All Conservative party leadership candidates, including, clockwise from top left, Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis, and Jean Charest will get the preliminary membership list by July 4. The voting list will be finalized by July 29. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, Sam Garcia, and handouts The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, Sam Garcia, and handouts
Conservative membership verification process to make high-stakes leadership race even more divisive, say top political players
A 'small army' of Conservative Party staffers are going through hundreds of thousands of party memberships with 'rigour and speed' to weed out fraudulent memberships, says party spokesman Yaroslav Baran.
AFN losing credibility after controversial suspension of its national chief, say Indigenous advocates
Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald says she is being targeted by the AFN’s executive for her efforts to bring accountability and transparency to the organization, and is now rallying support.Coalition warns of ‘death knell’ to cryptocurrency industry under proposed tax law changes
Proposed changes to the Excise Tax Act could shut cryptocurrency companies out of an GST/HST input tax credit that benefits the traditional mining sector.Win or lose, Poilievre may already represent ‘heart and soul’ of Conservative caucus
Even if Pierre Poilievre doesn’t win, Conservative pundits and political analysts believe that whoever does will have to accommodate Poilievre. But if he does win, he’ll need to reach out to his Quebec and Atlantic caucu‘Never been afraid to punch above our weight’: set to retire this fall, Peter Van Dusen reflects on 21 years at CPAC
When Peter Van Dusen was first hired by CPAC more than 20 years ago, it pretty much covered the House proceedings, but he turned it around. Today, it covers news, leadership conventions, and election campaigns.Parliament Hill braces for Canada Day protest as MPs face threats
House Sgt.-at-Arms Pat McDonnell told the House Affairs Committee last week that staff and MPs were harassed on a daily basis during the Freedom Convoy's occupation of downtown Ottawa in February.Government should be ‘pretty pleased’ with first session of Parliament, but summer will be ‘the calm before the storm,’ say observers
Pundits continue to be split on how much of a role the government should play when it comes to easing the burden of 'red-hot inflation' in the coming months.Rule change lets MPs charge House up to $36,000 annually for constituency rentals amid office budget pressures
Plus, the Board approved a 10 per cent increase to the Travel Status Expenses Account to help offset the rise in MP secondary residence rental costs in the National Capital Region.New staffers on board for ministers Fraser, Petitpas Taylor
Among others, Cib Cabillan is now issues manager to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, and Audrey Léveseque Aubut has joined Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor’s parliamentary affairs team. Charest’s route to Conservative leader ‘very similar to the party’s path to victory,’ says Kheiriddin
Strategists and pollsters say the Conservative Party membership is divided into ‘two different audiences,’ meaning persuasion will be difficult and campaigns should focus on bringing out their own vote.All Conservative party leadership candidates, including, clockwise from top left, Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis, and Jean Charest will get the preliminary membership list by July 4. The voting list will be finalized by July 29. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, Sam Garcia, and handouts The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, Sam Garcia, and handouts
Conservative membership verification process to make high-stakes leadership race even more divisive, say top political players
A 'small army' of Conservative Party staffers are going through hundreds of thousands of party memberships with 'rigour and speed' to weed out fraudulent memberships, says party spokesman Yaroslav Baran.
Poilievre’s Canada Day celebrations could blow up in his face
If he doesn’t connect with the truckers who are promising weeks of disruption, he runs the risk of being outed as a non-supporter. Playing the game of politics
Political strategists should continue to execute clever tactics and have fun playing the game, but they should be careful about treating ideals and values as if they were expendable pawns. Do the Liberals need to make a few trades to curb pattern of own goals?
Team Trudeau is surely relieved summer is here and they should do some reflecting on the state of malaise they find themselves in.
What does ‘Canadian’ mean when we’re talking film?
We need a fair way to determine which productions should be considered Canadian, and the current 10-point system isn’t only flawed, it’s exclusionary.Bloc on full offensive over Liberal challenges to Bill 96, as feds keep eye on implementation
Bloc MP Denis Trudel recently accused the Liberals of already working to dismantle the controversial language law through the government's proposed reforms to the Official Languages Act. Can we set aside ‘Group Think’ long enough to fix environmental assessment in Canada?
The Liberals have kept the environmental laws that were gutted by the last Conservative government, and the 2019 Impact Assessment Act does nothing to make things better.
Cleaning out the cupboards for Ukraine is a bad idea
For those familiar with the current fleet strength of Canada’s armoured vehicles, what Rick Hillier is proposing would gut our Army for decades to come.Children and youth need decisive action to improve their environmental health and well-being
Environmental damage is not just a distant crisis they will have to deal with in the future; it is damaging the minds and bodies of children right now, and some will live a lifetime with the mounting impacts.‘Unfair’ to blame lone GAC official as ‘process failure’ led to Russian embassy visit, say analysts, former diplomats
Before participating in a national day event, there are broad discussions between the protocol office and the geographic unit at Global Affairs before a decision is made to attend, say former diplomats.
