‘Highly problematic’ court decision could affect union access to workplaces: PSAC
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is considering taking a case to the Supreme Court, after what it calls a “highly problematic” ruling by a lower court that will threaten union access to workplaces and have “far-reaching” consequences for unions across the country. In October, the Federal Court of Appeal quashed a 2016 decision by the […]
All politics is local: Ottawa bubble scandals not making a splash amid Newfoundland ferry furor
ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—Yes, yes, you have read and heard about it many times before, but truly all politics is local. After spending the last week at home in Newfoundland and Labrador guest-hosting one of our province’s most-popular radio talk shows, VOCM’s Open Line, that maxim about local issues has been proven true again. National headlines […]
Access to information bill ‘beyond redemption,’ Tories say, as committee wraps C-58 study
Treasury Board President Scott Brison has said he’s open to a few amendments to his access to information reform bill, but opposition members from the committee studying the legislation said it would need a complete overhaul to gain their support. On Nov. 6, Conservative ethics critic Peter Kent (Thornhill, Ont.) said his party wasn’t proposing […]
What’s missing in Ottawa’s ethics regime: ethics
OTTAWA—For a journalist working in Ottawa, trying to cover issues of ethics was always a frustrating, time-wasting affair. The people appointed to the largely thankless job of overseeing the conduct of federal MPs and cabinet ministers always seemed to inhabit an infinitely mannered, sedate world where time stood still and the aim above all appeared […]
One in, one out of Defence Minister Sajjan’s office
National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has seen a couple of changes to his political staff roster in recent weeks, including the departure of Ben Berman from his office. Mr. Berman had been working as a special assistant for the Western region to Mr. Sajjan, who’s also the Liberal MP for Vancouver South, B.C., since January […]
Roots of Venezuela’s crisis run deeper than Chávez, Maduro
The Canadian government, the Lima Group to which it belongs, and Venezuela’s opposition have questioned the official results of Venezuela’s gubernatorial elections of Oct. 15 and variously criticized its government for serious human rights violations, massive corruption, and the mismanagement of the country’s economy. Whatever the faults of Venezuela’s government, and it certainly has its […]
Referendum politics in Canada, Spain: no rules in a knife fight
OTTAWA—The fallout from the Oct. 1 referendum in Catalonia—the Spanish government’s decision to jail members of the Catalan cabinet and seek the arrest of leader Carles Puigdemont—is a vivid reminder that politics can be a blood sport, and that it does not have to be. As Canadians, we watch the turmoil in Spain and convince […]
And baby makes history: Bloc couple first pair of sitting MPs to become parents
New parents have enough work in a baby’s first weeks without having to represent two ridings, attend parliamentary votes, change diapers, and breastfeed between committee meetings and Commons sittings, but that’s the new world Bloc Québécois MPs Xavier Barsalou-Duval and Marilène Gill are navigating together. The couple earned a footnote in Canadian history with the […]
Manufacturing needs stronger, more ambitious political leadership
TORONTO—In his recent fiscal update, Finance Minister Bill Morneau boasted that the government’s plan for the middle class was working. But one important sector of the economy long hailed as a key source of middle-class jobs—manufacturing—is still behind where it was in 2005. Without an innovative and growing manufacturing sector, with the new kinds of […]
PMO hires two new staffers, and Social Development Minister Duclos makes more senior staff changes
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office recently added two more names to its team, including new English correspondence writer Joshua Clarke. Mr. Clarke’s arrival comes on the heels of correspondence writer Jonathan Barry’s departure from the Prime Minister’s Office a few weeks ago. Jean-Luc Marion is the manager of the correspondence in the PMO and oversees […]
