stripping away a workers hard earned wages, pension and benefits and all hell will break loose. Canadian workers wont stand idly by and let that happen.

Roland KiehnePresident

CAW Local 112Toronto, Ont.

In the Supreme Court of Canada case about voting in a Toronto area riding dur-ing last Mays federal election, Elections Canada and some provincial elections agen-cies seem to be arguing that problems are inevitable instead of acknowledging that their current systems have significant weak-nesses in ensuring that voters are voting properly at the correct polling station.

The robocall election fraud situation has revealed other weaknesses in fair elec-tion enforcement.

And these two situations are likely the tip of the iceberg, as there are more than 3,000 complaints that Elections Canada alone has received since 1997. Unfortunately, Elections Canada continues to refuse to disclose its rulings in those complaints, so the public

has no idea whether enforcement of the rules has been proper and effective in the past six federal elections.

Democracy Watch will soon release details about a recent Elections Canada ruling that raises serious questions about its enforcement standards.

Rather than defending systems with loopholes, and hiding enforcement records, Elections Canada and the provincial agen-cies should be disclosing details to prove their enforcement is effective, and pushing for stron-ger laws and more resources and training to ensure our future elections are fraud-free.

Tyler SommersCoordinator

Democracy WatchOttawa, Ont.

Recently, on a Monday afternoon, I went on a Parliamentary tour and when the tour guide reached the Senate Chamber, I asked, Bridgette DePape was taken out of here, yes?, and the guide answered, I dont know. So I repeated, But this is the place where Bridgette DePape was removed?,

and received the same reply. In the Nation-al Film Boards Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, he says dissidents are sidelined because govern-ment controls public discussion of them.

Andrew Romain Ottawa, Ont.

Two two-year children drowned within hours of each other in separate back yard pools in the Greater Montreal area on July 12.

The spike in drownings in Canada, and not only Quebec, in recent years among children under the age of five, as reported by The Lifesaving Society is of much concern.

These terrible and sad tragedies illus-trate the common, but poorly recognized or understood phenomenon of how drowning is a silent death for children. According to Dr. Joseph Torg of the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, young children and toddlers jump into water and sink like a lead weight straight to the bottom. No cries for help, no flailing of arms, no nothing. Dr. Torg says that contrary to movie depictions of a drowning person who flails about and calls for help, children just sink and drown.

It happens quickly, within seconds, silently and without notice. Once submerged, chil-dren become disoriented and oblivious to the change in environment from air to liquid.

As the drowning mechanism in toddlers is quite different from that of adults, what makes prevention possible in these circum-stances is a full understanding and aware-ness of what and can actually happen.

That said, in and around backyard pools, lakes, and rivers, parents and caregivers must be constantly and consistently remind-ed to supervise their children. There is abso-lutely no substitute for this. That said, super-vising young children at the best of times is a very challenging and daunting task.

Emile TherienPast president, Canada Safety Council

Ottawa, Ont.

EditorKate Malloy

Deputy EditorBea Vongdouangchanh

News ReportersJessica BrunoTim NaumetzChris Plecash

Laura RyckewaertPhotographer

Jake WrightEditorial Cartoonist

Michael De AdderNewsroom Intern

James GriggContributing Writers

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EDITORIALETOBICOKE CENTRE

MPs want to better scrutinize government spending, let them

The House Government Operations Com-mittee released a report last month, which, if passed, could dramatically change the way the federal government departments report the billions they spend annually. The government should adopt the report because as it stands, Parliament does not effectively fulfill its role and standing committees are at best giving perfunctory attention to the governments plans, or, as NDP MP Linda Duncan put it, were having to vote on multi-billions of expenditures with basically no information. Its time to turn this around.

Federal legislators are supposed to prop-erly scrutinize bills and government spend-ing annually. But MPs say theyve been left in the dark on government spending.

The government tables spending estimates four times a year, by portfolio in large catch-all categories such as capital expenses or grants and contributions. Parliamentarians are then expected to vote on approving these funds.

The committee has recommended switching from the existing categories to a program basis, meaning an entire govern-ment initiative, and all the costs it entails, could be shown in the estimates books and even in the related appropriations bill that Parliamentarians vote on.

The committee has also asked the TBS to study the accounting basis for the estimates which are based on a cash system of account-ing, meaning that when money is spent or received, it is put on the books. The other potential system is accrual accounting, an

industry standard that both the budget and the public accounts are based on.

The committee also recommended that the budget be tabled earlier in the year, no later than Feb. 1, so that more of its initiatives could be included in the estimates for scrutiny. The committee report also recommended regular training for MPs on how to read the estimates, and providing questions to depart-mental officials in advance of their appear-ance, so that the right witnesses are called.

The report recommends that the com-mittee study the role of the PBO and whether or not the position remains in the Library of Parliament or becomes an independent agent reporting directly to Parliamentarians. Both the NDP and the Liberals, who are a minority on the com-mittee, say that the PBO needs to be made independent now. This study is the third in 15 years into improving the estimates. Combined with this committees sugges-tions, MPs have made almost 150 recom-mendations on the subject, with little suc-cess.

