Inside caucus, Trudeau advises nervous Liberal MPs not to publicly criticize U.S. president-elect Trump
PARLIAMENT HILL—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a hastily arranged conference call with his national caucus on Nov. 9 to calm Grit nerves after Donald Trump’s unexpected U.S. presidential win and to advise MPs not to publicly criticize the controversial U.S. president-elect. “Any time you have major events on the world stage that have implications for Canada, you […]
MPs must consider sacrificing detailed data to make voting easier: Elections Canada chief
Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand says one of his recommendations to Parliament following the last election may mean that political parties and candidates have to “trade off” some of the “granular results they are used to getting” from Elections Canada in favour of increased flexibility for voters. The recommendation, which appears in his report titled […]
Justice Minister Wilson-Raybould hires Quebec adviser
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould recently added another adviser to her ministerial staff team. Alex Steinhouse started on the job on Nov. 7. Mr. Steinhouse is now both a Quebec desk adviser to Ms. Wilson-Raybould and a liaison to Bill Blair, a parliamentary secretary to the minister who represents Scarborough-Southwest, Ont. and has been the minister’s point man on marijuana legalization. […]
Monsef hires Liberal stalwart Jamieson as chief of staff
Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef has finally hired an official new chief of staff in her ministerial office, Liberal Party stalwart Rob “Hamish” Jamieson, who started last week. Her previous acting chief of staff had been in the role for the last eight months. Mr. Jamieson has long been actively involved with the Liberal Party, both federally and […]
Genetic discrimination private member’s bill pits Grit backbenchers against cabinet
A Senate private member’s bill seeking to introduce first-ever nationwide penalties against genetic discrimination has pitted Liberal MPs against the government as Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould pushes hard for amendments to Bill S-201. The government says the bill is unconstitutional, but government backbenchers say they haven’t heard good arguments from their own government on why that it is […]
Tighter political fundraising rules could push activities ‘underground,’ says Canada’s outgoing chief electoral officer
Canada’s outgoing chief electoral officer says tightening up rules around so-called “cash-for-access” events or other kinds of fundraising might prompt political operatives to conduct their business less transparently. In an interview with The Hill Times last week, Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand, who steps down next month, said with recent examples of Liberal “cash-for-access” events, he […]
“The Liberal government recently passed the one-year mark. How would you grade its performance to date and why?”
Kate Purchase Liberal strategist “Over the last year, the government has worked hard to fulfill its commitment to strengthen the middle class and grow the economy over the long term. We have listened to Canadians and followed through on the things that matter most to them, including: 1. A generous, fairer, tax-free monthly Canada Child Benefit that gives […]
Trump casts pall over PM’s Latin American trip
MONTREAL—One can run but not hide from the aftershocks of Donald Trump’s presidential victory. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is finding that out first-hand this week as his first trip outside Canada since the American election turns into a damage assessment mission. It is a testimony to the magnitude of the shift in the tectonic plates […]
Trump’s win: Trudeau has no choice but to play the long game
MONTREAL—Behind the stiff upper lip that Justin Trudeau has been keeping in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential victory, he and his government are no less traumatized by the result of the American election than the majority of Canadians. There is not a single member of the prime minister’s caucus and precious few if any […]
Trudeau must get results for Canadians
No matter who is elected to the White House every four years, whether Republican or Democrat, the government of Canada has only one job: to defend Canada’s interests. Even though our former Conservative government is often accused of having had a frosty relationship with the United States, the reality is that our relationship achieved results. […]
