Trudeau’s top 10 mistakes at his LavScam press conference
TORONTO—How bad was Justin Trudeau’s early morning LavScam press conference on March 7? So bad CTV Your Morning’s Ben Mulroney asked aloud if the prime minister had made things worse for himself. So bad Bell Media radio host Evan Solomon called Trudeau’s statement “a word salad.” So bad I intend to replay a tape of […]
Under fire over SNC-Lavalin crisis, Trudeau still has ‘credibility’ to rebound, say strategists
Though the loss of two high-profile ministers threatens to undercut the Liberal Party’s pitch for a new style of politics, their decision to remain in caucus appears to send a signal that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can salvage the situation and still has the credibility to recover from this crisis, according to political observers. At […]
The not-so-great reformer: PM Trudeau tone deaf and disconnected in handling of SNC-Lavalin kerfuffle
OTTAWA—To state the Liberal government is chasing its tail in figuring out how to respond to Jody Wilson-Raybould’s masterful performance at the Justice Committee would be understating it. The Trudeau Liberals have a tough job to do if they hope to lighten the impact of the former attorney general’s admission of feeling sustained pressure to […]
One in, one out, one promoted in science and sport minister’s office
Science and Sport Minister Kirsty Duncan has a new executive assistant in her office, after promoting her old one, Hallie Stacey-Sullivan, to instead serve as a special assistant for communications in her office. Ms. Stacey-Sullivan first joined the minister’s office last fall and before then had spent roughly a year prior as a Hill assistant […]
Some walls really are beautiful: Hockney, Van Gogh and our fractured politics
At any other moment in history, a two-man show of paintings by David Hockney and Vincent Van Gogh might not feel subversive. But in the era of weaponized wedges, the union of a straight, visionary Dutchman who produced his best work in France and a gay, visionary Yorkshire man most widely known for his renditions […]
Splitting AG from justice minister not a ‘quick fix,’ experts say, but separation a welcome reform
Splitting the role of attorney general from the justice minister’s responsibilities won’t “fix the fundamental problem,” two academics cautioned, while many agreed the move would be a helpful safeguard to avoid political interference in criminal prosecution, as alleged in the SNC-Lavalin affair. “It could help but it’s not the be-all and the end-all. It is […]
PSPC set to award contracts to speed up Phoenix pay processing, says Linklater, as unions protest third anniversary
Later this month, the department overseeing the fix of the government’s Phoenix pay system will award two contracts to companies in the hopes of speeding up the processing of public servants’ problem pay. Public Services and Procurement Canada associate deputy minister Les Linklater, who is in charge of fixing the pay system, told the House […]
Can Trudeau solve the mystery of millennial voters again this time?
OTTAWA—We’re spending a lot of time and energy trying to figure out what motivates young people and what might get them out to vote. It’s not surprising since millennials will make up the largest cohort (about 37 per cent) of eligible voters in the October federal election. It’s also notable because the upsurge in young […]
Senate committee amends access bill, strikes key section in critic crosshairs
Senators are putting forward significant amendments to a bill meant to reform the Access to Information Act, including striking a key section critics had warned would be used to limit access to an already broken system. The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee approved five amendments to Bill C-58 at the group’s first deliberation of […]
The real crime in the SNC-Lavalin affair is Canada’s role in Libya’s destruction
OTTAWA—In the wake of astonishing testimony by Jody Wilson-Raybould at the Feb. 27 House Justice Committee hearing, there has been plenty of finger pointing and howls of indignation leveled at the prime minister and his senior officials. As a result of the increased scrutiny, we are now aware of many of the more sordid details […]
