Dairy farmers call Trudeau’s NBC’s Meet the Press comments on dairy in NAFTA talks ‘deeply troubling’
The country’s largest dairy association has penned a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling comments he made on Sunday to an American network news show suggesting Canada was making concessions on supply management in NAFTA talks “deeply troubling.” Pierre Lampron, president of the Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), wrote: “The government cannot say that they […]
Public Services Minister Qualtrough recruits director from Innovation Minister Bains’ team
Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough has undergone a couple of staffing changes recently, including the departure of her director of operations, Lucio “Luch” Durante. A longtime Liberal staffer, Mr. Durante had been working in the Public Services Minister’s Office, located in Gatineau, Que., since January 2016, starting under then-minister Judy Foote. He officially […]
Ontario Liberal Party headed for a monumental, historic defeat
TORONTO—Seventy-two hours. In 72 hours, the Ontario general election grinds to a close. Folks who live in other parts of Canada—or those who come from other parts of Canada, as is often the case on Parliament Hill—can be forgiven for being fed up with Ontario election coverage and commentary. So, I ask forgiveness in advance for […]
Trudeau gambles his promise, his progress, our planet
CHELSEA, QUE.—What a colossal mistake Justin Trudeau has made in buying the Kinder Morgan pipeline. He not only imperils his re-election chances in 2019, he risks squandering the small, progressive steps his government has taken over the last few years: reform of the criminal justice system, the beginning of practical remedies for struggling Indigenous communities, […]
Choice of Charlevoix shows Trudeau learned from past global summit mistakes
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomes the world to Charlevoix next week. The charm offensive that has worked so well around the world has a chance to take centre stage at home. But for any leader, the main objective of the G7 is actually to get out of the meeting without watching the place burn down […]
Bill banning marketing of unhealthy food and drink faces final hurdle
There is an obesity crisis in Canada and a look through the lobbyist registry helps explain why. My bill, the Child Health Protection Act, passed the Senate in September. Since then—and I’m borrowing a phrase that has too often been used to describe bills being considered by the Senate—it has languished in the House of […]
A path forward on Canada’s pollution law
Last June, the House Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development completed its review of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA The committee made 87 recommendations to amend CEPA, and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has promised a formal response to the committee’s report in the coming weeks. We are expecting a robust and substantive […]
House Ethics Committee to release interim report on probe into Cambridge Analytica-Facebook scandal this summer, says Zimmer
The House Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics Committee will deliver an interim report this summer on its sprawling study into the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach and last week it received some suggestions for change from Canadian whistleblower Chris Wylie. “It started off just being a study on Cambridge Analytica and Facebook and the breach […]
A mistake to nationalize Trans Mountain pipeline
The federal government’s decision to nationalize the Trans Mountain pipeline is deeply flawed. It is flawed politically because it doesn’t solve the real problem—which is that a good many British Columbians oppose any project that would increase the likelihood of heavy-oil spills along the Pacific Coast. It is flawed economically because it is predicated on […]
Trans Mountain purchase to expose Liberals on multiple fronts, say pollsters: ‘they wear everybody’s mistakes’
Buying the $4.5-billion Trans Mountain pipeline has made the governing Liberals politically vulnerable on multiple fronts and will likely endanger seats in British Columbia and Quebec without providing a boost in Alberta, say pollsters. The controversial move, announced by Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr (Winnipeg South Centre, Man.) and Finance Minister Bill Morneau (Toronto Centre, […]