Treasury Board President Tony Clement, whose office said the minister was glad to read the committees recommendations, had encouraged its members to look into these issues. Mr. Clement said he wants to improve transparency and accountability of the budget and estimates process. The government has until October to respond to the report. Heres Mr. Clements chance to improve the system.

9THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

OAKVILLE, ONT.Green Party Leader Elizabeth May should consider changing the name of her party.

A more accurate name might be, We Will do Everything We Can to Help the Liberal Party Even if it Means Undermining our own Environmental Cause Party.

Okay, that moniker might be a bit difficult to fit on a ballot, but you get the point.

Ever since she became leader of her party, Mays chief political goal seems less about promoting

Green ideology and more about helping Liberals get elected.

Recall, for example, that in the 2008 federal election she decided not to run a Green candidate against then Liberal leader Stphane Dion.

And in doing so, she effectively endorsed Dion for Prime Minister.

This was an odd decision for a couple of reasons.

First, if May really thought Dion would make a great Prime Minis-ter, why was she even running?

And dont tell me May endorsed Dion because she believed he was some kind of green activist.

That theory doesnt hold water because Dions Liberals didnt exactly have a sparkling green record when they were in power.

In fact, the Liberal government had done precious little to reduce Canadas greenhouse gas emissions or to implement the Kyoto Accord.

Thats why Jamey Heath, an environmental activist and one-time NDP adviser, called Mays Dion endorsement incredibly self-defeating.

He was right.Also seemingly self-defeating

was Mays bizarre call for strategic voting during that 2008 election.

She actually urged Canadians not to vote for a Green candidate if another candidate (i.e. a Liber-al) had a better chance at defeat-ing a Conservative.

With friends like May, Green Party candidates didnt need enemies.

Nor, it seems has May given up advocating for the Liberal Party, despite its third-party status.

Just recently, May told the media she is urging her party not to run a Green candidate in the Etobicoke Centre riding if a

Supreme Court ruling makes a byelection there a necessity.

The story of Etobicoke Centre, of course, is now well-known.

The Liberal candidate, Borys Wrzesnewskyj, who narrowly lost the riding to Conservative MP Ted Opitz in the 2011 federal election, argues a byelection is needed because of what he claims were voting irregularities.

A lower court agreed with him and now its up to the Supreme Court to decide as to whether or not there will be a vote.

At any rate, May believes if Wrzesnewskyj was unfairly denied a seat any byelection in Etobicoke Centre should be a clean vote between Borys and Ted.

Now thats a nice gesture and all, but its hardly the attitude of someone who believes passion-ately in a cause.

After all, small one-issue parties like the Green Party usu-ally rely on elections as the best chance they have to get their message out to voters.

And certainly running a Green candidate in an Etobicoke Centre byelection, which is guaranteed to receive tons of media coverage, would give the Green Party an amaz-ing chance to promote its cause.

Yet incredibly, May is willing to forgo this chance just so the Liberals will have a better proba-bility of electing a backbench MP.

If Green Party supporters arent angry about this, they arent paying attention.

And forget about Green politics. What about the concept of democ-racy? Why does May think its a good idea to give voters less choice?

You know, now that I think about it, maybe changing the name of the Green Party isnt the best answer.

Maybe it would be more logical and easier if May simply changed parties.

I hear the Liberals are in the market for a new leader.

Gerry Nicholls is a communi-cations consultant.

www.gerrynicholls.comnews@hilltimes.com

The Hill Times

OTTAWALet the Games begin, pullease! Otherwise, we will continue to be subjected to the crescendo of criticism that pre-cedes every single Olympic extrav-aganza. Remember Vancouver. The British press took a giant dump on just about every aspect of the Winter Olympic Games. And now the Brits are determined to do the same thing in their own country.

Like clockwork, each new Olympic moment is ushered in with a combination of athlete adu-lation and organizational trashing.

As minister, I had the privilege of representing our country at four Olympics, including Atlanta, Nagano, Sydney, and Salt Lake City. A barrage of negative news preceded every one of them.

In the 100th anniversary celebra-tion of the modern Olympics in Ath-ens, Greece, there were demands to cancel the event in response to criti-cism about accommodation, trans-portation, etc. In the end, the Greek Olympics were feted as fabulous.

The conclusion of the London Olympics will likely shine simi-lar glory on the host country. In the meantime, we are in for a bumpy ride.

First, the usual suspected orga-nizational problems. According to a British parliamentary committee,

security is in shambles. Rumblings about possible transportation prob-lems mar the lead up to the Games.

Anyone actually heading across the pond to participate is faced with the possibility of not getting there, courtesy of looming work stoppages at airports, on trains, and more. Even if they arrive safe-ly, according to the doomsayers, they likely wont remain so.

I have more faith in the Brits. In colonial times, no-nonsense English overlords installed practi-cal governing systems in many parts of the world, which flourish to this day. There is a reason that fair play is synonymous with the United Kingdom.

And anyone who has spent time in London can witness just how the largest urban centre in Europe moves people and lorries with astonishing efficiency. The city famous for its roundabouts can literally manage thousands of cars (albeit on the wrong side of the road) without the nuisance of a single red light.

