While most agree that their value “will be in the pudding”,  there’s no question that anytime you give MPs access to a Minister there’s going to be an impact.

Anyone’s who’s spent time in the government lobby around question period knows that a Minister is never very far from an MP’s ear. But now, the feedback will be more organized –especially around government legislation and submissions to cabinet. The committees of six MPs and three Senators will have input into newly tabled legislation with a dedicated page in the minister’s submission to cabinet.

Stakeholders can be forgiven for tiring of yet another committee – but with a formalized role in the late stage of the policy process, Advisory Committees cannot be ignored. Businesses can rest assured however, that the Advisory Committees will be void of the partisan rhetoric and dramatic flair that normally accompany the House and Senate committees that serve as platforms for subject specific policy debate – they’re private and are comprised only of Conservatives.

The good news for stakeholders is that the Advisory Committees are made up primarily of the MPs and Senators on the relevant House and Senate committees – those likely already in their normal contact plans. Chaired by the Ministers’ Parliamentary Secretaries, the Advisory Committees are significant as they provide a window into legislation before it is tabled.

Astute participants know that in today’s hyper partisan minority environment occupied with competing priorities, helping government understand the impacts of legislation is more important than ever. Adding an additional avenue via MPs and Senators on the Advisory Committees is one more opportunity for outreach on top of the normal bureaucratic and political routes used for upcoming legislation.

Elected members, for all their talents, share a common ability to advocate. In fact, they don’t arrive on the Hill unless they’ve advocated so well that tens of thousands of their closest ideological friends marked an x on a ballot. It’s why they’re here, and MPs are constantly engaged in advocating on behalf of their constituents with government officials, their elected colleagues, and cabinet ministers.

Let’s see how their new window into the legislative process works out…

In no particular order, here are my favorite books I’d recommend:

1) What It Takes, Richard Ben Cramer

This book chronicles the experiences of the Republican and Democratic candidates who were vying for the Presidency in 1988. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the daily grind of a national campaign and the unique candidate personalities of George Bush, Bob Dole, Michael Dukakis, Gary Hart, Richard Gephardt and current American Vice President Joe Biden.

2) Hardball, Chris Matthews

Matthews was a former Senate aide, presidential speech writer and assistant to Tip O’Neill.  His book is often referred to as a contemporary version of Machiavelli’s the Prince. It is considered by many as a must have field guide for survival in the modern day world of politics.

3) Harper’s Team: Behind the Scenes in the Conservative Rise to Power, Tom Flanagan

Tom Flanagan served as one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s top strategists for many years. He was instrumental in the Conservatives Rise to Power (hence the title of his book). Flanagan’s book paints a portrait of a young Stephen Harper and his evolution to a ‘giant killer’ that put an end to thirteen years of Liberal Party reign.

4) The Revolution will not be Televised, Joe Trippi

Joe Trippi was Howard Dean’s Presidential Campaign Manager and can largely take credit for the integration of social media into mainstream politics. Howard Dean’s campaign is infamously remembered for this incident:

But, Trippi’s book takes you much deeper and gives you a perspective on a people’s movement in politics that was bigger than the candidate and campaign ever imagined was possible.

5) The Big Red Machine: How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics, Stephen Clarkson

The title is a little behind the times eh? Well give some credit to its author Stephen Clarkson. When he published the book in October 2005 the Liberals were still in power, the Conservatives were still divided and nobody knew who Justice John Gomery was. Clarkson’s book is a detailed account of the nine electoral contests from 1974 – 2004 and is certainly a must read for anyone who is interested in the last three decades of Canadian politics.

6) The Dark Side, Steve Paikin

Paikin who is currently the host of The Agenda on TVO has authored three books about Canadian politics; my personal favorite is the Dark Side. Paikin’s book takes a no-holds-barred approach to looking at the potential pitfalls of a public life. A great read for anyone who is considering running for public office or for anyone who thinks politicians lead a life without worry.

7) W.A.C. Bennett, The Rise of British Columbia (BC), David J. Mitchell

Mitchell’s book is a biography of BC’s most famous Premier. This is required reading for anyone who is trying to understand the complex world of BC politics. The book covers many of the major developments that helped shaped the province throughout Bennett’s lengthy political career. It also covers the years after his death, the destruction of the Social Credit Party and the emergence of the BC Liberals.

The sites listed below are essential reads for me every day and can be valuable tools for anyone tracking federal political coverage. 

