Liberals’ low fundraising numbers should ‘set off alarm bells,’ say some political players
The Conservative Party’s commanding lead in fundraising in the first quarter of this year should set off alarm bells in the Liberal Party, say some political players. “If the Conservatives raised more money than us in the second quarter, I would describe that as fundraising recession, and it’s serious,” a former senior Liberal said comparing it […]
Health minister hires new parliamentary affairs director
Health Minister Jane Philpott recently filled a vacancy among her senior staff ranks, hiring Jordan Miller to serve as her new director of parliamentary affairs. Previously, Peter Cleary was parliamentary affairs director to the minister, but he left the Hill early last month and is now a senior consultant at Toronto-based public affairs, policy, and […]
New parliamentary secretary assistants hired for Agriculture, Treasury Board
PARLIAMENT HILL—Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay hired a new assistant in his parliamentary secretary, Liberal MP Jean-Claude Poissant, at the beginning of April. Michel-Antoine Renaud marked his first day as assistant to the parliamentary secretary for agriculture on April 3. Previously, he’d been working as a sales representative with Thermo Fisher Scientific, which describes itself online […]
‘People are experiencing the economy,’ more than half of Canadians believe economy’s stalled, says poll
OTTAWA—Canadians are not showing a high level of optimism in the economy, despite the federal government’s sales pitch and positive projections of growth from the Bank of Canada and the International Monetary Fund. As part of a recent online omnibus poll of almost 2,000 Canadians, conducted by the Toronto-based Campaign Research polling firm, questions about Canadians’ perception […]
Liberals push back against eliminating deferred-tax provision, but say Morneau open to change
The elimination of work-in-progress tax deferrals in the last federal budget will not only be a detriment to lawyers but also impede Canadians’ access to justice, say some Liberal MPs and the Canadian Bar Association who are pushing back against the policy. Yet members of the Liberal caucus say Finance Minister Bill Morneau (Toronto Centre, […]
“The Liberal government has introduced a 308-page budget implementation bill. What from it stands out to you most?”
Kate Purchase Liberal strategist “Last week, our government introduced the Budget Implementation Act—the next step in our ambitious plan to invest in the middle class and build an economy that is as inclusive as it is innovative. Here are just a few of the ways the act will prepare Canadians and their communities for the […]
PMO hires a new executive assistant, another switches assignment
The Prime Minister’s Office recently hired Nour Kechacha as an executive assistant to both PMO senior adviser Mathieu Bouchard and to director of administration and special projects Brett Thalmann. Until recently, Ms. Kechacha had spent the last year working as a legislative assistant to Liberal MP Marwan Tabbara, who was elected to represent Kitchener South-Hespeler, […]
Prime Minister Trudeau preferred leader to guide country ‘through a major crisis’: poll
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals would be supported by 38 per cent of the population if an election were held today, compared to 29 per cent for the Conservatives and 19 per cent for the New Democrats, according to a Campaign Research survey of 1,970 people. The Liberals are also most popular with 18-24 year olds (45 per […]
Rejection of electoral reform may prove catastrophic for Trudeau and Liberals, says Ottawa reader
Re: “Disappointed by Trudeau’s broken promise on electoral reform,” (The Hill Times, letter to the editor) and “Liberals concerned about PMO’s handling of electoral reform and cash for access issues,” (The Hill Times, Feb. 13, by Derek Abma and Abbas Rana.) Of Canada’s three major political parties—Liberal, Conservative, the NDP—and two minor parties—the Bloc, the […]
Liberal MP Easter says Grits should switch approach on House rule changes to get legislative agenda moving
PARLIAMENT HILL—Frustration is mounting among government backbenchers over the stalemate over potential House rule changes, and the resulting inability of the government to advance its legislative agenda, says one longtime Liberal MP, who adds that it might be time for the government to rethink its approach. “A fairly good number of Liberals that are frustrated—[I’m] frustrated myself—with […]