Industry lobbying under guise of pandemic stimuli pressing own interests behind closed doors
Without some investigative reporting, weak access-to-information and lobbying laws mean big corporate interests can get preferential meetings that they claim are for the public's benefit, never to be revealed.Health-care workforce crisis and housing affordability top pre-budget advocacy on the Hill
The federal budget does "not go far enough" to address a labour crisis facing the healthcare sector, according to the president of the Canadian Nurses Association Sylvain Brousseau.Boissonnault, Freeland among top lobbying targets in February as budget looms
With the unveiling of Ottawa’s emissions reduction plan around the corner, the environment was also a key focus for lobbyists in February, who had 3,102 total filings on all subjects.
Paikin writing book about John Turner, coming out this fall
Plus, CBC's Chris Hall was toasted at Ottawa's political hotspot, the Métropolitain Brasserie, with retirement just around the corner
Breaking down Defence Minister Anand’s 21-member team
Manel Manouar is director of policy to the defence minister, while Tristan Laycock is director of parliamentary affairs and Emily Heffernan is now deputy director of communications
On, then off, then on once again: Conservative leadership contenders set to debate in Calgary
Plus, former Conservative staffer Yaroslav Baran is set to help tackle communications and media relations for the Conservative Party through the ongoing leadership race.
Something within Me, Michael Wilson’s memoirs released, posthumously
Lots of cabinet ministers attended the prime minister's garden party last Wednesday night and NDP MP Heather McPherson accuses Conservatives of filibustering the House Foreign Affairs Committee.‘An idea whose time has come’: expand Hill precinct, says Fergus
The Procedure and House Affairs Committee is studying several options for the Parliamentary Precinct’s future, including who polices the area, whether part of Gatineau should be in that zone.Vandana Kattar-Miller among recent PMO exits
Plus, Erika Lashbrook Knutson is now press secretary to Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay. 
Canada needs national strategy encouraging Indigenous access to capital
Without Indigenous access to capital, Canada is forgoing opportunities to meet our net-zero commitments, which require new clean energy projects, most of which would be built on Indigenous lands.
Burying our heads, and carbon dioxide, in the sand
Whether carbon sequestration is Canada’s policy of choice or of necessity, more capacity needs to be proved up, and urgently.
It’s time to break the sexual and reproductive health stigma
A recent event on the Hill highlighted how stigmas surrounding the vulva and vagina can affect an individual’s access to relevant health services and may place them at greater risk for adverse health outcomes.
Federal rebates not enough to help Canadians with costly transition to zero-emission vehicles, say Cons, NDP
Some MPs question if the Liberals' goal of 100 per cent zero-emissions vehicles sales by 2035 can be accomplished without stronger federal incentives.A comprehensive and accountable framework for climate success
While we must reduce GHG emission to halt the progress of climate change, we must at the same time also adapt to its impacts.
The definitive history of Canada’s role on the United Nations Security Council
The first definitive history of Canada's time on the UN Security Council is a must read for anyone interested in Canadian foreign policy.
Harold Johnson’s book Peace and Good Order is among five shortlisted books for this year's Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. 
'I kind of just go ahead and do what I feel I should do, and get myself into situations where I’m thinking, "Oh, everybody here knows more than I do. But anyway, here goes." It served me very well,' says former Supreme Court chief justice Beverley McLachlin.
Patterns of interference, intimidation, and harassment of individual Canadians by the Chinese Communist Party ‘demand a response’ from the Canadian government, says veteran journalist Jonathan Manthorpe in his 2019 book. 
COVID-19: economic impacts and prospects
There are some potential game changers for outcomes—a vaccine; and a resurgence in international leadership and cooperation. Closer to home, we need a Canadian economic recovery plan that will boost confidence in the future with strategic and measured investments in long-term challenges and adjustment support for Canadians and businesses left behind by the coronavirus.
In what was supposed to be a period in which backbenchers and the opposition could wield more influence over the political debate, power and influence is arguably even more concentrated among a narrow cast of mostly familiar figures.
If we want to really honour Shannen Koostachin and the many children like her—we need to speak up, keep talking until government takes immediate action to end the inequality. If they don’t—vote them out because kids like Shannen are worth the money. The time for patience is over.- Conservative party leadership: who supports who
- Cabinet's communications and chiefs of staff list, 2022
- The 50 MPs in ridings where 142 former residential schools are located
- All the federal leaders' stops during the 2021 campaign
- The 24 ridings AFN says First Nations voters can decide the election outcome
- The former MPs who are running again in 2021
- How Trudeau's cabinet ministers did in the last election
- The 95 MPs who won by 10% or less in 2019
Fiasco at Pearson airport reveals long-standing cracks in the system
The government needs to decide whether air travel is as important as it says it is to Canada’s reputation, its interconnectedness, and its national unity. 
