Article on Dion Victory

Here is a short piece that I wrote for the NAFTA Investment Review. It is by no means thrilling, but I figure if someone saw fit to publish it, it might appeal to others.

Selection of Canada’s New Liberal Party Leader Likely to Focus Pressure on the Ruling Conservatives

Alyssa Tomkins

On December 2, Canada’s federal Liberal Party selected Stéphane Dion as its new leader. The choice is significant, given that every federal Liberal Party leader has become a Prime Minister of Canada, and the Liberals have formed the government of Canada for large majority period since the Great Depression. The Liberals lost power to the rival Conservative Party in early 2006.

The Conservatives currently rule with only a minority government, and it has been widely speculated that another election is likely to be called in 2007. Reports suggest that Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper favours calling an election in the spring, after introducing a budget that will serve as a campaign platform. While Mr. Dion and others pressed certain issues during the course of the long leadership campaign, the fact that the opposition Liberals can now focus again externally on all issues likely to be relevant in the next federal election will likely lead to increased attention to the policies of the ruling Conservatives.

A former Quebec academic and a cabinet minister in previous Liberal governments, Mr. Dion headed into the Liberal leadership convention as a fourth-ranked underdog candidate, but emerged with a majority of delegate votes by a small margin in the fourth and final round of voting.

Mr. Dion’s leadership platform adopted a so-called “Three Pillar” approach, which added environmental sustainability to the Liberal Party's traditional policies of economic growth and social justice. He has stated that the world is at the beginning of the next industrial revolution – a move to a sustainable economy, forced by galloping energy prices. Mr. Dion maintains that to be successful in the sustainable economy states must find ways to align the environmental and the economy.

The early impact on the business sector of Mr. Dion as leader of the opposition Liberals is not yet clear. However, it is thought that the Conservative government may be forced to respond with further regulatory measures in light of the Liberals’ new environmental focus. Given Canada’s resource-base, environmental policy can have significant effects on business decisions, especially Canada’s resource sectors. Indeed, perhaps as a timely pre-emptive response to the anticipated Liberal agenda under Mr. Dion, Prime Minister Harper recently announced one of world's most sweeping efforts to regulate harmful chemicals.

The extent to which Mr. Dion’s advocacy for the environment, including adherence to the Kyoto protocol, forces the Conservatives to respond will likely be determined by the polls. But, it is worth noting that in some opinion polls, the environment now tops health care as the top public concern in Canada. The Conservatives announced early in their tenure that they would reverse Canada’s position taken under a previous Liberal government as a signatory to the Kyoto protocol, and have proposed alternative clean-air legislation — legislation that has been criticised by many stakeholders as too weak.

On other fronts, it is reported that under Mr. Dion the Liberals may attempt to create a campaign issue out of the Conservative government’s announced plans to change the taxation of income trusts by proposing to extend the grace period beyond four years (see NAFTIR Issue l). In addition, Mr. Dion recently promised that a Liberal government would revive Canada’s Wheat Board if it is dismantled by the Conservative government. The Conservatives have promised to end the board's long-standing monopoly on Canada’s wheat and barley sales, preferring instead to make participation in the board voluntary.

Update

Clearly we have both been delinquent in updating this blog. As such, rather than regaling you with pithy comments about the world of late, I will simply provide a brief update of what is going on with us.

I am no longer a law student at Ottawa U, but am now a student-at-law (yes, the hyphens are apparently required) at the Ottawa office of Stikeman Elliott LLP. The Anonymous Lawyer book has sufficiently convinced me that this blog is not an appropriate forum in which to discuss my experiences at the firm (whether they be positive or negative). Nevertheless, I am open to discussing privately at any time so feel free to email.

James and I visited our friend Ming in Valencia, Spain for 10 days in September. In due course, we will post some pictures. Highlights of the trip included the beach, Ming's cooking, Spanish coffee and cafes, partying with the locals in Bacelona and (of course) shopping. Lowlights include missing our flight, fighting with KLM, Charles De Gaulle airport, taking the local bus from Madrid to Valencia and the Madrid subway in general. I will address missing our flight in more detail in a coming post.

Since then, we have pretty much stayed in Ottawa, save for the annual tag-ripping bonanza that is North Conway.

I do hope to begin updating this more frequently. I hope everyone else is well!

"I CAN WIN ANY ARGUMENT (Canadian Edition)"

Ever get in an argument with another Canadian? Here's how you can win every time.

Step 1: Get into an argument on any non-health care related issue.

Step 2: Ensure that the argument ventures into the financial costs of the project/program.

Step 3: BRING IN THE HEAVY ARTILLERY!

Example #1

Foe: "I think support for the Canadian film industry is important. The arts require government support to ensure that independent filmmakers are not necessarily bound by the major studios and are free to pursue potentially controversial subjects.

You: "Really? Well, it costs money to fund these independent filmmakers. Don't you think funding health care is important?"

Foe: "Well, yes, of course, but..."

You: "Do you think an independent film is worth the cost of SOMEONE'S LIFE? Say, your grandmother for example? Would you KILL your grandmother for an independent film?"

