Canada's new procurement minister Anita Anand is flanked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Julie Payette on Nov. 20 at Rideau Hall. The rookie MP from Oakville severed her ties with lobbying group Canada India Foundation after being elected. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Rookie PSPC minister a ‘calculated risk’ as a cabinet pick, say observers
Canada's new procurement minister Anita Anand 'ticks a lot of the boxes,' says one political observer of the first Hindu to be appointed into cabinet on a federal level.
In Speech from the Throne, a nod to Western alienation, promise to enshrine Indigenous rights
'The government has heard Canadians’ concerns that the world is increasingly uncertain, and that the economy is changing,' the Throne Speech read. 'And in this context, regional needs and differences really matter.'Throne Speech steeped in British parliamentary tradition dating back to at least the 16th century
Queen Elizabeth, on her first royal visit to Canada in 1957, delivered John Diefenbaker's first Throne Speech. In 1977, she delivered Pierre Trudeau's Throne Speech as well in Canada. Politics This Morning
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Liberals’ Anthony Rota elected Speaker of the House
MPs used a ranked-ballot voting system to elect the new House Speaker. ‘Thou shalt be there,’ government whip tells MPs as high-stakes minority Parliament kicks off Thursday
In a minority Parliament, co-operation between parties is now an 'imperative, as opposed to something that we would try to do,' says Chief Government Whip Mark Holland.‘A servant of the House’: MPs to elect Commons Speaker in early-morning ceremony
Incumbent House Speaker Geoff Regan says he expects MPs will be largely influenced by their peers' assessments of the candidates in casting their ballots for the new Speaker. Political ties, not diplomatic bona fides needed for next Canadian envoy in D.C., says former ambassador
‘From a U.S. perspective, the relationship between the ambassador and the prime minister has to be extremely close,’ says Michael Kergin.‘Let’s get on with the contest now’: chorus of prominent Conservatives calling for Scheer’s ouster continues to grow
But a Conservative source is decrying public criticism of Andrew Scheer's leadership, saying it will only create the kind of schisms that will set the party back and that former leader Stephen Harper worked to avoid. Parliament security labour standoff nearing end of the road
Long-awaited collective agreements are finally being settled with the unions representing Parliament’s security officers, just in time for a new round of talks.French envoy defends Macron’s NATO comments as ‘brave’
French ambassador Kareen Rispal says the 29-member alliance is in the midst of a political crisis and her president was recognizing that fact.Canada's new procurement minister Anita Anand is flanked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Julie Payette on Nov. 20 at Rideau Hall. The rookie MP from Oakville severed her ties with lobbying group Canada India Foundation after being elected. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Rookie PSPC minister a ‘calculated risk’ as a cabinet pick, say observers
Canada's new procurement minister Anita Anand 'ticks a lot of the boxes,' says one political observer of the first Hindu to be appointed into cabinet on a federal level.
Let the games begin: what to watch as Parliament returns
The Throne Speech might provide a glimpse into the parameters of all this national niceness, whereas the 2020 federal budget will be the time when choices get made, and not all will be happy.The Ides of March are coming and Andrew Scheer may want to circle it on his calendar
The Conservative Party chose to go full Tea Party and are now brandishing their machetes for Andrew Scheer in a bloodletting that would make make Brutus envious.Do we have a responsibility to do something about Thunder Bay?
After attending a memorial for two First Nations youth who died in Thunder Bay and who were written about in Tanya Talaga's book, Seven Fallen Feathers, I’m left wondering if Canada cares about First Nations kids.
Liberals passing the buck on weapons ban
If the Liberal government truly believes that the legal availability of assault weapons puts the public at risk, then why not enact measures that are available to them right now, while they are still in power?Trudeau’s legislative record unlikely to motivate voters in the fall, with a few exceptions: pollsters
Many achievements and blunders enshrined in legislation are ancient history in the minds of voters, who cast their ballots based on the next thing you can do for them, say politicos and pollsters.Will the Senate respect democracy and First Nations rights?
Three important pieces of legislation sit in the Senate today, subject to the whim of a small group of Senators, which is a gross undermining of the democratic process.
NATO and the intelligence technology complex
The question for NATO isn’t ‘Who’s the enemy?’ It’s ‘How do we respond?’Trudeau gets an unexpected ally in the climate change wars
Mark Carney, who is leaving the Bank of England for a new role with the United Nations, has been pushing the financial community to wake up to the implications of global warming. NATO at 70
The alleged Russian threat is still the glue that holds the alliance together, but French President Emmanuel Macron doesn’t believe in that. 
CIJA, Dairy Farmers lead last lobbyist push before election call
Lobbyists filed 772 reports last month, down from 972 in July, and from the 1,478 reports filed in June.
Despite majority support for a Canadian handgun ban, the politics of doing so may remain insurmountable
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals promised in 2015 to take handguns and assault weapons ‘off our streets,’ but have made only limited progress in the face of strong opposition.Tale as old as time: Liberal ethics breach proves politics still about comforting the comfortable
The SNC-Lavalin affair is about a political system that is rife for abuse, and those responsible for the recent abuses are seeking re-election on a platform of open and transparent government. 
Red Christmas: Guilbeault to kick off holiday season
Plus, Trudeau's plane in the repair shop, and Mark Carney named UN's envoy for climate finance.
New minister, same chief in environment portfolio
Plus, Adam Carroll has moved over to Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna's office as chief of staff.
McNair set to exit as PMO policy head, Surkes tapped to take over
Plus, Marc Roy will be staying on as chief of staff to Transport Minister Marc Garneau.
