Alison Crawford Bio

The Liberal Party of Canada has its first unofficial leadership contestant.

David Bertschi is first out of the gate with a website, ads and a national call-out for volunteers.

In a weekend email to parliamentary reporters, Matt Hopkins, acting director of communications for Bertschi's Exploratory Committee, urged journalists to check out Bertschi's Facebook page to view "two teaser ads in both official languages in preparation for the release of his full leadership ads in the coming weeks."

The ads are memorable. So memorable that many political junkies will recall a similar ad from former Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty. Both videos were produced by renowned Canadian-American political filmmaker Lucas Baiano, who also produced ads for two other former U.S. presidential hopefuls, Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Read more and view the clips, after the jump....

This week the face of the government's crime prevention agenda belonged to a backbench MP few people know. There are some times when it's advantageous to use a private members' bill instead.

I've just sent off another complaint to the Information Commissioner. I know most of you have grown wearing of hearing journalists complain about what we perceive as obstacles to obtaining government reports and documents, however I think this particular case deserves some attention.

In the fall of 2010 my colleague Greg Weston and I worked on a series about the cost of rehabilitating buildings in the parliamentary precinct. On Oct. 28, 2010 I sent the Department of Public Works a request for a draft document mentioned by former Auditor General Sheila Fraser in section 3.41 of her spring report on parliamentary buildings.

Rick Aubé from the Public Works ATIP office sent me a letter of acknowledgement on Nov. 3. I didn't hear back from him until December 13, 2010, when (even after he had breached the 30-day deadline) he wrote, "Public Works and Government Services Canada has determined that your request is for a large number of records or necessitates a search through a large number of records and meeting the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with its operations."

Now, I'm not sure why asking for a specific draft report would necessitate going through such a rigamarole - but wait, there's more...

... and an update - after the jump.

This week Public Safety Minister Vic Toews claimed that "for security reasons and to maintain the integrity of police operations" he could not fully answer a question from NDP MP Sylvain Chicoine about the RCMP's fleet of aircraft.

Toews was among many ministers who, on Monday, provided answers to hundreds of outstanding questions from last year. Chicoine had asked Toews for a tally of how many aircraft are in the RCMP fleet, how often they fly, what they cost and how they are used, as well as a breakdown of their make, model and age.

This year is the 75th anniversary of the RCMP taking to the air. And as someone who has written about the Mounties' planes, I found Toews' response a little curious.

"Mr. Speaker, the RCMP owns 12 fixed-wing aircraft of various makes and models, ranging from 3 to 26 years of age, for surveillance. Aircraft are deployed for use across the country, as and when required. Requests from outside police forces may be considered based on operational availability," Toews said in his answer tabled in the House of Commons.

"For security reasons and to maintain the integrity of police operations, the RCMP cannot further identify these resources or release additional details as to their usage without jeopardizing ongoing police operations and investigational techniques, as well as the safety of RCMP personnel and the public," Toews said.

Last September, I checked in with the RCMP for an update on the force's fleet. I was told the Mounties have 32 planes and 10 choppers. The fleet is used for surveillance, air support, patrols, getting around remote areas, searches, transporting supplies and personnel as well as executive travel.

The makes and models of the aircraft can all be found with the click of a mouse on the RCMP Air Services web page, where the force proudly describes its fleet of 3 Cessna Caravans, 2 De Havilland Twin Otters, 2 Eurocopter EC 120Bs, 8 Eurocopter AS 350B3s, 15 Pilatus PC-12s, 10 Cessnas and let's not forget former Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli's Italian vanity jet, the Piaggio Avanti P180.

Now if the Mounties don't mind sharing information about the fleet, I'm not sure why Toews does, especially when speaking on behalf of the RCMP.

A Toronto man is asking Conservatives, New Democrats and members of any other party in existence to support his bid for the Liberal Party nomination for the upcoming by-election in the riding of Toronto-Danforth.

In his unconventional online pitch, Grant Gordon has written specific messages to people of all political stripes.

Hit the jump for more...

The Liberals want members of Canada's legal community to join the fight against bill C-10, the government's omnibus crime legislation. The party is running ads in a number of law publications, including Lawyers WeeklyTimes, Canadian Lawyer, Law Times, Le Journal du Barreau du Quebec, National Magazine and University Affairs.

The ad features a Canadian flag behind prison bars and an open letter from the Liberal party's interim leader Bob Rae asking readers, "If you don't oppose the omnibus crime bill, who will?"

Read more and see the ad after the jump...

It was getting really annoying.

I mean, it was nice that so many people responded to my piece about the new RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, but many of the online comments simply read, "His name is Robert Paulson."

In one case someone turned on the caps lock and typed out, "HIS NAME IS ROBERT PAULSON" several times. I also received tweets and emails telling me, "His name is Robert Paulson."

Now I know for a fact the new RCMP commissioner goes by Bob, not Robert, so I could not understand all these accusations that I had mistakenly abbreviated his name.