Foe: "That's not really the point..."

You: "So, basically, you're saying that you would MURDER your own grandmother in the name of independent filmmaking. Congratulations Albert Schweitzer."

Example #2

Foe: "I think it's important that our brave men and women in uniform are equipped properly so that they can carry out our nation's mandate overseas with respect to our foreign policy."

You: "Naturally, the military is important. But so is health-care."

Foe: "Right, but a government isn't only responsible for one area of activity. There are a variety of services that require government..."

You: "Really? So, you're saying that you would KILL your own CHILDREN to ensure that Corporal Canuck gets a new helmet? Is that what you're saying? Because health-care funding doesn't come from the sky. It's a zero-sum game pal."

Foe: "So, what, the government can't spend a cent on anything besides health care?"

You: "You're learning fast, my friend. CBC? Gone. Flags? Gone. New stamps? Gone. Health care, health care, health care. Because if you start giving out flags on Canada Day, you're prematurely ending the lives of numerous Canadian citizens."

New York, New York!

James and I spent 2 fantastic days in New York City last week celebrating both our second anniversary and me finishing the bar exams. This was my third trip to NY and James’s first. Hopefully he will provide his impressions as well (HINT!).

Food

I have never had a bad meal in New York and this trip was no exception. Surprisingly enough, we had a fabulous meal at an Italian restaurant just off Times Square that I was positive was a complete tourist trap. Not only was the food excellent, but the meal was entirely affordable.

Times Square

Our hotel was about a block and a half from Times Square in the Theatre district. Probably the neatest thing about Times Square is how bright it is at 1 in the morning. There are so many lights that there is this eery bright hue at all times. I have also never been there when there hasn’t been shoulder to shoulder people everywhere. The crowd is primarily tourists and I don’t envy New Yorkers who actually need to pass through the area en route to somewhere important.

Garbage

The entire Theatre district has piles of bags of garbage everywhere. Needless to say, this leads to pockets of very pungent smelling air. Fortunately we got out of town just as a heat wave was imminent. I can only imagine the stench as the decomposition process increases.

Nevertheless, I don't see the garbage problem as a deterrent to going to NY. Despite Central Park, one does not go to NY to breathe deeply and get in touch with nature. The hoards of people who make the city so exciting unfortunately produce waste.

Wall Street

Wall Street itself is actually relatively dull, being a very narrow street with little to see. This in itself is interesting in that I initially imagined it to be very wide and grand. The NYSE is a nice enough building, but the rest of them are pretty standard office buildings.

Wall Street Workers

Wall Street workers are universally identifiable by dress and attitude. With respect to dress, the men all wear shirts and ties and the women usually some type of skirt and top. We saw many more men than women though, consistent with what I had heard is a very favourable male to female ratio for women in NY. No doubt the more important types wear expensive suits, but apparently these are not the people you see walking on the street or riding the subway. They are more likely in the dark vehicles with tinted windows you see driving along the street.

The attitude is one of self-importance and impatience. One thing that struck me is how young they seem. I suppose that, much like the law, the burnout rate is high and the jobs are continually replenished by eager young people ready to take on the world / be pawns of the partners who are actually making the real money.

Noticing the Little Things...

I was in the lineup at the Pharmamart drug store in the basement of the Bay, at the Rideau Centre, when I caught myself chuckling at the sight of a lady paying for her purchases.

She paid with a fifty-dollar bill.

Good 'old 50: crisp, red, and emblazoned with that dominant figure in Canadian political history, the Right Honorable William Lyon Mackenzie King, whose intelligence, aptitude and penchant for political longevity was offset by his regular consultations with the spirits of his mother and dog, Pat, among others. In Canada, we like our politicians flawed, the more tragically human the better.

I realized in that instant that I actually hadn't seen a fifty-dollar bill in years. Once they were relatively commonplace, for those who had particularly generous relatives around birthday time.

But, with the prevalence of the electronic age and ATM banking, you just don't see that particular bill anymore.

One can infer the following:

The lady must be old. (and she was) Older people are distrustful of machines. They'd prefer to deal with a person. I know this, because when I actually have to conduct some banking via teller, which is rare enough, I see these people in line in front of me conducting the most basic of banking transactions.

Since you can't actually get $ 50 dollar bills from ATMs anymore, (20s only, with 10s if you're lucky), she'd undoubtedly walked to the bank as a part of her routine, withdrawing her money for shopping in the time-honored fashion.

One wonders how long it's viable to keep producing bills that have declined so significantly in circulation.

Step Away From the Ledge...

As is typical for Ottawa during playoff time, the Senators are out a few rounds too early and the public and media are salivating for a suitable virgin to sacrifice into the nearest volcano.

Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and rash acts will be avoided. When evaluating the result of this series, consider:

1. Buffalo is a good team.

The "David and Goliath" characterizations that typically accompany any Ottawa playoff series do not apply here. Buffalo managed to accumulate the same number of wins in the regular season, and were only 3 points shy of taking the division and conference titles away from the Sens. Considering that they had their #1 goalie in net, and that he was largely on form, it's not particularly surprising that two teams with relatively similar results, a similar style of play and similar amount of depth had a close series featuring 5 one-goal games and 3 OT wins.

