Vancouver Information and Newspaper

OTTAWA – Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government has survived its first confidence test of the new session of Parliament.

The House of Commons voted 214-84 on Tuesday to reject a Bloc Quebecois amendment to the federal budget.

That amendment would have forced the government to stop tax benefits to the oil industry and use the money to compensate Quebec for the Harmonized Sales Tax and improve EI benefits, among other things.

Only the Bloc and NDP supported the proposed change.

Earlier, the House overwhelmingly voted down an NDP sub-amendment that included eliminating tax benefits to all big corporations and protecting pensions. Only the NDP supported that change.

The Liberals, who are not pushing for a spring election, didn’t bother to introduce an amendment of their own.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has said Canadians don’t want an election and he won’t force one until they do.

A new poll suggests the Conservatives hold a slight lead over the Liberals after weeks of deadlock.

The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey put Conservative support at 33 per cent and the Liberals at 29. The NDP was well back at 16.

The results are a turnaround for the Tories who saw their support drop sharply after Harper’s controversial decision to prorogue Parliament in late December. The move delayed the return of Parliament by six weeks as the government faced tough questions over the Afghan detainee controversy.

Harris-Decima’s Allan Gregg says the national Tory uptick in the poll can be attributed almost completely to British Columbia, where voter volatility remains high.

The poll surveyed 2,936 people by telephone from Feb. 25 to March 7, a sample size that provides a national margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points, 19 times in 20.

OTTAWA – Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government has survived its first confidence test of the new session of Parliament.

The House of Commons voted 214-84 on Tuesday to reject a Bloc Quebecois amendment to the federal budget.

That amendment would have forced the government to stop tax benefits to the oil industry and use the money to compensate Quebec for the Harmonized Sales Tax and improve EI benefits, among other things.

Only the Bloc and NDP supported the proposed change.

Earlier, the House overwhelmingly voted down an NDP sub-amendment that included eliminating tax benefits to all big corporations and protecting pensions. Only the NDP supported that change.

The Liberals, who are not pushing for a spring election, didn’t bother to introduce an amendment of their own.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has said Canadians don’t want an election and he won’t force one until they do.

A new poll suggests the Conservatives hold a slight lead over the Liberals after weeks of deadlock.

The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey put Conservative support at 33 per cent and the Liberals at 29. The NDP was well back at 16.

The results are a turnaround for the Tories who saw their support drop sharply after Harper’s controversial decision to prorogue Parliament in late December. The move delayed the return of Parliament by six weeks as the government faced tough questions over the Afghan detainee controversy.

Harris-Decima’s Allan Gregg says the national Tory uptick in the poll can be attributed almost completely to British Columbia, where voter volatility remains high.

The poll surveyed 2,936 people by telephone from Feb. 25 to March 7, a sample size that provides a national margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points, 19 times in 20.

OTTAWA – The Conservatives have passed up a chance to seize control of a key Senate committee that they regularly attack for stalling or watering down government bills.

Now that the Tories hold more seats in the upper chamber than the Liberals, they can reconfigure committees to reflect their new power.

But instead of taking the chair of the legal and constitutional affairs committee, which has been examining hot-button crime bills, they left that job to Liberal Senator Joan Fraser.

They will take over the reins of the high-profile public security and national defence committee, however, as well as the internal economy committee, which controls the resources of the Senate. The Tories now hold eight chair positions, and the Liberals seven.

A spokesman for Conservative Senate Leader Marjorie LeBreton declined to comment on the decision not to pursue the legal and constitutional affairs committee.

“Obviously the Conservatives will have a majority of members on the committee,” said Chris Montgomery.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has attacked Liberals on the committee for stalling and sabotaging bills that had already been passed in the House of Commons. Most recently, the committee ran up afoul of the government over mandatory minimum sentences for pot growers.

But Fraser, a former newspaper editor, is well regarded by both Liberals and Conservatives despite the public bluster. She speaks infrequently to the media, and maintains a businesslike tone at the committee.

The Conservatives – and it seems some Liberals – were not as enamoured with the previous chairman of the public security and national defence committee.

Colin Kenny’s high-profile attacks on both Liberal and Conservative military policy over the last 10 years made him one of the best known senators in Canada. Most recently, he accompanied Transport Minister John Baird into secure areas of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to point out security gaps.

Kenny is no longer even a member of the committee, and has been replaced in the chair’s role by Conservative Pamela Wallin. Liberal Senator Romeo Dallaire will be the vice-chair.

Kenny said in an interview that Liberal Senate Leader James Cowan had offered him a spot on the committee, but with “conditions” he could not accept. He did not elaborate.

He said he was proud of the work the committee had accomplished.

“I quite enjoyed it and we had a terrific staff and it wasn’t until last year when Wallin arrived that it became a pain in the ass,” Kenny said of his Conservative rival.

Cowan said Kenny had done a great job, but that the time had come for a change.

“Every team needs to be changed once in a while,” said Cowan. “We can’t simply have the same people fill the same roles year after year.”

OTTAWA – The Conservatives have passed up a chance to seize control of a key Senate committee that they regularly attack for stalling or watering down government bills.

