New Ottawa-based national manager hired for ministers’ regional offices
Christine Burke joined Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough’s office on Feb. 12 to work as the Liberal government’s new national manager for ministers’ regional offices. Ms. Burke comes to Parliament Hill from the Ontario Liberal staff ranks at Queen’s Park in Toronto. She was most recently working as a senior communications adviser to Ontario […]
Trudeau’s personal approval rating drops, but voters still back his federal Liberal Party: poll
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s personal approval rating has dropped nearly 10 points since last May, but the Liberal Party of Canada has yet to take a hit, polling as strongly as it did when the Grits won a majority in the 2015 federal election, according to the latest poll from Campaign Research. The poll showed […]
Country’s largest provincial Conservative party in uncharted territory in many more ways than one
There is not a political observer or insider anywhere in Canada whose attention is not riveted on the ongoing Ontario Tory leadership drama and with good reason. The country’s largest provincial Conservative party is in uncharted territory in many more ways than one. That starts with the minor celebrity status that comes with some of […]
Trans Mountain pipeline support to cost Liberals in 2019, but unclear how much, say pollsters
The federal Liberal government will pay a political price over its support for the $7.4-billion Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion among First Nations and B.C. voters in the next election, say pollsters, but how high a cost remains to be seen. “There will be a political price to pay, and I think there’s an understanding […]
Revenue Minister Lebouthillier hires new press secretary amid string of staff changes
Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier has a new press secretary in her office. She hired Jérémy Ghio, a former aide to Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, on Jan. 29. Up until the end of January, Mr. Ghio had been working as a legislative assistant to Liberal MP Jean-Claude Poissant on the Hill. Mr. Poissant represents the riding of […]
PMO scoops up Environment Minister McKenna’s press secretary
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is saying goodbye to her press secretary, Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers, who is set to start in her new role as a special assistant for communications in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office on Feb. 27. Ms. Des Rosiers has been Ms. McKenna’s press secretary since April 2017, and before then had been […]
Finance Minister Morneau’s deputy chief of staff Harvey departs
Finance Minister Bill Morneau recently said goodbye to one of his senior-most staffers, Maryse Harvey, who exited her role as deputy chief of staff and director of strategy and planning to the minister in early February. A former Jean Chrétien-era Liberal cabinet staffer, Ms. Harvey returned to the Hill to work in Mr. Morneau’s ministerial office […]
Some Liberal MPs frustrated with leadership for not sharing anti-abortion political strategy on Canada Summer Jobs program
Some Liberal MPs say they’re frustrated the party leadership did not share the political strategy with the caucus on why the government was so adamant on keeping the new controversial reproductive rights clause in the Canada Summer Jobs applications and are annoyed the uncalled-for “mistake” could risk their re-election chances in 2019 in socially-conservative ridings. […]
#MeToo: trailblazing female ex-MPs weigh in on what needs to change on the Hill
Female former MPs say the current approach the government and federal parties are taking to deal with the Hill’s harassment and the sexual misconduct problem is far better than during their tenure when issues were ignored or swept under the rug, but they say any new system to deal with complaints—which will continue because “biology […]
Liberal VP and Trudeau insider Suzanne Cowan gunning for top party job
One of the architects of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s successful Liberal leadership and 2015 election campaigns, Suzanne Cowan, is hoping to help give the Grits another mandate in 2019 as Liberal Party president. Currently serving as the party’s English national vice-president, Ms. Cowan is the first to throw her hat in the ring to replace the […]
