OTTAWA — Bob Rae has effectively declared his candidacy for the federal Liberal leadership, dismissing rumours that he won't run. Mr. Rae disclosed Friday that he's asked outgoing Leader Stéphane Dion to leave him out of the Liberal shadow cabinet so he can pursue the leadership full time. [...more]
So what if The One should actually lose next week? The brainwashed hysteria whipped up on his behalf is, to put it mildly, dangerous. The media proclaims daily that Obama has already won. He cannot lose. He is the Saviour of the Planet. McCain is a mumbling senile idiot. Palin is evil incarnate. The polls show an Obama landslide. So if the world should revolve backwards on its axis next Tuesday and people wake up and find he has lost, then either the election will have been stolen in the way we all know evil Republicans always steal elections – or the American public will be proved to be, as we all know they are, irredeemably racist. Accordingly, we are warned that there would then be riots on the streets. [...more]
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Defence Minister Peter MacKay was assigned Thursday with the thorny responsibility of representing Newfoundland and Labrador’s interests at the federal cabinet table in an appointment that could exacerbate the province’s feud with Ottawa, observers say. [...more]
DOVER, Del. – The campaign signs indicate that the candidate is from Delaware, but they don't give a clue what office he is seeking. The candidate himself has refused to debate his opponent or appear before the voters he hopes will re-elect him, instead sending surrogates to read canned statements on his behalf at candidate forums. [...more]
The ghost of Florida's hanging chads may return to haunt U.S. voters. The pending presidential election, just days away, is already filled with allegations of voter fraud, intimidation and flawed voting machines. Widespread complaints of incompetence, manipulation and theft threaten to snarl the Nov. 4 vote count, and some say it could even turn election day into weeks-long legal challenges. [...more]
If Stephen Harper's new Cabinet were a car, it would be a Volvo -- safe and reliable but not particularly sexy. The Prime Minister placed his most able and experienced ministers into the key economic portfolios, saying now is "not the time to take risks." But there were no Liberal floor-crossers; there was no return for bad boy Maxime Bernier; and it was far too cold for any plunging necklines this time around. [...more]
One of the shrewdest comments about the current financial crisis was uttered a couple of weeks back by one of the reporters for the BBC's International Service. He had been asked by the host of the half-hour TV news program how the European Union was dealing with the crisis, and rattled off summary descriptions of actions being taken in Britain, France, Germany and other EU member-states. [...more]
OTTAWA—The ministerial team Stephen Harper put forward yesterday is not the cabinet of a prime minister who is about to sit on his electoral laurels. In almost every significant way, its make-up is designed to address areas where the Conservatives want to shore up or build support over the next couple of years, starting with Ontario. [...more]
TORONTO -- Ontario's food supply may become tainted by drugs and hazardous chemicals as long as sewage sludge is used as crop fertilizer, critics charged yesterday. They're calling on the Ontario government to ban the use of sludge -- a mix of household and industrial waste -- at farms until its health effects is known. [...more]
The Quebec government announced on October 29 that future immigrants to Quebec will be required to sign a declaration of intent to learn French and respect the "shared values" of Quebec. [...more]
A octopus has caused havoc in his aquarium by performing juggling tricks using his fellow occupants, smashing rocks against the glass and turning off the power by shortcircuiting a lamp. Staff believe that the octopus called Otto had been annoyed by the bright light shining into his aquarium and had discovered he could extinguish it by climbing onto the rim of his tank and squirting a jet of water in its direction. [...more]
We've been wondering when operators of the great pension equity investment shell game would come calling on governments to bail them out, and here they are! If not bailouts, they want governments to guarantee benefits to workers. If not guarantees, they want accounting standards relaxed. In the case of public pension plans -- the fattest pension cookie jars in the land-- they may soon be looking for more money from workers and taxpayers to cover major shortfalls in the wake of the stock market meltdown. [...more]
Crux Of The Matter | Counting ballot “statements” is NOT a recount! -- I try to be respectful of the position held by Justice Patrick Dohm, but on reading the column by the Vancouver Sun’s Neal Hall, I can’t help thinking that the judge is missing the whole point. He is talking about a judicial recount tomorrow for the riding of Vancouver South beginning at 9am but only for the “counting statements” — the statements for each of the 184 ballot boxes. [...more]
NRO | Victor Davis Hanson: The End of Journalism -- There have always been media biases and prejudices. Everyone knew that Walter Cronkite, from his gilded throne at CBS news, helped to alter the course of the Vietnam War, when, in the post-Tet depression, he prematurely declared the war unwinnible. Dan Rather’s career imploded when he knowingly promulgated a forged document that impugned the service record of George W. Bush. We’ve known for a long time — from various polling, and records of political donations of journalists themselves, as well as surveys of public perceptions — that the vast majority of journalists identify themselves as Democratic, and liberal in particular. [...more]
