From representing a town of 5,000 to a riding the size of Poland: NDP MP Bachrach settles into job
NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, who represents a riding roughly the size of Poland, expects to rack up a lot of mileage. The job of representing Skeena-Bulkley Valley, a far-flung northern B.C. riding, involves hitting the road regularly to connect with as many of its more than 89,000 residents, including the Haida First Nation. It’s one […]
Parties agree to NDP’s push for representation on steering committees
The Liberals and opposition parties have agreed to give the NDP representation on all steering committees, an ask that the Conservatives’ whip says had delayed the process of setting up committees. The House on Wednesday voted by “unanimous consent” to strike the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, also known as PROC, the body responsible for […]
Should he stay or should he go? Defeated Tory candidates divided on Scheer’s future
Defeated Conservative candidates say they’re disappointed with how Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer handled the campaign, but are divided on whether he should remain to fight for his spot at the upcoming convention or resign immediately. The Hill Times reached out to more than 100 unsuccessful Conservative candidates in nine provinces for their thoughts on Mr. […]
‘Thou shalt be there,’ government whip tells MPs as high-stakes minority Parliament kicks off Thursday
With a minority Parliament set to begin on Thursday, the chief government whip is hopeful there will be limited backdoor maneuvering by parties when it comes down to casting votes. Speaking to The Hill Times, Chief Government Whip Mark Holland (Ajax, Ont.) said in his discussion with other party whips “there’s an understanding” that they […]
Building the People’s Party will be Bernier’s ‘full-time job,’ but skeptics remain after poor election showing
Maxime Bernier will face an uphill battle in his efforts to build the People’s Party ahead of the next election, say some party candidates and political watchers, but that’s not stopping the leader from promising a stronger showing in the next election. Speaking to The Hill Times, Mr. Bernier said he will be throwing his […]
Will Scheer take one for the team?
OTTAWA—The main question about Andrew Scheer’s leadership is shifting from whether he can survive a party-wide review of his role in April, to whether he should quit now and let the Conservatives get on with choosing a new leader. Scheer turned in a middling campaign. He helped his party surpass the Liberals in the popular […]
In tweaking front bench, Trudeau signals shift inward to focus on fraught domestic relations: experts
With a diminished caucus heading into a minority Parliament, the Trudeau government has signalled through tweaks to its front bench that it is scaling back its ambitions, as it shifts its focus to attending to fraught domestic relations, say political experts. “The dissatisfaction that led him [Justin Trudeau] to a minority government are the things […]
Rookie Nunavut MP to push for greater focus on ‘basic human rights’ for Indigenous people in Ottawa
In a province that’s home to 14 million more people than Nunavut, the territory she represents, rookie NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq thought she would be able to fly under the radar in Ottawa. But since being elected on Oct. 21, Ms. Qaqqaq, who just turned 26, has been recognized around the capital city, including at the […]
Canada’s leadership in dispelling the rhetoric of space war
Recently, a lot is being said on outer space becoming a new frontier for conflicts, and there are voices advocating Canada’s preparedness and strategy for what some call “the inevitable space war.” This sensationalism to a good extent is unqualified, unduly inflated, and unnecessarily propagated to catalyze extensive militarization, and indeed weaponization, of space. Lest […]
Nelly Shin becomes Canada’s first-ever Korean-born MP after ‘nail-biter’ race
A victory by just 153 votes and a weeks-later election recount made for an interesting entrance to Parliament for Canada’s first-ever Member of Parliament of Korean heritage, Conservative rookie Nelly Shin. The pianist, composer, former schoolteacher, and missionary hasn’t taken the usual path into politics, and a couple of years ago, representing the now-former NDP-held […]
