So long, Saganash

Romeo Saganash is dropping out of the NDP
leadership race, in part because of a family illness that is demanding his
time and attention. That leaves seven candidates in the race, who will debate in Quebec City this Sunday.

The Liberals in Toronto-Danforth have nominated ad executive Grant Gordon as their candidate in the upcoming
by-election. The pro-life candidate did not make it, and pro-life Liberals
disavow any knowledge of a resurrection of Liberals for Life (leading people
like Kady O’Malley believe it was more of a black op on the part of
another party).

Vic Toews outlined a new counter-terrorism
strategy yesterday, where he simultaneously talked about the great threat of
radical Islamists while citing “lone wolves who sit in the
basement, getting radicalized on the internet” – like the Oklahoma City bomber and
the Norwegian gunman. You know, the opposite of Islamists. Because that all
makes sense.

Yesterday was apparently “nefarious foreign
influence day
” on the Hill.

What’s that? The Conservatives once accused the Liberals of nefariously trying to raise the age of eligibility for OAS to
67? You don’t say!

If you thought the Conservatives’
particular mean-spirited behaviour on committees was restricted to the Commons,
it seems it has also made it to the Senate, according to Liberal Senator Céline
Hervieux-Payette, after an incident in the Senate committee on banking, trade
and commerce where the new chair didn’t allow her, the vice-chair, to sit
at the head table
with him, as has been tradition for years and years. Never
mind that he’s unilingual and that she could help him out with French, but no –
sore winner-dom continues apace.

And on a sadder note, Nova Scotia senator
Fred Dickson passed away yesterday after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

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