CNN | 7.5 million homeowners underwater -- NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- At least 7.5 million American homeowners owe more on their homes than they are currently worth, according to a report released Friday. [...more]
CTV | Is Quebec's winter tire law leading to organized thefts? -- A new law in Quebec which makes winter tires mandatory on provincial roads may have created an unlikely side-effect: rising winter tire thefts. [...more]
On June 30 Louise Arbour's four-year term as UN high commissioner for human rights ended. There had been high hopes for the former Canadian Supreme Court justice's tenure, given what a vocal champion she was for human rights in her own country. But upon her return to Canada, Ms. Arbour received only lukewarm recognition from our government and the legal profession. This absence of praise has become the subject of discussion within the legal community. Some have argued that we should have showered her with accolades. It has also been suggested that her vocal criticism of Israel caused her to be wrongly labelled as an anti-Semite, thereby guaranteeing a pariah status. I believe Ms. Arbour has received exactly the recognition that she deserves: not much. [...more]
The Indian residential schools were a tragedy enough on their own. It only adds insult to injury that a body which purports to represent the survivors of these schools seems preoccupied with politics instead of helping the victims overcome their pain. Recent reports about the apparent interference of the Assembly of First Nations into the operations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission paint a troubling picture of indifference by First Nations leaders to the suffering of their own families and community members. [...more]
The Canadian Real Estate Association says the falling average sale price nationally is a reflection of a decline in sales in high-priced markets and notes prices are still rising in a majority of markets. The Ottawa-based group, which represents more than 100 boards across the country, said the average sale price of an existing home fell 5.4% in September to $289,916 from $306,347 a year ago. But it noted prices are actually up in 65% of the boards it represents. [...more]
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- In a symbolic passing of the Democratic party's leadership torch, former president Bill Clinton on Wednesday night urged Americans to embrace Barack Obama's presidential candidacy -- saying the United States faces too many challenges to risk another Republican in the White House. Speaking at an outdoor rally on an unseasonably cold Florida night, Mr. Clinton put aside rumours of lingering tension with Mr. Obama by saying he was "honoured" to support the Illinois senator's White House campaign. [...more]
AUSTRALIA will join China in implementing mandatory censoring of the internet under plans put forward by the Federal Government. The revelations emerge as US tech giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and a coalition of human rights and other groups unveiled a code of conduct aimed at safeguarding online freedom of speech and privacy. [...more]
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Canadian pilots are finally flying long-awaited transport helicopters over the Afghan battlefield. The Canadian Air Force is confirming that the first of six Chinook helicopters to be purchased from the United States are now at the Kandahar Airfield base. [...more]
The end of December represents a massive, looming crisis for some Canadian companies this year. The companies must submit their employee pension plans to a valuation process every three years, although federally regulated pension plans are forced to revalue annually if they have a shortfall. [...more]
DALLAS - A Texas woman distraught over losing her house showed up to watch it auctioned off, but that wasn't the end of the story. Tracy Orr will return home after a stranger bought the house back for her Saturday. [...more]
No one could know that 23-year-old Bailey Zaveda, an innocent bystander, would be shot and killed while standing outside a pub. But did the Crown's decision to plea bargain an earlier case involving the alleged shooter put a "very violent man with an extensive criminal record" back on the streets? It's a good question that Opposition Leader Bob Runciman is asking this week in the Legislature. [...more]
After the September financial meltdown, many abroad, and some at home, immediately -- and with undisguised glee -- blamed America's problems on cowboy excess and forecast the end of American global influence. But while those opportunistic critics had a point that reckless Americans had taken on far more debt than they should, the growing global economic downturn may well hurt others far more than the United States. [...more]
Sharia law is and must remain "subservient" to the English courts, Jack Straw has said The Justice Secretary told an Islamic conference that no court would ever endorse a sharia ruling that conflicted with English law and that the arguments against introducing a separate Islamic legal system were "overwhelming". [...more]
Prime Minister Stephen Harper made sweeping changes to his cabinet Thursday, shuffling multiple posts while handing key positions to rookie women MPs. In total, Harper expanded his cabinet from 31 members to 38. There are now 11 women in cabinet, up from seven previously. [...more]
Blue Like You | Recount enters Second day in Kitchener-Waterloo -- The recount process in Kitchener-Waterloo seems to be going smoothly (Record report here): [...more]
