Blog Posts by Andy Radia

Conservative MP John DuncanAboriginal affairs minister John Duncan has resigned from Cabinet.

He released this statement on Friday afternoon:

In June of 2011 I wrote a character reference letter to the Tax Court of Canada on behalf of an individual to whom my constituency staff was providing casework assistance on a Canada Revenue Agency matter.

While the letter was written with honourable intentions, I realize that it was not appropriate for me, as a Minister of the Crown, to write to the Tax Court. I have therefore offered my resignation as Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development to the Prime Minister, which he has accepted.

I take full responsibility for my actions and the consequences they have brought. It has been an honour to serve in the Cabinet and I thank the Prime Minister for placing his confidence in me on this most important file. I have every confidence that the Government will reach its goal of improving the lives of Aboriginal peoples across our country.

As explained by the

Liberal leadership candidate Justin TrudeauEarlier this week, Liberal leadership front runner Justin Trudeau gained accolades for disclosing his financial net worth to the Canadian public even though he didn't have to.

Today, he's getting criticized for what's in that disclosure.

[ Related: Justin Trudeau discloses details about his inheritance ]

Trudeau, as it turns out, is a hot commodity on the 'speaking circuit.' According to the Ottawa Citizen, the son of Pierre earned $277,000 for speaking engagements since becoming an MP in 2008.

That doesn't sit well with a lot of people who suggest MPs shouldn't be charging Canadians for speaking to them.

"It is absolutely untoward and inappropriate for MPs or senators to charge a speaker's fee," NDP MP Pat Martin told Sun News on Thursday.

"I'm paid handsomely to be a member of Parliament and if I'm invited to speak ... that's one of my duties to share that with civil society, free of charge, gratis."

At least two of Trudeau's leadership opponents — David Bertchi and George Takach —

Canada's SenateWe've heard a lot about the antics of Senators Duffy, Brazeau, Wallin and Harb over the past couple of weeks.

If you're anything like me, you're almost sick of hearing about or from these misbehaving senators.

[ Related: NDP says Wallin's Senate travel bill suggests 2011 campaign work on public dime ]

But Conservative Senator Hugh Segal might be one we want to listen to.

In an interview with PostMedia News, on Thursday, Segal suggested that we have a national referendum about the Senate with a simple question: Do you think the Senate should be abolished yes or no?

"I have always believed that the legitimacy of the place would be enhanced if we had a national referendum where we put the option of abolition to the people of Canada," he said.

"Put the question and organize it [with] the principles of the 1992 [Charlottetown Accord] referendum in which there's a 'yes' side and there's a 'no' side and there's limits as to how it's funded so it's fair and equitable."

Segal says, despite the

Chirsty Clark

In a minority legislature or parliament, you know that a government can fall at any

But when's the last time a majority government fell in a non-confidence vote?

Well, welcome to the wacky world of B.C. politics.

[ Related: New website sheds light on sexism against female premiers ]

The Christy Clark government is expected to table it's budget on Tuesday and, according to the Vancouver Province, there's a chance that it won't pass.

The governing Liberals at present hold a slim majority of 45 seats, compared to the New Democrats’ 36. Four seats are held by Independents.

Budget Day is Tuesday, when it is expected the Liberals will be down two seats due to vacation and leave.

While De Jong expressed optimism when asked Thursday in Victoria about caucus solidarity, one Liberal MLA said the scene behind closed doors is entirely different and suggested there are a few members who will not be whipped into voting the party line.

Tuesday's vote is a vote to allow first reading of the budget,

Forward on Climate DC RallyA large global warming protest with a very Canadian connection is scheduled for Sunday February 17th at the White House.

The protest, organized by the Sierra Club and 350.org, is being dubbed as the biggest climate rally in U.S. history and is meant to encourage President Obama to veto the construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry oil from northern Alberta down to the Gulf of Mexico.

In a telephone interview with Yahoo! Canada News, 350.org's Daniel Kessler said that he is expecting tens of thousands of people including "several groups" from Canada.

Obama is expected to make a decision about the fate of the pipeline within the next two to three months but at this point no one seems quite sure which way he's leaning. During his State of Union address on Tuesday, the President emphasized his commitment to battling climate change but also touched on the need build energy infrastructure.

[ Related: John Baird wants to talk pipelines in his meeting with John Kerry

We all get a good chuckle out of a video of a politician falling asleep on the job.

Well, a Quebec MNA says his falling asleep could be the result of sleep apnea.

Daniel Breton, the former PQ environment minister seen in the top right hand corner of this YouTube video, was caught dozing off a number of times during Question Period this week.

[ Related: NDP launch the 'Senate Hall of Shame' ]

Late last year, according to CTV News, Breton was the subject of several controversies that ultimately forced him to step down from his cabinet post.

Breton has a string of criminal convictions dating to 1988 for defrauding the unemployment insurance system, and as recently as 2007 was fined $400 by Revenue Quebec. La Presse also reported that Breton was convicted in 1997 for driving without a license.

Meanwhile TVA reported that Breton was evicted from his apartments in 2005 and 2009 for non-payment of rent. Photographs from his landlord show hundreds of empty bottles of wine left in the

Kathleen WynneKathleen Wynne's swearing-in ceremony earlier this week was a pretty big deal.

Wynne became Ontario's first female premier, and Canada's 11th female first minister. Her victory is a good sign that gender equality is slowly making its way into the political realm.

But while women have come a long way in politics, a new website reminds us that there's still a long way to go.

[ Related: B.C. premier draws criticism for using her son in ‘Family Day’ ad ]

The website titled 'Madam Premier' chronicles sexist comments on Twitter, Facebook and online discussion boards about our country's female politicos.

Most of it is too nasty for us to post here.

But here's a sampling of the 'cleaner' stuff posted on the site from Twitter:

"Just saw the new Christie Clark commercial on TV. If she's gonna embrace being a MILF she needs to pop open a few buttons on that shirt"

"@Kathleen_Wynne let's talk about your mental illness - being a lesbian tree hugger"

And from an online forum:

"Alberta Mayor Alison

Justin TrudeauJustin Trudeau has done something not a lot of politicians voluntarily do.

The front runner of the federal Liberal leadership race has disclosed personal details about his net worth and where it all came from.

[ Related: Marc Garneau takes the gloves off in Liberal leadership race, goes after Trudeau ]

According to the information published in the Ottawa Citizen, Trudeau is 'wealthy' but he's not as rich as you might suspect.

"At the request of the Citizen, Trudeau’s campaign staff produced a valuation of the company that manages the money he inherited from his father and gave a full list of his paid speaking events in the years before he announced his run for the leadership.

The documents show that while Trudeau’s inheritance is now worth about $1.2 million, he also built up a public-speaking business that earned him more than $450,000 in its best year.

...[In] 2012, he earned $72,000 for four speaking events.

The Citizen also notes that Trudeau lives in "a semi-detached home" worth