Ford’s office asks city to remove NOW issue with fake ‘naked’ image

Saying she had been asked to do so by Mayor Rob Ford’s office, a City Hall custodial supervisor directed her colleagues Thursday to remove from city buildings all copies of a NOW Magazine issue featuring a computer-altered image of a shirtless Ford on the cover and a raunchier altered image inside. The issue hit newsstands Thursday morning. Lorraine Pickett sent the email at 9 a.m. to the City Hall security desk and to custodial managers responsible for other city buildings. It read: “Hi All, I have a request from the mayor’s office to remove all NOW newspapers from all City of Toronto locations/facilities ASAP. Please remove and dispose.” The directive was reversed in the early afternoon. But in a statement, NOW editor and chief executive Alice Klein said, “We are outraged. As far as I've heard, there's still such a thing as freedom of expression in Ford Nation.” Ford spokesperson Adrienne Batra attributed the incident to a “misunderstanding.”

Harper ‘backing out’of one-on-one debate: Ignatieff

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says Stephen Harper’s refusal to join in a one-on-one debate shows that the Conservative leader cannot be trusted. Harper is now “backing out” of the debate, Ignatieff told reporters during a campaign stop in Winnipeg. “Less than 24 hours ago, he was saying, ‘Let’s go into the ring, toe-to-toe, head to head,’ and I said, ‘Look, I’m willing to do that, provided that other leaders participate in a regular debate.’ I don’t want anybody excluded (from debates).” “And now he’s turned around. You can’t trust this man,” Ignatieff said. “This is about respect for the democratic process. I think Canadians would like such a debate. I’m willing to go anywhere, anytime (to debate Harper) and I repeat that. Just 24 hours after saying he’d like to square off against Ignatieff, Harper now says the idea is dead.

Pamela Wallin resigns as Guelph university chancellor

Citing increased responsibilities in the Senate, Pamela Wallin has stepped down as chancellor of the University of Guelph, the school announced Thursday. "Senator Wallin feels that she can no longer devote the time necessary to properly serve as chancellor," the university's president Alastair Summerlee said in a release. The former CBC host and journalist became chancellor of the Ontario school in March 2007. She was elected to a second three-year term in March 2010. She became a senator in 2008 and now chairs the national security and defence committee and also serves as a member of the Senate's foreign affairs and international trade committee, the veterans affairs subcommittee and the special senate committee on anti-terrorism.

Broadcasters rule out one-on-one debate between Harper and Ignatieff, confirm May’s exclusion

Canada’s broadcasters have ruled out a face-off between Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff and will exclude the Green Party from the upcoming official election debates, the Globe and Mail reports. The decision to carry debates involving only the leaders of the four main parties in Parliament follows a public battle between the Conservative and Liberal leaders, but also controversial backroom dealings between the country’s major television stations and four biggest political parties. According to the Globe and Mail, after hours of private and public discussions on Wednesday, the consortium of broadcasters announced an agreement by issuing an ultimatum to the representatives of the four parties, a source involved in the discussions said.In a bid to embrace some form of change, the English- and French-language debates on April 12 and 14, respectively, will feature one-on-one exchanges between the leaders of the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP.

Harper challenges Ignatieff to one-on-one debate

Stephen Harper has challenged his Liberal rival, Michael Ignatieff, to a one-on-one televised debate. "We could also have a debate between Mr. Ignatieff and myself," Harper said while campaigning in Brampton, Ont., where the Tories hope to make inroads into a traditional Liberal stronghold. Ignatieff quickly welcomed the prospect of going "toe-to-toe" with Harper. "Anytime, anyplace," he said in Vancouver. "Canadians want a debate of principles. I think Canadians want a debate between hope and fear. ... I welcome that debate any day." Meanwhile, the all-party debate will be Tuesday April 12 in English and Thursday April 14, in French.