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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Help the Western Standard
The Western Standard, a key part of Canada's fledgling conservative infrastructure, is being hauled before the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal for the heinous crime of printing some cartoons!
The Standard is a small publication, so, according to Ezra Lavant, while the legal fees from this nuisance complaint won't bankrupt them, it will hurt. The magazine has asked for financial assistance from supporters of freedom to help them cover costs. Please consider donating; you can do so online here. I have. You can give as little as $10.
These guys were one of the only publications in North America willing to stand up for freedom of the press when it mattered. They deserve our support.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 3:35 PM
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Mario Dumont speaks
Yesterday Mario Dumont spoke at Laval University, giving an impressive speech that was one of the most conservative I have heard from a Canadian politician. Perhaps taking a page from Stephen Harper, he said the ADQ, if elected, would focus on four priorities:
1. More autonomy for Québec in the Canadian federation
2. "Slaying sacred cows" (his term, not mine) including advocating two-tier healthcare
3. Maximum individual freedom for people, inclucing lower taxes and a more streamlined social safety net
4. Democratic reforms
It was remarkably well-received by students, and he handled some hostile questions from the audience after with poise. Seems that rumours of the ADQ's death are greatly exaggerated.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:16 AM
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Another new bilingual blog/Un autre blogue bilingue
My friend Vincent Geloso has joined the blogosphere. Sure to be scintillating reading.
Mon ami Vincent Geloso à maintenant son propre blogue. Ça vaut définitivement la peine de le lire.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:42 PM
Nofzinger and Weinberger
Lyn Nofzinger and Caspar Weinberger, two giants of the Reagan era, are dead. I imagine we are going to see quite a few more Reagan officials pass away in the next few years; sadly, they're getting to that age now. I never met either men, but I'm pretty sure I would have liked them. Especially Nofzinger. Here's why. I have a great deal of respect for any experienced political operative who selflessly gives back in that sort of way. There are too few of them. RIP to both.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:14 PM
The CBC shows its true colours -- again.
I really wasn't planning on writing anything about the freed hostages story. I have been so angry about it, I knew whatever I might say would offend people, and besides, Peter Worthington said it all perfectly already. So, ya. What he said.
But I cannot resist seizing on this editorial from the CBC's editor in chief, Tony Burman, on how this story was covered in the Canadian media. This is really an eye-opener. I have yet to see a more crystal-clear example of the CBC's liberal bias than this:
As for James Loney, I do wish I had been on that plane Sunday. Apart from slipping him the sports and the arts sections, and taking away the rest, I would have shaken his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Loney," I would have said. "Thank you for being part of the Canadian idea that this world will become a better place only if each of us does our bit in the best way we can. And you certainly did that. Welcome home." (bolding mine).
This exemplifies the Burman/CBC outlook on the world. It shows why arguments about media bias will never be resolved and why the CBC will never admit it has one. The CBC believes that this idea of Canada -- the Loney view -- is settled and over with. That there is no debate on the matter. That these values are universally Canadian, and anyone not adhering to them is an aberrant.
Anyone who tries to argue that the CBC is fair and balanced -- and there are plenty of people who do -- is just kidding themselves. But then again, they see the the world through the same lenses are Burman, therefore they are blinded to the bias.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:09 AM
Monday, March 27, 2006
Young Liberals don't play by the rules? Say it ain't so
Shocking revelations tonight from the CP's Joan Bryden. The Young Liberals of Canada created fake campus clubs to cheat for Paul Martin!
Young Liberals have for decades been criticized for engaging in some of the worst dirty tricks when it comes to leadership races. Chief among the complaints has been the creation of phony campus clubs that exist only on paper. In 2003, more than 150 campus clubs were accredited by the YLC, the vast majority of which sent Martin supporters to the convention. Diamond said the current executive thoroughly reviewed all the clubs and whittled the number of legitimate clubs down to 53.
"In order to maintain the credibility of (YLC) as an organization, we unfortunately had to not ratify a lot of them," he said.
As a veteran of one or two ugly youth political battles myself, I have to admit that even I found this number staggering. YLC president Richard Diamond is basically ackowledging that two-thirds of his organization's campus clubs were fake. That is astonishing!
