The party of Stephen Harper isn’t going anywhere
HALIFAX—With the disappearance of Jean Charest from the Conservative leadership race, Justin Trudeau has been dealt another ace by a party that can’t seem to get over Stephen Harper. Unless a meteor enters the political firmament—someone new and estimable not now on the candidate radar screen—the person who replaces the hapless Andrew Scheer will be […]
Minority rules: 2020’s most influential figures to watch in federal politics
Parliamentarians could be in for a lengthy minority Parliament, or not. Minority parliaments typically croak at the two-year mark, whether at the hands of a confident government angling for a majority or through confidence votes opposition parties can’t stomach. There are signs that opposition parties—the NDP has money woes, the Conservatives are barely in the […]
MacKay must be verily relieved
OTTAWA—The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau dodged a couple of political bullets last week. Decisions by Jean Charest and Rona Ambrose to stay out of the Conservative leadership race were met with huge sighs of relief on more than one front. The immediate beneficiary of the sorties was Peter MacKay, who now leaps to the […]
Budget, foreign affairs, and fighting climate change among top cabinet priorities as Parliament returns
The governing Liberals will focus on their most high-profile election promises in this minority 43rd Parliament when the House returns on Jan. 27 to continue its first session, after nearly a seven-month break from Ottawa, say MPs and insiders. The special committee on Canada-China relations, a bailout bill for resource workers, a Liberal-style tough-on-crime agenda, […]
Conservative Party a ‘rudderless mess’ and there’s bad blood between its fund and national council, say some Conservatives
Some senior Conservatives are describing the party’s internal political climate as “chaotic” and a “rudderless mess,” and predict the return of Parliament this week will be a major challenge for the Tories. The divisive leadership contest is on, there’s “bad blood” between the all-powerful Conservative Fund and the party’s national council over the firing of […]
Muddling through a minority Parliament: a view from government and opposition benches
OTTAWA—Whether a government is a strong minority—as now—or a weak one—as in 2006 under Stephen Harper—the challenges and opportunities are pretty much the same, perhaps just not to the same degree. The main theme throughout the period of the minority, on which all efforts must be focused, has to be election readiness. A political party […]
Correctional investigator’s scathing report illustrates Canada’s refusal to protect its own citizens
OTTAWA—Is reconciliation dead? Last week the Office of the Correctional Investigator issued a scathing report on the state of Indigenous people in federal prisons. It’s bad. The overall proportion of Indigenous people is at 30 per cent, and for Indigenous women the figure is even higher. About 10 years ago, I toured the Saskatchewan Penitentiary […]
Conservative Party still trying to rebrand itself to win an election
Re: “Ten lessons for the Conservatives as they seek to rebuild,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 20, p. 3). Having just read Yaroslav Baran’s opinion piece, my overall take-away from the “10 lessons” is that the Conservative Party of Canada is still trying to rebrand itself in a way that will win an election. Most political […]
Quebec Senator Gold named government’s new point man in the Red Chamber
Senator Marc Gold is the government’s new representative in the Senate, the Prime Minister’s Office announced today. In this minority Parliament, Sen. Gold (Stadacona, Que.) will now be responsible for overseeing the government’s legislative agenda in the Senate; sponsoring government bills, and keeping tabs on the progress of those sponsored by other Senators; and negotiating […]
Justice Minister Lametti adds a rights implementation director to his team
Justice Minister David Lametti has created a new position in his ministerial office, director of rights implementation, and Jesse McCormick has been tapped to take on the role. In this capacity, Mr. McCormick, who’s a member of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, has been tasked with helping “facilitate collaboration with First Nations, Inuit, and […]
