Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured alongside his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. Mr. Trudeau is expected to issue the writs for an election on Aug. 8 or Aug. 15. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
‘Be ready for Aug. 8’: some senior Liberals expect to kick off federal election campaign in a week
Others are preparing for the writs to be issued on Aug. 15, with an election to take place on Sept. 13 or 20.
Deputy mayor of Ottawa Sudds eyeing Liberal nomination in the federal riding of Kanata-Carleton, say Liberal sources
Considering that the Liberal Party is currently in the electoral urgency mode, Jenna Sudds could be appointed or acclaimed in Kanata-Carleton, Liberal sources told The Hill Times.Federal recognition of Emancipation Day ‘shines a light’ on slavery’s legacy, say Parliamentary Black Caucus members
Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard says she will push for the Canadian government to give an official apology for its role in slavery, as well as reparations for African Canadians.
‘A hot green mess’: Green Party faces tough battle in next election, to the benefit of Liberals and NDP, Paul may not even win Toronto Centre seat, say politicos
Political experts say that Green Party leader Annamie Paul will have difficulties winning a seat in Toronto Centre. Lack of Canada-U.S. planning contributed to uncertainty over border reopening, say observers
Following Canada's announcement that it will reopen its border to fully vaccinated Americans, U.S. political pressure has repositioned its focus on the White House. Government-run diversity challenge ‘hypocritical’ until public service meets private sector targets: experts
The 50-30 Challenge asks Canadian companies to voluntarily 'commit to achieving gender parity and significant representation of other underrepresented groups,' but there are no baked-in accountability measures. Facial recognition technology ‘fundamentally undemocratic,’ says Angus as critics wary of political use
Of the four recognized parties in the House, the Liberals are the only ones confirmed to be using these algorithms, with the NDP saying that they don’t use it, and no response from the Conservatives or the Bloc.Senate art restoration project offers insight into painters’ original vision
Five portraits normally housed in Centre Block have been restored to their original lustre. 'It requires an understanding of our history and how artists work. It is also very scientific,' says Sen. Patricia Bovey. Canada pushes for government to be formed in Lebanon as humanitarian crisis mounts
'Not any government will give hope and will make reforms,' says Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury, as the Canadian government is urging Lebanon to swiftly form a government. ‘I want to get to work’: first female AFN Chief Archibald outlines priorities following election
Roseanne Archibald says she will be pushing for a post-pandemic recovery plan for Indigenous communities, as well as a criminal investigation into residential schools.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured alongside his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. Mr. Trudeau is expected to issue the writs for an election on Aug. 8 or Aug. 15. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
‘Be ready for Aug. 8’: some senior Liberals expect to kick off federal election campaign in a week
Others are preparing for the writs to be issued on Aug. 15, with an election to take place on Sept. 13 or 20.
The need for politicians to state the problem
With all these dark crises looming in the background, Canadians will be looking for hope. All politicians have to do is provide it.Foreign influence in our elections is real, so what are we doing about it?
A recent CSIS report says the agency has ‘observed persistent and sophisticated state-sponsored threat activity targeting elections for many years now and continues to see a rise in its frequency and sophistication.’Time to dismantle Indigenous Affairs, ban feds from Indigenous education and child welfare, prosecute church leaders
Church leaders need to be prosecuted. The Catholic Church needs to pay its reparations. The federal government needs to dismantle the Department of Indian Affairs.
Four years on, past critics are silent on whether fears around transgender human rights bill were founded
Then, furor erupted around the bill, with media attention centring on University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson’s concerns of free speech and being compelled to employ certain words and gender-neutral terms.Senator’s ‘good faith’ journalism royalties bill flawed, say media watchdogs
MPs, Senators say they support Sen. Claude Carignan’s effort to have web giants pay for posting news through copyright laws, noting more needs to be done to support the journalism industry.MPs, advocates call for funding, education, action to crush ‘shadow pandemic’ of domestic violence
The approach taken needs to get to the “root causes of violence … and provide support for survivors under a cohesive framework,” Paulette Senior, CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation said.
