Telford top staffer, Salloum ranked one of best in The Hill Times’ 16th annual Terrific 25 Staffers Survey
It’s been 20 years since NDP lobby officer Anthony Salloum first walked through Centre Block’s front doors as a rookie staffer, and this year, for the first time, he’s claimed the title of the Best All-Round Terrific Staffer in The Hill Times’ 16th annual Terrific 25 Staffers Survey. “I really am flabbergasted by this result,” […]
Constituents support Canada’s hands-off approach on Jerusalem, say MPs
MPs with large Jewish populations in their ridings said constituents mostly agree with Canada’s stance on the question of Jerusalem despite the United States’ controversial decision to formally recognize the city as Israel’s capital. Conservative MP Peter Kent (Thornhill, Ont.) said along with “a lot of phone calls” at his office, the American decision is […]
Minister, MP recount how little actions reveal big-picture racism
On Oct. 27, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen presented a TEDxTalk in Toronto detailing his personal experience of when he first arrived in Canada as a refugee. In the video posted on Youtube on Nov. 27, he detailed his story of being a 16-year-old boy who struggled to put himself through school to eventually become a […]
New parliamentary affairs lead for Heritage Minister Joly
Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly recently promoted a new director of parliamentary affairs, Elliott Lockington, from within her ministerial office. A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Mr. Lockington has been working for the heritage minister as a special adviser for policy and Ontario regional affairs since March 2016. Before that, he’d spent the last nearly […]
War with an ‘ism’ is a bad idea
OTTAWA—Last week, I was invited to a conference in the U.K. hosted by the Henry Jackson Society, a U.S.-U.K. think tank that looks at a variety of issues. At this particular conference, entitled “A wake-up call for all: creating a trans-Atlantic network to battle radical Islam,” there was a host of speakers from both sides […]
‘We’ve got things moving,’ AFN national chief Bellegarde touts new federal money in re-election pitch
Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde, who’s running for re-election in July 2018, says he’s the best person to continue the unprecedented momentum right now in Crown-First Nations relations, despite some criticism that’s he’s a “sellout” for being too close to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal government. “When were First Nations’ […]
Send the Ethics Office packing
GATINEAU, QUE.—It is outrageous that outgoing ethics commissioner Mary Dawson has yet to report on complaints about Justin Trudeau’s famous visit to the Aga Khan’s private Caribbean Island last Christmas. No matter what you think of the accusations—overblown and trivial; serious and illustrative—the explanation that all Canadians deserve is long overdue Nor is the delay […]
Infrastructure Minister Sohi hires new chief of staff O’Leary, who’s set to start in the new year
Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi has tapped one of his staffers to officially take over the currently vacant role of chief of staff in his ministerial office in February. Leslie O’Leary, who’s been on maternity leave from her role as director of issues management to the minister since May 1, has been lined up […]
Kent Hehr making a target of himself
For weeks, the opposition Conservatives have been aiming high, trying to take down a sitting finance minister. It won’t work. The Conservatives may be scoring points in the Commons, if not byelections, but Bill Morneau isn’t going anywhere. While it is natural to go hunting for the big game, the Conservatives should aim a little […]
It’s showtime: Morneau’s economic advisory council calls for $15-billion skills development initiative, tax cuts, policy changes
TORONTO—Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth has issued its third and final report. Chaired by Dominic Barton, global managing director of the consultancy McKinsey & Company, the 14-member council was appointed early last year and held its first meeting in May 2016. It has been busy since then, producing three sets of […]
