Canadian News & Views Roundup

- During Monday's question period, Denis Coderre referred to documents marked "secret" and used those to inform the house that the government knew about the allegations of abuse against 3 Afghans by Canadian soldiers in 2006 months before the suspicions were made public and did nothing. Will Coderre now get his wrist slapped for revealing information from "secret" documents? Stay tuned.

- The senate has has released a report about the lack of commitments by other NATO countries to strengthen the forces in Afghanistan suggesting, "Unless NATO countries send more troops and support to the region within 12 months, Ottawa should re-examine its long-term commitment to the mission".

"Afghanistan is only remotely connected to the modern world," it warns. "Anyone expecting to see the emergence in Afghanistan within the next several decades of a recognizable modern democracy capable of delivering justice and amenities to its people is dreaming in Technicolor."

Those "freedom is on the march" types like pretty colours (and flowers and candy).

- Scott takes a look at one of the big stories of the day: the Conservative government's stacking of committees charged with choosing judges with tory partisans which Dion referred to as furthering their "neoconservative agenda". Michael Ignatieff was quick to point out during question period that the Cons had broken yet another one of their election promises, that of making public appointments according to "merit-based, widely publicized, fairly conducted processes". Justice minister Rob Nicholson fought back with a quip about someone criticizing his appointment of an Alberta conservative by saying, "Hey, show me someone in Alberta that didn't support the Conservative party". Hello?? Does he think we're just all a bunch of kool-aid drinking sheeple here in Alberta? Obviously, we definitely are not. Wanker.

- How to buy Quebec votes: announce a $1.5 billion EcoTrust fund and give $350 million to Charest's government.

- Raymonde Falco (L-Laval- Les Iles) called Heritage minister Bev Oda "the most disappointing and useless minister that this country's ever had" today. Ouch. If looks could kill, Oda would have wiped out half of the members in the house.

- Loudmouth John Baird gets a smackdown from Al Gore:

Former U.S Vice-President Al Gore today released the following statement regarding Environment Minister John Baird’s recent misrepresentation of his comments concerning Canada’s climate change policy:

“I understand that last week Canada’s Minister of the Environment, Minister John Baird, mischaracterized comments I made last summer as praise for the Harper government’s actions on global warming.

The comments I made were designed to encourage the Harper government not to abandon Canada's tradition of fighting above its weight class on the world stage as part of the Kyoto process.

It is my experience that other nations do look to Canada for moral leadership. Canada’s position and actions on climate change matter a great deal. Nothing less than the future habitability of the planet is at stake.

I urge the Harper government to do the right thing.”

Canadian politics: not that boring after all!