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Saturday May 2, 2015

Saturday May 2, 2015Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 2, 2015

Rachel Notley campaign has ‘shades of Jack Layton’

The Alberta NDP is poised for a historic breakthrough, and a lot of that momentum can be credited to the party’s leader Rachel Notley.

An exclusive CBC poll suggests Notley, who was first elected to the Alberta Legislature in 2008, is driving the party’s surge with a strong campaign. She was given the highest approval rating at 53 per cent when Albertans were polled by Return On Insight (ROI).

“Rachel Notley has built this campaign around her. It has shades of Jack Layton, in that she is quite popular and she has a lot of energy,” said ROI president Bruce Cameron.

“Most Albertans, regardless of who they are voting for, would acknowledge the NDP has run the best campaign so far.”

Wildrose Party Leader Brian Jean received a 34 per cent approval rating while Progressive Conservative Leader Jim Prentice sits at 31 per cent.

Notley is taking the latest poll results in stride.

“People are looking for something different. They’re looking for an alternative,” she said. “They’re looking for a government that will reflect their opinions on issues of fairness, on protecting our education and our health care and protecting jobs, so I’m encouraged by what the polls show, but I don’t bank on them and I don’t think most politicians do these days.”

Jean also weighed in on the several polls released in the last 24 hours, while on a campaign stop in Calgary.

“It’s not going to change our principles, which is really the key to this race, because we are the only party that stands up for Alberta’s principles and priorities,” said Jean.

PC Leader Jim Prentice hasn’t commented on the poll results, but used a major fundraising speech Thursday evening to attack the NDP as potential killers of jobs and investment. (Source: CBC News)

Published in The Prince George Citizen, Gull Lake Advance (Saskatchewan), Duncan Citizen (BC), Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal

 

Thursday April 2, 2015

Thursday April 2, 2015Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 2, 2015

At least 40 current, former senators asked to account for questionable expense claims

At least 40 current and former senators have received confidential letters from Auditor General Michael Ferguson about questionable expense claims, and one of them has been asked to account for more than $100,000, sources have told CTV News.

The senators were tight-lipped Tuesday when asked about the letters — and whether they’ve been asked to pay back any money.

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Other senators have quietly repaid the money.

“If a senator is found with a … simple mistake, a good-faith mistake, it’s his decision to reimburse or not,” said Conservative Sen. Claude Carignan, the government Senate leader.

Insiders said Conservative Sen. Dan Lang gave back money after auditors questioned a flight that appeared to be unrelated to Senate business, but he would not confirm that to CTV News.

“No I will answer for my audit when the audit is completed, just like I made a commitment to the auditor general,” he said.

Sources said Liberal Sen. Serge Joyal also had a suspicious expense claim, but Joyal refused to discuss the matter with CTV News.

“Well I think this is a decision that takes place between the auditor general and ourselves individually,” he said.

He repeated that comment when asked whether he had paid any money back.

Auditors are matching travel and expense claims with phone records. They’ve been combing through the expenses of 117 current and former senators who sat in the red chamber from April 2001 to March 2013. (Source: CTV News)

Published on National Newswatch, The Winnipeg Free Press, Edmonton Journal, and Nanaimo Daily News