Biden-Putin Arctic co-operation gives Canada an opportunity
The Arctic region that has for decades been recognized as non-militarized is now heading toward a state that can only be deemed as militarized. New refugee program for human rights defenders a good idea hiding significant pitfalls
The HRD program is confronted with a stark reality, the same one facing all refugee resettlement programs: the gap between the overwhelming need for protection and the capacity of the world’s nations to provide it.A seabed setback and the Pacific island of Nauru
Vital new technologies, from mobile phones and computers to batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage, have now created a huge demand for cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese and rare earths. 
OCL staff eye summer reprieve, as lobbying activity continues to reach new heights
Lobbying Commissioner Nancy Bélanger says it will be interesting to see if the lobbying activity this coming summer will be comparable to that of last year, which set new records in an already bumper year.Vaping group tops April outreach in record-breaking month for lobbying
Lobbyists filed 2,706 communications last month, pushing activity up 12 per cent compared to April 2020 and making it the busiest April on record. January lobbying picks up from holiday slump
Unifor president Jerry Dias says union representatives 'spent the lion’s share' of their time pressing the government to move forward on a rescue package for the aerospace and airline sectors.
Staffers on the move in and out of Innovation Minister Champagne’s office
Plus, former finance policy adviser Amitpal Singh has a new job off the Hill as a senior associate with Deloitte Canada.
Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen bids Red Chamber farewell
Plus, reporter Stephanie Taylor joins the Canadian Press on a full-time basis, and the Senate shares its art virtually.
Quebec Conservative MP Blaney bows out, so that’s 22 incumbents not running in next election
Plus, Tyrone Benskin a former NDP MP is also a famous actor and director, Senator Patrick Brazeau released a report and Mark Carney is not running in the next federal election.
D’Arcy McGee’s former manager finds a new home on the farm
Plus, Senator Judith Keating dies, and McKenna's political staffer welcomes a new baby to the family.Trudeau appoints new chief information officer of Canada, reappoints CRA commissioner
Plus, iPolitics deputy editor relocates to Toronto, while NCCM welcomes a conservative senator to its Advisory Council. Paramathasan exits Minister Duclos’ office for Harvard
Plus, Government House Leader and Quebec Lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez has a new communications assistant, while Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has a new Ontario adviser.
Imbalanced support system, SIU use drive mental-health challenges in prisons, experts say
NDP MP Matthew Green says that there’s 'very little' for inmates, and that their experiences often 'compound' mental health problems they may have already had.
Is it time for Canada’s own war with the truth about Afghanistan?
Maybe Canada needs to establish a parliamentary probe into when it was first known by Canadian military leaders and politicians that our soldiers were being sent to fight a war they knew we could not win?
Road to recovery and lessons from the pandemic
The most revolutionary thing to come out of the pandemic has been the unprecedented use of technology to develop vaccines in record time, but Canada is going to need a transformative change to deal with future pandemics.
COVID-19 a wake-up call for Canada, international community for pandemic preparedness
It has highlighted the need to enhance our readiness for future global health crises, as well as other potential health crisis events we could face in the future.COVID-19: lessons learned and the path forward
COVID-19 has revealed a troubling lack of national self-sufficiency in essential medical technology, equipment, and therapeutics.
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.
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Politics This Morning: Five Senators appointed to Red Chamber; O’Toole visits New Brunswick; Singh to wrap up tour with stop in Penticton
Plus, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra will make an announcement in support of airport recovery at the Vancouver International Airport.
We need democracy back—stronger, wiser, and more open to new ideas—with all its checks and balances restored.
The reluctance to imbue the federal government with a full leadership role or embrace dynamic national cohesion is part of the reason Canadians have been stuck in COVID hell for 16 months.
Global health gains that took decades to achieve are now under threat. Within the first 25 weeks of the pandemic, COVID-19 had overturned 25 years of progress. 
