No, I won't tell you which one -- why spoil the suspense? Anyway, if you didn't catch the panel on tonight's episode of Power and Politics, but rest assured that we'll have a clip up soon, so watch this space. (And if you did happen to tune in, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.)
UPDATE: A little late, but still well worth clicking -- the clip.
A quick glance at the Hill agenda reveals that Colleague Rand may have been onto something when he preemptively called today for British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg --- with no committees set to meet, and the party leaders scattered to the four corners, he really does seem to be the only show in town.
So any idle thoughts that might otherwise have been entertained on the notion of skipping out on Government Operations this afternoon were swiftly defenestrated when I read the amended notice, which promises what will undoubtedly be a thoroughly livebloggable bit of committee business, in the form of a pair of motions from Martha Hall Findlay and Rob Anders. It's a twofer! How can any self-respecting committee maven be expected to miss that?
Really, the pre-show will probably be fascinating as well, revolving, as it does, around PCO's request for more money to cover various unanticipated expenses. Anyway, check back at 3:30 pm for full coverage.
We still don't know whether the Liberals will echo the NDP's demand for a full public inquiry into the transfer of Afghan detainees, but while we're waiting to see if this will become an opposition-wide campaign, here's what the inimitable Norman Spector had to say on the subject -- before the NDP had made its pitch, even.
... that would be this testimony, of course, if you've managed to miss the extensive coverage of yesterday's appearance by former Kandahar-based diplomat Richard Colvin, who told a Commons committee that virtually all Afghan prisoners were subject to torture by NDS interrogators.
Anyway, this morning, NDP defence critic Jack Harris and foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar will react to what Colvin had to say, and make what is being billed as "an important announcement -- so check back at 11:30 for full coverage.
With the House of Commons apparently stuck in a legislative time loop for the moment -- yes, I see you on the Order Paper, Jordan and Colombia free trade agreements, and I also see that neither one of you seem to have made much progress since yesterday -- parliamentary junkies are once again forced to trawl the committee lineup in search of a fix.
I'll be liveblogging Richard Colvin's appearance before the Afghanistan committee this afternoon, so check back at 3:30 p.m. for full coverage. (If you want to know why his testimony is so hotly anticipated, you can read an abbreviated version of the back story behind today's meeting over at Orders of the Day.)
Courtesy of the Globe and Mail's Jane Taber, a downright draconian suggestion from the NDP's heritage critic Charlie Angus, who is now calling for a moratorium on mid-committee tweeting by his fellow MPs.
According to this preview, it will be "a difficult story" that begins to unfold when the Afghanistan committee meets this afternoon to hear from Richard Colvin, the former Afghanistan-based diplomat turned whistleblower who, during his tenures in Kandahar and Kabul, sent a multitude of memos back to Ottawa on the "serious, imminent and alarming problems" with the treatment of detainees.
Subpoenaed to appear before the military complaints commission investigating alleged prisoner abuse, his testimony was briefly blocked by government lawyers earlier this fall on the grounds that his story could run afoul of national security laws. But, as members were recently reminded by House Law Clerk Rob Walsh, parliamentary privilege puts the committee above that, and every other, law of the land; they have the right to ask whatever questions they want, and -- perhaps even more importantly, given the government's efforts to silence this particular witness -- to have those questions answered. Expect Walsh to be in attendance today on the not-actually-all-that-off chance that Colvin's appearance puts that rule to the test.
Rosemary Barton started her television career reporting from Quebec City where she covered the ins and outs of Quebec politics. She moved to the CBC Parliamentary Bureau in 2007.
She also stood on the side of road awaiting U.S. President Barack Obama's motorcade for hours in the cold. When she finally spotted him, all of Canada heard her shriek, "I saw him!"
Alison Crawford worked in Fredericton, Calgary and Winnipeg before returning to her hometown to work in the CBC parliamentary bureau. Her beats include the RCMP, justice, public safety and the Liberals. Alison credits her investigative skills as well as a national etiquette column and coverage of a ferret Christmas party, with having prepared her for covering national politics.
