John Baird steps back, NDP pays back on Wednesdays with @Kady
Kady O'Malley and Janyce McGregor took your comments and questions about what John Baird's pre-election bailing out means for Stephen Harper's team. Plus: why do NDP MPs have to pay back $2.7M to the House of Commons? And what political calculations are influencing Canada's response to the ISIS terrorism threat?
Plus: Is politics trumping policy in anti-terrorism strategy? Join our weekly chat with Kady O'Malley at 12 ET
Today on our Wednesdays with @Kady live chat:
- John Baird surprised nearly everyone, from the prime minister's office on down, when word leaked Monday night he would resign from federal politics. Why did he leave now? What's next for him personally? What impact does it have on Harper's Conservatives? And what should Canadians make of it, coming mere months before an election, with numerous serious policy files unresolved on the foreign affairs minister's desk?
- The House of Commons board of internal economy decided behind closed doors Tuesday to force 68 MPs to pay back $2.7 million in expenses incurred to set up satellite offices for the party outside Ottawa. The New Democrats call this process a "kangaroo court" and are headed to a real courtroom to challenge the board's interpretation of the rules. What does this mean, as parties prepare for the 2015 hustings?
- Friday's anti-terrorism bill set off a series of good questions about civil rights, Parliamentary oversight and budget cuts to security agencies. As ISIS continues to use the murder of foreign hostages as a recruiting tool and Canadian security agencies cracks down on organizers inside our borders, what's your reaction to the bill — do you applaud the new measures? Will be effective? How clear are the parties' positions as the fight against ISIS evolves?
Replay our live chat below. You can also talk to us on Twitter using the hashtag #WwK.