It should be illegal to spread misinformation about voting
Canada has a chance to observe the threats to American democracy and act proactively to protect its own electoral institutions before it's too late.
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Politics This Morning: Trudeau in Germany for G7 leaders’ summit
Plus, a third of the cabinet is now on a task force to fix government service delivery.
The occupation of Ottawa appeared to capture the imagination of restive Canadians motivated by vaccine rejection, dislike of Justin Trudeau and his government, economic frustration, and all manner of disinformation.
Data-driven genomics research promises long-term benefits for Canadians and our health system: enhanced disease prevention, better predictions of future illness, and more accurate and personalized treatment options.
For governments to declare victory too soon, there could be a 'massive political price that they'll pay depending on what happens,' says pollster Nik Nanos, as the country stares down yet another wave of COVID-19. 
Living in a rich country doesn’t give us more of a right to life, health, and the benefits of scientific progress than people who happen to be born and live in poorer nations. Conservative Leadership 2022
TERRIFIC 25 STAFFERS SURVEY 2022
TOP 100 LOBBYISTS IN 2022
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As the planet’s second-largest country by size, with vast tracts of irreplaceable natural heritage, Canada can lead other nations in the needed push to protect almost one-third of land and ocean everywhere. Investments in the buildings sector, the third-largest source of national emissions, are far below the amount required to adapt Canadian communities to climate change.
Their management reform efforts were little more than shots in the dark, generating unintended consequences, undermining what they sought to accomplish, and giving birth to new problems. 
Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence clearly have to be more than clones of their U.S. counterparts. Canadian policy must be driven by a precise focus on our own national interests.
Having an open discussion on the barriers to fearless advice is both urgently required and essential if Canada to restore trust in its public institutions and to serve Canadians effectively.
The federal government needs to act now to address this issue. It must strengthen the CMER regulations to better protect water quality and aquatic life in the Elk Valley. Prime ministers, unwittingly or not, have unleashed powerful forces when they told government managers to embrace private-sector management practices while leaving their accountability requirements intact
In an excerpt from his new book 'Government: Have Presidents and Prime Ministers Misdiagnosed the Patient?', Donald Savoie says a misdiagnosis of problems in the public service has led to prime ministers and presidents debasing these institutions. Lessons from Cobalt for Ontario’s Ring of Fire
Governments and mining companies will have to admit that Canada’s lax domestic regulatory structure for mining must be abandoned.Veteran Conservative staffer Martin Bélanger exits the Hill after 16 years
Martin Bélanger has already embarked on his next adventure: as chief of staff for the Dairy Farmers of Canada in Ottawa.Staff additions bring Emergency Preparedness Minister Blair’s team to 13
Plus, there are two more policy advisers to report in Justice Minister David Lametti’s office, along with one staff departure. Father’s Day on the Hill sets stage for launch of foundation supporting men’s mental health
Plus, former prime minister Jean Chrétien will be awarded an honorary degree from Carleton University at its first in-person convocation ceremonies since 2019.
Trudeau announces major shakeup in senior ranks of public service, also appoints new deputy clerk of the Privy Council Office before Sunday’s election call
Former deputy clerk of the Privy Council Christyne Tremblay will remain in the PCO as a senior official.Federal cybersecurity workers heading for strike votes following bargaining impasse
With the two sides having been at the bargaining table for almost two years following the expiry of the most recent collective agreement, strike votes are scheduled to run from Feb. 11 to 24.
Wasn’t that a party: Chiu takes home Politics and the Pen’s top prize at Ottawa’s hot-ticket political power shindig
The gala celebrated its 35th anniversary and a return after two years, bringing out the who’s who in Ottawa’s political and literary scene.Japan eager to see Canada’s new Indo-Pacific strategy, says new ambassador
In a wide-ranging interview, Japanese Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi talks about Canada-Japan relations and their Pacific Rim trade deal, as well as the looming Indo-Pacific strategy and Canadian music.Sri Lanka’s new envoy talks renewed engagement, Canadian assistance amid collapse of government
In a broad-ranging interview, Sri Lankan High Commissioner Harsha Kumara Navaratne talks about his country's economic crisis, human rights, and Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy. 
Mendicino to talk about Canada’s changing threat landscape, reimagining of national security and intelligence practices on Monday, June 27
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, pictured June 14, 2022, on the Hill, will deliver remarks during a webinar on ‘Canada's National Security’ on Monday, June 27. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
A 'Freedom Convoy supporter sits with a display set up along Wellington Street in front of Centre Block on June 27, 2022. 
Then-Conservative Party leadership candidate Andrew Scheer is showered in confetti after he is announced as the newly elected leader at the party's convention in Toronto on May 27, 2017. After 13 rounds, the Saskatchewan MP emerged victorious to defeat frontrunner Maxime Bernier. Scheer remained leader until December 2019, after a disappointing federal election result for the party prompted calls for his resignation. Bernier, meanwhile, lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 election under the People's Party of Canada banner.
