Former Liberal MP, Chretien-era cabinet minister and rumoured Liberal leadership candidate Martin Cauchon (left)issued this statement this afternoon:

"Two years ago, I decided to step back from politics to spend more time with my family and explore new challenges in the private sector.  Of course, since then there has been ...   more »

With an extra 10 MPs in his caucus, the federal New Democratic Party will get a slightly larger financial budget to help pay for salaries of researchers, MP assistants and so on. Today, the NDP put out the call for a few good men and women:

The NDP team in ...   more »

We are told that Paul Martin will resigning effective March 19. Under Liberal Party rules, that means a leadership convention must be held by March 19,2007. Here's the release from the Libs: Letter of Resignation of Paul Martin as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Ottawa -- The ...   more »

Just got this in the e-mail inbox:

A Proclamation has been received from Her Excellency the Governor General which summons Parliament to meet for the transaction of business at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, April 3, 2006.

The order of business that day will be the election of the Speaker.

It’s ...   more »

Just back from a scrum held by Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe, held during the lunch break of a meeting today in Ottawa of the Bloc Quebecois caucus.

Duceppe had lots of interesting things to say on Afghanistan, the Throne Speech, and Quebec sovereignty. Some quick notes:

Afghanistan

“We supported the ...   more »

Finally got around today to scanning a handout distributed last week by Liberal MP and leadership hopeful Scott Brison that contains what Brison describes as the complete e-mail exchange had with a CIBC employee on Nov. 22–23. On Nov. 23, then Finance Minister Ralph Goodale announced a tax policy change...   more »

Statistics Canada reports that Canada’s jobless rate now stands at 6.4 per cent. That represents a 31–year low. And while I realize that’s cold comfort to some who have lost their jobs or who haver been laid off in the last few months, it is, for the broader Canadian economy, ...   more »

Jay Rosen and his students asked Mark Hamilton for a quick survey of Canadian newspapers and their bloggers. Hamilton, who teaches journalism at Kwantlen University College in Richmond, B.C., looked around and had some interesting observations:

His two chief findings:

Most major Canadian newspapers have sporadically used blogs as part of ...   more »

Newfoundlanders love their premier. A new poll says nearly 70 per cent of those in Newfoundland and Labrador would vote for Danny Williams if an election were held today.
The poll was conducted February 14-18 -- before Williams took on ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife over the seal hunt ...   more »

A message from a student at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario landed in my inbox today:

The e-journalism class at Loyalist College will be launching the 2006 edition of Portal Online, on Monday, March 13, at 10 o’clock in the morning.

Portal Online 2006 is an online magazine produced by ...   more »