The scramble for PPE: ‘This country has never seen procurement like it is occurring now’
From face masks, to medical gowns, testing kits, ventilators, and beyond, the federal government has been working to secure millions of pieces of medical and personal protective equipment needed in the fight against COVID-19 in a massive, cross-ministry and -jurisdictional collaborative effort that’s been described as “unprecedented” and “24/7” for those involved. “Since the Second […]
Finance Minister Morneau names press secretary
Finance Minister Bill Morneau and team have been busy of late, with the 2020 federal budget delayed as the federal government works to see through economic relief and other measures announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now helping the minister communicate with the public and media alike is new press secretary Maéva Proteau. […]
Some cabinet stars emerge in pandemic
CHELSEA, QUE.—It has been decades since the era of strong cabinet ministers—men (always men) with a profile as prominent as the prime minister’s and their own following within the party. In the modern era, the most memorable example is Paul Martin, Jean Chrétien’s finance minister, who, somewhat impatiently, built his own brand and his own […]
MPs considering joint House-Senate group to oversee Centre Block renovations
Members of Parliament are considering creating a joint group with Senators to oversee plans for Centre Block’s renovation, but not all MPs are convinced. The House of Commons’ Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) is holding a special meeting on March 12 to finalize plans for a new governance body to supervise the massive project to […]
Ministers Anand, Fortier make headway in firming up their staff teams
New Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand has her senior staff team in place, with new directors of operations, communications, and parliamentary affairs recently hired. Caitlin Mullan-Boudreau has been hired as operations director. She was previously working in the office of the minister of fisheries and oceans, starting under then-minister Hunter Tootoo in 2016 […]
Citing intelligence sources, Trudeau says Ukrainian airliner may have been unintentionally struck by Iranian missile
NATIONAL PRESS THEATRE — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday “multiple” intelligence sources suggest the Ukrainian airliner that killed all 176 passengers on board may have been unintentionally shot down by an Iranian missile. Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) cautioned against drawing any conclusions until there is a “full and […]
It is known: policy directors named for ministers Lebouthillier, Bibeau, Ng
Ministerial staffing on the Hill is coming along, with directors of policy now confirmed in the offices of International Trade and Small Business and Export Promotion Minister Mary Ng, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, and National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier. An avalanche of staffing news is expected soon, as ministers have until Dec. 20 to decide […]
Rookie PSPC minister a ‘calculated risk’ as a cabinet pick, say observers
The prime minister took a risk when he put a rookie Liberal MP in charge of the government’s decisions around procurement, but the Oakville MP seems to be up to the task, given her professional chops, some political observers say. During the Nov. 20 cabinet unveiling, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) named Anita Anand […]
‘Disappointing’ cabinet picks show Trudeau still needs to address diversity ‘blind spot’, say advocates
The latest cabinet picks were disappointing for some advocates of better representation for racialized Canadians in positions of power, including former Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes who offered a plea to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to demonstrate he is correcting an admitted blind spot. She said that didn’t happen during the Nov. 20 cabinet shuffle, which […]
Liberals hope beefed-up Quebec presence in cabinet will help capture more seats in Trudeau’s home province, win them next election, say pollsters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lost five seats in Quebec in the October election, but still handed 11 cabinet posts and control of six federal economic development agencies to Liberal MPs from the province last week, and Liberals are betting on the prime minister’s home province as the path to a third term in power, say […]
