Chris Carter Bio

On behalf of Canada's New Democrats I extend heartfelt congratulations to Barack Obama, for his re-election as President of the United States of America.

President Obama knows that a nation can achieve more when its citizens work together to lift each other up. He also recognizes that sustainable development is crucial to ensuring a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.

These are values that New Democrats are proud to share.

Our countries are true neighbours and our peoples are true friends. I look forward to working more closely with the President to build a fairer, greener and more prosperous World for all.

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate President Barack Obama on his victory in tonight's election and on being re-elected by the American people for a second term.

"Canada and the United States enjoy one of the closest and most extensive relationships in the world.

"Over the last four years, the President and I have worked on several important bilateral initiatives to generate jobs and growth in both our countries. This includes the Beyond the Border Action Plan, which will speed up trade and travel across our borders while also enhancing security.

"We are also working together with other partners to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, which seeks to boost trade in the Asia-Pacific region.

"I look forward to working with the Obama Administration over the next four years to continue finding ways to increase trade and investment flows between our countries. This includes putting in place the transportation and security infrastructure necessary to take bilateral commercial relations to new heights and reducing red tape so companies on both sides of the border can create more jobs.

"I also look forward to continuing to work with President Obama on pressing global economic issues as well as on security challenges, such as those in Iran and Syria.

"I would also like to congratulate all incoming and re-elected Members of Congress and Governors. Close cooperation between our two countries will be essential as we seek to create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity over the coming months and years."

As yet, the Liberal Party has not issued a formal statement.

What seemed to be an attempt at a clever social media campaign by an undeclared candidate for the federal Liberal party turned into a joke without an obvious punchline yesterday, when Liberalwho.ca redirected visitors to RickMercer.com. So, the joke's on ... who?

Read the full Storify recap after the jump.

House Speaker Andrew Scheer shares a laugh with Geddy Lee, right, and Alex Lifeson, left, of the band "Rush" during a reception for the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards on Parliament Hill on Thursday. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

It's well known that Treasury Board President Tony Clement has a fondness for rock and roll - and his frequent question period sparring partner, the NDP's Charlie Angus is himself a former rock musician.

So it's not surprising the two had something to say in the presence of Canadian power trio Rush, who were in the Commons visitors' gallery during question period Thursday along with other recipients of this year's Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.

Watch a video of Clement and Angus's exchange and read a short report from The Canadian Press after the jump...

Comedian Mark Critch talks about This Hour Has 22 Minutes' coverage of the weekend Liberal convention.

UPDATE: You can view the full clip here.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBC Television.

Canada is welcoming an agreement that sets a course for negotiations a new treaty on cuts to carbon emission reached after days of all-night negotiations at the UN climate talks in Durban, South Africa.

Canada has drawn much criticism over the past two weeks for its stand against an extension of the Kyoto Protocol, which the Conservative government says does not include binding targets for major emitters in the developing world.

In a statement issued early Dec. 11, Environment Minister Peter Kent said Canada is "cautiously optimistic" a broad agreement can be reached by 2015, but restated opposition to the Kyoto approach. Canada is threatening to withhold contributions to the multi-billion dollar Green Climate Fund unless all major polluters commit to binding carbon emission cuts.

Read the full statement from Environment Canada after the jump...

When Angelo Persichilli was announced as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's new director of communications on Wednesday, it wasn't hard to get up to speed on his point of view about some of the issues he may handle in his new job.

Persichilli has covered federal politics in his columns for the Toronto Star, the Hill Times and in the Italian-Canadian newspaper Corriere Canadese, among others, for years.

His columns on Quebec have drawn perhaps the most interest, and today Le Devoir reported (requires subscription or purchase; here's the truncated translation) that a French-language rights group has written a letter of complaint to Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser (also, as it happens, a former Toronto Star columnist).

My Radio-Canada colleague Emmanuelle Latraverse summarized the controversy in a blog post . . . after the jump.

