Veterans Minister MacAulay brings chief of staff Gallant to new office
In any minister’s office there’s arguably no working relationship more crucial than the one between the minister and their chief of staff, and in turn, recently-named Veterans Affairs and Associate Defence Minister Lawrence MacAulay has brought his over to his new office. Guy Gallant took over as chief of staff to Mr. MacAulay as the […]
After SNC-Lavalin scandal, how do we ensure unbiased law enforcement across Canada?
Try to forget about the people and parties involved in the SNC-Lavalin/Attorney General of Canada/Prime Minister’s Office scandal. If you wanted to ensure that justice is not only done but will “manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done,” and to remove the appearance of bias in law enforcement across Canada, what would you do? […]
PM Trudeau needs to ‘reset the tone,’ hire a PMO caucus liaison, and be more accessible to his Grit MPs, say Liberals
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is still reeling over the resignation of two cabinet ministers for his handling of the SNC-Lavalin controversy and one backbencher who recently openly criticized his leadership style, needs to “reset the tone” in his management style of the 179 Liberal MPs by having a two-way meaningful communication, creating and empowering […]
U.S. putting the Canada-China relationship through the wringer
TORONTO—With one justice minister felled by an internal government dispute on whether to proceed with a criminal trial for SNC-Lavalin, another justice minister, sometime in the next year—or perhaps longer—could face a similarly divisive political decision, but with much more costly implications no matter the decision. Whatever Canada does, it will pay a high price. […]
Trudeau vs. Trudeau
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yelling at one of his MPs shouldn’t be news. After all, given that politics can be a stressful business, a business which often puts people’s emotions on edge, yelling is basically a normal part of political discourse. Indeed, I’ve been yelled at lots of times by bosses much more intimidating […]
Wilson-Raybould says SNC-Lavalin scandal a ‘wake-up call’ and May says two former cabinet ministers to change ‘old boys club’ from the inside
The ongoing SNC-Lavalin saga has yielded an unintended consequence for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who appointed the first-ever gender-balanced federal cabinet and promoted MPs who are not deeply-rooted partisans to the front benches: it’s brought “change from inside” by federal lawmakers who are willing to challenge the “old boys club way of doing things,” says […]
On the credibility front, Wilson-Raybould is still eating the PM’s lunch
HALIFAX—Every major political debate ends up being about the national character. Especially the ones darkened by the spectre of a coverup. The scandal that erupted over the handling of SNC-Lavalin’s criminal charges for bribery and corruption in Libya is no different. By using their majority on the House Justice Committee to gag former justice minister […]
Wilson-Raybould doesn’t have to wait for a House Justice Committee hearing to speak out
The prime minister’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin issue has been a huge part of the problem. Justin Trudeau should have moved immediately to accept ministerial resignations and he should also have stripped them of caucus membership. He should have spoken immediately to the nation, revealing all the details surrounding the departure of his minister and […]
To cries of ‘shame,’ and ‘coverup,’ Liberals on House Justice Committee shut down opposition’s push to invite Wilson-Raybould back, punting discussion to budget day
Barely half an hour into its emergency meeting, Liberal MPs on the House Justice Committee on Wednesday moved to adjourn, quashing the opposition’s efforts to recall former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould for another round of questioning on the SNC-Lavalin saga. Liberal MPs were met with cries of “shame!” and “coverup!” from Conservative MPs, as they […]
Time to debate separating top civil servant’s roles, says leading expert Savoie
As the debate around the possibility of separating the two hats of the minister of justice and attorney general continues, one well-regarded public administration expert says it’s time to have a similar discussion about splitting the three hats worn by the top federal bureaucrat, Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick. Currently, the clerk of the Privy […]
