A few staffers leave PMO and Liberal Research Bureau
PARLIAMENT HILL—Prime Minister’s Justin Trudeau’s office is down one aide after Tim Krupa, special assistant for policy, left the PMO about three weeks ago. Mr. Krupa had been with the PMO since the Liberals won a majority government in 2015 and previously worked on operations and outreach work in Mr. Trudeau’s office when he was leader […]
Canada’s marine litter and sustainable fisheries commitments necessitate action on ghost gear
The world’s oceans need help. That’s why, when the UN developed its Sustainable Developmental Goals in 2015, safeguarding the oceans was identified as one of the 17 focal areas. Last month, the UN hosted the first ever Oceans Conference to empower and motivate countries, the private sector, civil society, and citizens to commit to ocean […]
Alexander Galt and Confederation as an economic union
OTTAWA—Originally, Confederation was meant to be not just a political but an economic union. The purpose of this economic union was the creation of an integrated East-West national economy. And 150 years later this remains an ideal rather than an achievement. Only recently have the provinces reached an agreement to make the free movement of […]
First Nations suicide epidemic in northern Ontario requires immediate action
KENORA, ONT.—To most parents, losing a child to suicide is unfathomable; a pain so heart-breaking that it cannot even be imagined. This pain is becoming a daily reality for families in First Nations communities in northern Ontario, most recently in Pikangikum and Nibinamik. Parents are losing their children. Brothers and sisters are losing their siblings. […]
Trudeau’s 14-seat majority could ‘easily’ be reduced to minority ‘or worse’ in 2019, say opponents, but Liberals still 12 points ahead
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 14-seat majority government could “easily” be reduced to a minority or even kicked to the opposition benches in 2019, say Liberal opponents, as the margins of victory in the Liberals’ 14 tightest victories in 2015 were between 0.2 and 2.5 per cent. Pollster Greg Lyle of Innovative Research said these closely […]
Capturing the capital city: an architectural historian pens a keepsake collection
Whether you’re walking through the Byward Market, or crossing the bridge to Gatineau, Que., Andrew Waldron takes you on a journey exploring some of Ottawa’s romantic-styled architecture for readers to discover unnoticed gems of this government town. In his book Exploring the Capital: An Architectural Guide to the Ottawa-Gatineau Region, Mr. Waldron details more than 300 […]
No peace yet in Iraq, or in Syria
LONDON, U.K.—The shooting was still going on down by the river last week when Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi dropped by and prematurely declared that the battle for Mosul was over. He was misled by the various Iraqi army, police, and militia units who were competing with one another to declare victory first, but now […]
The Trump-Brexit axis of idiocy: a status report
A year on from the cataclysmic Brexit vote and six months into the cataclysmic presidency of Donald Trump, what can be observed about the state of both? When Bank of England governor Mark Carney predicted ahead of the Brexit referendum that a vote to leave the European Union would be the biggest domestic threat to […]
Shared Services Canada to begin talks on allowing federal departments to ‘opt out’ from centralized IT service
Shared Services Canada is exploring transferring some responsibilities for federal information technology systems back to individual departments and agencies, in the wake of legislative changes weakening the agency’s monopoly on digital services. Pat Breton, director general of procurement and vendor relations with SSC, said the agency has started reaching out to the 43 federal departments and agencies […]
Conservative senior economic adviser exits amid leadership transition
Cam Vidler, who’d been a senior economic policy adviser to the Conservative leader, has left the Hill amid the transition that’s followed Conservative MP Andrew Scheer’s election as the new official opposition leader. He marked his last day on the Conservative leader’s team on June 23. Mr. Vidler had been hired to advise then-interim Conservative […]