A Napoleonic honour: Serge Joyal to get Légion d’Honneur promotion
Plus, Trudeau to mark 70 years of NATO, and controversial former MP and Nova Scotia premier Gerald Regan dies at 91. ‘It’s feeling a lot like 1990’: Manitoba MPs celebrate Winnipeg’s long-awaited Grey Cup win
Plus, Tony Clement launches a podcast, and Trudeau shares fatherly advice in new book. Diplomatic association plans black-tie bash on tight timeline
The ODA's new executive is moving quickly to plan its 10th anniversary gala on Valentine's Day 2020, the only annual black-tie diplomatic event in the capital. 
Diversity, inclusion minister should act as ‘catalyst’ with cross-ministerial power, say advocates
'It is a weird irony that integration is being isolated this way,' says Anita Singh, while others say there’s an opportunity for the diversity, inclusion, and youth file to play a larger role in government.
The electrification pathway has some unanswered questions
Moving to electricity will see a significant devaluation of the retail infrastructure for gasoline and natural gas. Will those companies be compensated for their stranded costs? How much are those stranded costs?
Canada’s energy narrative needs an urgent reboot
Industry leaders, policy-makers, and academics need to embark on a fundamental re-think of the entire architecture of our energy system to respond to changing circumstances.
Indigenous participation in energy sector an exercise in Indigenous self-determination, economic development
When candidates during the campaign declared that they will kill the Trans-Mountain pipeline expansion project, did they consider the impact that would have on the 43 First Nation communities along the proposed route?
It’s not enough for governments to simply invest in clean technology to tackle carbon crisis
If we truly want to spur a low-carbon transition, we must balance the scales to allow renewables to compete on an even playing field with fossil fuels.
Annual Features
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Politics This Morning: Trudeau to honour victims of Montreal tragedy, as MPs mark first Question Period of the session
MPs will mark the first Question Period of the new parliamentary session. 
Mark Carney’s appointment as the UN's envoy for climate finance will draw the global financial sector’s attention to the dangers of underestimating climate-change risk in the global financial system.
Much like the 'dot-com' bubble that burst in 2000, when analysts ignored the cash flow of the early internet businesses, companies like Uber, Airbnb, and even Amazon are vulnerable. And we in Canada will not be immune.
The science portfolio needs continued attention to address these ongoing issues.
From pharmacare, to $15 minimum wage, to climate change, there’s much to do. We may have a minority Parliament—but it’s made up of a majority of MPs who have committed to progressive change. 
We will soon meet again at COP25 with other nations to pursue these common objectives. The EU is fully committed to working with Canada and all other partners to make this imperative transformational change happen.
Even if we manage to replace fossil fuels with clean-energy generation for transport, buildings, and industry alongside huge strides in energy conservation, there remain major sources of emissions for which no true mitigation measures yet exist.
Lessons not learned: Canadian troops should get out of Iraq, now
It would seem that we have learned nothing from our 12-year fiasco in Afghanistan. We should get the hell out of Iraq now, because Canada had no stake in this conflict in the first place.Vancouver Granville race a ‘toss-up,’ as Wilson-Raybould’s rivals urge voters not to pick someone ‘on the outside’
In Vancouver Granville, the race is heating up between Independent incumbent Jody Wilson-Raybould and her Liberal challenger, who's raising the spectre of a Conservative government to draw votes.
Politics This Morning
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‘We’re in a bit of a rebuilding phase’: NDP adjusting to life as fourth party
Plus, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has dropped his chief of staff and director of communications. New Parliament, who dis? Post-election staff transition now underway
On Nov. 20, all cabinet staffers, including those in the PMO, received termination letters dated to Dec. 20, giving them 30 days to be rehired or hired in new offices. Payette to travel to Italy to mark the 75th anniversary of Italian campaign
Plus, Jean Chrétien makes rare West Block appearance, and CBC's Adrienne Arsenault to speak on The New Frontline.Anchorman: Evan Solomon named new host of CTV’s Power Play
Plus, CTV photojournalist Dave Ellis to retire after 34-year career, and an Abacus poll suggests only Stephen Harper is a more preferable Conservative leader than Andrew Scheer. Public servants, feds inch closer to contracts with tentative agreements before election
The Public Service Alliance of Canada remains at an impasse with the federal government however, with national president Chris Aylward saying they won’t take an ‘inferior’ deal just to get it done before the election. SAP Canada pitches NextGen plan to standardize human resources processes
When processes are 'standardized, the collective input into a payroll system becomes a lot simpler,' says Robert Conlin, SAP Canada's vice-president of the public sector.U.S. Embassy brings bayou to Bytown for Fourth of July
Though U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft was in Calgary, the U.S. Embassy's Fourth of July party was still filled with food and fun. Hill media descend on 24 Sussex for annual garden party
The prime minister opened up his backyard for one last shindig before politicians and journalists gear up for what's going to be a busy summer. The ‘lost’ opportunity of the PM’s India trip, and other observations from India’s exiting envoy
Exiting Indian envoy Vikas Swarup talks Kashmir, the prime minister's infamous India visit, trade, and future relations between the two countries.‘This is different’: diplomats warned of divided Canada during parliamentary crash course
Given Canadians' self-professed preference for a minority government, 'I think we all are on probation,' Liberal MP Greg Fergus told diplomats. Parliament gets back underway on Dec. 5, with House Speaker election and Throne Speech
As the longest consecutively serving MP in the House of Commons who isn’t a party leader or cabinet minister, Bloc Québécois MP Louis Plamondon will again preside over the election of the Speaker of the House, his fourth such outing, on Dec. 5. Mr. Plamondon has won 11 elections since entered the federal arena in 1984. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
With Centre Block undergoing a decade's worth of renovations, not all MPs were able to watch the Speech from the Throne in person. Small groups of MPs boarded buses bound for the Senate of Canada Building, where Governor General Julie Payette delivered the speech for the first time. 