1. National Newswatch – National Newswatch is the absolute ‘must read’ site for political players in Ottawa.  This news aggregator site lists the top stories making news on a daily basis while also linking to the primary columnists with each of the major news organizations to provide a good picture of the news terrain.  As an issue heats up over the course of a day, National Newswatch will almost always be the first site with links to the relevant news stories – providing varied voices on the event so the reader can see the different points of view providing coverage. 
2. Pundits Guide to Canadian Federal Elections– Pundits Guide provides some of the best analysis and information on election readiness and election results for each of the federal parties.  Not only does the site cover nominated candidates but it also provides analysis on the financial health of each of the federal parties as they report their quarterly and annual fundraising numbers.  Pundits Guide understands the nuances of Election Canada rules better than almost anyone on the web and has become a must visit site for anyone hoping to track election readiness.
3. Inkless Wells – Paul Wells has been one of the best political reads in Ottawa for over a decade – even while he was transferred to cover events in Europe for a short time.  While his weekly column for MacLean’s continues to be the reason why many of us read MacLean’s, his blog musings on ‘Inkless Wells’ provide intelligent, well researched looks at the issues of the day.  He is unafraid to call politicians out when they are underperforming – witness his reporting on Stéphane Dion’s leadership – or report on  less covered national pieces with zeal – like his coverage of the ‘Rights and Democracy’ standoff.  Part of what makes Paul Wells a must read is he understands all aspects of politics – both in terms of strategy to policy development – and this makes his insight especially pertinent to political audiences.
4. David Akin – David Akin, now with Sun Media, has been one of the best examples of a journalist using social media to both find stories and promote stories he is covering.  Like Wells, Akin is more than willing to delve into research and data to prove or disprove an argument being made by a federal politician.  He is not afraid to ask the tough question at a news conference or call a politician to task when they aren’t well prepared on a specific issue.
5. Public Eye Online – while BC based Public Eye Online does not look at national stories in the same way Ottawa based journalists do on issues, it is able to provide excellent coverage and analysis of both federal and provincial politics in BC.  Like Pundits Guide, Public Eye Online provides strong analysis on election readiness at both the riding and regional levels.  I began reading the website during a leadership campaign for its unique insight and analysis it provided of the campaign in BC but have continued reading it because it provides analysis of BC issues in a way that is hard to find anywhere else.

To me, my day would not be complete without paying a visit to each of these websites or blogs on a daily basis.  Their combined strength keeps me on top of federal political issues so that I have the information I need to provide my own analysis to our clients.

Today’s news conference on the Hill  that saw Stockwell Day sparring with reporters who eventually accused him of “not making any sense” on crime data and the census, is telling. Has the Ottawa press gallery finally turned on the government?

The Harper government should take solace in the fact that it happens to all governments eventually- some sooner than others. And five and half years is a respectable honeymoon by any measure.

But once it does, it’s so hard to right the ship.

I had the honor of working on Mr. Chretien’s tour in the 2000 election when the media turned on then reform party leader Stockwell Day. Whether it was man mingling with dinosaurs, the water flowing the wrong way (sorry Tim), or announcing his tough on crime platform the day Stats Can put out the quarterly crime stats showing a 20 year low-Day just couldn’t do anything right in the eyes of the media.

The shoe was on the other foot in the 2005 election for the Liberals when the gallery just grew tired of all Paul Martin’s fundamental priorites and started to paint him as a spent force.

The 5th estate are still a powerful influence in Canadian politics, despite the proliferation of voices via digital media. And when they feel you’re trying to dupe them, man, they will turn on you in a heartbeat.

I think Mr. Day felt that this afternoon. It will be interesting to see if this is a trend or a one-day wonder.

Because this much is true: for all the talk about strategy, fundraising and war-rooms;  having the media gunning for you  is way more of a threat.  Like Napoleon in Russia, you can’t win fighting a war on two fronts.

Bush Sr. lost his shot at a second term as President of the United States in large part because Bill Clinton’s campaign manager James Carville (the Ragin’ Cajun) uttered those immortal (in political circles) words at the right time to the right reporter. The rest was basically history. Now the line gets hauled out every time a marginal political issue somehow captures mainstream media or “inside the Beltway” types. So much so that it has essentially become a cliche. As loathe as I am to trot out tired old political cliches, lately I have been dying to climb to the highest point in the Gatineau hills overlooking the Parliament buildings and shout it until I am hoarse.

Why? The Census.

For Pete’s sake, is this what it has really come to? Optional versus mandatory long form census for a portion of the Canadian public and the reliability of results under said proposal? This is some sort of grand scheme to undermine our democracy? Will political careers, party leaders or governments, rise or fall over this issue? Are Canadians seized by the issue each night as they sit around the kitchen table? At least to the same extent so many social media commentators seem to be? Headlines shout “Conservatives face Census furor.” Really? I have been doing my damndest trying to locate that furor here in our humble little Hogtown, to no avail. Every single person I have asked about this issue (granted, these are people who don’t work in media, public affairs, communications or government) have in the following order: a) asked me what the hell I am talking about; b) asked me to explain it; and c) asked me, again, what the hell I am talking about.

