PMO could have big role in Senate clerk appointment, though process still unsettled
The government is still contemplating how to pick the next Senate clerk, though the process currently laid out would rely heavily on direction from the Prime Minister’s and Privy Council offices. Charles Robert, the interim Senate clerk who was recently named the new House clerk, moves into his new role in the House on July 10. […]
Slate of Conservative staffers exit new leader Scheer’s office
Eleven more staffers have taken their leave of the Conservative Leader’s Office and Hill research bureau, which, along with the two previously reported, brings the total to 13 departed staffers since Andrew Scheer took over as Conservative Party leader on May 27. Director of strategic communications Dennis Matthews is among those who have departed, with […]
Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown building his image before his opponents do
OTTAWA—An old political adage is “define or be defined.” Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown seems be on the side of defining himself before the Ontario Liberal Party does it for him. Brown was a Member of Parliament in Stephen Harper’s caucus when he saw firsthand the devastating impact of having someone else tell […]
NDP leadership race: Julian takes early lead in caucus endorsements, but many MPs holding out, staying neutral
As NDP leadership contenders begin rolling out their roster of supporters, Peter Julian has emerged with an early lead, with six caucus endorsements, but insiders say it’s still too early to parse frontrunners from the pack. With the leadership voting process set to start Sept. 18, and with at least five debates under their belt, the […]
NDP candidate endorsements
Charlie Angus Carol Hughes, Ontario MP Christine Moore, Quebec MP Buckley Belanger, Saskatchewan NDP MLA Gilles Bisson, Ontario MPP France Gélinas, Ontario MPP Elizabeth Hanson, Yukon NDP leader and MLA for Whitehorse Centre Andrew Swan, Manitoba MLA John Vanthof, Ontario MPP Dave Wilson, Nova Scotia MLA Lenore Zann, Nova Scotia MLA Malcolm Allen, former Ontario […]
Canada’s 150 moment: at last, boring is newsworthy
It’s so tempting on Canada’s 150th birthday to define ourselves by what we’re not. The national reflex to compare this country to what the late Robin Williams once characterized as the meth lab below our really nice apartment is so much more pronounced now that Donald Trump is president of the United States. It would seem […]
NDP ‘naive’ to conduct online leadership vote, warns expert, but party says it’s ‘confident’ in voting safeguards
The New Democratic Party says it’s confident in its choice to use online voting for the upcoming selection of its new leader, despite several recent reports asserting the vulnerability of internet elections, and provinces pulling away after studying the option. A pair of specialists in the field told The Hill Times, no matter the scale […]
Quebec’s sovereignty issue is in deep freeze
MONTREAL—There was a time not so long ago when the very notion of a federal government funding some June 24 festivities in Quebec would have raised eyebrows on both sides of the federalist-sovereigntist divide. Ottawa has long contributed to the financing of St-Jean-Baptiste celebrations in the rest of Canada, but it had abstained from associating […]
Trudeau says Senate reform is ‘on the right track,’ blames Conservative Senators for delays
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Senate reform under his government is “on the right track” and that it’s the Conservatives’ fault for legislative delays happening in the Upper Chamber, bolstering his argument for an even more non-partisan Senate. Conservative Senators called his comments “misleading.” On Tuesday, Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) held a press conference at […]
‘If you keep your door open long enough, people will walk through it’: Chagger
PARLIAMENT HILL—The government passed 14 bills in the spring sitting and is expected to focus on legislation to legalize marijuana, to remodel Canada’s national security services, reform Canada’s political financing laws, and amend parts of the Criminal Code when the House comes back in the fall. Government House Leader Bardish Chagger (Waterloo, Ont.) also said the […]
