Canada’s culture wars will never end
OTTAWA—Canada’s culture wars will never end. Nor should they. Heritage Minister Melanie Joly struck the right tone Thursday when she set out a plan to increase content on multiple platforms without imposing new taxes. The last thing the Liberals need these days is to open another tax front while Finance Minister Bill Morneau is busy […]
Harder calls for independent oversight of Senators’ expenses two years after AG’s report, says current structure ‘inherently flawed’
The government’s top player in the Senate says it’s time the Upper Chamber finally acts on Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s 2015 recommendation to establish an independent oversight of Senators’ expenses and replace the Senate’s Internal Economy Committee as the “ultimate authority” on Senators’ expenses because the structure is “inherently flawed” and raises an appearance of […]
Bombardier lobbied cabinet, ambassador in August, while Mining Association campaigned on environmental assessment review
The Mining Association of Canada topped federal lobbying statistics for a second month in a row in August, thanks to a campaign tied to the government’s reviews of the environmental assessment process and the Fisheries Act, while Bombardier used the month to contact Canada’s ambassador to the United States and other top officials in government […]
‘It’s obviously a farce,’ MPs to grill feds on broken promise to open up PMO, cabinet ministers’ offices to access act
Opposition MPs will grill the government over its Access to Information Reform Bill on Monday and Tuesday in the House, after the government pulled the plug on its 2015 election campaign promise to cover the Prime Minister’s Office and all cabinet ministers’ offices under the updated act. “It’s obviously a farce,” said NDP House Leader […]
Innovation of housing policies key to fairness and opportunity
Canada is well-positioned to realize its vision of ensuring fairness and opportunity for all Canadians. The Canada Child Benefit, introduced just two years ago, is helping to lift tens of thousands of households out of poverty, while the commitment to renew the Homelessness Partnering Strategy promises to significantly reduce the trauma of homelessness. The next […]
Conservation we need to accomplish in 20,000 days to come
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) marked exactly 20,000 days of conservation on Aug. 30, 2017. This milestone provides an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the work done by the NCC and our partners each day, and the conservation we need to accomplish in the 20,000 days to come. Since the countdown began in […]
International trade, environment, top lobbying topics over summer
International trade and the environment were the most popular topics for lobbyists communicating with ministers, MPs, Senators, and other federal public office holders this past summer, initial reporting figures show, suggesting ongoing renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement loomed heavily on the minds of those attempting to influence public policy in Ottawa. There […]
NAFTA is dead; long live NAFTA
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Trump administration’s first summer was atypical for Washington, D.C. Whenever we thought the White House might be on track, another political meteor suddenly appeared and knocked everything off balance. The object was not from outer space but from the very heart of the presidency. This was the pattern the president set on his […]
The girls (and boys) are back in town
OTTAWA—On the heels of a cool, wet summer break, things are about to heat up inside the political precinct and, as entertaining as that may be, it will also set the path to Canada’s 43rd general election and, by extension, the makeup of the 43rd Parliament. There will be plenty of legislative protein in the […]
Fall’s best events and parties: where to eat, drink, and mingle
It’s that time of the year again, when MPs, Senators, cabinet ministers, staffers, lobbyists, and media flock back to the Hill, and their social calendars fill up with some of the hottest parties and shindigs that the nation’s capital has to offer. A few of the year’s milestone annual events have been cancelled or restructured. […]