The biggest issue facing Canadians is still the economy. I am sorry. General Motors is gone from Windsor after almost a century running an assembly line. Gone. Ask those auto workers and their families about the “Census furor.” Ask business leaders who are trying to plan into 2011 amid a shaky European Union economy, poor U.S. job numbers, plummeting U.S. orders for durable goods and threats of a double dip recession. Ask public sector workers being asked to take a wage freeze. Ask dozens of major hospitals facing big budget deficits.

Some folks engaged in the “Census furor” have trotted out a Canadian political catchphrase: “There’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” But I prefer another Pierre Trudeau saying when it comes to this whole uproar: “Fuddle duddle.”

As I listen to all the hubbub about the census long form, I can’t stop wondering why we even have a census. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not questioning the need for knowing how many people do in fact inhabit this country of ours, and where they live precisely, and how much money they make, and how many cars they own, and how many bathrooms they maintain in their homes. All these are wonderfully important things to know for a sheer endless number of reasons.

No, what I don’t understand why we need a census to know all this?

Think about it:

Every time you interact with any level of government somewhere in this country, you have to produce some form of photo ID, each of which is linked with each other directly or indirectly, and all of which can be traced back to your SIN, which is given to you practically at birth.

Every single transaction you have with governments at any level is stored on some database on some computer somewhere, and each of these computers is somehow linked to the internet one way or the other.

All these databases maintained by all the different levels of government out there are keeping track of all of our lives on almost a daily basis. Some of us may find that scary and disconcerting, but it is a reality. Even the fact that you right now are reading this blog post is recorded in some database somewhere.

So, why do we need a census?

If we lived in, say, ancient Egypt or Babylonia five thousand years ago, I would understand why we needed census. The fellahin along the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates didn’t have social insurance numbers, photo id’s and microchip readers. In such a world it would make complete sense to employ a small army of scribes armed with papyrus rolls and clay tablets to count the people and tabulate their possessions.

Even twenty years ago, back when 3 ½ inch floppy disks were considered the bee’s knee, and connecting over an acoustic coupler at 300bauds was a mind-blowing experience in global connectivity and speed, it made sense to employ thousands upon thousands of census takers to collect whatever governments needed to know.

But in 2011? Please. Why do we still bother?

Why doesn’t anybody with anything to say on this matter call the whole thing off and instead find a way to connect all those multiple databases with each other and call up the correct data when it is needed?

Instead of relying on data that’s updated every five years, we could have data that’s updated pretty much every day – or at least once a year, in the case of income data from the CRA. And instead of relying on statistical estimates from a mere 20,000 data sets (the Long Form), we would have accurate information down to the last Canadian and legal immigrant with an SIN anywhere in Canada.

Yes, going from house to house and filling out questionnaires has worked well for five thousand years. But so have have horse-drawn buggies.

Let’s get rid of the Census and bring this country into the Information Age – once and for all.

For those attending the Calgary Liberal Leadership Convention, delegates  were welcomed by a full page ad in the Calgary Herald welcoming them to the city but also advising that a new political player was on the scene and that this player, the Reform Party, intended on bringing a new populist Conservative perspective to Canadian politics.

As delegates deliberated and chose Jean Chrétien to lead them, they could not foresee the events that were coming in the not too distant future.   In looking back at the events of June 1990, we can also look back with hindsight on the events that have occurred since 1990 that have helped to transform Canadian politics – the referendum on the Charlottetown Accord and its defeat, Chretien majorities in 93, 97 and 2000, the rise of both the Bloc and Reform Parties which caused the decimation of the Progressive Conservatives, the far too close 1995 Referendum in Quebec,, the Canadian economy going from record deficits to surplus under the leadership of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin,  the 9-11 attacks and the need to concentrate on security and anti-terrorism measures as well as Canada’s participation in the Afghan engagement, the coronation of Paul Martin in 2003 and his minority government in 2004 after the unification of Canada’s Conservative Parties which helped create the conditions by which Stephen Harper was elected Prime Minister in 2006. – are just a few examples of momentous events that have occurred since the Calgary Liberal convention and the death of Meech

No one sitting on the floor of Calgary’s Saddledome could have predicted the totality of events that would occur over the next two decades but that week many of the wheels would begin turning to bring us the Canada we have today.

In looking at the past 20 years and their unpredictability, we see that government cannot foresee the future but with good management, good advice they can prepare themselves for a myriad of possibilities on many different fronts.    

So, as we look forward to the next 20 years we do not know precisely what events will occur – whether they be  continued minority governments, mergers or coalitions on the left and right, continued debate about the role of the federal government –  we can only hope our political leaders are able to face them and make decisions to the benefit of Canadians. 

