A week of frosty strolls and dire variant warnings
Communications team shake-up in O’Toole’s OLO
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has seen a bit of a shake-up in his communications staff roster of late, prompted by the upcoming (temporary) exit of associate director of communications Kelsie Chiasson at the end of the month. Ms. Chiasson announced she was soon to go on maternity leave on Twitter on Feb. 9. “[Twelve] years […]
Seniors Minister Deb Schulte names new operations director, Chike Agbasi
Seniors Minister Deb Schulte has promoted a new director of operations in her office, following Melissa Rumble’s recent exit to work for the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Canada. A longtime Hill staffer, Ms. Rumble had been working for Ms. Schulte since December 2019. She worked for the Liberals in opposition—including on Prime […]
A seat at the table: inside efforts to boost diversity, Black representation in federal candidate nominations
Achieving a representative House of Commons requires diversity among the candidates nominated for election, and since 2019, new efforts are being made both within political parties and beyond to increase diversity, including Black representation, in federal politics. But new rules only go as far as a party has the will to take them, and Samara […]
With recent debate on Standing Orders, MP Lamoureux urges pursuit of modernization, but not all MPs are as keen
The use of written speeches, debate time, speaking lists, dress codes, the creation of a dual Chamber, and ways to make the House of Commons more family-friendly were all in focus during recent debate on Standing Orders and procedure—a debate longtime modernization advocate Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux was happy to kick off on Feb. 1. […]
National Revenue Minister Lebouthillier hires a new chief of staff, Faizel Gulamhussein
National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier has a new chief of staff in charge of her team, after bidding farewell to Bernard Boutin, who’s exited to become director of stakeholder relations and a senior Quebec adviser to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland as of Feb. 8. Mr. Boutin had been running Ms. Lebouthillier’s […]
Employment Minister Qualtrough makes some staff changes, hires new Atlantic adviser Maria Morley
Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough has made a number of tweaks to her political staff lineup, including recently welcoming Maria Morley on board as her new regional affairs adviser for the Atlantic. Ms. Morley arrived in Ms. Qualtrough’s office straight from the Liberal research bureau (LRB), where she’d been similarly offering […]
Liberals’ sparse House presence a ‘model’ for Canadians, says Whip Holland
MPs’ sparse attendance in the House of Commons, especially in the Liberal benches, since the start of the winter sitting is being done with an aim to set a good example for public health measures, say some MPs. However, critics say the government’s meagre showing of having at times a solitary MP in the House […]
Innovation Minister Champagne names new chief of staff, Sarah Hussaini
New Innovation, Science, and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has made the first key step to shoring up his new ministerial office: naming Sarah Hussaini to the role of chief of staff. Ms. Hussaini has been working in the innovation minister’s office under former minister Navdeep Bains since December 2019. Originally a director of policy, she […]
Ousted Liberal MP Sangha says comments were ‘taken out of context,’ didn’t get ‘due process’ before expulsion from caucus
A Brampton MP who was booted from the Liberal caucus for making controversial comments in a Punjabi language media interview says his comments have been “taken out of context” and he didn’t get due process before expulsion. In an interview with The Hill Times, twice-elected Liberal MP Ramesh Sangha (Brampton Centre, Ont.) said that he […]
