The possible collapse of the Liberal minority government is once again a hot topic on Parliament Hill, fuelled by reports of explosive new testimony at the sponsorship inquiry.

Although exact details of the testimony cannot be revealed due to a publication ban, there are reports its disclosure would prove so devastating that Paul Martin's Liberal minority could fall if it became public. [. . . . ]

His testimony is covered by a publication ban intended to protect his right to a fair trial on criminal-fraud charges related to the now-defunct sponsorship program.
That means his inquiry testimony could be made public once his trial is over.
Lawyers for the former Groupaction chief petitioned a Montreal court Friday, to have his May trial date pushed back to September. [. . . . ]

My Blackberry was buzzing last night as reporters were looking for Conservative reaction to what's been happening at Gomery. Problem is, it's all under a publication ban, which is too bad cuz it sounds like Judge Gomery has rolled over a really big rock and a lot of creepy crawlies came scurrying out from underneath. [. . . . ]

Bloggers are beginning to dig, but it's uncertain what they can publish in Canada, should they uncover the details. (Perhaps its time to brush up on our "poetry" skills.)

I don't believe the bans extend to foreign sites, though...

Other sites blogging this story: [. . . . ]

[. . . . ] Now, as his government's definitive (and much postponed) foreign policy review is set to appear, I went back to my notes of those conversations. These were the idealistic ramblings of an ambitious politician who'd plugged himself into the seismic upheavals shaping the global economy. "We must develop a much stronger conscience in terms of our responsibility to others," he told me. "It's nonsensical, for example, that there is no international environmental organization of stature or a body than can deal with a tragic epidemic like AIDS."

What Martin had in mind was nothing less than spearheading the move toward a limited form of world government. His ambitions recognized few limits. He once confided to me that he wanted to duplicate internationally, especially in the underdeveloped world, what we do domestically, including a global system of equalization payments, free education up to the high school level, the formation of global instead of national health care and a universal banking system. [. . . . ]

OTTAWA - Jennifer Welsh, the Saskatchewan-born author and Oxford scholar recruited by Prime Minister Paul Martin to salvage Canada's much-delayed international policy review, has parted company with the Prime Minister's Office.

[. . . . ] Ms. Welsh was brought in to consult on the strength of her book, At Home In The World. [. . . . ]

[. . . . ] Did you know that the cost of our bureaucracy has gone up 77% since 1996/97? [. . . . ]

Federal political party leaders are said to be holding emergency consultations this weekend after allegedly shocking new testimony at the sponsorship inquiry raised the spectre of a non-confidence vote that could hasten the fall of the Liberal minority government.

[. . . .] The new testimony . . . so damning that . . .

[. . . .] An opposition MP, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "I've heard some of the Gomery stuff and if it gets out ... it won't go well for [the Liberals]."

[. . . . ] "Our election readiness went up 20% today," an unidentified Liberal MP told The Canadian Press.

A RAFT OF PROBLEMS . . . .

The department posted a March 21 summary of the audit on its website that purged the most critical elements. The version released under the Access to Information Act retains some of the harsher findings, though many examples of security lapses have been censored. [. . . .]

WHY DO the federal Liberals so often behave as though they no longer must accept responsibility or accountability? A case can be made that they think they can get away with anything because they witnessed Paul Martin -- as finance minister -- get away with not only being in a conflict of interest, but using his position to his and his family's benefit through his ownership and control of Canada Steamship Lines (CSL).

Consider: Martin is the master of the Barbados tax haven, but his conflict position has never been seriously investigated. [. . . .]

Are some minority rights more equal than others? Outspoken Calgary Bishop Fred Henry claims he's the victim and refuses to retract his comments opposing same-sex marriage in the face of two complaints filed with Alberta's human rights commission. Despite Ottawa's assurances, is this the beginning of end for religious freedom of speech?

Here's the new schedule:
Manitoba, BC - 5:00 p.m.
All other Provinces - 5:30 p.m.
Prime - 7:30 Eastern / 7:30 Pacific p.m.

This isn't just a matter of language, after all. Parents in the public system face all sorts of constraints on what schools their children can attend and what they are taught there, and it would be hugely preferable if all of these were lifted -- if indeed there were no such things as public and private systems, but public funds simply followed the student to the school of their choice.

Do that, and the other unfairness in the current arrangement -- that francophones who can afford a private education can send their children to English schools, while the rest cannot -- would cease to be a concern. But that would be merely a happy side-effect.[. . . . ]

[. . . . ] Unfortunately, one of the signs -- the one on Monkland Ave. -- is a letter short of linguistic orthodoxy, reading "Tavern" instead of "Taverne." That missing "e" prompted someone to complain to the Office, which in turn ordered the Monkland's owners to get rid of that offending English word. [. . . . ]

The government will allow thousands of new teachers to start jobs in September in Ontario schools without being fully licensed.

Students graduating from the province's education faculties were informed they will be granted a new provisional teaching certificate instead of full certification in a letter from Gerard Kennedy, the education minister, released last week, on the eve of the Easter long weekend. [. . . . ]

HAMILTON - Police have arrested a member of a local crime family, charging him with first-degree murder in the slayings of a lawyer and her husband.
Andre Gravelle, 41, was arrested on Thursday in Hamilton in the high-profile case of Lynn Gilbank, a well-liked lawyer, and her husband, Fred, who were shot inside their suburban home in the early hours of Nov. 16, 1998. [. . . . ]

Prince Rupert, B.C. — Haida Indians say they have seized a large quantity of cut timber from Weyerhaeuser for alleged breach of contract.

“We hope we can use this money to get hospitals here ... and all our schools are in debt because they've been funded like everywhere else in the province,” said Guujaaw, president of the Council of the Haida Nation. [. . . .]

MONTREAL - They have not cracked a book in weeks, but striking Quebec students are learning a valuable lesson about the power of a mob.

In Montreal this week, a group of students stormed into a downtown supermarket and helped themselves to food and drinks in a show of solidarity with the poor. At the Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, where a four-day strike was declared this week on the strength of a 56% vote, roving "commandos" of strikers are interrupting classes and forcing out students who want to continue learning.

[. . . . ] Flavie Achard, a CEGEP instructor and representative of the Confederation of National Trade Unions, found no fault in the students'' tactics. [. . . . ]

Ontarians are ''on a fairly regular basis dying when they don't need to die'' because of long waits

[. . . . ] Last month, Justice Lucy Glenn ruled that Mr. England had violated the Hague Convention on international child abduction by leaving their home in the U.K. and deciding to keep his daughters in Canada. After the decision, the special needs teacher said he would not be able to afford to return abroad and fight a custody battle.

Mr. England brought his daughters back to Canada in September, 2004, just a week after his wife, Marla, had informed him their marriage of 15 years was over and that she had entered a relationship with another woman.

But although the girls are Canadian citizens and were enrolled in school in Chatham when the legal battle began, Justice Glenn ordered that their custody be settled in the U.K, where the family unit broke down. [. . . . ]