Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, pictured Dec. 4, 2019. Mr. Scheer announced on Dec. 12, after meeting with his caucus, that he is resigning after beating back calls to step down for failing to win the election. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
After relentless pressure, Scheer says he’ll resign as Conservative party leader amid private school controversy, caucus supports him as interim leader
Scheer recognized winning April leadership review vote would take ‘a longer, more gruelling campaign than the one we just ran for the general election,’ says Tory Whip Mark Strahl.
From representing a town of 5,000 to a riding the size of Poland: NDP MP Bachrach settles into job
Much of Taylor Bachrach's career has been steeped in politics, but he hasn’t always been a card-carrying NDP member.Parties agree to NDP’s push for representation on steering committees
Chief Government Whip Mark Holland says the party was hoping to strike the Procedure and House Affairs Committee last week, but opposition had not reached a consensus.Politics This Morning
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Stand by me: a number of chiefs of staff stick with ministers
Jason Easton is staying on as chief of staff to now-International Trade and Small Business Minister Mary Ng, plus Lesley Sherban will be her director of operations. Feds risk coveting support of autocratic nations in UN Security Council bid, says Conservative MP
Peter Kent says Canada's campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council is a 'possible, even, likely motivation' for a vote supporting a pro-Palestine, anti-Israel resolution last month in the UN General Assembly.Should he stay or should he go? Defeated Tory candidates divided on Scheer’s future
‘He made too many mistakes, too often and if he can’t win in Quebec, he will never be prime minister. It’s that simple,’ says a defeated Quebec candidate.Veterans’ benefits lead in supplementary spending ask of nearly $5-billion
The estimates include $44-million for Phoenix damages, $131.9-million towards reconciliation on Indigenous rights and fisheries issues, and $9.9-million for the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization. Feds’ silence on funding, transition plan for child welfare law causing ‘intense nervousness and frustration’
Bill C-92 takes effect Jan. 1, bringing in new, stricter, and culturally sensitive standards to Indigenous child welfare decisions. ‘The tail doesn’t wag the dog’: PSAC wants a deal of its own amid ongoing negotiations
The government is ‘disappointed’ PSAC rejected an offer in line with recent agreements signed by 34 other bargaining units, according to a Treasury Board spokesperson. Premiers’ nuclear announcement a potential boon, but issues remain: experts
Energy experts say SMRs could be an environmentally friendly baseload option compared to intermittent sources like wind and solar.Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, pictured Dec. 4, 2019. Mr. Scheer announced on Dec. 12, after meeting with his caucus, that he is resigning after beating back calls to step down for failing to win the election. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
After relentless pressure, Scheer says he’ll resign as Conservative party leader amid private school controversy, caucus supports him as interim leader
Scheer recognized winning April leadership review vote would take ‘a longer, more gruelling campaign than the one we just ran for the general election,’ says Tory Whip Mark Strahl.
Trudeau should prove better behaviour is always possible
If Justin Trudeau wants to go after Donald Trump, he should do it publicly and confidently. Say in public what he was caught musing in private. Pencils down: political lessons hard won in the 2010s
From finding the right lunch table in the high school we call Canada, to the rare gift of knowing oneself, there’s a lot to reflect on in a decade of political growth. What do Texas and Saudi Arabia know that Jason Kenney doesn’t?
The days of $100 oil will never be coming back. Turn out the lights, that party’s over.
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.
Canada can handle being ‘slightly delinquent’ on NATO contributions
As Justin Trudeau pointed out to Donald Trump during their discussion at the NATO summit, Canada has consistently been at the forefront of supporting the alliance.Love Factually: The ‘Don’t mess with me’ clip of 2019
Amid all the toxicity, an impromptu clapback in Washington provides a political moment of—gasp—truth and love.Faint hope in Yemen
It has now become clear that Saudi Arabia is never going to win. 
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. 
Maura Forrest to join Politico Pro Canada, Joanna Smith switches roles
Plus, former PM Stephen Harper was recently in Washington for an International Democrat Union forum, and a new book looks at the rise and fall of Newfoundland and Labrador's cod fishers.
Nine of 26 cabinet ministers’ chiefs of staff confirmed so far are former PMO aides
Plus, there have been a few recent staff departures from the Prime Minister’s Office.
A jaw-dropping moment: CBC’s Chris Rands’ careful ear ignites international reaction
Plus, an orientation session for new MPs to meet Supreme Court chief justice, Privy Council clerk, and others, and Scott Brison named new Dalhousie chancellor. 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. 
We are not really ‘The North’
The North used to be seen as a government priority, especially for its economic potential in natural resources and its critical role in territorial sovereignty, but it wasn't even an afterthought this election.
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.
‘Small but mighty’: New Democrats say they’re up to the task as MPs pile on critic jobs
The 24-member team is Jagmeet Singh’s ‘first caucus,’ says MP Don Davies, and the group is ‘starting with a clean slate.’
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 and the intelligence technology complex
The question for NATO isn’t ‘Who’s the enemy?’ It’s ‘How do we respond?’Annual Features
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Politics This Morning: After swatting away calls to resign, Scheer steps down
Plus, the Senate's largest group, the Independent Senators Group, is holding its leadership vote. 
Larry Fink is no doubt pleased as he contemplates the wildly lucrative new opportunities in Canadian infrastructure. And well he should be. It is not Larry Fink—but rather Canadian taxpayers—who will be ponying up.
The actual place of incubation does not matter. What does is having a bevy of like-minded co-conspirators and access to relevant material, and that can happen anywhere.
To meet our climate targets, it’s essential for the incoming government to link permanent transit infrastructure funding to a commitment for municipalities to plan smart, compact communities.
The Ford government’s decision to reform the province’s business support programs is well-rooted in evidence and experience. Now it must focus on improving the province’s overall competitiveness. 
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.
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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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. ‘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. A Napoleonic honour: Serge Joyal to get Légion d’Honneur promotion
Plus, Justin 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. New deputy ministers at helm of immigration, innovation, health, environment
Former public service commissioner says preparatory work needed in government before an election 'best led by a deputy minister,' and that governments tend to avoid major appointments once writ is dropped. PSAC head says avoiding Conservative government ‘No. 1’ election issue
A number of unions have registered as third party advertisers in the lead up to the October election, but PSAC, PIPSC and CUPW, all big spenders in 2015, haven't locked down their exact spending goals yet. 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. 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.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. Don Martin says goodbye with swinging Met bash on Dec. 11
CTV’s Don Martin is hanging up his Power Play hat on Dec. 20. A farewell shindig is happening on Wednesday, Dec.11 at Métropolitain Brasserie, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Photograph courtesy of Ulle Baum
House Speaker Anthony Rota, who was elected last week, sits down for an interview with The Hill Times. 
