MPs unlikely to take former Hill staffer Wernick’s pledge to bring about a ‘long-term culture change,’ but some suggest House should discuss the issue
Most MPs are reluctant to sign Paul Wernick’s pledge, which calls for publicly releasing the job descriptions and salary ranges of Hill staffers and asks them never to ask staff to do anything they wouldn’t do themselves, but one Conservative MP who is willing to sign it says the former Liberal Hill staffer should ask […]
Elections debate commissioner coming before 2019 election, but not through legislation: Minister Gould
With less than a year before the 2019 writ drops, the Liberal government is abandoning any possibility of introducing legislation to establish an independent leaders’ debate commissioner before the next election, though it says a commissioner will be in place. Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould (Burlington, Ont.) told the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) on […]
Public service staffing survey results show management ‘out of touch,’ says NDP MP Daniel Blaikie
The most recent Public Service Staffing and Non-Partisanship survey shows some big disparities in the perception of merit in public service hiring practices between managers and employees, with only about half of employees believing their peers are competent. While about 92 per cent of managers said those hired met performance expectations and were a good […]
Brison’s ingenious selling of Bill C-58 to the Senate
OTTAWA—Treasury Board President Scott Brison was hard at it on Oct. 3 selling Bill C-58 as a great advance in transparency, which it is not. Kicking off Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee deliberations on Bill C-58, Brison boasted that Canada is rated No. 1 by fellow governments for its open data portal. But that’s […]
Liberals turn sights on social media giants in bid to boost elections bill
The Liberal government wants to push major online platforms to expand their political advertising registries north of the border, as part of a package of more than 60 changes it’s proposing to its already-sweeping elections modernization bill. When MPs return from their ridings on Oct. 15, members of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) […]
‘I don’t see any end to this any time soon’: Conservatives dig in heels over Liberal elections bill
Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould was left cooling her heels last week as the committee studying the government’s elections bill continued to squabble over a timeline to send it back to the House. And Conservative MPs say they’re willing to draw out the debate for as long as they think is necessary. Ms. Gould (Burlington, Ont.), […]
Political parties set to testify about data use, collection efforts at House Affairs Committee
Representatives from Canada’s top federal political parties are set to testify before the House Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics Committee about how they use and collect data, as part of an ongoing study into the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook data breach and the privacy concerns it’s raised. At the same time, some MPs on the committee […]
PCO clerk Wernick celebrates the bureaucracy’s best at annual awards shindig
Most Hillites have heard of Canada-U.S. coordinator Brian Clow’s unit based out of the Prime Minister’s Office, but what about the bureaucrats backing them up? Known as the Canada-United States Engagement team, the 15-person group was recognized with an Exemplary Contribution Under Extraordinary Circumstances award at the 2018 Public Service Award of Excellence ceremony held […]
Diplomacy first, but new PBO says he’s not afraid to take departments to court
Canada’s new parliamentary budget officer says he’s ready to do what needs to be done to deliver government financial information to Parliamentarians and the public, even if it means going to court or putting him at odds with bureaucrats he’s worked with before. “I might be characterized as somebody who will be very demanding of […]
‘Streamlining’ of cabinet committees an effort to shore up priorities before 2019, say strategists
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to slim down the cabinet committee roster, and decrease the number of assignments per minister, is likely an effort to streamline work, free up ministers, and ensure the government’s agenda progresses in the last year before the 2019 election, say strategists. “The reduction of cabinet committees is a sign that […]