I have never met Diamond, but I see he is supporting Scott Brison for leader. That makes me feel sorry for him, because I'm sure he fell for the same phony nonsense Brison used to con several of my friends into supporting him in the 2003 PC leadership race.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:00 AM
Golf and curling update
This weekend was one of those times when I really wished I had cable. I missed Canadian Stephen Ames' victory at the prestigious Players' Championship. Congratulations to Ames, this is really great news.
Also, for the curlers out there, Colleen Jones' team has disbanded for next year. They were the winningest team in women's history. All indications are that Kim Kelly is retiring, but that Jones and Mary-Anne Arsenault will continue on with a new squad. I don't know how Jones keeps her competitive drive after all these years ...
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:54 AM
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Harper and foreign affairs
A couple of weeks ago when I spoke at the Fraser Institute, someone got up during the Q&A and asked what I thought the Conservatives should and would do on foreign affairs. I responded that they should take a more rigorous stand on contentious issues (I cited UN reform as an example), do a better job fighting for Canadians in peril abroad (Kazemi/Arar/Sampson), and just be more principled in outlook in general (ie. more supportive of democracies around the world.) I also said, in a moment of frankness, that I thought the Harper Tories would not be making foreign affairs a priority, as evidenced by the choice of Peter MacKay as minister, a man who to my knowledge had no previous experience (or even interest) in dealing with international issues.
This disappointment notwithstanding, I think I was wrong -- although it was impossible to know what we now know at that time. The trip to Afghanistan, the visit with Karzai, the media on the release of the hostages, etc... has shown that Harper himself is basically going to be the de facto foreign affairs minister, with MacKay relegated to doing the formalities stuff. Which, I think, is great.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:56 PM
Friday, March 24, 2006
Montrealers take note
Two events next Wednesday night, March 29th, worth attending:
- David Frum is speaking to McGill Conservatives. Be there at 8 pm at the Lev Bukhman room of the Shatner Building (3480 McTavish St.) David's topic: "The Future of Canadian Conservatism."
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 5:32 PM
Thursday, March 23, 2006
All you need to know about the Ontario and Quebec budgets
Ontario: McGuinty Liberals 18 months away from an election. Broken many promises. In a deficit situation. Tory leader from Toronto. Threatening to take away Liberal seats. Liberals announce oodles of new spending for public transit and transportation for Toronto and the surrounding area.
Quebec: Charest Liberals a year or so away from an election. Broken many promises. Announce balanced budget but will not implement tax cuts promised three years ago. Modest spending increases in key areas.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:19 PM
In case you were wondering what happened to Scott Reid
John Saul à l'Université Laval
Aujourd'hui, John Ralson Saul (aussi connu comme Monsieur Adrienne Clarkson!) est venu à U Laval pour faire un discours au sujet de « la fin de la globalisation, » le thème de son ouvrage le plus récent. J'ai assisté à cet évènement avec un esprit ouvert -- je vous le jure, vraiment!
Malheureusement, l'effort de Saul était -- et cela vous choquera -- décevant. À part de quelques attaques gratuites, Saul ne faisait aucun sens. (Par example, il à cité la Chine comme example d'un pays qui devient plus nationaliste et "moins ouvert au monde" dans l'ère de la globalisation sans discutant que cela pourrait être relié au fait que ce n'est pas un pays démocratique.)
Mais ce qui m'a vraiment troublé -- et je vois ça souvent des partisans gauchistes -- c'est quand il a remarqué à quelques reprises que ceux qui font partie de l'autre côté du débat (les globalistes) sont des « idéologues. » Comme s'il n'est pas un idéologue lui même et seulement ses adversaires le sont! C'est un argument que je trouve assez farfelu, mais on le voit fréquemment.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:43 PM
Asper wants Tory majority
In today's National Post, the paper's chairman, David Asper, admits to hoping for a snap election so a Harper majority can be elected:
Many of us would like to finish the job and establish stability in our government by electing a Conservative majority. In the relatively short time since the federal election, Harper has done more to improve Canada's image on the world stage than Paul Martin did during his entire reign. The PM's support for our armed forces and show of solidarity by joining our boys and girls in Afghanistan has done more for national unity than anything in recent Liberal memory. In a workman-like manner, Harper is restoring the Canada we knew and loved to Canadians. The David Emerson non-scandal aside, Canadians like what they've seen from the Conservatives. A majority government would allow the Prime Minister to implement his vision, which Canadians could clearly judge come the next election. Moreover, it would finalize the message to the Liberals that they must go away, refresh their leadership and ideas, and only then come back to seek our vote. So go ahead, Bill Graham. Bring down the government. It would be the dawn of a new political reality in Canada.
