Butts’ exit could help government wield more effective defence strategy in SNC-Lavalin affair, politicos say
Gerald Butts’ resignation as the prime minister’s most trusted adviser could be an attempt for the Trudeau government to mount a more effective defence against allegations that senior officials exerted pressure on former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to drop prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, according to political observers. Mr. Butts’ departure as the prime minister’s principal secretary, […]
SNC-Lavalin lobbied Liberal-tied ambassador on corruption case, sought help from ex-aides to Chrétien, Mulroney
Liberal government officials are keeping tight-lipped about their meetings with SNC-Lavalin lobbyists over the past three years, but lobbying records show the company raised “justice”—and likely discussed deferred prosecution agreements—with government insiders regularly as the company sought to avoid prosecution on corruption charges, and brought on a pair of former top aides to Liberal and […]
‘I got a lot of very, very angry mail’: interest groups ramp up pressure on Senate, government over sweeping environmental assessment bill C-69
Powerful labour unions, oil and gas lobbyists, environmental groups, and even Alberta United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney are among the players in a growing public relations and lobbying battle to sway Senators studying the government’s controversial environmental assessment reform bill, C-69. The 14-member Senate Environment Committee began studying the bill earlier this month, in […]
Duclos’s rise to Treasury Board vice-chair shows his ‘quiet competence’: observers
Observers say that among the few changes made to cabinet committee membership last week, the prominence given to Quebec ministers is most interesting, with one former cabinet minister highlighting Families Minister Jean-Yves Duclos’s new post as vice-chair of the Treasury Board as a “significant” development. Of the seven cabinet committees, the powerful Treasury Board was one of that […]
Agriculture, trade, natural resources, environment officials among 2018’s top-lobbied bureaucrats
The country’s top-lobbied bureaucrats for 2018 included some high-ranking officials at Agriculture, Trade, Innovation, and Natural Resources, according to federal lobbying records—something that experts say is on the mark, given that pipelines, environmental regulation, and trade deals were some of the top issues of the past year. One consultant, who asked not to be named […]
Critics decry new minister as election ploy, say Liberals dropping ball on rural internet access
Shifting responsibility for getting better internet connectivity in rural areas to a new cabinet minister may just be a “smoke screen” for the Liberals dropping the ball on the file and other rural issues, say opposition MPs. But Liberals and stakeholders say there’s time for real progress on broadband and other rural files before the […]
When friends fight
OTTAWA—Our Commonwealth ally and close partners from Australia have formally lodged a complaint and requested a WTO Dispute Settlement Panel against what it claims are discriminatory practices that are restricting the sale of Australian wines in Canada. For the past 20 years, both the Canadian and Australian industry and governments have worked closely as partners […]
Invest in employee mental health, give your business a competitive edge
In today’s global economy, if Canadian businesses are to enjoy a competitive edge, they need to dig deep and look inward. With Canadian wages among the highest in the OECD, the rising cost of electricity, and a protectionist stance from our closest trading partner, we need to get creative to achieve economic success. Addressing mental […]
Meet the top-lobbied political gatekeepers in 2018
Canada’s most-lobbied political aide is Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains’ policy director, a man whose job, as one lobbyist put it, is basically to be lobbied. For the second year in a row, David McFarlane, like the minister he reports to, racked up the most communications reports of political staffers with lobbyists in 2018. Some 334 […]
CBD: Regulating this cannabis product as recreational is risky business
The two most well-known compounds in cannabis are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the compound that gets you high. CBD does not. We know that since medical access to cannabis was first introduced in 2001, Canadians have faced challenges finding health professionals who support their interest in medicinal cannabis. As a result, on […]