As Members of Parliament return to their ridings they will have an election in mind as they begin meeting with constituents.  While many see the summer recess as synonymous with summer vacation for our elected representatives, for most it offers them the opportunity to reconnect with constituents and ensure they understand how they feel about issues coming before Parliament.  Members will not only be conducting meetings in their offices but will also be meeting with constituents at less formal gatherings around the riding and on the bar-b-que circuit.

During a summer immediately before a likely writ, Members also spend time looking over their shoulders at what their primary opponents are doing. It is essential in these circumstances for Members to know what key groups of constituents/voters are thinking to ensure they are not off side with public opinion as a vote nears.

For those groups within a riding that have issues to raise – whether it be the local Chamber of Commerce or local Federation of Agriculture – now is an excellent time to ensure your issue is on the Member of Parliament’s agenda.  It is also wise; to make the time to meet with any identified nominated candidates for the other contenders in the riding.  In doing this, groups can ensure all candidates understand the important issues being faced by specific groups.

I firmly believe that Members of Parliament work tirelessly to ensure their constituents benefit from government policy every day.  They are, however, also motivated to get themselves re-elected and it is wise to use this motivation to ensure your views are heard.

Over the next few months we will see speculation of an election increase as well as talk of mergers and coalitions.  My suggestion for those with issues to bring before government is to use this time to ensure your Member of Parliament and local candidates understand your issue before an election takes place.

A cursory stroll through their election platform shows that an NDP-led government will do a whole lotta investing. This includes, but is not limited to, new energy solutions, affordable housing, education and training for workers and young people, more doctors and nurses, cheaper prescription drugs, home care, community centres and recreational facilities, income stabilization programs for farmers, higher safety standards for all forms of transportation, habitat protection and salmon enhancement, the forestry sector, post-secondary institutions, Icebreakers for the Canadian Arctic, Canada’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (a threefold increase no less), a pan-Canadian broadband strategy and so on……

From the looks of these points and the rest of the profligate platform, the NDP-led government is going to be a benefit bonanza.  

How are these exuberant fiscal pledges going to be achieved you ask. No problem – Prime Minister Layton has a two-point plan:

1. Raise taxes on corporations
2. Stop the gouging of consumers by Canadian companies (who sets the criteria for distinguishing between profit and gouging is TBD)

With all these goodies at stake, here’s to hoping the Liberal-NDP coalition led by Mr. Layton get’s a kick at the can.

Here are but a few points of reflection – in numbers – from the Fall and Spring sessions.

Feel free to add your own.

$155: the amount motorists will be fined should they be caught driving while speaking on their cell phone.

106: the number of deaths attributed to H1N1 in Ontario between April and December 2009, with millions of Ontarians vaccinated in the Fall.

#1: the standing in North America that Al Gore granted Ontario’s green energy plans.

2015: the arrival of the Pan American Games in Toronto and surrounding regions.

500,000: the number of amendments delivered by the Ontario PCs in an attempt to delay the passage of the harmonized sales tax.

$7 billion: the size of the Ontario government’s investment with Samsung that is expected to bring four manufacturing plants and 16,000 jobs to the province.

96 hours: the length of time Queen’s Park was prorogued in February.

3: the number of Ontario by-elections so far in 2010, which saw former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray replace Toronto mayor-hopeful George Smitherman, former Ottawa Mayor replace former-former Ottawa Mayor (and Minister) Jim Watson, and former county CAO Steve Clark replace former interim PC leader Bob Runciman.

$21.3 billion over 7: the projected deficit for 2010/2011 and the projected number of years for paying it off.

10: the number of new ideas Tim Hudak and the Ontario PCs announced for 2010.

$300: the amount the average Ontarian’s annual energy bill is expected to rise by the end of 2011.

7: the number of Shoppers Drug Mart stores that shut down in London in protest against changes to curb the cost of drugs.

One full day: what many four and five year olds may soon enjoy for their early education.

10: the number of years Liberal policy-makers were asked to imagine in the future at the party’s Collingwood Conference.

$4.49: the cost of one of the controversially expensed items (Degree deodorant) by Ontario Ombudsman, André Marin.

13%:  a figure Ontarians will see a lot more of when the harmonized sales tax is introduced on July 1.

No doubt there will be more issues and numbers to report on with the return of the legislature again in September.  Will the Premier be able to shake the “nanny-state” label that is continually pressed upon him?  Will the Leader of the Opposition be able to counter criticism that he is lacking on the ideas-front?  Can the legislature’s third party leader find the issue that will elevate her party from one of protest to contender?

Stay tuned for another exciting season.  And until then, start revving up those barbecues!