Just not the one you want. Discuss.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:41 AM
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Reprinting blog copy
I am a big fan of the Sun chain of papers and am loathe to critize them. But I learned today through another blogger that the Toronto Sun republished a small excerpt from a post on this blog without asking first. I have no problem with the Sun printing stuff from this site -- I'm actually flattered they did -- but shouldn't they ask bloggers for their permission first?
When I was at the National Post we reprinted some blog posts in the paper -- finding them was part of my responsabilities. But we always got permission from the author first.
I guess it's likely that the Toronto Sun person who plucked the post is reading this, since they obviously check this blog, so whoever you are: don't worry about it, but you should probably ask out of courtesy.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:18 PM
Pushing the envelope
A few days ago, words were exchanged here in comments about Ralph Klein's contribution to Canadian conservatism. I said Klein had made a real contribution, but mainly toward the beginning of his tenure as Alberta Premier. My point, which still stands, is that Klein has spent too much time over the last decade coasting and managing while failing to use the opportunity he's had to try and innovate and move conservatism ahead.
A good illustration of innovating and moving conservatism forward is the case of pro-freedom hero Jacques Chaoulli -- let's call him the anti-Klein. Not only does the Quebec doctor win a landmark Surpreme Court decision on healthcare -- effectively opening up the state-run system to private alternatives -- he is now pushing for more:
"I would like that Quebecers have the best value for the public money they spend," Chaoulli said. He said the best way would be to allow more private medicine, including: - Allowing doctors to work in both the public and private systems, such as at a public hospital and a private clinic, rather than one or the other.
- Privatizing medical schools and hospitals.
- Loosening legal restrictions that limit private insurance.
The ideas were outlined in a 40-page document Chaoulli submitted to a provincial government commission looking into health reforms.
Klein: rests on laurels. Chaoulli: keeps pushing. Good on him.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:02 AM
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Mark Steyn
Much will be made this morning on the blogosphere, I'm sure, of Mark Steyn's appearance in the comment pages of The Globe and Mail (no link.) I'll admit, I'm a bit surprised myself. Not sure what this means -- or whether it is just a one-time deal or a regular slot. But this is huge news for Canadian newspapers and a big coup for the Globe.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:19 AM
Pauline Marois
The big news here yesterday was Pauline Marois' decision to quit politics. Marois, a twice-failed Parti Québécois leadership contender, is a major heavyweight in the Quebec separatist movement and her announcement was unexpected. Marois had made it clear she would run again after losing last year's leadership race to André Boisclair.
This is going to be seen as yet another setback to Boisclair, who hasn't really done much to improve PQ fortunes since taking over the leadership. In fact, despite what you hear about Jean Charest being a hated politician, a poll last week showed his Quebec Liberals within 10 points of the PQ in popularity. If that poll is accurate, that's an easily surmountable deficit in an election campaign, especially given Charest's formidable (demagogic?) campaigning skills. He can give a barn-burner of speech.
Watch for a possible election call this fall.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:58 AM
Leaving babies out in the cold and other daycare troubles
Anyone who still thinks government-run daycare is a good idea check this out.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:47 AM
Monday, March 20, 2006
Iraq 3 years later
I was going to write a long post about Iraq, but I'm too tired. This weekend was the third anniversary of the invasion. Hard to believe that much time has gone by. I went to Iraq in May 2003 and it seems since then its gone from bad to worse. I can't imagine going back now, at least not anytime soon.
But I still remain hopeful. Check out this transcript of an interview Iraqi Deputy PM Ahmad Chalabi gave today. He tells a bit of a different tale than what you read about everyday in the papers, and his opinions are to be taken with a lot of seriousness.
The one point I do want to make, which I feel very strongly about, is that I am getting tired of hearing in the media that the aftermath of the war is a failure for neoconservatism. That the hawks who led America into war were wrong, their plan failed, and they are responsible for the mess now ripping that country apart. Nothing could be further from the truth; in fact, it is the exact oppositie. It is precisely because the hawk's plan for post-Saddam Iraq was not adopted that we are in the mess we are in today.
