Transport Minister Garneau scoops up Simard as new communications director
Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau has hired a new director of communications for his ministerial office, recently scooping up Emilie Simard straight from the heritage minister’s office. Ms. Simard marked her first day as communications director to Mr. Garneau on Aug. 20. Until then, she’d been working away as director of communications to the Canadian […]
‘Kind of an asinine comment’: opponents react to Poilievre’s claims of ‘zero’ Phoenix pay problems under Conservatives
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre’s recent newsletter sent to his constituents, in which he states twice that there were zero “public servants with Phoenix pay system problems under the Conservative government,” has attracted some negative criticism. “First, thousands of public servants have had pay problems, since Justin Trudeau implemented the Phoenix pay system four months after […]
Liberal government spent $11.9-million on public opinion research within last year, slight drop from previous year, Health Canada posted highest bill
The Liberal government spent $11.9-million on public opinion research within the last year, a slight drop from the previous year, according to a recent report posted on the Public Services and Procurement Canada’s website. Though the figure has dipped from the previous fiscal year, from April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017, when it spent […]
Experts, strategists warn feds of risks of appealing recent Federal Court decision on Trans Mountain pipeline
As the Liberal government mulls its response to the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn Ottawa’s approval for the $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, experts and strategists warn of risks of taking it to the Supreme Court. “Appealing potentially could add more damage, because they’re in a position where they don’t want to […]
You don’t get onto the front page of the most influential newspaper on the planet by being the West Wing janitor
TORONTO—There’s leaks, and there’s leaks. And then there’s the leak The New York Times got. It was splashed across last Wednesday’s paper, to the extent that the Old Gray Lady “splashes” anything on its front page: “I am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” Wow. Like, wow. To ensure that no one missed […]
A NAFTA without the cultural exemption is not worth signing
OTTAWA—Culture is a hill that the North American Free Trade Agreement should die on. And those naysayers who have piled on to criticize the prime minister’s decision to hold firm on culture simply don’t know what they are talking about. The growth in cultural jobs doubled that of the overall economy, accounting for more than […]
A constitutional way out of an existential crisis
TORONTO—”TREASON?” Jesus wept. Nothing is beyond imagining by now, of course. Twenty months of Trump and we are so far down the rabbit hole, we’ve practically reached China. Make possibly the most paranoid, narcissistic and unhinged man on the planet the most powerful man on the planet and this is what you get. This is […]
For now, it is Trump not Trudeau who will take the heat if NAFTA talks fail
MONTREAL—If U.S. president Donald Trump’s threat to exclude Canada from a post-NAFTA U.S.-Mexico trade deal was meant to drive a wedge within Justin Trudeau’s free trade coalition it has so far failed. In the days since Trump formalized his intention to submit to the U.S. Congress new trade arrangements with Mexico that might not include […]
Internal Economy Board approved almost $40,000 for MP legal fees since March
The House of Commons has shelled out nearly $40,000 to cover legal fees for Members of Parliament since a spring decision by the Board of Internal Economy to regularly open the books on the matter. In a March 1 meeting, the board—a powerful group of seven MPs, chaired by House Speaker Geoff Regan (Halifax West, […]
Diplomacy first, but new PBO says he’s not afraid to take departments to court
Canada’s new parliamentary budget officer says he’s ready to do what needs to be done to deliver government financial information to Parliamentarians and the public, even if it means going to court or putting him at odds with bureaucrats he’s worked with before. “I might be characterized as somebody who will be very demanding of […]
