Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, has been much in the news lately — both for making controversial statements, and for her relationship with the Liberal Party. She addressed these and various other issues — including matters of faith — in an interview conducted May 2 by CC.com associate editor Jim Coggins. […]
Breaking up the old gang
Some of our older readers will remember a song entitled ‘Those Wedding Bells Are Breaking Up That Old Gang of Mine.’ The cheerful dirge points out, in a rather plaintive way, how group relationships can change when a marriage takes place and the parties to the merger become committed to each other more than to […]
OttawaWatch: Of budgets, books and balance
The federal budget passed, this week, not unexpectedly, with the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois voting in favor and the Liberals and NDP, against. It was difficult to escape the irony posed by many of the pundits who suggested that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s plans for the use of taxpayers’ money seemed pretty much to be […]
OttawaWatch: That ‘humdinger’ of a speech
It is always encouraging to learn that some recipients of OttawaWatch read all the way through each week’s missive — or at least read the last paragraph, not just the first. In last week’s piece, I promised to make some references, today, to Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl’s January 18 speech — the 2007 Mel Smith […]
OttawaWatch: Wilberforce and friends
Two Order of Canada appointments caught my attention this week, as I perused the list released Tuesday morning, February 20, by Governor-General Michaelle Jean’s office. The two are Norgrove Penny and the late Harry Lehotsky. Penny, a Victoria medical doctor, is well-known in British Columbia and some parts of Uganda for both his vibrant Christian […]
Christian women contest election in Ontario
There is a good possibility voters in London North Centre will elect a committed Christian as a Member of Parliament on November 27. Green Party Running in the byelection in the Ontario riding is Elizabeth May, the recently elected president of the federal Green Party. The American born activist first became involved in public life opposing insecticide […]
Social conservatives and other Liberals
Two MPs, both serious Christians, stepped on to the little green bus that runs between the various parliamentary buildings in Ottawa. One, we will dub “Mr. Liberal”, the other, the other, “Mr. CA”, to accurately reflect their party identities. Your humble scribe turned to one and said: “Hi, Mr. Liberal. Has Mr. CA persuaded you […]
Catholic teachers help Habitat for Humanity in Ottawa
Catholic teachers in Ottawa have contributed $50,000 to the construction of the latest Habitat for Humanity build at 94 Melrose Avenue. And hundreds of volunteers helped, over eight days, to make the house a reality for Julio and Carmen Ortega and their three children. The $50,000 contribution was the result of two years of fund-raising by the […]
Comment: Which Church of God?
The headspace of this particular writer, you need to understand, includes a section for denominational trivia. At least “trivia” is the way some of my friends would describe it. But often, recognizing the trivia leads to an understanding of the issues. The now-famous but still anonymous seven children seized screaming and kicking from their parents in the […]
Trinity Western moves into Ottawa club
There is “something old” and “something new” in the latest move to let faith and politics interface in and around Parliament Hill. The “something old” is the century-old four-storey red brick mansion at 252 Metcalfe Street, heretofore known as the Laurentian Club. The “something new” is that the historic building, which began life as a […]