The Prime Minister's Office announced Sunday Stephen Harper will travel to the Arctic for what has become an annual trip on Tuesday, visiting the communities in Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon. He will also visit Resolute Bay, site of this weekend's deadly plane crash.

Here is the full statement from the PMO:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that he will travel to Canada's North for the sixth consecutive year. The Prime Minister will tour the North from August 23 to 26, 2011.

"Canada's North is a fundamental part of our heritage and national identity and it is a cornerstone of our Government's agenda," said the Prime Minister. "Since forming Government, we have made significant progress on economic and social development, asserting our sovereignty, providing good governance, and protecting the Northern environment."

The Prime Minister will visit Resolute Bay on Tuesday, where he will meet with community members and first responders involved in rescue and recovery efforts for First Air Flight 6560.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with those affected by Saturday's tragic plane crash," said the Prime Minister. "Thanks to the herculean efforts of first responders, including members of the Canadian Armed Forces, lives were saved that otherwise might have been lost."

Following Resolute, the Prime Minister will stop in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon, where he will meet with Premiers, visit initiatives that are benefiting Northerners, and make several announcements that will further contribute to the economic and social development of Canada's North.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by: Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and Minister of Health; John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development; and Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources.

Canada's Chief Electoral Officer has released his official report on the May 2 election, along with official voting results.

Read some highlights (UPDATED) and the full report after the jump....

Former Conservative cabinet minister Stockwell Day, who retired from government before the recent election, has launched a new consulting company, Stockwell Day Connex.

Here's an annotated look at his new website.... after the jump.

The CBC's Laurie Graham and Karina Roman are in Vancouver at the NDP's convention. Follow news from the convention here and at cbcnews.ca/politics, and on CBC News Network.
 
Mobile friendly feed here.

Less than a week after the Conservative Party wrapped up its convention and post-election celebration in Ottawa, the NDP meets in Vancouver to the same purpose -- and mark the 50th anniversary of the party's formation.

As with the Conservatives, the meeting is an opportunity to debate -- and if you are the party leadership, carefully manage -- ideas and proposals for the party's policy direction and constitution.

Read the full list of resolutions up for debate - and two that jump out immediately - after the jump.

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (commonly referred to a PROC) released its first report today, namely a list of members and associate members for the other standing committees of the House.

Members participate in the work of the committee, vote on motions before the committee and question witnesses. Associate members may be appointed to a subcommittee or as a substitute member of the committee, so most committees have dozens of associate members.

Of interest:

• Ruth Ellen Brosseau, the vacationing NDP candidate elected in a Quebec riding which she had never visited, is on the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
• Conservative rookie Ryan Leef (Yukon), a former RCMP officer, deputy superintendent of operations at a correctional facility AND cage fighter, seems almost overqualified for the Public Safety and National Security committee. Not enough? Okay, he's also a former wildlife guide and conservation officer and now brings that experience to the Fisheries and Oceans committee.
• Rookie Mark Strahl, son of former Transport Minister Chuck Strahl, is on the Health and Defence committees.
• Conservative Ed Holder, who ran unsuccessfully for the Speaker's job, is the sole male member of the Status of Women committee.
• Cheryl Gallant, whose Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke riding is home to the Chalk River nuclear facility, is on the Industry, Science and Technology committee.

The Health committee could be interesting, with several high-profile members: the Liberals' feisty Health critic, Hedy Fry; the NDP's feisty deputy leader, Libby Davies; the PM's former director of communications, John Williamson; Conservative Kelly Block (whose office was at the centre of a controversy involving the premature disclosure of Finance committee documents to lobbyists); and star Conservative GTA MP Parm Gill.

Here's the complete list on the Parliamentary website.

UPDATE: Laurie Hawn tweeted CBC News' Rosemary Barton to say he does indeed have a new job, as a member of the Treasury Board sub-committee on the Strategic and Operating Review. More details on that to come.
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The Prime Minister's Office has released a new list of parliamentary secretaries, the MPs that answer questions or table documents in the House when ministers are unavailable. The position, which can also be a proving ground and a stepping stone to cabinet, as Alice Wong discovered last week, carries a bonus of $15,834, on top of the MP salary.

