Federal study suggests relocating EI recipients

A new study from the Human Resources Department suggests Ottawa is looking at ways to get people receiving employment insurance to move to other regions with more jobs. MORE...

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Hard times for the Artful Dodger L. Martin: Is John Baird, the government’s dean of damage control, the team’s most artful dodger, running out of tricks? Is the Eddy Haskell (“Leave it to Beaver” fame) of Canadian politics losing his way? “That’s a lovely dress you’re wearing, Mrs. Cleaver,” Eddie used to say. Just like J.B., he was an ingratiator non-pareil.

Thomas Mulcair disease: Canada’s would-be PM slips on the oilsands Goldstein: Prime-minister-in-waiting Thomas Mulcair is sounding downright paranoid in defending his theory the oilsands are inflating the Canadian dollar and hollowing out the country’s manufacturing sector. Never mind that Jason Myers, president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association, disagreed with this argument...

Mulcair takes page out of 1980s' Grits playbook Gunter: Remember the 1980 federal election? It pushed out the short-lived Joe Clark government and ushered in yet another Liberal majority under Pierre Trudeau — a majority that gave us the National Energy Program, among other treats. The Grit campaign that year was run by Keith Davey, Trudeau’s crafty, longtime strategist.

Politicians pull country apart StarPhoenix: The continual and growing dispute among the premiers and the two major federal parties over whether the country has come down with a bout of the dreaded "Dutch disease" is the greatest threat to Canada's continued prosperity. A report released this week by the Montreal-based Institute for Research...

NDP making inroads among traditional Conservative demographics Anderson: Chances are I’ll be watching Grey’s Anatomy tonight. Truth be told, I watch it a fair bit. What’s a guy to do? After a long week and a seemingly longer battle to get the kids to bed, it’s not a good idea to try to wrest the remote from my wife’s hands. So Thursday nights, I hang out with McDreamy. Sigh.

Thrill is gone in Canadian marriage Duhaime: Are English Canadians on the verge of kicking Quebec out of the Confederation? The person responsible for the National Post opinion editorial must have been flabbergasted at readers’ responses to this issue in the last few days. More than 60% of the paper’s respondents said it was time to let Quebec go.

EI urgently needs reform — but is reform what we're going to get? Coyne: It is called employment insurance for a reason. Well, the employment part is a little hard to figure out. It used to be called unemployment insurance, meaning it insured you against unemployment. But at some point under the Liberals (you remember them) the name was changed to employment insurance.

Jim Flaherty calls a family meeting Selley: The government plans, maybe, to toughen the criteria under which Employment Insurance recipients can decline work — for example, work that offers less money than one is used to or unsuitable working conditions, or that is not in one’s field — and keep claiming benefits. “I was brought up in a certain way,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty...

Bad Liberal habits amplified by Tories Fingas: Since they took power in 2006, Stephen Harper's Conservatives have made a habit of turning their list of grievances against the Liberals into an operating manual. In opposition, they decried the centralization of power in the Prime Minister's Office. But since assuming power, they've taken that philosophy to unprecedented...

New Tory laws set for collision course with the courts Mulgrew: Juges across the country concerned over mandatory minimum sentencing provisions. The courts are on a collision course with the federal government over its belief in minimum mandatory sentences that provide judges with no discretion. A Victoria Provincial Court judge on Monday became the latest jurist to bristle...

Quebec’s streets not unique in staging discontent Hébert: Is the Quebec’s spring of discontent just the latest manifestation of a distinctive micro-climate or is it the harbinger of an angry Canadian season? As the confrontation between premier Jean Charest and the Quebec student movement continues to spiral out of control, the tentative answer is a little of both.

Doctor-bashing’s not the cure for health-care costs Wente: Here in Ontario, the government has gone to war against the doctors again. This happens every time we are in the hole and the government has to rein in health care costs. The Health Minister goes on the radio to explain, more in sorrow than in anger, that the doctors’ demands are completely selfish and unreasonable.

The politics of generating power — and winning it Cohn: Provincial politicians run the energy sector the way thrill-seekers tackle Niagara Falls — by defying the laws of physics and going over the cliff. At least Nik Wallenda, the daredevil now training to walk over Niagara Falls next month, knows how to harness the peril. His family secret: walk the walk and be sure not to stumble.

