Politics this morning: Auditor General reports, World Press Freedom Day, and Duffy’s return
It’s Tuesday, May 3. Here’s what’s expected to make news today: Today is the 18th annual World Press Freedom day. The UN General Assembly declared the international day as an opportunity to “celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their […]
Liberals pushed mining accountability internationally in opposition, should lead on it now
The New York Times recently published a story on Canadian mining firms’ abroad and focused on the Guatemalan village of Lote Oche, where Margarita Caal Caal along with 10 other women have launched a negligence suit in Canada against Hudbay Minerals Inc. after she and 10 other women claimed that in 2007 “truckloads of soldiers, police officers […]
Hill skin cancer clinic saved Grit MP Casey’s life, it might save yours
Next week, Liberal MP Bill Casey is hosting the kind of skin cancer clinic that saved his life a decade ago. He recalled how in 2006 he attended a skin cancer clinic organized on the Hill by Dona Cadman, a Conservative MP between 2008 and 2011 and wife of the late Independent MP Chuck Cadman […]
Political journalists Cochrane, Smith, Petrou take on new roles
A trio of political journalists are taking on new challenges in Ottawa, keeping Twitter abuzz with well-wishes. CBC Newfoundland and Labrador reporter David Cochrane announced last week he is making the jump to Ottawa, where he will fill a position left vacant by the departure of James Fitz-Morris, who took a posting as the communications […]
Commons Uncorked: Canadian whisky making global appearances
In his famed Whisky Bible, leading English whisky writer Jim Murray awarded a Canadian malt whisky, Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye, 97.5 marks out of 100, earning it the title of World Whisky of the Year. As a sommelier, I know a lot about wine and I campaign for Canadian wine whenever I can (chardonnay, […]
Be it resolved that the Travers Debates is a must-attend event on the political social calendar
When it comes to witnessing a great debate, there is nowhere in Ottawa quite like the House of Commons—freedom of speech at its very best. However, like with most things, there are exceptions to every rule. For one night each year politicos gather to throw rules of civility and decorum out the window and instead […]
A letter from the publishers
Here’s some background about the start of a second weekly print edition of The Hill Times. When the word got out that this would happen there was a fair amount of media attention, mostly positive. Maybe the news was well received because our decision to increase our publishing frequency seemed counterintuitive in a time of […]
Liberals pack Sir John A., others flock to the Métropolitain for budget night
New traditions were formed last Tuesday evening. Red is the new black and post-budget soirées have a new home, or two. Just a few hours after Finance Minister Bill Morneau tabled the 2016 budget in the House, Liberal MPs and Hill staffers who weren’t on the media circuit made their way into the Sir John A. […]
Organizing budget day ‘like a campaign war room inside the minister’s office’
PARLIAMENT HILL—On Parliament Hill and in the Hill neighbourhood, eight different budget day lockups took place for journalists, MPs and Senators, lobbyists, stakeholders, and federal officials, with around 2,000 participants. Logistically speaking, it’s the biggest annual event for the Parliamentary Press Gallery, which has been coordinating with Finance Canada officials for the last three weeks […]
RCMP incident creates stir in downtown Ottawa
Ever since Michael Zehaf-Bibeau’s shooting rampage on Parliament Hill and at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Oct. 22, 2014 that left reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo dead and most of the city in lockdown, those of us working near the Hill get a little nervous whenever we see scores of police officers, police cars and […]