Their plan -- to transfer power to interim government immediately to put an Iraqi face on the invasion -- was discarded by Paul Bremer and his State Department advisors. It is mainly because of the way the first year after the war ended was handled by Bremer et al that we have the dreadful situation of today.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:12 AM
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The Brier
Someone asked why I haven't been posting anything on the Brier -- the Canadian men's curling championship. The reason is I don't have cable, so I haven't been able to watch the round-robin. But I did watch the final on CBC tonight. If you had told me at the beginning of the week that Quebec's Jean-Michel Menard would win, I wouldn't have believed it. But he did. Menard, who curls down the street from my apartment at the Victoria Curling Club, played well and Glenn Howard played poorly. The result is only the second Quebec team -- and most significantly, the first francophone one -- to win the Brier in Canadian history. This is a huge win for Quebec and let's hope it helps grow the sport in the province. Congratulations to the Menard team. And George, don't worry! I'm calling them tomorrow for an interview for TCN.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:31 PM
Saturday, March 18, 2006
The hullabaloo over Harper's communications ...
... is just total nonsense. As Warren Kinsella points out on his blog, the Liberals did the exact same thing. It's only because the Emerson story is starting to get boring that there is so much coverage of this issue. They have nothing else to write about, save praising Harper's Afghanistan trip, which some have done and others probably can't stomach doing. Communications must be tightly scripted in a new government. Especially a minority one. The media is making a big deal about it because it is supposedly making their job tougher. Too bad! Get over it.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:33 AM
Friday, March 17, 2006
The most important effect of Harper's trip
There's been solid media coverage all week for Harper during and after his Afghanistan visit. Fawning, actually. But the more I think about it, the more I think commentators missed a key after-effect of the trip: he shored up his base.
In Vancouver last week and talking to Tory friends across the country since Jan. 23, I got the sense that the small-c conservative faction of the party was getting pretty dispirited. The Emerson/Fortier fiasco, putting Peter MacKay in foreign affairs, naming Liberal pick Marshall Rothstein to the Supreme Court, putting Mulroneyite Derek Burney in charge of transition and sending Mulroneyite Michael Wilson to Washington ... the list of eye pokes to the party's rightwing was started to get mighty long, and they were getting tired of it. It was nearing the point of restelessness, I think. For the past two weeks or so I've been saying Harper had better "throw a bone" to the right quick before a Globe piece about "discontent" brewing in the grassroots popped up on Page 1 (likely a Gloria Galloway story based on a single anonymous quote).
Anyway, this trip fixed the problem. It has made conservatives very happy. As it should.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:01 AM
Keeping tabs on the British Tories
Anyone who is interested in what's going on with conservatism in Britain and is lazy (like me) need only check into Paul Tuns' blog to keep up. Paul points us to a piece by Deroy Murdock from NRO, laying out in detail how new leader David Cameron is, for all intents and purposes, abandoning conservatism.
The British Tories' proposed policy document contains lines such as "We believe in the role of government as a force for good ... It should support the shared experiences that bring us together — such as sport, the arts, and culture." as well as "We will put economic stability and fiscal responsibility first. They must come before tax cuts."
These may seem fairly bland and harmless at first glance but as Murdock points out, they are basically code words for centrism.
The Cameron story is one to keep your eye on.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:56 AM
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Duceppe's tactical fear-mongering
Smart political strategy here by Gilles Duceppe. He's trying to claim Harper's plans for Quebec will help the cause of separatism:
Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, where he was taking part in a meeting of the Bloc caucus, Mr. Duceppe said the more independence Quebec receives at world bodies such as UNESCO, the Paris-based cultural wing of the United Nations, the easier it will be to argue for full independence. "If he delivers and Quebec has a voice, let's say at UNESCO, that [would be] good for a sovereign Quebec in the future. All the sovereigntists are supporting the fact Quebec is having an international presence in the francophone summit. This is a plus not only for the sovereigntists, but for Quebec. It's preparing us for the day [when] we'll be a sovereign country and be present everywhere. So the more we're present, the better it is, so we'll support that." This is just a pretty transparent attempt to scare people outside Quebec into believing the Tories will help the separatists. They want to mobilize public opinion outside of Quebec against Harper's plans -- because they know that if it succeeds, they are toast. The Bloc is way down in the polls already. And if Harper does deliver on this (as well as his promise to fix the fiscal imbalance), the BQ will lose a significant number of seats in the next election.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:39 AM
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
A dozen for a "die-in"
All's not well at the Huffington Post
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Ralph Klein saying goodbye
Ralph Klein's folks have leaked to the Calgary Herald that he will announce he is stepping down in October 2007 at the Alberta PC Convention, which takes place at the end of this month.