2. There's plenty of blame to go around.

Ottawa's professional and amateur pundits spend hour after hour on the radio call-in shows debating who the culprit/scapegoat for this debacle is. The general impression around here is that there is some kind of key piece to the puzzle that one can withdraw in Jenga-like fashion in order to suddenly transform Ottawa into a Stanley Cup champion. That is simplistic, irrational and unrealistic.

Consider:

• Emery let in 7 goals in the opening game of this series. Has any Ottawa goalie EVER allowed that many goals in a game? Put another way, how many goalies manage to lose a game where his team manages to score 6? I guess he has to go.
• Alfredsson and Heatley combined for 93 goals in the regular season and scored 2 goals total in the series, both on the powerplay? Off with their heads!
• Havlat scored 6 goals in the first 5 games of the playoffs and scored 1 in the next 5? Here's your plane ticket, good riddance.
• Fisher, Schaefer, Vermette, Eaves, Neil and Smolinski all scored around 20 goals in the season but were virtual no-shows offensively throughout this series? I guess they've got to go.
• Chara and Redden may have singlehandedly lowered their own salaries through relatively inconsistent play which is a far cry from the Norris calibre performances we expect from them. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
• Meszaros and Volchenkov virtually lost Game 1 on their own, with some timely help of the aforementioned Emery. Welcome to the NHL. Now get the hell outta my town!
• Coach Murray's line combinations changed on a seemingly daily basis, that is, except for putting the best line in the NHL back together. That idea is ludicrous! Well, Murray, out you go.
• GM John Muckler decides that a 41-year old goalie with a history of injury problems will "probably be ok" and that picking up an overweight, underachieving centre like Tyler Arnason at the trade deadline makes good sense because he'll look good sitting in the press box watching the games. You are the weakest link: GOODBYE!

As is rapidly becoming obvious, no Ottawa player or executive is legitimately exempt from the blame for the performance in this series. And yet, just as easily, if Ottawa had managed to put 3 shots in OT past Buffalo's goaltender, we'd be discussing Ottawa's "dominant" 5-game victory over Buffalo. The series result does not accurately reflect how close this one really was.

3. This isn't the same Senators team.

The parakeets who repeat the adage that "This Ottawa team can't succeed in the playoffs" haven't been paying attention to what happened to the roster over the lockout since the 2003-2004 season.

Ottawa had an entire slew of NHL rookies in the lineup which were to be relied upon this post-season: Emery, Eaves, Kelly, Schubert, Meszaros have never played in the NHL regularly before this season. Heatley has never played in the playoffs, and guys like Spezza, Volchenkov and Vermette have had extremely limited exposure.

Sometimes playoff lessons have to be learned all over again when you go out there with an entirely new team. Ottawa was the 2nd youngest team in the playoffs this year and at times during this series, that inexperience clearly showed.

Could Be Worse

When all is said and done, it could have been a lot worse. This Ottawa team faced more adversity this season than any other roster in a long time. Injuries were rampant throughout much of the year. People who expect the team to magically gel again after having a massively rotated line-up (including having our top 4 defencemen out at the same time) are kidding themselves. Meanwhile, in this "Stanley Cup or bust" town, our future Hall-of-Famer goaltender left the reins of the team to a kid.

We still managed to win the Conference, win a round of the playoffs and avoid a sweep.

Maybe if we didn't have such massive expectations, our players could go out and try to actually win a few games instead of hoping desperately not to lose.

Sens in 7?

OK, obviously it is well known that James and I are both pretty die hard Sens fans. And I certainly don't want to be one of those fans who disappears into the ether when times are tough. So I still support the team, undoubtedly mistakes have been made:

1. Not reuniting the CASH line sooner. The Sens struggled five on five v. Tampa, but got away with it based on Havalt's stellar play, a decent power play and incredibly shoddy TB goaltending. Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley should have been reunited during that round, for more than a shift or two, and kept together during the Buffalo series. You live and die by your best players and when you have one of the best lines in the league, you PLAY THEM TOGETHER!

2. Playing Emery 23 games in a row of whatever it was post-Olympic break. I will be frank. I blama the team's lack of confidence in Emery for their poor performance in this series. WHile part of that is Emery's fault, I put a larger share of the blame on Murray. I have never heard of a team playing a goaltender 23 straight games during the most compact schedule in NHL history. Emery tweaked his hip towards the end and was eventually sat in favour of Morris. Since he returned he has not been the same as he was in March. His play in March was never as good as the stats indicated but he did occasionalyl come up with what John Tortorella would call "one goddamn save". And by that, I mean one save that was unexpected. One quality 2 on 1 save, a breakaway save, something.

3. Burning out Mez. I understand that the Sens injury situation was quite dire. But the problem with European rookies is well-known: they burn out. Even though Mez played WHL last year, he still did not play at anything close to the intensity of the NHL. He is burnt out and I cannot blame for him his admittedly shoddy play.

That's all I have time for now, but maybe James can add some more. Hope Hasek plays tonight and we shall see. I have not given up!