Quebec unimpressed with NDP
MONTREAL—The numbers are in and they don’t bode well for the NDP in Quebec, regardless of the outcome of the party’s upcoming leadership vote. The enthusiasm that attended the 2011 orange wave has given way to widespread voter indifference as well as internal discomfort within the province’s depleted NDP ranks. None of the four candidates […]
Atlantic boost on front bench noteworthy in shuffle aimed at getting action, say strategists
The creation of a new portfolio and the splitting of Indigenous and Northern Affairs were the big surprises out of the recent Liberal cabinet shuffle, but also of note was Atlantic Canada’s increased representation on the front bench, says Greg MacEachern, a senior vice-president at Environics Communications. “The Liberal Party in the last election, in […]
Four new hires in Liberal Research Bureau
The Liberal Research Bureau, also known as the LRB, has bulked up of late, with four new full-time staffers hired, while one has departed. Arturo Calvo, who’d been a special assistant for outreach in the LRB for about the last year, has exited the office, which is located at 131 Queen St. Shauna Roddey is […]
Scheer’s shadow cabinet strikes reasonable balance
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer made some shrewd moves in picking his shadow cabinet last week—both in terms of the MPs he included and didn’t. Given how close Maxime Bernier was to becoming party leader in this year’s race, Mr. Scheer owed it to the party membership to give Mr. Bernier a prominent role in caucus. […]
More than half of Canadians say the U.S. will fare the best in NAFTA talks: poll
Canadians are skeptical of how the country will fare in ongoing renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement, with more than half of respondents to a recent poll believing the United States will ultimately emerge as the real winner, results suggest. The latest numbers, from a Forum Research poll conducted between Aug. 16 and […]
Paintings and old dishes: how the ‘hoarders’ in the Senate care for its priceless artifacts
Moving Queen Victoria is not as simple as one might think. The painting of Canada’s former head of state that hangs in the Senate foyer weighs roughly 700 pounds. It can’t be relocated just anywhere; it must be placed on a reinforced wall that can bear the weight. And it’s delicate: even while transporting it […]
Jagmeet Singh, 38, is oldest on his campaign team
At 38, Ontario NDP MPP and leadership contender Jagmeet Singh is the oldest person in his core leadership campaign team, which has focused on training a large, national unit to tackle field work and manage roughly 2,500 volunteers across the country, says campaign director Michal Hay. “Most of our resources are actually in field [operations],” […]
O’Regan’s humility will get him far in Ottawa
OTTAWA—Justin Trudeau changed up parts of his cabinet this week, in response to Judy Foote’s departure and an apparent dissatisfaction with the state of the Indigenous Affairs Department. Having worked in that department in a previous life, it comes as no surprise that yet another prime minister finds the place backwards. However, one of the […]
Trudeau’s mid-term cabinet shuffle a recognition of the realities of governing
OTTAWA—Nearing the mid-point in the Liberal mandate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet Aug. 28 in recognition that the realities of government are a far cry from wishful campaign musings. Prompted by the resignation of former minister Judy Foote, Trudeau staged a big cabinet re-arrangement, primarily taking aim at intractable Aboriginal affairs issues. After the Conservatives’ […]
A true national capital should be bilingual
OTTAWA—A few months ago I appeared in front of the planning committee of Ottawa city council, and pointed out that a development on Main Street had not offered services or signs in English and French. This was happening in a neighbourhood where the mother tongue of a significant number of families is French, where there […]
