Infrastructure Minister Sohi hires new chief of staff O’Leary, who’s set to start in the new year
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 maternity leave from her role as director of issues management to the minister since May 1, has been lined up […]
Environment Minister McKenna plucks new D. Comms from think-tank
Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna has bolstered her communications team, hiring Julia Kilpatrick to serve as her director of communications as of Dec. 1. Before then, Ms. Kilpatrick was communications director for Clean Energy Canada, a think-tank under Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue that focuses on “work to accelerate our […]
On the road to 2019: Singh, Scheer needs to steal Trudeau’s sunshine
OTTAWA—It’s hard to believe, but Canada’s 150th anniversary is almost done; it seems like it has gone by in a flash. It has been a year of significant change on the federal political front: for the first time since he has been prime minister, Justin Trudeau now knows who will compete against him in the […]
Conservatives have ‘brand problem’ among female voters, pin hopes on Scheer, star women MPs to reverse trend
The Conservatives continue to trail badly among women and have what one pollster is calling a “gender issue,” despite pulling nearly even with the federal Liberals among male voters in polls over the last few months. Weekly polls from Nanos Research show a double-digit advantage for the Liberals over the second place Conservatives, nearly every week […]
Canada is back? Not so fast when talking international science
Were the earth to be equipped with a collision warning system, the alarm would almost certainly be clanging incessantly. A plurality of expert opinion is now convinced that the health of the planet is deteriorating and that, as a direct result, humanity’s long-term survival is in jeopardy. Although some aspects of that argument have been […]
New lobbying watchdog could help bridge gap between her office and ethics commissioner’s, lobbyists say
Some Ottawa lobbyists have long advocated for the government to merge the lobbying and ethics commissioners’ offices to avoid confusion and improve coordination. While the Liberal government’s nomination last week of a new lobbying commissioner makes that prospect unlikely, some lobbyists say the appointee’s past experience working in the ethics watchdog’s office could help bridge […]
Conservatives playing long game on daily Morneau attacks, Liberals accuse Tories, NDP of an ‘unholy alliance’
The federal Conservatives will keep hammering away at the ethical controversy surrounding Finance Minister Bill Morneau in the coming weeks as part of a long-term strategy, planting seeds for the next election campaign and taking the Liberals off message, say Conservatives. “We will keep pushing. The Canadian people want to have somebody who is in […]
Status of Women Minister Monsef hires two new advisers
Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsef has a pair of new advisers working in her office, including new senior policy adviser Lori Lee Oates, a former co-chair of Equal Voice’s Newfoundland and Labrador chapter. Ms. Oates is a former part-time lecturer with Memorial University’s master of philosophy program, where she herself previously earned a master’s […]
The science of politics
OAKVILLE, ONT.—If you believe the latest in fashionable wisdom, the best of all possible national political leaders would be a reincarnation of Albert Einstein. After all, the current trend in media commentary (especially on the left) is to judge political parties and politicians on the basis of how much they revere “science.” For instance, it’s […]
Conservatives open nominations in their 92 held ridings, but deny new rules ‘advantageous’ to incumbent Tory MPs
With new nomination rules in place that some describe as “advantageous” to incumbent Conservative MPs, the federal party has opened up nominations in held ridings, but Conservatives deny the charge that they are favouring MPs in the 2019 nomination process. The nominations in the Conservative-held ridings opened up on Nov. 1 under the new rules […]
