A look at Natural Resources Minister O’Regan’s current 15-member team
Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan has now confirmed 15 political staffers in his office this Parliament, including new senior policy advisers Kevin Deagle and Hilary Travis. A former account manager with Spark Advocacy in Ottawa, Mr. Deagle was last working as a policy adviser and press secretary to the Indigenous Services minister, starting (as a […]
Who’s who behind the Indigenous services, Crown-Indigenous relations, and northern affairs ministers’ offices
New Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller has held onto a number of staff from his predecessor’s team, including Katharine Heus, who’s now director of policy in the office. Ms. Heus was previously director of operations in the office under former minister Seamus O’Regan, who is now the minister for natural resources. Before following Mr. O’Regan […]
A new Canadian peace centre could make a world of difference
Who isn’t concerned about our shared global challenges? It’s hard to miss overlapping crises, many fuelled by militarism, marginalization, and inequality. Canada provided pivotal leadership and ideas in the past and it could definitely help again. The recently announced Canadian Centre for Peace, Order, and Good Government therefore is a much-needed step in the right […]
Deputy PM Freeland builds up team
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has continued to build her team, with two more former Prime Minister’s Office staffers among the recent additions. Former PMO policy adviser Bud Sambasivam is now a senior policy adviser to Ms. Freeland, while Adam Grech, a former advance staffer to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has become senior executive assistant […]
Minority rules: 2020’s most influential figures to watch in federal politics
Parliamentarians could be in for a lengthy minority Parliament, or not. Minority parliaments typically croak at the two-year mark, whether at the hands of a confident government angling for a majority or through confidence votes opposition parties can’t stomach. There are signs that opposition parties—the NDP has money woes, the Conservatives are barely in the […]
Budget, foreign affairs, and fighting climate change among top cabinet priorities as Parliament returns
The governing Liberals will focus on their most high-profile election promises in this minority 43rd Parliament when the House returns on Jan. 27 to continue its first session, after nearly a seven-month break from Ottawa, say MPs and insiders. The special committee on Canada-China relations, a bailout bill for resource workers, a Liberal-style tough-on-crime agenda, […]
Justice Minister Lametti adds a rights implementation director to his team
Justice Minister David Lametti has created a new position in his ministerial office, director of rights implementation, and Jesse McCormick has been tapped to take on the role. In this capacity, Mr. McCormick, who’s a member of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, has been tasked with helping “facilitate collaboration with First Nations, Inuit, and […]
Key directors hired in Labour Minister Tassi’s office
Labour Minister Filomena Tassi has made a number of key hires in her ministerial office, which, as previously reported, is being run by chief of staff Jude Welch. Miles Hopper has been named director of policy to Ms. Tassi. He was previously working with then-employment, workforce development, and labour minister Patty Hajdu as a policy […]
Senate should be ‘very careful’ of widespread rule changes and ‘unintended consequences,’ says retiring Sen. Day
After nearly two decades in the Upper Chamber, Joseph Day, the outgoing Senate Liberal-turned-Progressive Senate Group leader, said he feels he still has unfinished business. “There’s a lot of things that you want to make sure [to] get in place so that you’re confident that the decisions taken will be in the best interest of […]
Flanagan named one of two policy heads to Environment Minister Wilkinson
There are a number of new faces now at work in Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson’s office, including new director of climate, energy, and regulatory affairs Erin Flanagan. Ms. Flanagan was last posted in then-international trade minister Jim Carr’s office as director of policy. Before she joined that office in January 2019, she’d […]
