jean chretien Archives - Page 5 of 6

Evolution of the PM’s website

The Prime Ministerial website is accessible at http://pm.gc.ca and besides the changing of the guard over the years (from Chretien to Martin to Harper), the website has not really changed that much and still remains quite simplistic in its presentation and web standards. Click each image to enlarge.

December 21, 1996

May 3rd, 1998

December 5th, 2000

December 15th, 2001

June 10th, 2004

February 6th, 2006

The current version of the website, which features our new Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is still quite antiquated by web standards. For example, the buttons on the left use simple javascript rollover functions instead of CSS.

Also, the website asks the user to submit their email address to subscribe for ’email updates’. Of course, email updates are still useful to many, however, enabling web 2.0 features on the website (especially RSS) would extend the website’s usefulness to many, many more users on a variety of platforms. Further, the Conservatives have been quite succesful in featuring podcasts on their main website at www.conservative.ca and on their youth-themed website at www.cpcenergy.ca. Mr. Harper’s speeches could be featured as audio or video podcasts on the PMO website.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper campaigned on a platform of changing the way government works for all Canadians. A new, refreshed and modern web presentation of the Prime Ministerial website could help signal the Conservative drive for renewal.

UPDATE: www.stephenharper.ca goes to the PM’s official website. Years ago, I remember hearing about a news story in which a reporter asked then Prime Minister Jean Chretien what he thought about not owning his own domain name (it was snapped up by a cybersquatter). Of course, Chretien didn’t have a clue what the reporter was talking about.

Crown Corporation Board of Directors Proportion of Political Contributions Sorted by Party

About a week ago, I wrote of the hypocritical bias that exists at the CBC, our Canadian State Broadcasting Corporation. While they whined and complained at the mere notion of the arrival of any semblance of parity in debate in this country, I crunched some numbers and found how ‘fair and balanced’ they really are.

Today, former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien testified at the Gomery Inquiry and provided little insight into the political direction which may have directed the program. Tomorrow, Paul Martin takes the stand and will mark the first time in Canadian history, since Sir John. A MacDonald, that a sitting Prime Minister has provided testimony in a judicial inquiry.

Anyways, we all remember how Paul Martin promised that he’d “get to the bottom” of the Sponsorship Scandal “come hell or high water” before the “most important election of our lives”? Or something like that…

Well, I just did Paul Martin’s job. I believe that I got to the bottom of the Sponsorship Scandal. I present the political contributions of the boards of directors of the very Crown corporations which are at the centre of the Liberal mess.

First Canada Post,
canada post.jpg

and now Via Rail,
via rail.jpg

I’ll let the data speak for itself. You might not have to be a Liberal to be a Canadian, but to get the posh government jobs you’d better be, and you’d better bring your chequebook.

Yes, I got to the bottom of the Sponsorship Scandal (well… at least further than Paul Martin has pretended). There is but one obvious truth to be learned from not only this data, but from this Liberal scandal in general:

Cronyism begets corruption.

Sheila Copps out

Former Liberal leadership hopeful Sheila Copps lost her nomination bid yesterday in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek. CTV’s Mike Duffy reported that the margin of votes that separated Ms. Copps and the victor, Tony Valeri, was 315 votes. There were 5,313 ballots cast.

It appears as if Paul Martin is making every effort to usher out his predecessor’s inner circle. When Mr. Martin was leadership runner-up to Jean Chrétien in 1990 he received a cabinet post as Minister of Finance. In 2002, Ms. Copps was runner-up to Mr. Martin in the Liberal leadership race and now she’s been tossed aside. At the height of her career, she was the Liberal deputy PM. Now her party has denied her the chance to run in the next election.

I’ve heard that Valeri’s scrutineers had close ties to the PM. About 400 Liberals were turned away from the meeting and were deemed ineligible to vote. Ms. Copps’ mother and the riding association president were also challenged according to Copps.

Ms. Copps has said that she’ll take a week to “consider her options”. Before the vote she remarked, “Tony, whatever happens in this fight, we’re all believing in the building of our great party and we’ll do it together”. We’ll see if she runs as an independent as the NDP has already deemed her “damaged goods”