Big changes in the PMO: former MP Lapointe joins as new caucus liaison
As the House of Commons readies to return on Jan. 27, there are some notable additions to the all-important team in the Prime Minister’s Office, including Matt Stickney as executive director of operations. Mr. Stickney spent the 2019 election as field director for the Liberal Party’s national campaign and before then had been chief of staff to […]
Trudeau set right tone in the days after Flight 752 downing, say foreign policy experts
In the days after Canada learned that it was Iran that downed a Ukrainian airliner shortly after it took off from Tehran, the somber, measured, but outraged tone of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s public comments has struck the right chord, say foreign policy experts. But with only a supporting role in the crash investigation and […]
Outlasting Trump: the decisive year ahead for Canadians
OTTAWA—The high stakes for Canada in the events of the coming year could not have been made clearer than they were when the Iranians shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines flight near Tehran on Jan. 8, killing all 176 on board including 57 Canadians. The horrendous tragedy was traceable to a mistake by the Iranian […]
PMO spent $9.7-million in 2018-19, ministerial office spending rises 10.5 per cent: public accounts
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office reported $9.7-million in expenses in 2018-19, up almost four per cent from the year prior, with Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains’ office once again leading spending among the rest of cabinet, according to the 2019 public accounts. Ministers’ offices spent a total of roughly $62.9-million in 2018-19, up from almost $56.9-million […]
Build understanding, build respect: how hard can it be?
OTTAWA—I teach about cultural competence and the lack of understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. One of the consistent responses from non-Indigenous participants is shock about the amount of pain that some Indigenous families go through. It’s true, some Indigenous families endure more pain in a year than some non-Indigenous families might endure in decades. […]
Fundraising a big challenge for Conservative leadership candidates in upcoming contest, say political players
Federal Conservative leadership candidates will likely have a hard time raising money for their June 27 campaign, especially since they will not only be competing with each other, but the party headquarters will also continue its own fundraising throughout the contest, says a candidate and a veteran political strategist. “It will be difficult, especially considering […]
Liberals still haven’t had a national caucus discussion about federal election outcome and they want one, say Grit MPs
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose Liberals were reduced from a majority to a minority Parliament three months ago, still hasn’t held a full-blown national caucus meeting to discuss the last federal election’s outcome, and some Grit MPs say they wonder if the leadership is trying to avoid it. The Liberals, who won 157 seats on […]
The Conservative challenge: picking a leader today to meet the needs of tomorrow
OAKVILLE, ONT.—The fallout from the recent eradication of a top Iranian military commander should remind us all as to just how quickly the Canadian public’s collective attitudes can change. In the space of just a few days, we went from being indignant about Andrew Scheer’s expense accounts to being terrified about the possible onset of […]
Senators say ‘no thanks’ to top job after Harder’s exit
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has yet to find a trio of Senators to take on the government representative, deputy, and liaison jobs in the Upper Chamber as of late last week, with three weeks remaining before Senators return from their winter break on Feb. 4 and legislation starts to move through Parliament. One potential front-runner […]
We need strategic leadership, not more opportunistic pandering
TORONTO—Politics has always been opportunistic. But it seems more so today. While politicians like, with some justification, to criticize business and financial markets for short-termism, nowhere is short-term thinking more apparent than in the political arena. The recent federal election campaign was no exception as political parties competed on tax cuts for votes. This was […]