Now that the Tories hold more seats in the upper chamber than the Liberals, they can reconfigure committees to reflect their new power.

But instead of taking the chair of the legal and constitutional affairs committee, which has been examining hot-button crime bills, they left that job to Liberal Senator Joan Fraser.

They will take over the reins of the high-profile public security and national defence committee, however, as well as the internal economy committee, which controls the resources of the Senate. The Tories now hold eight chair positions, and the Liberals seven.

A spokesman for Conservative Senate Leader Marjorie LeBreton declined to comment on the decision not to pursue the legal and constitutional affairs committee.

“Obviously the Conservatives will have a majority of members on the committee,” said Chris Montgomery.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has attacked Liberals on the committee for stalling and sabotaging bills that had already been passed in the House of Commons. Most recently, the committee ran up afoul of the government over mandatory minimum sentences for pot growers.

But Fraser, a former newspaper editor, is well regarded by both Liberals and Conservatives despite the public bluster. She speaks infrequently to the media, and maintains a businesslike tone at the committee.

The Conservatives – and it seems some Liberals – were not as enamoured with the previous chairman of the public security and national defence committee.

Colin Kenny’s high-profile attacks on both Liberal and Conservative military policy over the last 10 years made him one of the best known senators in Canada. Most recently, he accompanied Transport Minister John Baird into secure areas of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to point out security gaps.

Kenny is no longer even a member of the committee, and has been replaced in the chair’s role by Conservative Pamela Wallin. Liberal Senator Romeo Dallaire will be the vice-chair.

Kenny said in an interview that Liberal Senate Leader James Cowan had offered him a spot on the committee, but with “conditions” he could not accept. He did not elaborate.

He said he was proud of the work the committee had accomplished.

“I quite enjoyed it and we had a terrific staff and it wasn’t until last year when Wallin arrived that it became a pain in the ass,” Kenny said of his Conservative rival.

Cowan said Kenny had done a great job, but that the time had come for a change.

“Every team needs to be changed once in a while,” said Cowan. “We can’t simply have the same people fill the same roles year after year.”

ORANGEVILLE, Ont. – A former Conservative MP once known for his tough stance on drugs received a “break” when cocaine possession and drunk driving charges were withdrawn in a plea bargain, an Ontario judge said Tuesday.

The deal, which saw Rahim Jaffer convicted of the lesser offence of careless driving, sparked an angry exchange in the House of Commons after the opposition Liberals accused the government of hypocrisy.

In convicting Jaffer and fining him $500, the Ontario court judge said he would not interfere with the joint submission by Crown and defence.

“I’m sure you can recognize a break when you see one,” Justice Doug Maund told Jaffer.

Prosecutor Marie Balogh told the court there was no reasonable prospect of conviction on the more serious charges, saying there would be “significant legal issues” with proceeding on those.

“The matter was carefully reviewed,” Balogh told Maund.

She would not comment afterwards.

Asked by Maund if he had anything to say, Jaffer simply said, “No, thank you, your honour.”

Jaffer, 38, refused to discuss his guilty plea under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act. He said he was relieved the case was over.

“I know that I should have been more careful,” he said outside court.

“Once again I apologize for that, and I take full responsibility for my careless driving.”

Jaffer, who is married to junior federal cabinet minister Helena Guergis, was arrested last Sept. 10 after police stopped him for driving at 90 kilometres an hour in a 50 km/h zone in Palgrave, Ont., north of Toronto.

Court heard that Jaffer told police he had two beers before heading home to Angus, Ont., in his Ford Escape from Toronto. He failed a breath test and was arrested.

In the Commons, Liberal MP Anita Neville called on the Conservative government to condemn the plea arrangement, saying Jaffer had got off with a “slap on the wrist.”

“The Conservatives are conspicuously silent only when the law’s being flouted by one of their own,” Neville said.

“Does this government really believe that the punishment fits the crime?”

“This is about as low as you can go,” retorted Justice Minister Rob Nicholson.

Craig Jones, head of the John Howard society, a prisoner advocacy group, suggested the sentence was appropriate.

Society would gain little by making an example of him, Jones said.

“The guy’s been publicly humiliated . . . If this is a first offence, it’s a very costly first offence for a guy who aspires to be in public service.”

Jaffer’s lawyer, Howard Rubel, said outside court Jaffer had always “refuted” the charges of driving over the legal limit or possession of any illegal substance.

“The withdrawal of those charges vindicates that refutation.”

Rubel said Jaffer was simply driving without paying attention to how fast he was going.

“He has acknowledged that today as anyone would, and he will pay the same fine that everyone else will.”

Jaffer was well known for his tough stance on drug abuse and dealing. He was the face of several Conservative public-service announcements on radio that called for a sentencing crackdown on drug dealers.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office, offered little by way of comment in light of the government’s strong justice agenda and anti-drug efforts.

“I would simply point to the fact that it was judged and prosecuted under provincial law,” said Harper’s spokesman, Dimitri Soudas.

Ontario’s Attorney General said plea deals are the normal purview of Crown and defence.

He did not know why the drug charges were dropped but said there was no favourtism.

“We have one rule for all,” Bentley said. “The law has to be administered equally.”

