PMO hires a new executive assistant, another switches assignment
The Prime Minister’s Office recently hired Nour Kechacha as an executive assistant to both PMO senior adviser Mathieu Bouchard and to director of administration and special projects Brett Thalmann. Until recently, Ms. Kechacha had spent the last year working as a legislative assistant to Liberal MP Marwan Tabbara, who was elected to represent Kitchener South-Hespeler, […]
Quebec’s 78 ridings ‘extremely important’ in Conservative leadership race: low membership numbers, easier to campaign in and lots of influence
Quebec’s 78 ridings will be “extremely important” in the outcome of the May 27 Conservative Party leadership race, say Conservatives. The ridings have low membership numbers, which make it easier to campaign in, but also have lots of influence compared to ridings in Western Canada and major urban centres where each Electoral District Association (EDA) could have more […]
Innovation and the budget: much policy left on the table
Economic growth per worker depends crucially on two factors: innovations adopted by entrepreneurs and investment. The 2017 federal budget is rightly focused on innovation. Last year, it was rightly focused on public infrastructure. Lacking in both budgets, however, is a plan to support entrepreneurship and private investment, which are both critical to the adoption of […]
Wynne’s housing plan a potpourri of politics
TORONTO—Ontario’s new Fair Housing Plan is a potpourri of politics with a few good ideas mixed in. If Toronto and surrounding areas are indeed caught up in an irrational real estate bubble, the measures announced Thursday may well burst it. As the Dutch discovered during the tulip craze of the 17th century, bubbles based on […]
That day the bearded Republican in New Hampshire warned us about Trump
TORONTO—The bearded Republican regarded us suspiciously. He had been washing his pickup truck (naturally) and listening to country music on the radio (ditto). It was blindingly bright Saturday morning in August in New Hampshire, and we were out knocking on doors for our candidate, Hillary Clinton. The beard squinted. He grunted. My wife and I […]
West Block’s interim House Chamber takes shape as Hill construction continues
PARLIAMENT HILL—The interim House of Commons Chamber being built in the West Block’s courtyard is taking shape with concrete being poured to form the visitors’ galleries and about 60 per cent of the glass roof now installed. “The pouring of the gallery floor started Monday [April 17] and is scheduled for completion in the first […]
Marijuana legalization presents both potential political risks and gains for Liberals, say insiders
There will be both “a lot of risk” and “a lot of reward” at stake for the Liberals in their plan to legalize recreational marijuana in Canada by the summer of 2018, say Hill insiders and political players. On the upside, the successful execution of a legalized regime in time for the next federal election will […]
Trump’s dairy offensive triggers barbs in Conservative leadership race
U.S. President Donald Trump’s shot at Canada’s dairy industry provided some fodder for Conservative leadership candidates to fight about last week. After Mr. Trump promised something would be done in reaction to what he called “very unfair” practices in Canada’s supply-managed dairy sector, Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier wrote an open letter to the U.S. […]
Canada wears velvet glove to shake hands with U.S.
Ever since last fall’s American presidential election campaign, Justin Trudeau has played nice with Donald Trump, routinely bending over backward to avoid taking the new administration head-on. Parsing the prime minister’s comments on Trump’s eventful first three months, one would be hard-pressed to find anything but kind words about the new occupant of the White […]
Policy failure in Conservative Party leadership race
Re: “Conservative MPs criticize Gilmore for floating Conservative Party shakeup, take aim at his marriage to Liberal minister,” (The Hill Times, April 12, p. 1). On May 27, the Conservatives will elect their new leader. As a non-partisan Canadian, I am very disappointed with the far-right social policies proposed by the candidates and agree with Scott […]
