The unspoken cost of Harper's tough-on-crime bills

I have a new piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today, and it's one that I've spent the past couple of weeks working on. It was a bit of a tough go, trying to get all of the interviews over the holiday period and while everyone was getting back into their routines, but nevertheless everything worked out. In fact, I only wish I had more space to write, because this could easily have been a much longer piece.

I did post part of my interview with Senator Joan Fraser on my Hill Queeries blog - an interview which was an absolute pleasure to do, I might add.

Libby Davies on prorogation: "We're not going to let Stephen Harper off the hook"

I have a new piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today which takes a look at the prorogation issue taking place in Ottawa right now. Given that NDP House Leader Libby Davies is openly lesbian, it gives Xtra a better opening to engage on that issue. Davies is always a great interview, and it was great to get this bit of first-hand information on the issue.

Confessions of a gay political spouse

I have a Xmas Day release on the national page of Xtra.ca - an interview with MP Rob Oliphant's husband, Marco Fiola. This was an interview I did a couple of weeks ago when Fiola was in town for the Liberal Party staff and caucus Xmas party, and we went for a coffee together after the Question Period scrums were over. It was a genuinely delightful interview to do, and I'm glad I got the opportunity.

Fiola and I have struck up a rapport after our first meeting at Toronto Pride this past summer, and later when Oliphant and Fiola were my "dates" to the Press Gallery Dinner in October. He's a genuine delight to talk to, and I hope that you enjoy reading the interview as much as I enjoyed doing it.

Queer calls unheeded as refugee bill dies

I have a new piece up on the Xtra.ca national page today, which is one of the pieces that I finished last week. This has been an issue that I've had my eye on for several months now, and as a result, I've developed a bit of a rapport with some of the MPs at the centre of this. Being able to track an issue like this is something that I've really come to appreciate in doing the work I do in the Press Gallery, and working for a smaller group of venues like the Xtra chain means that I can really focus on a smaller number of issues, and report on them better. (The bills around reforming Canada's Access to Medicines Regime is another good example, but most of that tracking is taking place on my Hill Queeries blog.

As for this particular piece, Olivia Chow's reaction was dropped in the editing process, but otherwise it really captures what the fallout of the defeat of the bill in question was for groups concerned.

Capital Diary mention

My name cropped up in the Capital Diary column in this week's issue of Maclean's. In a paragraph about NDP MP Megan Leslie wearing a yellow sou'wester rain hat for a day on the Hill as part of a Stephen Lewis Foundation dare, the following was written:

It undoubtedly impressed Capital Xtra! columnist Dale Smith. He attacks Leslie regularly for her wardrobe choices on the gay paper's website. He calls it the Megan Leslie outfit watch.

And thus begins my infamy...

To be fair, I'm not attacking her for her wardrobe choices - I'm critiquing the choices themselves. As well, I learned at the feet of Trinny & Susannah and their "cruel to be kind" approach to teaching style, so that's where I'm coming from.

Opposition calls for border agency watchdog

I have a new piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which is the first of a number of articles that are coming out in the next few days. It began as a quick interview I did with Liberal MP Mark Holland in the foyer of the House of Commons last week, and my editors felt the comment was significant enough to warrant further investigation and a full article, rather than just a quick blog hit. Over the course of writing it, I was trying to get some academic feedback, but tracking down an academic at this time of year was next to impossible. (Incidentally, the experts database page on York University's website sucks. I can't understate how user-unfriendly it is). Nevertheless, it was a decent piece that should hopefully generate more discussion on the subject.

Peter MacKay retreats on gay veterans issue

I have a new piece on the Xtra.ca national page today, and it's an update to a story I did several months ago, this time with a new Liberal critic on the file. I'm particularly glad that the critic is Rob Oliphant, one of the MPs I interact with on a regular basis for my Hill Queeries blog, so you can be sure that I'll be better able to follow up on this story on a regular basis.