Trudeau’s biggest challenge over next several years will be to cut GHGs
TORONTO—There’s probably no more difficult challenge facing the Trudeau government over the next several years than delivering on the country’s pledge to cut our greenhouse gas emissions—the promise made by the Trudeau government at the Paris Summit on climate change in December 2015. Canada’s story, since signing the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, has been one […]
Senator Lynn Beyak dumped from Conservative caucus for posting ‘racist’ letters
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has booted controversial Senator Lynn Beyak from the party’s national caucus after claiming she refused to remove “racist” letters of support for her position on residential schools from her parliamentary website. Mr. Scheer (Regina Qu’Appelle, Sask.) announced the removal of Sen. Beyak (Ontario), who famously opined that “some good” came out […]
The full interview: Perry Bellegarde on running again, ‘closing the gap,’ and more
It’s been a busy three years for Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde. Since he was elected as national representative for the influential association of chiefs in 2014, the Liberals have swept to power in Ottawa, promising a reset in the relationship between Indigenous communities and the federal government, and increased financial support […]
The 51 ridings AFN says it targeted in the last election
Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde says he believes that First Nations voters are emerging as an electoral force in federal votes, singling out 51 ridings in the 2015 election where that presence influenced the final results. He also claimed that voter turnout in 2015 among First Nations people was the highest for any […]
2017: The Hill Times’ year in pictures
South Africa: it could be worse
“We have three gangsters, one suspect, and a president who is prisoner of a Top Six that is clearly compromised,” said Zackie Achmat, AIDS activist and Nobel Prize nominee, on hearing that Cyril Ramaphosa, a former trade union leader and businessman, had been elected president of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC). It’s hard […]
Senate delays: just another urban myth
Everyone knows that the Senate delays government legislation. Don’t we? Well, no we don’t. In fact, the House of Commons tends to take almost three times as long to deal with government legislation as the Senate does. This incontestable fact is based on an actual count of official parliamentary records over the last ten parliaments […]
Independent Senators chief calls budget process ‘opaque,’ ‘unfair,’ demands more money
The Independent Senators Group is asking for a $200,000 budget boost next year beyond the $1.06-million allotted to it, citing an “opaque and unfair” process that members say should be determined by proportionality. The facilitator of the growing Independent caucus says its slated budget won’t be enough to cover its operations. “We believe that proportionality should […]
Senate ethics officer halts Meredith harassment probe pending outside inquiry
The Senate’s ethics watchdog has suspended a two-year investigation into allegations of workplace harassment by former Ontario Conservative Senator Don Meredith pending the results of a probe by another authority. On Dec. 1, a notice on the Senate Ethics Office’s website announced that the inquiry “concerning former Senator Don Meredith, regarding allegations raised in a […]
“What’s on your wish list this holiday season?”
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “As we approach the end of 2017, we can all look forward to new challenges and opportunities in the new year, and we have the chance to reflect on those that have shaped this year. “It will be no surprise to anyone reading this that our political system is often defined […]
