Conservatives lead in big-donor fundraising in seven provinces
The Conservatives led fundraising in seven of 10 provinces among big donors during the first three months this year, with the greatest hauls in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia adding up to $4.3-million. That’s more than half of the $8-million raised in a record first quarter for the Conservatives, according to last month’s numbers from […]
Social media can be powerful campaign tool, but Canadian politicians have much to learn
OTTAWA—From the moment we heard about her, the radical young woman from New York who dared issue a primary challenge to a long-sitting House Democrat, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has illustrated that social media can be a powerful campaign tool—if used correctly. Candidates for our upcoming federal election should be taking notes, because their social media game […]
The Jane and Jody show gets picked up for another season and it’s going to be worth watching
OTTAWA—The Jody and Jane show lives on. Earlier this week, former Liberal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott announced they would in fact be running as Independents in this fall’s federal election. More power to them, as winning a seat as an unaffiliated candidate in the Canadian Parliament is damn hard. According to CBC’s […]
High profile, popularity in Wilson-Raybould and Philpott’s favour, but system is ‘unfairly stacked’ against Independents, says MP Bill Casey
Former Liberal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott are hoping to beat the odds as Independent candidates in the coming election, and observers say they have a few things working in their favour. Their high-profile stature could help them push back against the well-documented limitations to being elected and sitting as an Independent MP. […]
MP Hoback ‘disappointed’ in lack of Trudeau-Pelosi contact as USMCA talks get testy south of border
As the Canadian government prepares to table an implementation bill for the renegotiated North American trade pact in the House of Commons, an opposition MP says he’s “surprised” the prime minister hasn’t spoken to the American politician in charge of shepherding the agreement through the U.S. House of Representatives. A government official told The Hill […]
‘Don’t mention the war’: what message are the government, military delivering?
OTTAWA—Over the weekend, I was riding my bike beside the Rideau Canal and I passed a troop of young soldiers. As I passed, I thanked them for their service. Others said nothing. It is disappointing, but not surprising. Our men and women in the military don’t get much recognition beyond Remembrance Day, or when the […]
Senators’ anti-harassment training a ‘success,’ says Sen. Saint-Germain, as new policy steams ahead in Upper Chamber
Nearly every Senator has completed anti-harassment training, along with the majority of the Chamber’s administration heads and staffers, well before the Senate rises this year. In a May 9 update to the Senate’s Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration Committee, Independent Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain (De la Vallière, Que.), who chairs a human resources subgroup of the […]
Staff join senior ranks in offices of Ministers Lebouthillier, Bibeau
There are a couple of staff promotions of note in National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier’s office, with the naming of a new director of operations and a new director of parliamentary affairs and issues management. Caitlin Szymberski has been promoted to the rank of director of operations in the minister’s office. She first joined Ms. […]
Social media execs face grilling at Ottawa summit, as global consensus on need for government regulation grows
Representatives from Google, Twitter, and Facebook, in particular, faced relentless grilling from elected officials representing 11 countries during an international meeting on data privacy in Ottawa on Tuesday, with officials speaking to a growing global consensus on the need for governments to co-ordinate internationally to regulate social media platforms. “What we’re seeing from the expertise […]
EU elections show choices are becoming clearer
The best way of describing what just happened in the European Union elections is to say that the choices are getting clearer—and a lot of people are realizing which side they are on. The elections to the EU Parliament held last week in 28 European countries—including the United Kingdom, since three years after the Brexit […]
