http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson all blog posts in chron order (most to least recent) en-gb Tue, 21 May 2013 16:22:06 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/207381542.html The spin doctors are working hard today to disect the byelection results in Labrador yesterday. Former Conservative cabinet minister Peter Penashue (pronounced Pen-A-shoo-way) went down to defeat at the hands of Liberal Yvonne Jones. Penashue stepped down in April, hours before Elections Canada... Tue, 14 May 2013 11:15:40 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/207257452.html If there is a race in Ottawa to be the MP with the most to say, Manitoba's Kevin Lamoureux won the silver medal. According to Samara Canada, a non-profit think tank aiming to improve political participation, an analysis of words spoken in the House of Commons in 2012 showed Lamoureux delivered Mon, 13 May 2013 15:02:23 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/205435302.html The Bank of Canada revealed the final two bills of our new "polymer notes" — or plastic money, to use the plain language they taught us about in journalism school. The $5 and $10 bills won't be released to the public for spending until November but the designs were unveiled this morning by Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:43:24 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/203629482.html Most Canadians who have even a passing interest in federal politics will have heard by now that Justin Trudeau is the new Liberal leader and that the Conservatives released their first anti-Trudeau attack ad less than 24 hours after Trudeau won. The ad has been criticized heavily for taking Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:01:55 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/203062406.html A Winnipeg NDPer surprised a lot of people Sunday when just minutes into a debate on the proposal to tone down socialist rhetoric in the statements defining, he moved to call the motion to a vote. On Sunday in Montreal, one of the last things the party was doing at its policy convention was Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:47:55 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/201966972.html A new environics poll released today by Fair Vote Canada has some interesting results. It shows a majority of Canadians, of all political stripes, actually favour changing our voting system to incorporate proportional representation. That would mean instead of just being elected based on Mon, 8 Apr 2013 14:51:13 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/201503266.html In late March, your MPs quietly voted in favour of giving themselves a pay raise. You likely didn't hear about it because the memo was released on Thursday, the day before Good Friday, and the start of a two week break of Parliament. The Ottawa press corps typically refer to the day before a Thu, 4 Apr 2013 15:48:52 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/199600735.html Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is generally known as one of the more affable members of the federal cabinet. Sure, he is the one that has taken the axe to thousands of civil service jobs and had to deliver the bad news of now six deficit budgets in a row. But he's usually smiling, always good Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:11:02 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/192117492.html It's a rare politician who can turn a gaffe into a positive. Likely because it's a rarity that a politician - or anyone else for that matter - will agree to have a laugh at their own expense. But Republican Sen. Marco Rubio from Florida is doing just that and he's cashing it in. During a Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:49:02 CST http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/rabson/191087861.html Okay, Winnipeg. So the Jets lost yesterday and now have a 5-6-1 record. It could be worse. Just ask the Ottawa Senators, who have a 7-4-2 record but this week had to ask season ticket holders to stop selling tickets to fans of other teams. Yes, you read that correctly. In an email to Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:33:55 CST