Why Sri Lanka’s chaos matters
The latest entry in the global parliamentary brawl reel, the political junkies’ equivalent of piano-playing cat, came from Colombo, Sri Lanka, last week. It played out over two days and included broken chairs, projectile chili paste, and a pile-on of Ukrainian proportions. As with many parliamentary pandemonium scenes, this one was the kinetic manifestation of larger, higher-stakes political and geopolitical ructions. […]
Procedure and House Affairs Committee proposes changes to e-petition system
Canadians should have the ability to flag issues in the House of Commons faster when they start petitions online, but getting thousands of signatures won’t make the Chamber take up their cause, according to a House committee’s review of the e-petition system. In a report tabled Nov. 8 by Liberal chair Larry Bagnell (Yukon), the […]
PMO aide departs for Families Minister Duclos’ team
Two political staff departures recently took place in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, including the exit of social and digital content co-ordinator Johanna Robinson, who left to join Families, Children, and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos’ team. Ms. Robinson first joined the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in October 2016 as a digital content assistant, having […]
Feds fail to keep Canadians safe
OTTAWA—In 2018, Canada faces clear and persistent dangers. From our electoral systems to our military presence in the Arctic, Canada is repeatedly under threat from external actors. But as we face a dangerous and shifting global security climate, our own government is failing to keep Canadians safe. Under Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, Canada is floundering on […]
The incredible shrinking country
OTTAWA—Think back through the years and see if you can remember a more petty, vengeful act by a political leader than Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s decision to raise the number of seats needed for a party to reach official status at Queen’s Park. The Progressive Conservatives are hiking the required seat total in the Ontario legislature required […]
To save a buck, Ford triggers waves of indignation
Make no mistake. By putting Ontario’s francophone minority on his fiscal hit list this week, Premier Doug Ford has placed his federal ally Andrew Scheer in harm’s way. In Thursday’s fiscal update, Ontario’s Tory government put plans for a long-promised French-language university on the chopping block, in the process reversing Ford’s campaign commitment to the […]
Chief of staff change-up for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Minister Ahmed Hussen recently bid farewell to his chief of staff, Ali Salam, and has already promoted Zubair Patel to take over the role. Mr. Salam marked his last day in Mr. Hussen’s office on Nov. 16, and is now Toronto-bound, where he’s set to join National Public Relations’ local office as […]
National Security and Intelligence Committee’s report on Trudeau’s India trip to be released on Dec. 3
A report on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s calamitous February trip to India authored by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians will be released to the public by Dec. 3, according to news reports. Mr. Trudeau’s trip, which had a price tag of around $1.5-million, became a diplomatic scandal when invitations were sent to […]
Are Canada’s newsrooms ready to tackle fake news, cyber threats, ‘foreign adversaries’ ahead of 2019 election?
Hill newsrooms are still in the early stages of contending with issues around potential interference during the 2019 election, but as the vote draws closer, a few have signalled they intend to have a game plan to anticipate the spread of misinformation. In a report last year about cyber threats to the democratic process, the […]
“The Conservative Party reportedly plans to target media in the lead up to 2019. What do you make of this strategy?”
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “Andrew Scheer seems committed to reliving the days of pre-election 2015, when constant attacks on Ottawa journalists by Stephen Harper’s Conservatives were just the tonic for a news cycle consumed by the Mike Duffy spending scandal. “Consider the recent cascade of Conservative attacks on Canada’s media: “MP Pierre Poilievre trashes Bloomberg’s […]
