Chagger’s government House leader’s team playing vital function now ‘more than ever’
PARLIAMENT HILL—The Government House Leader’s Office plays a “pivotal” role in keeping any government’s legislative agenda moving through Parliament, this one in particular, and while current Government House Leader Bardish Chagger is a rookie MP, a few of her key staffers are Hill veterans. “The staffers who specialize in the House Leader’s Office have distinguished […]
‘Unflappable’ Goodale considered one of Trudeau’s best cabinet ministers
Handling politically sensitive and emotionally charged issues requires a steady hand and Ralph Goodale appears to be that guy in the Trudeau cabinet. The 67-year-old, Regina-born federal Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness minister holds the cabinet portfolio that has “zero political gain and a huge amount of political risk,” according to public affairs strategist Chad […]
Conservatives to hold summer caucus retreat in Winnipeg, want to win back six Manitoba ridings lost in 2015
The federal Conservatives will meet in Winnipeg this summer to plot their fall parliamentary strategy and lay the groundwork to win back the six Manitoba seats they lost in 2015, they say. “We certainly would like to get them back, there’s no question about it,” said Conservative MP David Sweet (Flamborough-Glanbrook, Ont.), chair of the […]
Trump’s support among Republicans rock-solid, just ask U.S. punk rocker Exene Cervenka
TORONTO—“What is the wrong with these people?” It’s a question you hear quite a bit, in 2017. Usually—but not always—the question is asked when the subject-matter is Donald Trump. The president, as is well known, is the most unpopular president in the history of polling. Seventy per cent of Americans want him out. Almost as […]
Blinded by PM’s sunny ways, U.S. media fail the public
TORONTO—Justin Trudeau is on the new cover of Rolling Stone and please don’t beat yourself up for experiencing a rush of conflicted feelings. On the upside, it’s always refreshing when the U.S. media glance over the border and devote ink—in this case, nearly 7,000 words—to what is a foreign story. There is no free trade […]
Conservatives eye 2019 election win under Scheer leadership, Raitt says they’re already in ‘100 per cent’ campaign mode
Now that he has his senior official opposition team in place for the House, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s next and more formidable task will be getting his party election-ready for 2019. “There is a lot to do in that timeframe,” said Conservative Saskatchewan Senator Denise Batters, who has been friends with Mr. Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle, Sask.) […]
Pacific NorthWest LNG’s demise is boon for clean growth
VANCOUVER, B.C.—British Columbia’s new government has committed to getting the province back on track to meeting its climate targets. Until last week, the Pacific NorthWest (PNW) LNG project, near Prince Rupert, presented a monumental obstacle to making good on that promise. Indeed, the liquefied natural gas mega-project threatened to be one of the largest carbon […]
Trudeau, Canada’s Sun King?
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Given that we’re smack dab in the middle of summer and given that everyone is consequently in a vacation mindset right now, I thought it’d be a good time to avoid usual political commentary so that I could instead draw a comparison between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a 17th century French monarch. Okay, […]
Dr. Hook was right about the cover of the Rolling Stone
OTTAWA—Dr. Hook put it best. You haven’t made it until you appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. So, just like the eponymous song said, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must have purchased five copies of last week’s mag for his mother. One picture is always worth a thousand words. And the full-page photo of […]
What Singh is really saying about Old Age Security
New Democratic Party federal leadership candidate Jagmeet Singh is unorthodox in more ways than one. So far, the newest entrant in the four-person race to replace Tom Mulcair has been deemed noteworthy for his style (natty) and his religion (Sikh). His supporters—and Singh himself—argue that the 38-year-old Brampton politician is best-positioned to persuade younger voters, […]