Curious, and growing suspicious that I one the wrong side of an inside joke, I turned to my google machine and typed in "His name is Robert Paulson". I got 156,000 results.

More, after the jump....

While the NDP leadership race heats up, scant attention has been paid to the Liberal Party and its renewal activities. 

Having changed its constitution in June in order to give it more time to select a leader, the party is heading towards a January policy convention where members will help shape a future platform, choose a new president and officers, as well as improve the party's structure and governance.

Liberals have been invited to go online and vote on the issues they want considered at the convention.  The most popular resolutions will make it through. 

So far, the two top resolutions have nothing to do with policy or party renewal. 

More, after the jump:

Republican State Rep. Dan Winslow wants this fish (look up) to swim the other way.

The 1.5-metre pine carving of a cod, Massachusetts' official state fish, hangs over the public gallery at the back of the Chamber of the House of Representatives. Dubbed the "Sacred Cod," the fish serves to remind those present of the historic importance of fishing to the state's economy.

And it matters which way the fish is facing.

Find out why, after the jump...

If you've got a green thumb, Canada's embassy in Italy wants to hear from you. Hit the jump to see how you could win a contract worth $500,000 to $1,000,000.

Supreme Court of Canada Justices Louise Charron and Ian Binnie surprised many in the country's legal community last Friday when they announced their retirements.

It's not often two judges leave at the same time. Charron, 60, is also nowhere near the court's mandatory retirement age of 75.

While many observers of the top court have spoken fondly about the contributions and personal style of Charron and Binnie, others have wondered how Prime Minister Stephen Harper will select their replacements.

More, after the jump:

All things considered, the suite at the back of Michael Ignatieff's Liberal bus is pretty cosy. 

I sat on the squishy green couch to interview the Liberal leader this afternoon on our bumpy drive from Paris to Stoney Creek, Ontario. 

While his wife Zsuzsanna Zsohar read quietly in the corner, I asked Ignatieff about frustrated voters who think Canada needs electoral reform or some kind of unification of parties on the political left. 

Hear the interview and read a partial transcript, after the jump:

It's certainly not one of the highest-profile topics of this campaign, but more than 30,000 employees of the RCMP and other Canadians care deeply about following through with at least some of the recommendations in the 2007 David Brown report on structural and cultural change at Canada's national police force.

I took a look at how the different platforms address the issue ... after the jump.

In what's shaping up to be a tight four-way race, many people in Guelph are thinking strategically.

Chris Fischer is one of them.

"Under the circumstances it makes more sense. I know it's strategic voting, it's not something, in a perfect world you wouldn't want to make up your mind that way but I don't see any alternative here."

More after the jump...

(Paul Chiasson, The Canadian Press)

For the third time in three days, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has talked about what he calls Canada's most important natural resource: brains.

I didn't think much about it when Ignatieff busted out the new line earlier this week at a high school in Sault Ste. Marie. Responding to a question from a student at St. Mary's College, Ignatieff made his pitch for the Liberal Learning Passport and pointed at the young woman, saying she possessed Canada's richest natural resources between her ears.

Ignatieff did the same thing yesterday at a rally in Quebec City that was well-attended by CEGEP students. The line went over very well with the crowd. However, as all those cameras zoomed in on the young woman, she turned red. Ignatieff quickly apologized for making her the centre of attention.

After today, I would bet we've seen the last of Ignatieff spotlighting the brains of women in the audience.

Today at St. Mary's College, a Catholic high school in Sault Ste. Marie, students peppered Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff with questions about everything from affordable housing for aboriginal people to whether he thinks the price of natural gas will ever go down.

And then a student named Andrew approached the microphone. "I was wondering what your opinion is about the case in Southern Ontario about the potential legalization of marijuana?"

Ignatieff paused for a few seconds before answering and for the first time that morning, almost every teenager looked up to listen to the answer.

He had quite a bit to say...after the jump.

The question came at Michael Ignatieff's last town hall in Vancouver.

A man asked what the Liberal leader thinks about National Chief Shawn Atleo's goal to eliminate the Indian Act.

It's not in the Liberal platform, but Ignatieff said he has given it some thought.

More after the jump....

Nancy Angus met Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff Monday morning as he toured the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Angus had just left the fracture clinic with her 92 year-old mother Ella who hurt her arm in a fall five weeks ago.

The two women waited to shake Ignatieff's hand and exchanged a few words before Liberal Leader checked out the oncology wing.

Angus says she's never seen so much federal attention on Northwestern Ontario and its unique issues, "To have all the leaders here in Thunder Bay, it really feels we're part of making a difference in Canada."

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper visited the same hospital last week and NDP Leader Jack Layton also paid a recent visit to the city.

By the time the rally wound down, Patti Devine was frantic.

The long-time Liberal attended the party's event yesterday in Summerside, P.E.I. because she wanted to see Michael Ignatieff in person and "to see how passionate he really is."

But the self-described political junkie says she's still flabbergasted. "I don't know really what's going on. I don't know why the national polls are not reflecting this enthusiasm from Liberals."

More after the jump. . .