Stories by Laura Ryckewaert
One in, one out for the PMO
Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said goodbye to special assistant Julie Savard-Shaw last week, and her replacement is already in place. Until recently, Ms. Savard-Shaw had been a special assistant for policy in the…
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “During his recent trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Prime Minister announced that Canada and the ten remaining members of the Trans Pacific Partnership concluded discussions in…
Federal Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsef last week hired a new director of communications, Justine Villeneuve, to her ministerial office, arriving from the office of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale. Ms.…
The national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls still has yet to file its anticipated request for extension, and with less than eight months to go on its current timeline, stakeholders are…
Mississauga Centre has the largest immigrant population of any federal riding in Canada which means Liberal MP Omar Alghabra’s Ontario riding team is an “incredibly busy” one. The vast majority of the riding's casework is…
Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould recently hired Nicky Cayer to her ministerial staff team as the office’s new press secretary. Until recently, Ms. Cayer was working on the Hill as a legislative assistant to Liberal MP…
No two ridings are the same, and with a large immigrant population, more than 70 different languages spoken, and a high proportion of low-income families, NDP MP Jenny Kwan’s downtown riding of Vancouver East, B.C.…Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “Sexual violence and harassment of any kind are completely unacceptable in any workplace, and that of course includes Parliament Hill. That is why our government ran on a commitment to take…
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A new outreach assistant recently started work in the Liberal caucus’ research bureau on the Hill, also known as the LRB. Mitchell White officially started on the job as a special assistant for outreach on…
MPs say a “transformational change" is happening on the Hill, spurred by the recent “avalanche” of allegations of sexual harassment, harassment, and misconduct in Canadian federal politics, and some say they're “terrified,” by the culture…
Some major changes took place in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office last week, ahead of director of operations John Zerucelli’s planned departure around the end of the spring session, including splitting the PMO’s operations team…Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “It will come as no surprise to Canadians that our priority in 2018 is consistent with what it has been since the election: driving economic growth all across the country, creating…
The Centre Block building’s emptying out is just around the corner—at least based on current department timelines—but its present occupants say they’re “skeptical” the big move into the West Block and Government Conference Centre buildings…
Canadian political parties are increasingly emphasizing multicultural communications and outreach work, and as the Liberal government’s lead staffer focused on communicating with the country’s many multicultural communities and news outlets, PMO press secretary Amreet Kaur…
Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer has hired a handful of new aides to help support the work of his official opposition caucus on the Hill, including a new digital media liaison, Morgan Swan. Ms. Swan…
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has made a few senior staffing changes in her ministerial office of late, including naming a new director of policy following the departure of Owen Teo in December. Mr. Teo…
Government House Leader Bardish Chagger, who is also the minister responsible for Small Business and Tourism, is down one political aide, following director of issues management Chad Mariage’s recent exit. After a little more than…Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “After a productive cabinet retreat in London last week, the prime minister addressed this during his closing press conference in response to a question from a journalist. “He began by taking…
May wants to see all-party women’s caucus tackle issues of sexual harassment, misconduct on the Hill
Amid the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says she’d “love” to see the all-party women’s caucus tackle the issue of sexual harassment on Parliament Hill and plans to raise the…
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr’s in need of a new director of policy, with Michael Rau having recently left the minister’s office to return to work for the department. Mr. Rau is now acting director…
With less than a year to go, calls for a reset of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women continue, and while some are concerned that a reset could be the inquiry’s doom,…
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said goodbye to his executive assistant for the last two years, Tommy Desfossés. After nine years working for Mr. Trudeau overall, Mr. Desfossés departed the Hill at the beginning of…
Ten weeks into the CBC The National's revamped newscast, host Rosemary Barton says the program continues to evolve, but internal numbers already show growth in younger demographics and digitally. “I don’t think we’re satisfied yet,…Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “The most important story over the holidays was surely welcome news for millions of Canadians, whose hard work has paid off and has resulted in our country’s lowest unemployment rate in…
Katherine O’Halloran has exited her role as the national manager of ministers’ regional offices in Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough’s office to instead serve as the Atlantic regional desk adviser in Prime Minister…
Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes says MPs should set up an informal, cross-party support system on the Hill to address sexual harassment and sexual misconduct as the #MeToo global movement against misogynistic behaviour hits Parliament Hill.…
The Top 25 1. Justin Trudeau, prime minister 2.Gerald Butts, principal secretary to the prime minister 3. Katie Telford, chief of staff to the prime minister 4. Michael Wernick, clerk of the privy council 5. Chrystia…Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “As we approach the end of 2017, we can all look forward to new challenges and opportunities in the new year, and we have the chance to reflect on those that…
It’s been 20 years since NDP lobby officer Anthony Salloum first walked through Centre Block’s front doors as a rookie staffer, and this year, for the first time, he’s claimed the title of the Best…
Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly recently promoted a new director of parliamentary affairs, Elliott Lockington, from within her ministerial office. A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Mr. Lockington has been working for the heritage minister…
Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi has tapped one of his staffers to officially take over the currently vacant role of chief of staff in his ministerial office in February. Leslie O’Leary, who’s been on…
From Pierre Trudeau to Stephen Harper, modern Canadian prime ministers are often cast as having ushered in a unique centralization of executive control, but as Ryerson University professor and author Patrice Dutil explores in his…Politics This Morning
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