First ministers’ meetings have gone from Kumbaya to Welcome to the Jungle
OTTAWA—Lightning has struck. Time is standing still. Former prime minister Stephen Harper might have been right by suggesting first ministers’ meetings (FMM) are generally a waste of time and the only benefit is for fans of theatre. Last week the current prime minister, Justin Trudeau, convened the fourth FMM of his first mandate. When he […]
New policy director for Employment Minister Hajdu
Employment, Workforce Development, and Labour Minister Patty Hajdu recently promoted from within to officially make Daniel McKenzie her new director of policy. Mr. McKenzie had been acting as director of policy to the minister since Simon Robertson’s departure for a job in Small Business and Export Promotion Minister Mary Ng’s office earlier this fall. Mr. […]
Ministers Bennett, Joly make director-level staff changes
Tourism, Official Languages, and La Francophonie Minister Mélanie Joly recently bade farewell to her director of operations, Maximilien Roy, who left the Hill around mid-November. Mr. Roy had joined Ms. Joly’s new ministerial office at the end of the summer, at the time moving over from Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s office, where he’d been since […]
‘Resigning’ Liberal MPs not entitled to prolonged goodbye and good pay
When former Chrétien-era cabinet minister David Dingwall uttered the now-infamous phrase “I’m entitled to my entitlements” at a House committee appearance in 2005 probing his expenses as head of the Royal Canadian Mint, he couldn’t have known it was going to be used to tar members of his party for decades to follow. “These guys […]
Liberals all talk, no action a year after LGBTQ apology, say critics, advocates
Advocates and opposition MPs describe the government’s work on the LGBTQ file as all words, no action since it formally apologized for the state-sanctioned purge of sexual minorities from Canada’s Armed Forces, the RCMP, and the bureaucracy more than a year ago. “There’s been a lot of nice words from the government, but in terms […]
Ministers Sohi, Duncan, Ng nab new talent from Liberal research bureau
Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi recently scooped up veteran staffer Damien O’Brien to serve as a senior adviser for stakeholder relations in his office. Until recently, Mr. O’Brien was busy as director of strategic research in the Liberal research bureau (LRB) on the Hill, a role he first took on in September 2017 and officially […]
PMO hires new special assistant for Canada-U.S. relations team
The Prime Minister’s Office recently hired Elise Wagner to join its Canada-U.S. relations team as a special assistant, overseen by director Brian Clow. Up until June, Ms. Wagner was busy working for the Ontario Liberals at Queen’s Park, last as an MPP liaison and correspondence officer to now former education minister Indira Naidoo-Harris. The Ontario Liberals were defeated […]
Ministers LeBlanc, Joly, Garneau hire policy advisers
A few new policy staffers are in the offices of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Transport Minister Marc Garneau, and Tourism and Official Languages Minister Mélanie Joly. In Mr. LeBlanc’s new office, Brandan Rowe moved over to serve as a policy adviser to the minister as of Nov. 13. Up until then, Mr. Rowe was busy […]
Niki Ashton to meet Bernie Sanders in Vermont
NDP MP Niki Ashton is travelling to the Green Mountain State–Burlington, Vermont, to be exact–on Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, to attend a gathering of progressive leaders at U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders‘ think tank. Ms. Ashton will participate in an international roundtable at the Sanders Institute Gathering with Mr. Sanders, as well as former Greek […]
New policy director, adviser for Justice Minister Wilson-Raybould
Canada’s federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has strengthened her ministerial policy team, including hiring former Ontario Liberal adviser Nicholas Daube to take over as director of policy in her office. He officially joined Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s staff team on Nov. 19, and replaces former policy director Keith Smith, who exited the role as of Sept. 18. […]