This move is obviously to avert a potentially disastrous leadership review vote set to occur at that party meeting. Pretenders to the throne, especially former Treasurer Jim Dinning, have been anxious to get Klein out for years now, and the sentiments boiled over in a recent article in the Western Standard. In that piece an unnamed Klein friend said that the Premier's wife was the one holding him back from quitting because after he left she'd be "just another Indian."
The Klein years will be remembered as good ones for Alberta, but from a conservative perspective it's hard to find much to highlight in his record after his first term in office, in which he slashed spending and cut taxes.
The years after (approx. 1997-2007) will be remembered as coasting years during which social spending skyrocketed due to the vast oil revenues rolling into the Alberta treasury. I'll admit that Klein is a great politician whose folksy manner was a hit with Alberta. But the Premier has not acted conservatively -- aside from the recent healthcare announcement -- for close to a decade.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:23 PM
Monday, March 13, 2006
That Harper guy is smart
Wow. An inspired move by the Prime Minister. All at once he looks decisive, Prime Ministerial, shows leadership, boosts troop morale, gets good press and, most importantly, does the right thing. I'm sure we will hear howls of derision from various lefties, comparing this to Bush's "macho" trip to Iraq. But these people will be a very small minority. Good for Prime Minister Harper. A welcome change from the stories dominating the past, uh, month or so. You can almost hear the sighs emanating from the Langevin Block.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:43 AM
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Radio interview tonight
I will be on Victoria, BC radio tonight (Sunday March 12) at 9:30pm ET (6:30 PT) on "Public Eye" with Sean Holman. You can listen to the interview online here. (Click on the microphone).
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 5:11 PM
Belinda's $
Despite establishmentarian views to the contrary, I believed Belinda Stronach would run for Liberal leader after Martin the day she crossed the floor. Now she is coming to Quebec City for a month for French lessons.
But what really strikes me about this Gazette piece -- which could be studied in journalism schools as a case study of the "puff piece" -- is not that revelation. It is the utter lack of rigorous questioning by the reporter of Belinda's minions. Cases in point:
If she runs for the Liberal leadership, she (Stronach) will have by her side some of the savviest Liberal organizers from Quebec - seduced by what they say is the down-to-earth attitude of a woman who can be considered one of the richest in the world.
...
Brigitte Legault, the dynamic president of the party's youth wing in Quebec and one of those likely to back Stronach if she runs, says there's a lot that Quebecers don't know about Belinda Stronach. "They paint her very negatively, they give her an image of a young, rich, perhaps arrogant woman. Having met her a few times now, I think they are going too far." .....
...Stronach already has the backing of Richard Mimeau, a veteran Liberal organizer who is likely to become her chief organizer for Quebec should she throw her hat in the ring. Active over the years in both the provincial and the federal Liberal parties, Mimeau has earned his stripes organizing on behalf of everyone from Daniel Johnson and Jean Charest to Paul Martin.
Mimeau said it was Stronach's grasp of issues and her down-to-earth attitude that attracted him. "After the election, I told myself, I'm going to take a break from politics and I am going to try the private sector, and she was the one who convinced me to come back. I find her very refreshing."
If you have picked yourself up off the floor from laughing yet, you will realize that yes, Monsieur Mimeau actually said he was supporting Stronach for her "grasp of issues and her down-to-earth attitude" and that she "convinced" him to come back to politics from the private sector.
Belinda can be seductive, that's for sure. But did it not occur to this reporter to inquire as to whether there might be other reasons for their support?
Guess not. Because Belinda Stronach would never buy people. Oh no. Never:
Rivals accuse the Stronach campaign of poaching Quebec organizers with salaries of up to $50,000 for nine-weeks' work. The deal reportedly includes bonuses if Stronach wins. "We call her Magna Bucks," Richard Decarie, a former Tory strategist now organizing for former Alliance leader Stephen Harper in Quebec, told The Canadian Press.
