Status of government bills
House of Commons Senate bills awaiting first reading: S-6, Canada-Madagascar Tax Convention Implementation Act, 2018 Second reading: C-5, An Act to Repeal Division 20 of Part 3 of the Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1 C-12, An Act to amend the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act C-27, An Act to […]
Looking back, old teammates relive a turbulent time and a championship season
Over the weekend, I participated in an annual holiday ritual that reminds me of the bonds of the season. Each December, I drive to Montreal to have a meal with a diminishing group of friends with whom I share an indelible memory. We were the members of the 1970 Dawson College Blues football team. You […]
The House is home to a lot of memories
OTTAWA—In the 1970s, anyone could walk into the Centre Block. Lately, it has become an armed camp. There’s no need for a lot of nostalgia—only recognition of how much things have changed. The ‘70s began with what was the biggest political cataclysm of the era: the FLQ kidnappings in Quebec, which led to police over-reaction […]
Senators flagged design flaw stalling Senate Chamber move-in two years ago: committee chair
Senators on a committee overseeing the transformation of the Government Conference Centre into their temporary home say nearly two years ago they flagged the issue that is now delaying the start of the next sitting. On Dec. 13, Conservative Senator Scott Tannas (Alberta) informed the Senate’s Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration Committee that a Nov. 30 […]
The West judges Putin with a double standard
OTTAWA—Sometimes it is important to take a good look in the mirror and judge ourselves by the same yardstick by which we judge others. We in the West have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin is bad and we have a long list of his recent evildoings to make that case. For example: In 2014, […]
What Democrats need in 2020: unassailability
The annoying thing about life on the cusp of the third decade of the 21st century is that some nutter with too much time on his hands can overtake an otherwise productive day with one flagrantly fabricated, asinine tweet. The awesome thing is that the president of the United States isn’t the only one with a […]
PSAC declares bargaining impasse, calls for commission as prelude to potential strike vote
The largest public sector union is one step closer to strike action for four groups representing 90,000 public servants, after declaring a bargaining impasse over the government’s latest contract offer. In response to the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s (PSAC) opening proposal of a 3.75 per cent raise in October, Treasury Board countered with a […]
Senate Tories block steering group of committee studying contentious environment assessment bill
A move to block meetings of the organizing body of the Senate committee responsible for studying the Liberals’ sweeping environmental assessment bill isn’t an attempt to delay the legislation, says the Red Chamber’s opposition whip. Instead, according to Conservative Don Plett (Landmark, Man.), preventing meetings of the Senate’s Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources’ Steering Committee […]
Ministers Sohi, Rodriguez hire new political aides
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has a new senior adviser for Quebec-related files in his office: Audrey Cloutier. Previously a Quebec Liberal staffer, Ms. Cloutier officially started on the job in the minister’s office on Nov. 26. Mr. Rodriguez is the MP for Honoré-Mercier, Que., which is in Montreal. Until earlier this fall, Ms. Cloutier had […]
House officers’ union walks away from table amid ongoing labour standoff with PPS
Labour talks between the House of Commons security officers’ union and the Parliamentary Protective Service that employs them recently dissolved, with the officers walking away from the bargaining table, alleging bad faith negotiations. Roch Lapensée, head of the Security Services Employees Association (SSEA), which represents more than 200 House security officers, said the employer, the […]
