Colin Horgan

The Reform Act and how to fix Parliament

Michael Chong explains himself and the debate continues

Explaining and debating Michael Chong’s Reform Act

A new hope or a step backwards?

Let the Reform Act debate begin

Awaiting Michael Chong’s private member’s bill

Thomas Mulcair vs. Peter Mansbridge

The NDP leader talks about the oil sands, Quebec and the Senate

Harper on the F-35

From the Prime Minister’s interview with Global, Mr. Harper’s explanation of the F-35 procurement.

Out with the old F-35 logic, in with the new

Colin Horgan finds that an old accounting for the F-35 procurement seems to have disappeared.

What does Parliament know about what the government is doing? And what does the government know about what the government is doing?

Jason Fekete reviews the auditor general’s findings.

One year later

Bruce Cheadle and Colin Horgan (more from Colin here) take in the commemoration of Jack Layton on Parliament Hill. Chris Selley considers.

‘But in terms of our numbers, I’ve been very clear’

Asked about the price of the F-35, the Prime Minister invokes one of his favourite adjectives.

Problem: The Department of National Defence says it needs 65 warplanes, but $9 billion may not be enough to purchase 65 warplanes of the F-35 variety. Luckily, Colin Horgan has a $3.5-billion back-up plan.

In and out of order

Twice last week—here and here—the Speaker seemed to fret that questions asked by the opposition were not sufficiently specific to the administrative responsibilities of government. I’ve noted this issue and the Speaker Scheer’s rulings in the past, see here, here, here and here. And now, as Colin Horgan notes, Peter Van Loan is voicing some concern.

For the sake of discussion, you can include a question the government side had Brent Rathgeber ask last month. One that was not ruled out of order.

Mr. Speaker, Albertans are very concerned about the NDP’s position regarding the oil sands. The NDP appears all too willing to abandon the interests of construction workers and oil sands workers. For example, both the former NDP environment critic, an Albertan, and the current leadership contender, Mr. Brian Topp, have called for a moratorium on oil sands development. Meanwhile, the NDP natural resources and environment critics have actually taken it up a notch and are telling our international trading partners not to trade with Canada.