Two new directors for Trade Minister Freeland
International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland welcomed two new directors to her ministerial staff team in recent weeks, hiring Anne-Louise Chauvette as director of communications and Owen Teo as director of policy. Mr. Teo joined Ms. Freeland’s office as a political staffer earlier this month, roughly three weeks ago, arriving straight from the office of the […]
“What will be the top three priorities for your party’s caucus over the summer break?”
Kate Purchase Liberal strategist “Last fall, we were elected on a promise to do more for Canada’s middle class, and all those working hard to join it. Over the last seven months, we have done just that. “First, we cut taxes for the middle class and raised them on the wealthiest one per cent. One […]
Three former, two current ministerial staffers have run-ins with conflict and ethics commissioner so far in 2016
So far in 2016, three former and two current ministerial staffers have had interactions with the Office of the Federal Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, according to filings on the commissioner’s website. Two of the new Liberal ministerial staffers hired to work for the new government have been fined $100 each for failure to file […]
Unclear if Trudeau understands why Canada continues to underperform
TORONTO—Economic Minister Navdeep Bains and his cabinet colleagues are doing a poor job of explaining why innovation matters for future jobs and growth, which are key to the Liberal promise of a more prosperous middle class. Yet it is not evident the Trudeau government actually has a clear understanding of how innovation happens, why Canada […]
Liberals looking to ‘front-end’ legislative agenda in fall session: Lamoureux
The right-hand man to the government House leader is acknowledging what could have been a more productive legislative session, saying he’d like to see the House leadership team explore front-ending more priority bills in the next session. Parliamentary secretary Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, Man.) told The Hill Times last week he expects cabinet ministers to come […]
Stéphane Dion is cabinet’s weakest link
OTTAWA—Parliament has risen for the summer. By and large, the Trudeau government will be happy with its performance and that of many members of the federal cabinet. There is, however, one dramatic exception: Stéphane Dion, the minister of foreign affairs. Dion is the weakest link in the Liberal regime. By all reports, Dion is a […]
Women and weed tipping point in last election
OTTAWA—Women and weed were the tipping point in the last election. According to last week’s Elections Canada 2015 voter update, the number of young women voters rose an astonishing 20 per cent. Similar positive results were posted for first-time young male voters, with a 17 per cent increase in their turnout. Those hikes meant more […]
‘People are asking what we’re doing differently from the previous government,’ Grit MPs set up regional caucuses on immigration, ‘No. 1’ riding issue
PARLIAMENT HILL—Government backbench MPs say they have set up regional caucuses to deal with immigration, the “No. 1” issue in major urban centres across Canada, because constituents are asking them what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has done in the last eight months to fix the system and MPs are communicating any problems to Immigration Minister John McCallum. “People who put […]
In wake of Orlando gay nightclub attack, openly gay Grit MP says there’s still prejudice in Liberal caucus
Openly gay Liberal MP Rob Oliphant says, despite having many allies in his caucus, there are still people there with a “love the sinner but hate the sin” attitude when it comes to LGBTQ rights. In an interview with The Hill Times, the MP for Don Valley West, Ont., said that although he feels “tremendous support,” he […]
“The Chinese Foreign Minister recently scolded a Canadian journalist for asking about China’s human rights record in a press conference in Ottawa and while here demanded a meeting with the PM. Do you think the federal government responded appropriately?”
Kate Purchase Liberal strategist “The freedom of press is essential to our democracy and country. “We believe it is the media’s job to ask tough questions—of our government and governments around the world. Canadian journalists should always raise issues of concern to Canadians, including human rights and consular cases. We thank the media for the […]
