‘They have to pick a lane, it’s really quite strange’: Trudeau needs a consistent communication strategy on SNC-Lavalin, Wilson-Raybould resignation controversy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs a consistent communication strategy to handle the SNC-Lavalin affair and Jody Wilson-Rabould’s resignation controversy because a new explanation every day is making this “self-inflicted” wound even more complicated, which could potentially have politically explosive consequences for the Liberals in the months leading up to the next election, say political strategists […]
Two House chambers? Time to consider it, MPs say
With the Centre Block beginning a decade-long rehabilitation, and an interim House of Commons Chamber now running in West Block, advocates of varying political stripes say the time is ripe to consider a second permanent House chamber. A parallel chamber would boost the number of people who could debate a bill, say proponents, and could […]
‘Taliban Jack’ was right all along
OTTAWA—Way back in 2006, when Canadian soldiers suddenly found themselves engaged in combat in Afghanistan with a resurgent Taliban, former NDP leader Jack Layton questioned why we wouldn’t try to negotiate with this resistance force. At the time, the newly elected Harper Conservatives were at their bellicose best, insisting that Canada would not “cut and […]
Remembering Paul Dewar: the man, the mentor, the friend
Paul Dewar is getting the praise in death I hope he was aware existed for him when he was with us. He really was a genuinely good guy, and Lord knows the world of politics needs more of them, not less. Parliament Hill is a small place and when you have spent a bit of […]
Wilson-Raybould’s resignation a ‘time bomb’ for Grits, says ex-Liberal aide, while Justice Committee chair says he’s open to hearings
Jody Wilson-Raybould’s resignation from cabinet Feb. 12 amid allegations of PMO interference in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin could be a ticking “time bomb” for the government, says a Liberal pundit, while the chair of the House Justice Committee says the committee could be a venue to air out the affair that has rocked Prime Minister […]
Some Independent Senators say ISG rules around political activity go too far
The Independent Senators Group has disclosed that two of its members are card-carrying members of political parties and another is a high-paying donor, but the internal rules that required the ISG to publish the names are still a little hard to swallow for some members of the Senate’s largest collective. According to disclosures published last week, three […]
Controversial $7-billion fund hasn’t sped up budget implementation: PBO
The Liberal government’s $7-billion fund meant to speed up 2018 budget-implementation measures hasn’t worked, says Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux. In fact, it’s slower than the year before. Outlined in a Feb. 7 report on the second set of spending estimates for the current fiscal year, known as Supplementary Estimates ‘B,’ which were tabled by […]
Momentous crossroads looms in U.S. as Democrats veer toward radical realignment
OTTAWA—There’s no NDP in the United States. But in the political fault zone of Donald Trump’s America, the parameters of acceptable debate are shifting in ways that would have seemed unimaginable only a decade ago. As the field of 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls unfolds, it seems to be taken for granted by a large segment […]
Minister LeBlanc nabs policy aide from Minister Duclos’s team
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc recently added a new senior policy adviser to his political staff team, plucking Shannon Zimmerman from Families, Children, and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos’s office. She marked her first day working for Mr. LeBlanc on Jan. 28, and in the minister’s office joins fellow senior policy adviser Samuel Yorke and […]
Colombian envoy praises Canada’s ‘clarity of message’ on Venezuelan crisis
Following the Lima Group’s Ottawa meeting on the crisis in Venezuela earlier this month, Colombia’s new ambassador to Canada says more work is needed to bring in other nations “to join the call for free elections in Venezuela” to help bring peace. The “momentum the international community has achieved in recognizing the [Juan] Guaido government […]
