Skip the election tea leaves and grab a summer cocktail

 It is once again time to play official Ottawa’s favourite game show: wild-ass nonsensical election speculation! You’ll forgive me for not being excited. The volumes of ink (digital and otherwise) spilled on prognostications of one sort or another during a minority government could drown a horse. And with constant cuts

Senate Delays – Just another urban myth

 By Elaine McCoy Everyone knows that the Senate delays government legislation. Don’t we? Well, no we don’t.   In fact, the House of Commons tends to take almost three times as long to deal with government legislation as the Senate does. This uncontestable fact is based on an actual count of

Blue Rodeo Slams Harper In New Protest Song

 It’s been merely a month, but yet another anti-conservative diddy has gone viral. Following the controversial suspension of federal government scientist Tony Turner, Superstar country-rock group Blue Rodeo are the newest band of Canadians protesting the Conservative party with their new hit, “Stealin’ All My Dreams.” In a recent trend,

What You Need to Know About the Election

 On your marks, get set, go! The race is on. The federal election to determine Canada’s 42nd parliament and leader has begun. Set to end with the October 19 election, this campaign will be the longest in over a century (since 1872), running for a full 78 days. In Canada,

Publisher’s Message: Poilievre Deserves A Shot

 Pierre Poilievre was first elected to Parliament in 2004 for the riding of Nepean-Carleton at the young age of 25, upsetting then Liberal Defence Minister David Pratt. As a parliamentarian, he has demonstrated an unwavering loyalty to Prime Minister Harper, Conservative values and a centre-right ideology. He has been very

Pipeline Construction – The Federal Stance

 Energy exports, particularly oil and gas, are a key pillar of the Canadian economy, support hundreds of thousands of jobs in Canada and provide great wealth to the nation. With the 2015 Federal election just around the corner, Canadians are focused now more than ever on the three major federal

Publisher’s Message

 Illustration: Claudia Salguero This is Ottawa Life Magazine’s 14th Annual Top People in the Capital list. This year our theme was “under the radar.” We wanted to select people who make great contributions to our city but who often go unnoticed or unrecognized. Take, for example, our number one pick

Citizens and Parliament Must be Consulted on Election Rules

 The Harper Government’s Bill C-23, Fair Elections Act is currently before the House of Commons, and it should come as no surprise that the Conservatives are using the bill to manipulate the rules that govern how Canadians vote. After all, the Harper Government has been at odds with Elections Canada

Baird, Poilievre, Trudeau – Ottawa’s cold winter parliament warms up for Ukraine

 It’s been a busy season for politics during the deep freeze of winter. Ottawa West- Nepean MP and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has been busy on the home front addressing the needs of his constituents while ensuring he represents Canada with a strong voice internationally. He leveled a stern

New Democrat Olivia Chow Wants Harper’s Conservatives to Put the Safety of Canadians First

 Protecting Canadians is one of the most basic responsibilities of our government, and this principle applies to our transportation system. As the NDP critic for Transportation and Infrastructure, I am convinced that our federal government could be doing a lot more to improve the safety on our roadways while preventing

Harper Government’s Disdain For Science

 In recent years, science in Canada has come up against an increasing disdain for evidence-based decision making and a disappearing commitment to transparency. In brief, evidence-based policy-making in Canada is under attack and it is orchestrated by our own federal government. In the absence of evidence, government policy is increasingly

In opposition against “a Phantom Prime Minister”: An interview with Stephen Harper

 By: Peter Gill Ottawa Life Magazine: If you were Prime Minister, how would you deal with Canada's declining military? How much money do you think needs to be invested in it? Stephen Harper: A lot. Numbers have been thrown around by various groups. The consensus seems to be you need