With the U.S. pounding on the doors and some Canadians becoming increasingly impatient, this longstanding national shortcoming has the potential to emerge as much more of a political risk factor.Take this year's survey
Terrific 25 Staffer Survey
The Hot Room Podcast
Parsing the CBSA standoff, with Richard Savage
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Climate change has been an existential emergency for more than a decade. The only practical political possibility of needed emission reduction is an emergency coalition government.
In the end, the review is a diversion and it's a lopsided, costly effort. It's also an attempt to head off any real, significant disclosure advances.
Canada needs to lead international cooperation by example in the face of a global crisis.
No wonder anti-Asian hate crimes are rising in this country. When prominent Canadians express intolerant views, the result at the street level is to attack those who look Asian as communist China sympathizers. 
While COVID-19 has understandably taken centre stage over the last 16 months, the pandemic has shown us what is possible when all levels of government, industry, and community work together. 
It must not be forgotten that for more than 13 years, many of those associated with the CDA and CDAI were instrumental in pushing a narrative of success in what was clearly an unwinnable war from the outset.Keeping the bailiff from repossessing your car: the case for a basic income
In their new book The Case for Basic Income, Jamie Swift and Elaine Power vigorously demonstrate that basic income programs have been tried and measured in several countries. In Canada, they have been tested in Manitoba and Ontario—with clearly positive results.Jaccard offers up solid advice on what citizens can do to fight climate change
The following an excerpt from Mark Jaccard's The Citizen’s Guide to Climate Success: Overcoming Myths That Hinder Progress, one of five books nominated for this year’s Donner Prize for the best public policy book of the year.Jean-Luc Ferland returns to the Hill as comms director to Innovation Minister Champagne
Plus, Diversity, Inclusion, and Youth Minister Bardish Chagger has scooped up Aidan Strickland as her new press secretary. PMO changes: MacKendrick exits for health minister’s team
Plus, Jesse McCormick recently left Justice Minister David Lametti’s office, where he’d been director of rights implementation since January 2020.Amid increased hostilities, Minister Chagger announces national summits on anti-Semitism and Islamophobia
Plus, a former Supreme Court justice dies, while another has a new award named in her honour.Grit MP William Amos announces full-time return in local press conference
Plus, journalists react to Wendy Mesley's explosive Globe and Mail opinion piece, and the Parliament Hill Softball League returns.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.
As union members face COVID-19 pandemic ‘head on,’ PSAC calls for feds to return to bargaining table
Treasury Board spokesperson Martin Potvin says the government's goal is to take 'constructive steps to keep meeting and to prepare for negotiations when they resume.'No more Hill parties, after coronavirus pandemic forces Parliament Hill to shut down
'Politics and the Pen is probably the exact opposite of social distancing. We cram so many people into the ballroom that you can barely keep one to two inches away,' says Jim Armour. Sorbara makes ’em howl at the Métropolitain
Pat Sorbara's new book, Let 'em Howl, offers lessons learned over a more than four-decade career in federal and provincial politics as a high-ranking Liberal backroomer. ‘We have to have visits’: New Romanian envoy hopes for renewal of high-level meetings post-pandemic
In a wide-ranging interview, Romanian Ambassador Bogdan Mănoiu spoke about defence and economic co-operation with Canada, as well as the need to renew high-level visits between the two nations. Alleged assassin needs to be sent back to Bangladesh, says new envoy
New Bangladeshi High Commissioner Khalilur Rahman also hopes to see Canada hand over its unused COVID-19 vaccines. 
First federally recognized Emancipation Day on Aug. 1 a day for reflection, action
Thousands gather on the Parliament Hill for a rally to call attention to anti-Black racism and police violence against on June 5, 2020. In March, the federal government officially designated Aug. 1, the actual day in 1834 that the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire, as Emancipation Day in Canada. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Mary Simon's husband Whit Fraser, left, Canada's 30th Governor General, Ms. Simon, and the Usher of the Black Rod Greg Peters, pictured en route to meeting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. Ms. Simon, a former Inuk leader and former ambassador, was installed today as Canada's first Indigenous person to serve as the Queen's representative in Canada, in a historic ceremony that took place inside the Senate of Canada building. 
