How to razzle dazzle veterans and do nothing
OTTAWA—One thing consistently flies over the heads of Veterans Affairs Canada’s senior mandarins: the concept of accessibility for disabled veterans and their families. The upcoming Veterans’ Stakeholder Summit on Oct. 29 is the summit of bureaucratic insensitivity when it comes to accessibility. Disabled veterans and their families will once again be denied accessibility to having […]
Emotions and politics in the wake of the Kavanaugh crisis
The fallout from the confirmation of U.S. President Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh, provides ample evidence that feelings can become weaponized in politics to uphold (white) male privilege. In his blistering, scripted opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kavanaugh performed the role of the aggrieved party, a white man under siege, caught in […]
Diamond Isinger exits the Prime Minister’s Office
The three-member Canada-U.S. relations team in the Prime Minister’s Office has been busy since first forming in early 2017, not long after the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, and with NAFTA renegotiations now put to bed, one member, Diamond Isinger, has left the Hill. Ms. Isinger noted her departure in a tweet on Oct. […]
PPS to begin collective bargaining with security officers’ unions after labour board ruling
There’s light at the end of the tunnel of the almost 18-month-long labour standoff between the Parliamentary Protective Service and the unions representing officers after a recent federal labour board ruling ordered the employer to go to the bargaining table. On Oct. 10, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board issued its decision […]
Remote communities ‘first ones’ to ‘suffer’ in pilot shortage
If Canada’s current pilot shortage is not addressed, smaller communities across the country will lose their flight routes and remote communities may lose access to essential services. “We will see the collapse of remote and regional services, which alternately the government will have to subsidize, as they did back in the day with Air Canada […]
Lewis authors new book, Power, Prime Ministers and the Press: The Battle for Truth on Parliament Hill
Former Maclean’s magazine editor and parliamentary correspondent Robert Lewis has a new book out, Power, Prime Ministers and the Press: The Battle for Truth on Parliament Hill. Published by Dundurn, Mr. Lewis’ 375-page book explores the rich history of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, which dates back to before Confederation and has covered 23 prime ministers and […]
Major Conservative ad buy an ‘opening salvo’ for 2019 aimed at introducing Scheer to suburban men, female voters, say experts
The Conservative Party’s reported $2-million national ad push is its “opening salvo” of the 2019 election, and pollsters and strategists say the two ads currently on airwaves are both aimed at introducing new leader Andrew Scheer and putting “pocketbook” issues in focus in the lead-up to the next campaign. “I would consider this the opening […]
Harper’s decision to ‘cut and run’ from Afghanistan ‘left me ashamed and very close to resignation’: former Conservative MP Alexander
Former Conservative cabinet minister Chris Alexander says he was “ashamed” and considered resigning from federal politics in 2012 after then prime minister Stephen Harper had first pledged not to “cut and run” from Canada’s mission in Afghanistan in 2006, but later did “precisely that.” “I considered resigning as parliamentary secretary for national defence and even […]
MPs unlikely to take former Hill staffer Wernick’s pledge to bring about a ‘long-term culture change,’ but some suggest House should discuss the issue
Most MPs are reluctant to sign Paul Wernick’s pledge, which calls for publicly releasing the job descriptions and salary ranges of Hill staffers and asks them never to ask staff to do anything they wouldn’t do themselves, but one Conservative MP who is willing to sign it says the former Liberal Hill staffer should ask […]
Which federal politicians recognize environmental rights? Time to find out
VANCOUVER—Over the past four years, a movement has been quietly yet steadily sweeping across Canada. As of today, 172 municipalities—representing about half of Canada’s population—have passed declarations recognizing their citizens’ right to a healthy environment. This has been accomplished thanks to the local efforts of scores of volunteers who have organized locally to demand these […]
