Critics decry new minister as election ploy, say Liberals dropping ball on rural internet access
Shifting responsibility for getting better internet connectivity in rural areas to a new cabinet minister may just be a “smoke screen” for the Liberals dropping the ball on the file and other rural issues, say opposition MPs. But Liberals and stakeholders say there’s time for real progress on broadband and other rural files before the […]
Director-level changes in offices of ministers Carr, Sohi, Joly
International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr has new directors of communications and policy in his ministerial office, filling two recently vacated holes in his staffing roster. Michael Jones, who until recently was an issues manager in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), has been hired as Mr. Carr’s new director of communications. His first day on […]
Liberal base ‘less than enthusiastic’ as Trudeau prepares to defend four-year record to ‘volatile electorate,’ say Grit insiders
The federal Liberals made history by leaping from third place to winning a majority in 2015, but the upcoming October election will have totally different dynamics than the last time, including a volatile electorate, new party leaders and positions, and a lack of enthusiasm amongst some key players in the Liberal Party base who feel they’re […]
House sitting last opportunity for Trudeau Liberals to highlight achievements, control the agenda and the message, says a leading pollster
With the Liberals and Conservatives running neck and neck in public opinion polls, the 13-week sitting of the House is the last opportunity for the governing Grits to highlight their achievements and to control the agenda before the campaign gets into high gear in the summer, says a leading pollster. “It’s their last chance to […]
Rebecca Caldwell joins Finance Minister Morneau’s team
Finance Minister Bill Morneau has made some changes to his ministerial staffing roster, including recently hiring on Rebecca Caldwell as a new senior adviser. Ms. Caldwell was previously chief of staff to Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef. She was recently replaced in that role by former Google Canada head Leslie Church, who was […]
Ministers Hussen, Duncan hire new policy advisers
Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has a few new faces on his political staff team, including new senior policy adviser Jade-Émilie Daigneault who recently arrived from Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr’s office. Ms. Daigneault spent roughly six months working as a policy adviser in Mr. Carr’s trade office, having first joined his team in July 2018. […]
New Rural Economic Development Minister Jordan names Cory Pike as chief of staff
New Rural Economic Development Bernadette Jordan, one of two new faces added to the front bench as part of the Jan. 14 cabinet shuffle, has hired a chief of staff to run her brand new ministerial office: Cory Pike. Mr. Pike started on the job last week, arriving straight from Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness […]
Party crashers: The Hill Times gets kicked out of a Liberal social, but it was fun while it lasted
Federal Liberals interrupted their six-week holiday break last weekend to attend their national caucus retreat in Ottawa, where they plotted their parliamentary and election strategy ahead of their return this week. After day two of the national caucus retreat, the Liberals, along with their staffers and spouses, convened for a social at the popular political […]
Women and Gender Equality Minister Monsef gets a new chief of staff
Along with a new portfolio name, Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef, formerly known as the minister for status of women, has a new chief of staff in her office. Leslie Church is back at work on the Hill, after taking maternity leave from her old post as chief of staff to then-heritage minister […]
Bob Rae should apologize for tweet against Yellow Vests, says reader
Bob Rae, a former Liberal MP and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s appointed special envoy to Myanmar, demonized the Canadian Yellow Vest protesters by characterizing them as the “new Brownshirts, Blackshirts, and Whitehoods, vigilantes” in a Jan. 12 tweet. The misinformation and outright false information being disseminated by this once-prominent Canadian politician is insulting to the tens of thousands of working-class, patriotic, peaceful, law-abiding Canadian citizens in the Yellow […]
