Calls for reset continue as MMIW national inquiry requests more funding, time
With less than a year to go, calls for a reset of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women continue, and while some are concerned that a reset could be the inquiry’s doom, Indigenous activist Ellen Gabriel says as it stands, it’s “failing anyway.” “The TRC [Truth and Reconciliation Commission] got reset twice, […]
Tommy Desfossés leaves post as EA to Prime Minister Trudeau, Philip Proulx steps into job
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said goodbye to his executive assistant for the last two years, Tommy Desfossés. After nine years working for Mr. Trudeau overall, Mr. Desfossés departed the Hill at the beginning of January and is said to be currently taking some time off. No doubt much-needed after a busy last two years. […]
Trudeau holds cabinet retreat in London, Ont., as Liberals seek further gains in 2019
The federal cabinet is in London, Ont., on Thursday for the start of its traditional winter retreat, hinting that the Liberals are eyeing further gains in southwestern Ontario’s largest city come 2019. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) and the Liberal front bench will spend today and tomorrow in the Forest City, where the party […]
Trudeau should let cabinet ministers in on the limelight
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has begun his second annual townhall tour across Canada, speaking to Canadians off the cuff in campaign-style events that are sure to generate headlines and photos of him with shirt sleeves rolled up, surrounded by regular Canadians, before Parliament returns at the end of this month. Canadians have seen a lot […]
PMO scoops up ex-national manager for ministers’ regional offices
Katherine O’Halloran has exited her role as the national manager of ministers’ regional offices in Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough’s office to instead serve as the Atlantic regional desk adviser in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office. Ms. O’Halloran was tapped early last year to serve as the national manager overseeing ministers’ regional offices […]
2017: The Hill Times’ year in pictures
Independent Senators chief calls budget process ‘opaque,’ ‘unfair,’ demands more money
The Independent Senators Group is asking for a $200,000 budget boost next year beyond the $1.06-million allotted to it, citing an “opaque and unfair” process that members say should be determined by proportionality. The facilitator of the growing Independent caucus says its slated budget won’t be enough to cover its operations. “We believe that proportionality should […]
New parliamentary affairs lead for Heritage Minister Joly
Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly recently promoted a new director of parliamentary affairs, Elliott Lockington, from within her ministerial office. A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Mr. Lockington has been working for the heritage minister as a special adviser for policy and Ontario regional affairs since March 2016. Before that, he’d spent the last nearly […]
Infrastructure Minister Sohi hires new chief of staff O’Leary, who’s set to start in the new year
Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi has tapped one of his staffers to officially take over the currently vacant role of chief of staff in his ministerial office in February. Leslie O’Leary, who’s been on maternity leave from her role as director of issues management to the minister since May 1, has been lined up […]
Environment Minister McKenna plucks new D. Comms from think-tank
Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna has bolstered her communications team, hiring Julia Kilpatrick to serve as her director of communications as of Dec. 1. Before then, Ms. Kilpatrick was communications director for Clean Energy Canada, a think-tank under Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue that focuses on “work to accelerate our […]