The Brits also invented over-sized hackney cabs that can carry people and bags in tandem com-fort. And their buses do double duty as double deckers.

By the time the closing ceremo-ny concludes, the London Games will undoubtedly be lauded as the best yet.

These same ominous rumblings preceded the Van-couver Olympics. With transportation improvements in the Sea to Sky highway and the installation of a light rail service linking downtown Vancouver with the airport, the pace of construction lead-ing up to the Games was frenetic. There was no shortage of grumbling from those who felt the shuttling between Vancouver and downhill ski site Whistler would be disastrous.

Notwithstanding the doomsayers, the

Games were delivered without a hitch to glowing reviews.

The greatest challenge for any Games is that no news is good news. And vice versa. In the lead up to the Games, we will witness a number of wonderful success sto-ries, from potential medalists who have overcome huge obstacles on their journey to Olympic greatness.

Once the Games begin, the same challenges exist for journalists look-ing to pursue a new Olympic angle. Oftentimes, the most coveted story is the one that will not actually hap-pen on the playing field.

When Canadian Ross Reba-gliati became the first snowboard-er ever to win a gold medal, it was

a good story. But the news went viral when Rebagliati was stripped of his medal for testing positive for marijuana. That decision was ultimately reversed on appeal.

Who can forget the ruckus at the Nagano Olympics when Bloc Qubcois Member of Parliament Suzanne Tremblay complained she was upset that there were too many Canadian flags. The flag story out-stripped just about any other cover-age of those Games; with the possi-ble exception of the moment when Wayne Gretzky actually shed tears after his team lost their chance at gold during a shootout against the Czech Republic.

When the London Games get underway, we will commence the traditional medal deathwatch. How many do we have? How do we com-pare with other countries? Why are we trailing?

As Canada usually scores big in the second week, the story of grief will soon be supplanted by one of exuberance. The country will hold its breath as our medal count jumps daily.

For a brief moment, we will be transfixed together, in a positive energy that will engulf the whole country.

For a brief moment, stories of courage, determination, and strength will overtake the daily drubbing of negativity that colours our world.

It will be a welcome respite.Sheila Copps is a former Jean

Chrtien-era Cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister.

news@hilltimes.comThe Hill Times

Green Party needs a new name

Let the Summer Olympic Games begin, please

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May should consider changing the name of her party, or joining the Liberals.

Otherwise, we will continue to be subjected to the crescendo of criticism that precedes every single Olympic extravaganza. Remember Vancouver.

POST-PARTISAN PUNDIT

COPPS CORNER

GREEN PARTY

SUMMER OLYMPICS IN LONDON

BY Gerry Nicholls

BY sheila copps

Getting ready for the Summer Olympics 2012: Top British rider Mark Cavendish, pictured on Aug. 14, 2011, topped off a successful summer by winning the London-Surrey Cycle Classic, the biggest test event staged by the London 2012 Organizing Committee.

Photograph courtesy of London 2012

10 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, JULY 23, 2012

For many of us, it started with the census. In a controversial move, our government switched from a mandatory to a voluntary census in the summer of 2010. The former Statistics Canada chief, the media, and the research communi-ty reacted with shock and largely opposed the change to no avail.

StatsCan quietly continued this trend recently when it published a media advisory listing programs identified for elimination or reduc-tion to meet savings targets that were announced in the Economic Action Plan 2012 ($33.9-million by 2014-15).

These reductions have been masked under the compelling veil of efficiency. In reality, the cuts promise considerable future costs because they compromise the tools used to understand the state. This, in turn, has a high probabil-ity of leading to decisions that are no longer based on evidence, and therefore are likely to be ineffec-tive uses of public money.

Reductions to Statistics Canada activity are not new. Preceding the census cuts, the agency moved three of four key longitudinal surveys that were initiated in the 1990s to the inactive list: the National Popula-tion Health Survey; the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, and the Workplace and Employment Survey. These infor-mation-rich surveys involve repeat-ed observations of the same people over long periods of time and began tracking Canadians in the early 1990s. We are no longer measuring outcomes for these individuals.

The recent cuts, which affect 34 surveys, brought an end to the fourth of the longitudinal surveys started in the 1990s: The Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID), which provides an understanding of the economic well-being of Canadians.

We have now halted the collec-tion and analysis of our most infor-mative longitudinal information on our labour force, on the workplace, on health and health care, and on

child well-being. Add to this our universal census of the population. How might Canada expect to meet the policy challenges of the future when we no longer have the ability to understand where we are today?

Statistics Canada is the primary source of Canadian data, a federal government agency formed in 1971 to produce statistics that help us better understand Canada, its pop-ulation, resources, economy, soci-ety and culture. For many decades, it was considered among the top statistical agencies in the world. The surveys started in the 1990s were the envy of U.S. researchers looking to better understand how our jobs, workplaces, health, and children were changing over time.

As our government incremen-tally eliminates popular data sets, to whose hands might we toss this statistical torch? There is certainly a shifting onus as the state slowly shrugs off primary responsibility for the collection and maintenance of widely available and shareable descriptive information. Will we be able to compensate as a society before its too late?