Board of Internal Economy opening a historic first step, but the test will be if transparency holds
This week, the House of Commons Board of Internal Economy will hold its first-ever public meeting. It comes after the Liberals promised in the last election to open up the board to the public. “Except in rare cases requiring confidentiality, meetings of this group will be open to the public,” said their platform. The board […]
Chan’s widow, Jean Yip, considering run at his vacated riding Scarborough-Agincourt
Jean Yip, the widow of late-Liberal MP Arnold Chan, who died of cancer last month, says her late-husband encouraged her to run federally and she is considering seeking the Liberal nomination in Scarborough-Agincourt. “Arnold and I did talk about it, the possibility, so I’m considering it,” said Ms. Yip in a brief interview with The […]
Two years from now, we’ll be in midst of election 2019 campaign: let’s look at the leaders
TORONTO—It may be hard to believe, but two years from now we could be in the midst of a federal election campaign. In barely a month, we will be at the mid-point of the Trudeau government’s mandate. Next year, we will start to see positioning for the 2019 federal election. If Canadians are to be […]
Some 643 campaigns later, pollster Michael Marzolini calls it quits
Storied pollster and Liberal adviser Michael Marzolini has left the business, closing out a nearly 40-year career in September with a resume that includes helping Jean Chrétien win three straight majority governments, a perfect election poll, and training a roster of future star Liberal staffers. Mr. Marzolini started Pollara Strategic Insights in Toronto in 1980, […]
Staff departures for Ministers McKenna, Sajjan
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is in the midst of a few staff change-ups in her ministerial office. Ben Hartley, senior adviser to the minister’s parliamentary secretary, Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson, is set to soon leave the minister’s office. He had joined Ms. McKenna’s team in January 2016, and before that was a consultant with the […]
Prime Minister’s Office hires a new special assistant
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has a new special assistant, Elise Maiolino, on board. Ms. Maiolino recently earned a PhD in sociology from the University of Toronto and while there taught courses on gender, politics, and society; race, class and gender; and on qualitative research methods. She also has a master’s degree in women’s studies and feminist […]
Natural Resources Minister Carr hires policy adviser with ties to oil industry
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr has hired a former policy adviser for MEG Energy Corp. and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers as a new regional policy adviser in his ministerial office. Mikaela McQuade was most recently a senior policy analyst with MEG Energy Corp., a Canadian oil sands company based in Calgary. As part of […]
Potential Liberal candidates in Scarborough-Agincourt waiting to see if Chan’s widow will run for nomination
Two weeks after Liberal MP Arnold Chan died after a battle with cancer, potential candidates are waiting to hear if his widow, Jean Yip, a former Queen’s Park staffer, plans to run for the coveted nomination in Scarborough-Agincourt. “If she decides to run, I don’t think anyone would challenge her,” said Toronto city councillor, Jim […]
Monsef’s chief of staff departs for new Health Minister Petitpas Taylor’s office
Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsef has lost her chief of staff Monique Lugli, who has left Ms. Monsef’s office for a job in new Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor’s political staff team. Ms. Lugli had been running the Status of Women minister’s office since January 2016, starting under then minister Patty Hajdu, who was shuffled into her […]
Liberals maintain double-digit lead despite Khadr payout, proposed tax reforms: poll
PARLIAMENT HILL—The governing Liberals opened the fall session of Parliament with a healthy 12-point lead over the Conservatives, maintaining robust advantages in vote-rich Ontario and Quebec, while flirting with supermajority numbers in Atlantic Canada, a new public opinion poll suggests. The latest survey from Campaign Research, conducted between Sept. 8-11 and released first to The […]
