O’Regan hires comms director, Freeland bolsters political staff team, Scheer hires almost a dozen new staffers
Veterans Affairs and Associate Defence Minister Seamus O’Regan has hired a number of new political aides, including John Embury as his director of communications. Mr. Embury started on the job in early October, and before then was director of communications and marketing client services for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Mr. Embury started at […]
Abortion: an issue that won’t go away
OTTAWA—When I was 18, Dr. Henry Morgentaler opened an abortion clinic in Montreal, and for several years after was dragged through the courts repeatedly; each time he was acquitted. In order to raise awareness, stickers were distributed calling for the repeal of Section 251 of the Criminal Code, which dealt with abortion. Because I supported […]
Hamish Marshall is no Ezra Levant
OTTAWA—Andrew Scheer will not win the 2019 federal election if he espouses and advances the editorial content of Rebel Media. But he is not jeopardizing the Conservative Party’s prospects by bringing former Rebel Media corporate director Hamish Marshall on board as his campaign chair. Marshall, affectionately known by some in Conservative circles as the “Nerd […]
Too much of a good thing: Canada’s consultation crisis
After years of often feeling excluded from the policy-making and legislative process, many civil society groups were excited by the prospect of a new government committed to public consultations and feedback. The Liberal government moved quickly to consult on all manner of issues, providing hope that an emphasis on participatory democracy would lead to better […]
Status of government bills
House of Commons S-2, Strengthening Motor Vehicle Safety for Canadians Act (report stage) S-5, An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act (second reading) C-5, An Act to Repeal Division 20 of Part 3 of the Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1 (second reading) C-12, An Act to Amend the […]
Finance Minister Morneau lays out new spending for Canada Child Benefit, lower deficit projection in his fall economic update
The Liberal government is projecting a smaller than anticipated deficit in 2017-18, largely thanks to the Canadian economy, but has earmarked most of those savings to top-up the Canadian Child Benefit and another tax credit for the lowest income earners. In Tuesday’s fall economic update, Finance Minister Bill Morneau (Toronto Centre, Ont.) unveiled projections showing […]
Liberals dethrone Tories in Lac-Saint-Jean; Conservatives hold Alberta stronghold
The governing Liberal Party surged to victory in a competitive northeastern Quebec riding Monday night, showcasing newfound strength in a rural stretch of the province it had arguably not seen there since the early 1980s. Liberal candidate Richard Hébert beat back a spirited push from the Bloc Québécois and Conservatives to take the riding of […]
Singh shuffles former rivals back into the fold
PARLIAMENT HILL—New NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has made more changes to his leadership team in the House of Commons, naming Peter Julian the new House leader for the party, and handing critic roles back to his other former rivals for the party leadership. Mr. Julian (New Westminster-Burnaby, B.C.) will replace fellow B.C. MP Murray Rankin […]
“The Energy East pipeline project has been scrapped. Is this a good or bad thing for Canada? Why?”/by Laura Ryckewaert
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “Robust debates are a fundamental part of our national discourse. Unfortunately, some politicians have chosen to use TransCanada’s decision—a private business decision—to stoke regional divisions. Canadians deserve better than leaders who ignore facts and context in favour of politically charged rhetoric. Their intellectually dishonest arguments pit our country’s regions against each […]
‘We’re seeing a very noticeable negative trajectory,’ polls show trouble on horizon for Liberals over Morneau’s mess, says Nanos
The pile up of controversies tied to Finance Minister Bill Morneau is starting to water down Liberal support, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s move to insert himself into the communications battle is a “risky strategy,” says pollster Nik Nanos, though Liberal MPs publicly say otherwise. The effect of last week’s headlines about Mr. Morneau’s (Toronto […]
