Harper says Mulcair has ‘conspiracy theories’ on elections overhaul bill
PARLIAMENT HILL—Prime Minister Stephen Harper has stepped up attempts to brand NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair as a paranoid “conspiracy” theorist for arguing legislation the government is promoting as a “Fair Elections Act” intended to improve federal election law is actually designed to benefit the Conservative party as Canada heads toward a 2015 general election. […]
Conservatives to end NDP’s committee filibuster, Mayrand expected to testify on elections overhaul bill
PARLIAMENT HILL—The government forced an inevitable end Tuesday to a lone NDP MP’s committee filibuster over contentious new election legislation, paving the way for long-awaited testimony on the government bill from Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand. Elections Canada said Monday that Mr. Mayrand had contacted the clerk of the Commons Procedure and House […]
Conservative MP may have breached privilege with electoral vouching claims: Speaker
PARLIAMENT HILL—A government bill that would make it more difficult for thousands of voters to cast ballots in the next federal election faced another setback Monday when Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer ruled Conservative MP Brad Butt may be in contempt of Parliament for a claim he made about witnessing voter fraud in a past election. […]
Hill journalists say there’s too much government information control and Parliament has lost its power
OTTAWA CONVENTION CENTRE—Senior Parliament Hill reporters, speaking at the Manning Networking Conference, say it has become increasingly difficult over the last 20 years for journalists and MPs to obtain information about the federal government’s activities and that it’s hurting the public’s understanding of public policy, the perception of Parliament, and the government. National Post […]
Poilievre uses debate on Senate reform to attack Trudeau’s ‘elitist’ proposal at Manning Conference
OTTAWA CONVENTION CENTRE—It was billed as a conservative debate on whether to reform or abolish Parliament’s Upper Chamber, but Minister of State for Democratic Reform Pierre Poilievre saved his harshest criticism to debate Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in absentia at the Manning Networking Conference in Ottawa on Saturday. In a meandering address sprinkled with […]
Courts will have to decide if Elections Canada CEO can be ‘muzzled,’ say experts
PARLIAMENT HILL—Elections Canada and critics of proposed government legislation that will restrict communications between the chief electoral officer and the electorate say the measure will also limit information the chief electoral officer will be able to distribute to news media. A source told The Hill Times the electoral agency remains concerned despite assurances Minister […]
Elections Canada’s voter turnout records don’t support feds’ argument to restrict agency’s outreach
PARLIAMENT HILL—Elections Canada documents and voter turnout records since 2006 do not support arguments the government is using to support legislation that would severely restrict the authority of Elections Canada and the chief electoral officer to communicate with voters. Minister of State for Democratic Reform Pierre Poilievre (Nepean-Carleton, Ont.), who is shepherding the legislation, […]
Tories approved $600,000 in Commons committee trips before rejecting cross-country hearings on election overhaul bill
PARLIAMENT HILL—Conservative MPs approved more than $600,000 worth of Commons committee trips across Canada and abroad before the government rejected opposition requests that a committee reviewing controversial changes to federal election law conduct hearings across the country. The NDP rebelled in the Commons on Wednesday and temporarily blocked trips that had been earlier approved […]
Feds want House committee hearings into elections law overhaul bill done by May 1
PARLIAMENT HILL—Facing a virtual opposition revolt over radical changes to Canada’s federal election law and new provisions that threaten the independence and freedom of the chief electoral officer, the government on Tuesday promised at least a dozen witness hearings on the legislation that could stretch into May. But despite a promise to hear “anyone […]
Conservatives bring down time allocation hammer on elections reform bill
PARLIAMENT HILL—The government served notice Thursday it intends to limit House of Commons debate on the most significant changes to Canada’s federal election law in a decade, despite claims the measures may favour the governing Conservatives over opposition parties. Government House Leader Peter Van Loan (York-Simcoe, Ont.) ignored opposition complaints as he moved a […]
