Legendary Hill scribe Richard Gwyn dies at 86
For years, Richard Gwyn was regarded as one of the best political journalists in Canada. He died last week from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 86. Mr. Gwyn made a name for himself as a national affairs columnist at The Toronto Star, where he covered the governments of Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark, John Turner, […]
Intergovernmental relations and the pandemic
The moment Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to the airwaves and announced the lockdown on March 13, 2020, it was clear that responding to the COVID-19 pandemic would require unprecedented intergovernmental activity. Since then, first ministers’ meetings have been held weekly, via conference calls, which is a remarkable feat in a federation where such meetings […]
Would-be Conservative leaders wooing Quebec dairy farmers, but organizers say they won’t decide the race this time
The three leading candidates in the Conservative leadership race have all reached out to Quebec’s dairy farmers with promises to protect the supply management system, in a bid to win support from a group that may have swung the last contest in favour of now outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. However, the organizer of a […]
Newfoundland and Labrador’s new premier is one to watch
OTTAWA—Newfoundland and Labrador has a new premier. This past weekend the governing Liberal Party elected Dr. Andrew Furey as its leader. In the next number of days, he will be sworn as the province’s 14th premier. The Furey name will be familiar to many in Ottawa, as his father is Senator George Furey, the Speaker of […]
Christopher Evelyn takes over as chief of staff to Women and Gender Equality Minister Monsef
Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef has a new chief of staff leading her office with the recent promotion of Christopher Evelyn to the top job. Mr. Evelyn has been working for Ms. Monsef since late 2015, and has slowly been working his way up the proverbial Hill ladder since. He started out as […]
Alberta cannot look to Quebec as a model for separatism—it’s not a fair fight
A new political party has entered the political arena in Alberta: the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta—a merger between the Freedom Conservative Party and Wexit Alberta. This new independence party reflects the mood that Albertans will always get a raw deal from Ottawa because federal governments have to cater to the golden triangle of Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa above […]
Canada needs to protect Arctic sovereignty to confront emboldened Putin, say MP and expert
As President Vladimir Putin has solidified his grip on Russian leadership for the next 16 years, a Liberal MP says that Canada needs to prepare for the threat of Moscow’s influence in the Arctic, while a former aide to past foreign affairs minister Stéphane Dion says Canada needs to begin dialogue with Russia. A referendum […]
The lessons of COVID-19 and international co-operation in the Arctic
The COVID-19 pandemic has become a game changer in many aspects. Firstly, this epidemiology drama has tested our practical resilience to tangible global threats. The leaders and national health systems of various states were prepared (or unprepared) differently for dealing with new realities; and the figures of those infected, tested, recovered, and deceased speak for […]
On the bubble: Atlantic Canada’s plan getting mixed reviews
OTTAWA—The premiers of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces are opening the region up for interprovincial travel among themselves this Friday, July 3. It could be the first step to opening Atlantic Canada to the rest of the country. But in the East, there is concern. Premiers Dwight Ball, Stephen MacNeil, Blaine Higgs, and Dennis King are […]
Quebec’s Dominique Anglade is a woman of many firsts
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—Dominique Anglade heads a lot of lists: first person of colour to be an official opposition leader in Canada; first woman to lead the Quebec Liberal Party; and the first fluently multilingual, as in speaks more than four languages (Creole, French, English, German, Spanish), party leader anywhere in Canada. And, I point out, she […]