The current list of 28 parliamentary secretaries includes such new faces as Eve Adams (Veteran Affairs), recently elected in Mississauga-Brampton South; former ambassador to Afghanistan Chris Alexander (Defence), who took the formerly Liberal riding of Ajax-Pickering; and Kellie Leitch (HRDC and Labour), who defeated ousted Conservative cabinet minister Helena Geurgis in Simcoe-Grey.

New faces mean some departures, including Laurie Hawn, who was highly visible as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of defence, and Dave MacKenzie (Public Safety), among others (Brian Jean, Greg Kerr and Mark Warawa). But still to come are the committee chair positions, so some of these names may resurface in those key roles.

And the list contains some changes, most notably the elevation of Dean Del Mastro as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's parliamentary secretary. Pierre Poilievre, who served in that role with gusto for several years, moves to Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Read the full list with biographies.

As minister of intergovernmental affairs in the Chrétien government, Stéphane Dion led the government's response to the 1995 Quebec referendum that nearly granted the Parti Québécois government the mandate to pursue some kind of independence or secession from Canada.

The ambiguity of the near-miss for Canada prompted Dion to pose three questions to the Supreme Court with regard to Quebec secession: did the Canadian constitution allow Quebec's National Assembly to effect secession unilaterally; did international law on self-determination allow for unilateral secession; and in the case of conflict between the two, which would take precedence. The Court's ruling in 1998 formed the basis a year later for Bill C-20, known as the Clarity Act, which was passed by Parliament in 2000.

The process was a contentious one seen as provocative by some, but it staked out the government's position on negotiations in the wake of a successful referendum and the power to set a clear question for future referenda. And it was Dion's signature achievement before becoming Liberal leader five years later.

We know how that turned out.

But Dion was one of just 34 Liberal MPs to survive the recent election, so he's still in Parliament and he's still concerned with pushing for clarity over the rules and tools for Canada in confronting the possibility of Quebec secession.

With a Quebec election on the horizon, and considering the recent secessionist case of Sudan, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute has released a commentary by Dion arguing again that unilateral secession has no legal foundation in Canada and that negotiation would be the only way forward.

Click the above link to read the commentary or hit the jump for an embedded version.

Text of a note sent to by Bob Rae to the Liberal caucus May 19:

Colleagues and friends,

I want to advise you that I am willing to let my name stand for the position of interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. It is my understanding that this issue will be discussed by the caucus on May 25, 2011, and by the national board of the Liberal Party before the deadline of May 30.

After the worst election defeat in our history, it is vital that we come together as a party, and engage directly with Canadians about what matters to them. The pursuit of social justice and a sustainable prosperity in a united Canada has to remain our focus. We cannot afford to get caught up in internal wrangling.

Canadians want a progressive party that is committed to building the country. At our best we can be that party. We have to be the party that can take the country forward.

The task facing us is great, but you know I am a "glass half full" person. We have a talented and hardworking caucus in both the House and the Senate. We have much goodwill in the country. There is a strong need for a party that is not caught in the trap of ideological excess. We need to use the talents of every member of the Liberal team right across the country.

I shall abide by any rules about the interim leadership, agreed to by the caucus and the Board.

Full text after the jump...

Read an archive of our live chat on Wednesday's cabinet shuffle. CBC journalists shared their view on the changes and took your questions and comments.

Archive... after the jump...

Credit: Manmeet Ahluwalia/Janet Thomson/Eric Foss

Read the text of statements by U.S. President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former U.S. president George W. Bush on the on the death of Osama bin Laden following a targetted U.S. operation in Pakistan Sunday ... after the jump.

Credit: Manmeet Ahluwalia/Janet Thomson/Eric Foss