New policy director, press secretary for International Development Minister Bibeau
International Development and La Francophonie Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has hired a couple of new political staffers in her ministerial office, including new director of policy, Suzanne Taylor. Ms. Taylor marked her first official day on the job on the Hill on Feb. 28. Before that, she was a senior partnership officer with the International Development […]
‘It’s like a series of dominoes’: NDP, Conservatives push for action to clear grain shipment backlog
Opposition MPs are growing increasingly frustrated with the Liberals’ lack of concrete action on the grain shipment backlog, but they also say the problem will be solved once Bill C-49, the Transportation Modernization Act—currently in the Senate—receives royal assent. Conservative MP John Barlow (Foothills, Alta.), his party’s associate agriculture critic, is calling on the government […]
Senators took a pass on votes nearly 200 times since election—a sign of ‘unconvincing’ speakers, says Sen. Cools
Yea, nay, or I won’t say: when it comes to voting in the Upper Chamber, Senators have collectively chosen to abstain from votes 190 times since the last election, about two-and-a-half times per vote. The Senate posted complete voting records online last month, covering each vote and each Senator since the last election. The Senate’s […]
Risky TV appearance pays off for NDP leader Singh
The sound coming out of the NDP’s backrooms on March 5 was that of a collective sigh of relief. On the weekend, Jagmeet Singh rolled the dice and made his maiden appearance on Quebec’s much-watched but somewhat high-risk talk show Tout le monde en parle (TLMEP). Outside of election debates, opportunities for an out-of-province federal […]
Trans Mountain expansion could be ‘major issue’ in next election, says Riis, but most MPs in pipeline’s path cite ‘overwhelming’ support
The government’s approval of Kinder Morgan’s $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project is expected to cost the party electorally in 2019, but most MPs in the pipeline’s proposed path say the majority of their constituents support it. “This could be one of the major issues in the next federal election, particularly in the Lower Mainland […]
Global Affairs’ secret weapon is eyeing a move into Canada
Look out, MPs: a Washington digital lobbying service has its eyes on you. The company, FiscalNote, is compiling information on Canadian legislators, laws, and regulations at the federal and provincial level, adding them to a database in the hopes of selling clients on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. It pitches itself as a tool […]
Ten reasons Doug Ford could win and did
TORONTO—When I quit the Olivia Chow Toronto mayoral campaign in 2014, guess who was the first person to call me? Doug Ford. “Warren, old buddy,” said Doug Ford, brother of former Toronto mayor, the late Rob Ford. “We’ve had our differences but I want you to chin up. Rob and I like you and respect you. […]
Italy: The Migrant ‘Flood’
Lucky old Italy just got two Donald Trumps for the price of one. One of the big winners in last Sunday’s Italian election was the Five-Star Movement, whose 31-year-old leader Luigi di Maio has promised to stop sending out rescue boats to save migrants from drowning when their flimsy craft sink halfway across the Mediterranean. […]
If Canada wants to do business in India, it has to treat it with respect
OTTAWA—You may have heard, India has been in the news of late. Having been posted to India as a foreign service officer and travelled there while I was working with the United Nations, I have a great interest and respect for India. I believe over time it will become as significant an international player as […]
Senators consider hitting the brakes on ‘runaway train’ of funding requests for trips abroad
Senators are considering returning to past practice of denying all exemption requests to their travel-abroad policy because some are worried the wiggle room they’re now showing will send spending down the “rabbit hole.” The Senate’s long-standing travel policy sets out that international travel to locales other than New York or Washington, D.C., is not eligible […]
