The Kenney campaign con and the new meaning of narrative
The word “narrative” as a political term of art is by no means new. The concept has been around since long before the days when Hollywood production values migrated to the White House with Ronald Reagan. From “the boy from Baie-Comeau” defining Brian Mulroney’s rise from son of an electrician in a Quebec mill town, […]
How Robert ‘Fife the knife’ broke the SNC-Lavalin story and 40 years of other scoops
Robert Fife, the Globe and Mail Ottawa bureau chief and one of the reporters behind the explosive SNC-Lavalin story that’s rocked politics in Ottawa for a month, has been breaking stories for decades due to his vast network of sources, keen eye for detail, and knack for telling when people aren’t telling the truth, say […]
Bernier passes on taking part in Justice Committee SNC-Lavalin hearings
People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier has been absent from the House of Commons Justice Committee as it delves into the SNC-Lavalin affair, despite all other parties—even those without official party status—showing up to participate. A People’s Party spokesperson told The Hill Times that Mr. Bernier has been given an invitation to attend, but since he […]
SNC-Lavalin scandal expected to ‘overshadow everything else’ for Grits in coming months; it’s time for a Trudeau ‘mea culpa,’ say Liberal insiders and pollsters
It will be a tough slog for the Liberals in the coming months, as the SNC-Lavalin scandal has devastated their post-partisan feminist brand and demotivated their base, say pollsters and Grit insiders. It’s not yet clear how far the scandal will resonate with the general public, but any new revelations—for example, if the government does […]
As CP layoffs hit Parliament Hill, top editor says it’s in no ‘imminent’ danger
Financial woes continue to plague Canada’s national wire service, leading to one layoff on Parliament Hill, but the Canadian Press’ editor-in-chief says the organization as a whole isn’t in any pressing danger. When asked if the company would be around in five years, Stephen Meurice said that “five years is a long time from now, […]
Gerald Butts’ resignation doesn’t do anything to dampen questions in dumpster fire of a scandal
As principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Gerald Butts wasn’t known for being a wallflower. If anyone ever wanted to know what he was thinking about a particular issue, or how he responded to personal attacks, they only had to look as far as his personal verified Twitter account. But for some reason, Canadians […]
The great brain robbery: Looking up from the content glut
The New York Times has a weekly feature in its Book Review called By the Book, in which writers answer questions about their relationship with books and reading, one of which is “You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?” Looking around a Montreal subway car recently, it struck me that the three […]
Bombshell PMO interference allegations ‘extremely damaging’ to judicial system; Wilson-Raybould’s inability to refute allegations creates ‘bizarre’ dynamic in cabinet, say pundits
Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould’s inability to refute the allegations in last week’s Globe and Mail report of attempted political interference in the justice system by the PMO is creating a “bizarre” dynamic in the cabinet, which is “uncharted territory,” say Conservative and Liberal political insiders, and a former Tory justice minister and attorney general says the alleged […]
The problem with fighting fake news
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Whenever I see references to the federal government’s Ministry of Democratic Institutions, I always get a slight case of the willies. It’s probably just me, but to my mind the department’s name—“Ministry of Democratic Institutions”—has an Orwellian vibe. And so naturally, I got a bit uneasy recently when I read reports about how this […]
MPs honour Paul Dewar’s life of public service; bow heads for moment of silence
MPs from all political stripes paid tribute to former Ottawa-Centre NDP MP Paul Dewar, who died on Feb. 6 of terminal brain cancer. Mr. Dewar, a former Ottawa school teacher and onetime federal NDP leadership candidate, served for three terms in the House of Commons from 2006 to 2015 and is best remembered for his […]
