Politics and the Pen a hot ticket next month in Ottawa
Parliamentarians and pundits will down tools and glam up next month at the annual and sold-out Politics and the Pen dinner, which will be held at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa on May 31. Hosted by The Writers Trust of Canada, it’s a perennial hot ticket for Ottawa’s politerati, and this year is no […]
Grit leadership picks successive balloting for convention
Get ready for a long bloody night. The next leader of the Liberal Party will be elected through successive balloting which means the convention will be long, brokered and could mean a dark horse candidate will emerge the winner next December in Montreal, say Liberals. Liberals say it also means the campaign could be more […]
Conservatives should halt procurement reform initiated by Liberals: lawyer
The federal Conservative government, in its recently-tabled omnibus Accountability Act, is proposing a series of new measures to ensure that the $16-billion to $18-billion it spends on government procurement annually is “fair, open and transparent.” But one critic has emerged to say that the Conservatives should put a halt another procurement policy reform under way […]
Libs, Conservative government clash over timing and enforcement of upcoming bans on political donations
There’s significant confusion over whether the upcoming bans on political donations will affect the Liberal leadership race, but the Liberal Party of Canada and the Conservative government are currently disagreeing over the issue and Elections Canada can’t answer the question. The Treasury Board told The Hill Times that if the proposed Federal Accountability Act is […]
‘It’s an exciting time’ to be a federal public servant: PCO Clerk Lynch
Privy Council Clerk Kevin Lynch says it’s an exciting time to be a federal public servant in the 21st Century, but as Canada renews its organization and recruits the next generation of public servants, it must “make excellence its quest”and it must do a better job of recruiting, retaining, planning and transferring knowledge. Moreover, Mr. […]
MacLeod returns to Hill as Skelton’s
Minister of National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic Diversification Carol Skelton has hired a veteran former Conservative Hill staffer as her director of communications. Fiona MacLeod, who is on a leave of absence from the Transport Department, started her new job in the minister’s office as director of communications last Tuesday, April 18. Born […]
Praise and criticism of proposed Federal Accountability Act are both exaggerated
Media outlets and commentators on the so-called “Federal Accountability Act” (Bill C-2) introduced by the new federal Conservative government have, unfortunately, been exaggerating the good effects of the act or offering unlikely, worst-casescenario criticisms (and sometimes both). Some have called the act “a recipe for true accountability” while others have criticized it as “overkill” that […]
“The speculation is that if Prime Minister Stephen Harper can pass three of his five priorities before the next election, the Conservatives can win a majority. Correct or not correct?”
Mike Storeshaw Conservative strategist “Yay! Speculation is fun! Unfortunately, it’s not all that helpful to do, whether you’re in opposition or government, so I’ll avoid jumping on the bandwagon here. “What I will say is that all five of the government’s key priorities are concrete, tangible initiatives that enjoy wide public support. I hope that […]
Now for some good news…
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who promised to bring in more accountability and transparency to government, resumes the House of Commons this week as he moves into a critical part of his agenda between now and the summer break. Prime Minister Harper came up short on his Federal Accountability Act, indeed. However, there is still some […]
Forget crossing the floor legislation, maybe we should look at India’s formula for amending its Constitution
The recent raft of floor-crossings in our House of Commons has spurred some honourable members to propose legislation that would force MPs wishing to change parties in mid-Parliament (or, if you’re David Emerson, at the early onset of post-election blues) to first consult with the electorate by resigning and contesting a byelection. When compared to […]
