Conservatives line up to run for nomination in Harper’s Calgary Heritage riding
The Conservative nomination for Stephen Harper’s old Calgary Heritage, Alta., riding is scheduled for Oct. 22, but three candidates have so far emerged and more are expected to run in one of the safest Tory seats in the country. “We have no idea what the prime minister will do in calling the byelection. We didn’t […]
New to Ottawa? Here’s what you need to know
For an ambassador, high commissioner, or any other diplomat new to a posting, there are certain things about a political landscape that can only be learned through experience, trial and error, and months of schmoozing. That’s why after the summer shuffle, The Hill Times asked three veteran ambassadors, as well as a prominent departmental insider, what […]
Tories can learn from PQ’s charter bungle
MONTREAL—Three years ago this fall, the Parti Québécois set out to affirm Quebec’s secular character through a so-called charter of values and the imposition of a secular dress code on the province’s public service. It was the sovereigntist party’s most ambitious identity-related project since the introduction in the late 1970s of the French-language charter, a […]
Poll finds Liberals with ‘huge brand equity’ in Atlantic as MacKay rules out Tory leadership bid
A new poll has found Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government at historic highs in Atlantic Canada, throwing cold water on the federal Conservatives during their foray into Halifax this week in an attempt to begin rebuilding support following the party’s 2015 election defeat in the region. Fully 74 per cent of electors in the Atlantic provinces, which voted Liberals […]
Two new staff join Ambrose’s team ahead of Parliament’s return
Ahead of the fall House of Commons sitting, set to start on Sept. 19, there are a couple new, though familiar, faces now working on the official opposition leader’s team, led by interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose. Rebecca Rogers is no longer serving as manager of tour for Ms. Ambrose, with Semhar Tekeste having stepped […]
How the universities lobby got $1-billion-plus from the feds
The $900-million in federal funds doled out to universities last week was part of a research fund green-lit by a Conservative government looking for an “out-of-the-park” scientific success story, say some of the key players that lobbied for the fund’s creation. The story of that two-year lobbying campaign adds a wrinkle to the anti-science reputation […]
Construction truck impaled by barrier on Parliament Hill
A hulking construction truck towing a trailer was pierced by a ground-level security-barrier pole on Parliament Hill Friday afternoon in a doozy of a collision that disrupted traffic at the Bank Street entrance for hours. The vehicle, owned by Ottawa-based Exel Contracting Inc., was skewered by the black security blockade as it drove from the […]
Peter MacKay made the right decision
Peter MacKay made the right decision for him and his family by not entering the Conservative leadership race. Sometimes it is harder to say no than it is to say yes. Such was the case here. Whether you are a MacKay fan or not, it is difficult to challenge his commitment to public service. He […]
Ambrose backs away from criticism of Leitch over screening for Canadian values
Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose has backed away from criticism she leveled earlier this month at Conservative leadership contender Kellie Leitch for asking Canadians whether the government should screen refugee seekers and potential immigrants for “anti-Canadian values.” After more than a week of controversy over the question—which Ms. Leitch posed in an email to potential […]
Obhrai touts experience in Tory leadership bid, Scheer ‘100 per cent’ expected to announce soon
Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai says he has the experience to become his party’s leader and plans to run a grassroots campaign focused on Canadians young, new, and old, after filing his official candidacy papers with the party on Sept. 6 and becoming the fifth to do so thus far. Meanwhile, The Hill Times has learned that Conservative […]