Redford fumbles the oil sands file Mason: When Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives defeated the upstart Wildrose Party in the province’s recent election, there was a shuddering relief in the environmental community. During the campaign, Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith questioned the science of climate change. She was critical of the provincial...

29,600 PS jobs to be cut by 2015: economist Tally includes 10,400 full-time positions lost in previous budgets. Federal departments are girded to lose more than 10,000 jobs over the next three years before they swallow the $5.2-billion spending reductions announced in the federal budget that will wipe out another 19,200 jobs in the same period.

Infighting plagues military watchdog The office of Canada’s military Ombudsman has become dysfunctional, with an employee turnover rate of 50 per cent, complaints about sexist and off-colour jokes, and some investigations into issues affecting soldiers dragging on for years, say former and current staff.

B.C. NDP banks on Brian to put them over the Topp Brian Topp, the NDP power broker who came second in the party’s recent national leadership race, will manage the B.C. NDP’s provincial election campaign in 2013.

RCMP conducted five-month national security probe into leaked F-35 story The Harper government called in the RCMP to investigate a politically embarrassing story involving the decision to sole-source the purchase of the F-35 stealth fighter, claiming it was a breach of national security, The Canadian Press has learned.

Tories should look at alternatives to F-35s after U.S. subcommittee recommends cutting $528-million from its own purchase, say MPs

Tories seek to have robocalls challenge thrown out of court McGregor / Maher: The Conservative Party will ask the Federal Court to throw out a citizen advocacy group’s legal challenge that claims misleading telephone calls in the last election affected the results in seven ridings.

Western premiers call out Thomas Mulcair for ‘divisive’ comments on oil sands Western premiers launched a counter-attack on federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair on Wednesday, saying his comments about the country’s resource sector were divisive, inaccurate and economically facile.

Oilsands profits inflated, Mulcair charges NDP leader on defensive after fellow politicians, including B.C.'s Kevin Falcon, go on the attack

Western premiers fume as Mulcair sticks to ‘Dutch disease’ guns

Heritage minister blasts Science and Tech museum sexhibit A museum sex exhibit designed to educate younger teenagers is so hot that it’s drawn an attack from its own federal minister

Opposition wants answers on Chinese firm's telecom deals The opposition is demanding to know what steps have been taken to address security concerns over foreign companies operating in Canada's telecommunications industry, in the wake of a CBC News report about a Chinese firm's contracts in Canada.

Budget cuts losing Canada friends and allies around the world: academics Thousands of academics teaching students about Canada all around the world have been cut loose and left to fend for themselves following the federal government's decision to slash millions of dollars in funding for their work.

Hypocritical UN council sends envoy on Kafka-esque Canadian visit Ivison: Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, came to Canada at the behest of the various despots and potentates who make up the UN Human Rights Council, in order to point out what he called “unacceptable” rates of food insecurity in this country.

5 Wing promises off the radar, MacKay response confirms In a recent written response to questions tabled in Parliament, Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s answers reveal that 2006 federal Conservative promises for 5 Wing Goose Bay are no longer part of the military’s plans.

Environment panel never pushed carbon tax, president says The head of a federal advisory group on the environment says his group never suggested that the federal government adopt a carbon tax.

Retailers brace for more cross-border shopping pain Canadians are spending far more on goods in the U.S. than federal data suggest, raising the stakes for domestic retailers trying to find ways to draw customers back into their stores.

Soft drink industry fights back As soft drink sales fizzle amid growing concerns about rising obesity rates, the fiercely competitive industry has banded together to strike back.

Ottawa to auction exploration rights in massive area in the North Ottawa has placed 905,000 hectares of the northern offshore up for bids, clearing the way for energy companies to snap up exploration rights for an area half the size of Lake Ontario.

Ornge key legal adviser introduced Mazza to McGuinty Ornge chief executive officer Chris Mazza was keen to share his vision for creating a world-class medical transport business with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, and he got his first chance at an exclusive fundraising reception back in 2007.

Ontario electronics recycler chose price over performance, critics say The body that oversees electronics recycling in Ontario is being accused of selling out environmental standards to save money.