Families Minister Duclos poaches another new assistant from the LRB
Families, Children, and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has hired Alan Ning straight out of the Liberal caucus’ research office on the Hill to work as his new senior special assistant for Ontario regional affairs. Until recently, Mr. Ning had been a special assistant for outreach and operations in the Liberal research bureau, or LRB, […]
Last of a dying breed: Liberal Senators to maintain budget as group shrinks
The remaining Senate Liberals won’t have to pinch pennies to finish out the fiscal year, after the Upper Chamber’s Internal Economy Committee agreed to continue funding the “disappearing species” at its current level, despite its declining numbers that would technically bump it down to a lower budget level later this year. On June 21, the […]
When Trump erupts, reach for your wallet
Years ago, during a trip to Paris, my then-husband and I were strolling to dinner at dusk on Boulevard Saint-Germain when we were sucked off course by the gravitational pull of a crowd of people standing in a circle, laughing. As we stood there surrounded by tourists marvelling at a man pretending, badly, to be […]
Fewer expected at U.S. ambassador’s Fourth of July party, amid trade tussle
The United States ambassador’s annual Fourth of July party is sure to take place next week in a much more subdued atmosphere than past years, as a looming trade war between the two countries settles in. As Canada prepares to slap tariffs on $16.6-billion worth of U.S. goods in retaliation for U.S. steel and aluminum […]
Public servants ‘pissed’ over PCO clerk’s call to look at loosening rules to fire them
If Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick wants to make it easier to fire civil servants, he should start with the Phoenix pay system executives, say public sector unions ruffled by comments from the nation’s top bureaucrat that MPs should consider loosening the legislative rules around booting employees. Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) national president […]
‘This is our transition time’: NDP caucus backs Singh despite byelection disappointment
Amid heated press coverage last week calling NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s leadership into question, caucus members are standing by him, saying they aren’t concerned about their own seats but are disappointed by the party’s result in the recent Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, Que., byelection. Quebec lieutenant Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont-La Petite Patrie, Que.) said caucus is united behind […]
Ottawa Diplomatic Association looks to broker friendship with Parliamentarians
The Ottawa Diplomatic Association (ODA) is in talks with Parliamentarians to form a joint group for better access to MPs and Senators, according to a member of the group’s executive. Tariq Azim Khan, high commissioner of Pakistan, said ODA had a “preliminary” meeting with Liberal MPs Fayçal El-Khoury, Greg Fergus, Will Amos, and Steven MacKinnon […]
ISG chief of staff named, membership charter to be developed in fall
The Red Chamber’s nascent Independent Senators Group is formalizing its structure with the recent hiring of a chief of staff and the development of a membership charter once the Senate resumes sitting in mid-September, outlining the group’s shared values, principles, and duties. The changes come as the leaders of the ISG, the Senate’s most-populous group, defend themselves […]
Canada preaches peacekeeping, but is looking to spill arms into a warzone
OTTAWA—There was a report out last week that the Canadian government is considering shipping a supply of weapons to Ukraine. This particular cache of pistols, machine guns, carbines, and 60-millimetre mortars was originally intended to equip Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq. That plan was hatched while Canadian special forces personnel were acting as trainers and […]
Brand control, ‘beefed-up’ war rooms more important in era of digital campaigns
Campaign war rooms are more important than ever, turning into “content shops” churning out material with the potential to go viral as the fight for attention turns away from conventional approaches to get the message out, say campaign veterans and experts. But even though incoming Progressive Conservative Ontario Premier Doug Ford shot to power earlier this […]