Margaret Miller, national president for MADD Canada, said Jaffer’s plea deal was not unusual and would have no impact on efforts to combat impaired driving.

The issue has now garnered attention only because of Jaffer’s profile, Miller said.

“This happens every day in our Canadian courts,” Miller said from outside Halifax.

Outside court, Jaffer joked it was nice to see all the reporters, saying he had been out of the political business for awhile.

He was first elected as an Alberta Conservative MP in 1997 in Edmonton-Stratchona but lost in his riding in 2008.

In 2001, Jaffer apologized to the House of Commons after admitting an aide impersonated him on a live national radio call-in show based in Vancouver.

The aide resigned.

The party suspended Jaffer as chairman of its small-business advisory committee, and demoted him to the backbenches.

Guergis, who represents Simcoe-Grey for the Conservatives, has faced problems of her own recently after a meltdown at Charlottetown airport for which she apologized.

Jaffer was a regular on the Ottawa party scene before his relationship with Guergis.

She has previously not commented on her husband’s case.

ORANGEVILLE, Ont. – A former Conservative MP once known for his tough stance on drugs received a “break” when cocaine possession and drunk driving charges were withdrawn in a plea bargain, an Ontario judge said Tuesday.

The deal, which saw Rahim Jaffer convicted of the lesser offence of careless driving, sparked an angry exchange in the House of Commons after the opposition Liberals accused the government of hypocrisy.

In convicting Jaffer and fining him $500, the Ontario court judge said he would not interfere with the joint submission by Crown and defence.

“I’m sure you can recognize a break when you see one,” Justice Doug Maund told Jaffer.

Prosecutor Marie Balogh told the court there was no reasonable prospect of conviction on the more serious charges, saying there would be “significant legal issues” with proceeding on those.

“The matter was carefully reviewed,” Balogh told Maund.

She would not comment afterwards.

Asked by Maund if he had anything to say, Jaffer simply said, “No, thank you, your honour.”

Jaffer, 38, refused to discuss his guilty plea under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act. He said he was relieved the case was over.

“I know that I should have been more careful,” he said outside court.

“Once again I apologize for that, and I take full responsibility for my careless driving.”

Jaffer, who is married to junior federal cabinet minister Helena Guergis, was arrested last Sept. 10 after police stopped him for driving at 90 kilometres an hour in a 50 km/h zone in Palgrave, Ont., north of Toronto.

Court heard that Jaffer told police he had two beers before heading home to Angus, Ont., in his Ford Escape from Toronto. He failed a breath test and was arrested.

In the Commons, Liberal MP Anita Neville called on the Conservative government to condemn the plea arrangement, saying Jaffer had got off with a “slap on the wrist.”

“The Conservatives are conspicuously silent only when the law’s being flouted by one of their own,” Neville said.

“Does this government really believe that the punishment fits the crime?”

“This is about as low as you can go,” retorted Justice Minister Rob Nicholson.

Craig Jones, head of the John Howard society, a prisoner advocacy group, suggested the sentence was appropriate.

Society would gain little by making an example of him, Jones said.

“The guy’s been publicly humiliated . . . If this is a first offence, it’s a very costly first offence for a guy who aspires to be in public service.”

Jaffer’s lawyer, Howard Rubel, said outside court Jaffer had always “refuted” the charges of driving over the legal limit or possession of any illegal substance.

“The withdrawal of those charges vindicates that refutation.”

Rubel said Jaffer was simply driving without paying attention to how fast he was going.

“He has acknowledged that today as anyone would, and he will pay the same fine that everyone else will.”

Jaffer was well known for his tough stance on drug abuse and dealing. He was the face of several Conservative public-service announcements on radio that called for a sentencing crackdown on drug dealers.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office, offered little by way of comment in light of the government’s strong justice agenda and anti-drug efforts.

“I would simply point to the fact that it was judged and prosecuted under provincial law,” said Harper’s spokesman, Dimitri Soudas.

Ontario’s Attorney General said plea deals are the normal purview of Crown and defence.

He did not know why the drug charges were dropped but said there was no favourtism.

“We have one rule for all,” Bentley said. “The law has to be administered equally.”

Margaret Miller, national president for MADD Canada, said Jaffer’s plea deal was not unusual and would have no impact on efforts to combat impaired driving.

The issue has now garnered attention only because of Jaffer’s profile, Miller said.

“This happens every day in our Canadian courts,” Miller said from outside Halifax.

Outside court, Jaffer joked it was nice to see all the reporters, saying he had been out of the political business for awhile.

He was first elected as an Alberta Conservative MP in 1997 in Edmonton-Stratchona but lost in his riding in 2008.

In 2001, Jaffer apologized to the House of Commons after admitting an aide impersonated him on a live national radio call-in show based in Vancouver.

The aide resigned.

The party suspended Jaffer as chairman of its small-business advisory committee, and demoted him to the backbenches.

Guergis, who represents Simcoe-Grey for the Conservatives, has faced problems of her own recently after a meltdown at Charlottetown airport for which she apologized.

Jaffer was a regular on the Ottawa party scene before his relationship with Guergis.

She has previously not commented on her husband’s case.