James Cudmore has been a national newspaper reporter, a national television reporter and a national radio reporter. He's reported from every province and territory in the country. James has been, in no particular order, a bouncer at a Toronto night club, a book-seller, a house-painter, a soldier, a prep-cook, an ice-cream scooper, coffee-server, dish-washer, and paper boy. James has covered three federal elections from Ottawa, and two more from Alberta. James covers Defence for the CBC and has reported from Afghanistan. He also covers politics (but most days would rather be cooking).
Louise Elliott has been a national reporter on the Hill since 2002. As a regular contributor to CBC Radio's The House, she has tackled stories about policy and politics that range from food labelling to refugee policy to the G20. Elliott has won numerous awards, including two Radio Television News Director Awards and a Canadian Association of Journalists award for her series on the spraying of chemical defoliants at CFB Gagetown. In 2003, she received a National Newspaper Award for political journalism.
James Fitz-Morris came to Parliament Hill 10 years ago as the bureau chief for two private radio stations. In 2005, James joined CBC so he could report without pausing for "important messages from his sponsors." His primary beats are foreign affairs and finance, making him the bureau's resident number-cruncher and exchange rate converter. He's also worked in Beirut, Lebanon. He speaks English and French fluently, and is still grappling with Arabic.
Chris Hall is the National Affairs Editor for CBC News. He's been a member of the CBC Parliamentary Bureau since 1998. That adds up to 11 budgets, four elections, three prime ministers and too many confidence votes to count. Chris started his career in print before moving to the CBC in 1992. Since then, he's worked in Toronto, Halifax and St. John's, as well as Ottawa.
Susan Lunn started reporting in her home town of Halifax in 1986, where she had wrote a column called pet-pourri. But like many other maritimers, the bright lights of Toronto beckoned. She was hired in 1990 by the CBC and has worked in so many locations her mother still writes her address and telephone number in pencil in her address book. She has been in Ottawa now for a record seven years.
Leslie MacKinnon Leslie's been working in news and current affairs since newsrooms used teletype, televison was shot on film and radio tape was edited with a razor blade. She saw through The Journal's long run on CBC-TV, and since then has worked in Halifax, Toronto and Ottawa in the CBC's various permutations. Right now, she's a TV news reporter in the political bureau, and likes certain parts of Ottawa - the canal, the Hill - a lot.
Janyce McGregor has been a television producer in the CBC's Parliamentary Bureau since 2001. She started her career working for Studio 2 on TVOntario. In 2005 her then-doctoral student husband persuaded her to follow him to the U.K., where she worked for BBC World Service Radio in London. Janyce is originally a farm girl from southwestern Ontario. Her most important job title is "Norah's Mom."
Kady O'Malley has been covering the Hill for more than a decade (yes, really) for a variety of publications. An Ottawa girl (not quite born, but raised), she has a passion for politics that borders on the unhealthy, and has liveblogged her way through hundreds of committee meetings, press conferences, judicial inquiries, budget launches, cabinet shuffles, and even the odd constitutional crisis. Oh, and yes, her Boston Terrier really is named "BlackBerry."
Chris Rands has been a member of the Parliamentary bureau since 2001. He started at Toronto's AM Radio giant CFRB before moving to CBC's National Radio News in 1996. Chris has worked in Toronto, Moncton, Sudbury, Regina, Washington and St John's. Every time Chris walks up to the Peace Tower, he wants to throw his hat in the air like Mary Tyler Moore.
No, I won't tell you which one -- why spoil the suspense? Anyway, if you didn't catch the panel on tonight's episode of Power and Politics, but rest assured that we'll have a clip up soon, so watch this space.... Continue reading this post
A quick glance at the Hill agenda reveals that Colleague Rand may have been onto something when he preemptively called today for British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg --- with no committees set to meet, and the party leaders scattered to the four corners,... Continue reading this post
So any idle thoughts that might otherwise have been entertained on the notion of skipping out on Government Operations this afternoon were swiftly defenestrated when I read the amended notice, which promises what will undoubtedly be a thoroughly livebloggable bit... Continue reading this post
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