NCC BACKS FACELIFT OF PARLIAMENTARY PRECINCT
The Parliamentary Precinct may see a significant new facelift, including a new underground visitor’s centre, an underground pedestrian link to various buildings and the addition of new office space and committee rooms in a proposed Pierre Elliot Trudeau building, according to recommendations supported by the National Capital Commission. A report, obtained through the Access to […]
Top Ottawa Tories to attend fundraisers for Ottawa mayoral candidate Kilrea
Two top Ottawa Conservatives are scheduled to attend fundraisers for Ottawa Mayoral candidate Terry Kilrea in the coming months. Treasury Board President John Baird (Ottawa West Nepean, Ont.) will attend a fundraiser for Mr. Kilrea on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at Merivale Road in Ottawa and Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre (Nepean Carleton, Ont.) will attend a […]
‘I was born a Liberal, I just came out a few years ago,’ says Brison
Scott Brison has been called the dark horse of the Liberal leadership race, but then again he doesn’t care much for being the front-runner. “There’s a bandwagonning that occurs,” Mr. Brison (Kings-Hants, N.S.) told The Hill Times in an interview at his Hill office last week. “Sometimes the wheels fall off bandwagons.” Mr. Brison, 39, […]
Tory MP Williams won’t run in the next federal election
Conservative MP John Williams announced last Friday that he will not run in the next federal election, after 14 years in office. Mr. Williams, who was first elected in 1993 in the riding of Edmonton-St. Albert, Alta., as a Reform MP, said that he will continue his current term as an MP but said that […]
Conservatives will rebound in Quebec: Tory campaigner
The Conservative Party’s recent slide in public opinion polls nationally, especially in Quebec, is temporary and the party will regain its popularity in the coming weeks, says a top Quebec Conservative. “If we’ve seen a bit of a bump down … it’s basically because it hasn’t been the best two or three weeks. Stories [news […]
NDP Leader Layton hires a new executive assistant
NDP Leader Jack Layton has hired a new executive assistant. Emily Watkins will start her new job as EA to Mr. Layton (Toronto-Danforth, Ont.) on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Most recently, Ms. Watkins served as a legislative and communications assistant to NDP House leader Libby Davies (Vancouver East, B.C.). Prior to that, she worked as a […]
The government can’t and won’t regulate lobbying out of existence
One of the greatest misconceptions about lobbying in this town is that piles of lobbyists have large amounts of influence with government decision makers through their connections, campaign donations, or partisan political affiliations. Lobbyists who meet directly with government officials are likely to influence decision-makers’ thinking in some way, but much of the value that […]
Climate change will be a true test for the Tories: NDP’s Cullen
In his end-of-session round of media interviews, Prime Minister Stephen Harper spent a lot of time trying to convince Canadians that he and his Cabinet had achieved a great deal in the first few months of their new mandate. Clearly, the lay of the land on Parliament Hill has changed significantly since the change in […]
‘I was in love and still am’ with Centre Block, says Douglas Fisher
There should be little surprise that Douglas Fisher’s favourite place on the Hill is the Library of Parliament, where every once in a while he’ll steal peak up at the dome. Mr. Fisher began his career as a librarian. He switched to politics after the Second World War as an MP for the CCF, then […]
Tories considering a tax rebate for popular hybrid cars: environmental lobbyist Sadik
The Conservative government seems to be preparing the way to offer a tax rebate for purchasers of hybrid cars, Pierre Sadik, a senior policy advisor at the David Suzuki Foundation, told The Hill Times. An official from the Department of Finance said the department “won’t speculate” about future budget decisions, but Mr. Sadik said that […]