The lack of investigative journalism done on Belinda Stronach's campaign financing has always puzzled me. When will someone do some real digging?
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:17 AM
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Welcome back Bob
This blog has followed with interest the Toronto CBC cocktail circuit crowd's amazing embrace of Bob Rae for almost a year. As I wrote last July of Rae:
Since his conversion to third way politics (he jettisoned socialism sometime back in the 1990s) he has become the toast of Toronto. Now that crowd wants to see their new star rise to the top. They're doing a great job positioning him for it...
It has now basically been confirmed that Rae will be in the race for Liberal leader, setting up a battle between himself and Michael Ignatieff, Belinda Stronach, Denis Coderre and a bunch of others with no chance. I am told by Liberals that the reason Martin Cauchon is not running is because the PowerCorp money has been promised to Bob Rae. (No surprise there, Bob's brother John is a senior executive at Power and a long-time Liberal heavyweight.)
This will make the Liberal race pretty neat to watch. It caps a truly remarkable transformation for Bob Rae, who left the Ontario premiership in 1995 after wreaking havoc on the province's economy, nearly driving it into bankruptcy. (I note that if the Liberals want to rebuild their base in Ontario, electing him will seem like an odd way to do it.) Nevertheless, Rae has spent the last decade reinventing himself as a centrist (he regularly publicly bashes the NDP) and as a selfless public servant with his work on everything from the Air India bombing to reforming post-secondary education to bringing peace to Sri Lanka. He will bring some interesting ideas to the race.
Rae is also probably the only man on Earth to go from being arrested for trying to stop logging to becoming a lobbyist for the lumber industry. But hey, people change. I respect the man and look forward to his candidacy.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:59 AM
Friday, March 10, 2006
More on Vancouver
Danielle Smith, me and Adrienne Batra at the Liberty Fund closing dinner
The reason I went to Vancouver was to attend a colloquium of the Liberty Fund. This is an amazing organization founded by a wealthy philanthropist with an unwavering commitment to debating issues surrounding liberty and freedom. The Fund hosts more than 150 conferences each year and publishes scholarly books. I had not heard of the organization before, but am glad I do now. It was a privilege to be part of it.
Our conference brought together a group of 17 scholars, journalists, businessmen and political activists for three days of discussion of readings by Locke, Hayek and Schumpeter, readings which we had read beforehand. Heavy stuff, yes. But because of the conferees' backgrounds the debate hovered between the theoretic and the practical, and it was scintillating. I learned a lot.
I spent the early part of this week in Vancouver, visiting relatives and meeting up with a lot of old friends and acquaintances. There seems to be quite a bit of frustration about the Emerson appointment, especially the way it was handled. The people I spoke to felt that Emerson, should he run again next time, would bolt Vancouver Kingsway and instead try a more hospitable riding such as John Reynolds' old seat in West Vancouver or even Richmond. We'll see. I'm still not sure he's going to hang on.
Tuesday I spoke at a Fraser Institute lunch about the book and the election results. The audience was terrific, and asked some very good questions. I sold a few books too, which was great.
Before coming home, Wednesday I took the ferry over to Victoria to see an old friend and catch Question Period at the legislature. It was a pretty boring exchange, with the NDP seemingly trying to make hay off of the number of hacking attempts on BC government websites (each one of them was apparently stopped). It made no sense to me. But I was struck at how laid back and informal the BC leg was. After questions, Gordon Campbell just moseyed out of the chamber alone and walked to his office, alone. No staff or guards. Same thing with Finance Minister Carole Taylor. No media scrum even. It reminded me a of a city council atmosphere. But I guess I'm just used to Toronto and Ottawa.
And then I came back to the freezing cold of Quebec City. That's all.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:51 PM
Thursday, March 09, 2006
We always knew the Soviets were evil, but ...
Back from Vancouver
Well, that was a fun trip. Too bad it rained every day, and even snowed yesterday. The talk at the Fraser Institute went really well, too. Sorry for the long absence. More later.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 1:03 PM
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Off to Vancouver
Blogging will be intermittent for the next week as I am off to Vancouver for reading week for a conference of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If any Vancouverites are interested, I'm speaking at a lunch at the Fraser Institute on Tuesday. Would be great to see/meet you!
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:26 AM
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