Bernier gets endorsements from Alberta legislators
Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier last week announced some new support from the heart of Conservative country—Alberta. He announced endorsements from seven Wildrose Party Members of the Legislative Assembly, being Scott Cyr, Jason Nixon, Rick Strankman, Wes Taylor, Angela Pitt, Don MacIntyre, and Leela Aheer. He also snagged support from one Progressive Conservative MLA, Mike […]
New heads of Liberals’ rural caucus vow to force ‘rural lens’ upon ‘all policies’
With the national electoral landscape dominated by urban ridings, the new executives of the 54-member Liberal rural caucus are vowing to use “all the tools at our disposal” to make sure rural issues are on the national agenda and considered in all decisions. “We’ll use all the tools at our disposal to champion the issues […]
Lobbying files show McKenna getting fill of energy companies, environmental groups
With some key decisions taken on pipelines, carbon taxes, a report last week about reforming Canada’s environmental assessment processes, and more, it’s logical that Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna would be among the most lobbied ministers in the Trudeau cabinet. As of last week, 134 communication reports had been filed for contact with […]
It’s time for a national portrait gallery
OTTAWA—If one picture is worth a thousand words, a national portrait gallery trumps a television script any day. As Canada moves through the celebration of our 150th birthday, the government is swamped with ideas for the celebration of our shared story. History is seen through different eyes by different regions of the country. Throw in […]
Ask not what innovation can do for you
OTTAWA—Budget 2017 provides a sound blueprint for the future of Canada, in that it establishes a clear link between innovation and positive outcomes for Canadians. And most of the Government’s plans for skills and innovation, infrastructure, tax fairness and a strong Canada are relevant to the country’s wireless telecommunications sector. Over the past 30 years, […]
Feds should pay more attention to Canada’s chemistry sector
As the Liberal government looks to attract considerably higher rates of foreign investment into innovative sectors with high growth prospects, significantly more coordinated attention needs to be paid to Canada’s chemistry sector. There are immediate opportunities to attract more than $11-billion in investments through four global scale projects. These projects would create hundreds of jobs, […]
Government looks to counter what Harder calls Conservatives’ ‘coordinated’ stall tactics in Senate and House
PARLIAMENT HILL—Amid a filibuster at a key House committee, successive procedural moves in the Commons, and an at least one government bill taking nearly a year to progress through the Senate, government leaders in both the House and Senate are eyeing new systems for scheduling their legislative agenda. Sen. Peter Harder (Ottawa, Ont.), the government’s Senate […]
House Affairs Committee work piling up as fillibuster continues over Standing Order reform push
Locked in a filibuster since last month over the Liberal government’s push to study possible changes to the House Standing Orders, “work is piling up” for the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, says NDP MP David Christopherson, vice-chair of the committee. “It’s a mess, and we’ve just got priority on top of priority, and many […]
There’s more to the stay-the-course budget than suggested
OTTAWA—So what kind of budget was it? An innovation budget? A skills budget? A gender-aware budget? A social safety net budget? Or an environmental budget? Stay-the-course seemed to be the pundits’ consensus. I’m not so sure. Depending which part of Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s budget you focus on, it was any of those things and […]
Lobbyists ready to guide businesses through new frontier of legalized pot
There’s no Canadian precedent in modern times for the upcoming legalization of recreational marijuana, which is creating a completely new—and highly regulated—industry. Those who want to be part of it could use the help of lobbyists who know their way around government. The legalization of marijuana in Canada has created a specific need for government-relations […]
