One in, one out for the PMO
Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said goodbye to special assistant Julie Savard-Shaw last week, and her replacement is already in place. Until recently, Ms. Savard-Shaw had been a special assistant for policy in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) since September 2016, and before that was on the Hill as a policy adviser in Infrastructure […]
Status of Women Minister Monsef hires new D. Comms straight from Public Safety Minister Goodale’s team
Federal Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsef last week hired a new director of communications, Justine Villeneuve, to her ministerial office, arriving from the office of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale. Ms. Villeneuve marked her first day on Ms. Monsef’s political staff team on Feb. 5, and replaces Philippe Charlebois in the […]
Liberals to hold ‘open and frank’ closed-door meetings with MPs, staffers to discuss sexual harassment on the Hill, #MeToo movement
As the #MeToo movement continues to unfold on the Hill, chief government whip Pablo Rodriguez says he and deputy whip Filomena Tassi will hold two special closed-door meetings with MPs and staffers to seek input on how to make Parliament Hill a harassment-free workplace. “It’s something we’re preparing at the whip’s office, we want to […]
Conservatives raised more money than any other party since start of 2015, drawing $68.4-million: Elections Canada statistics
The federal Conservatives’ well-oiled fundraising machine repeatedly outpaced its rivals over the past three years, drumming up more than $66-million in direct party donations alone, despite losing power and being relegated to the opposition ranks, a Hill Times assessment has found. However, the Tories spent more than the Liberals and New Democrats combined on fundraising expenses […]
Democratic Institutions Minister Gould hires new press secretary
Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould recently hired Nicky Cayer to her ministerial staff team as the office’s new press secretary. Until recently, Ms. Cayer was working on the Hill as a legislative assistant to Liberal MP David Lametti, who’s represented LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, Que., since 2015, after being elected in the riding with almost 44 per cent of […]
Fifty shades confused by spate of sexual harassment accusations
OTTAWA—Fifty shades of confusion is the only way to portray the spate of sexual harassment accusations that have overtaken legislatures across the country. Me-too mantra says all accusers must be believed. But when the facts are faceless or uncorroborated, what happens to fairness? The second element of confusion stems from the definition of sexual harassment. […]
Liberal research bureau hires former ITK comms officer for outreach work
A new outreach assistant recently started work in the Liberal caucus’ research bureau on the Hill, also known as the LRB. Mitchell White officially started on the job as a special assistant for outreach on Jan. 22. Before then, he was working for the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), a non-profit organization that represents Inuit communities […]
Conservatives raise nearly $19-million in 2017; biggest haul of any recognized party
The federal Conservatives outmuscled their rivals in the race for crucial fundraising dollars in all four quarters of 2017, attracting $719,000 more in donations than the governing Liberals in the last three months alone, newly released statistics from Elections Canada show. The Tories posted their best fundraising period of the year in the fourth quarter […]
What the Aga Khan Foundation does with Canadian government money
On the day the Bamyan hospital first opened its doors, 12 women arrived in various stages of labour. In Afghanistan, where pregnancy kills one of every 52 women, giving life can be a death sentence. But the chances of survival for these 12 women dramatically increased when they walked through the new hospital’s front doors. […]
MP Todd Doherty suffers life-threatening illness, urges everyone to stay healthy
An emergency gallbladder-removal surgery led doctors to discover that Conservative MP Todd Doherty was suffering a life-threatening illness. After an outing with friends and family on Jan. 20, Mr. Doherty was rushed to the emergency room, he wrote in a Facebook post on Jan. 29 from his B.C. hospital bed. Turns out he needed to […]
