Senators want to pass Bélanger’s gender neutral national anthem bill this fall
Senators say they are confident Canadians will soon be singing the new gender-neutral version of O Canada proposed in Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger’s private member’s bill, C-210, which is currently before the Red Chamber and could become law this fall. Officially known as An Act to amend the National Anthem Act (gender), it will change two […]
Shared Services Canada’s email migration still on hold, eight months later
Eight months after the migration of government email systems by Shared Services Canada was put on hold, 90 per cent of federal employees’ inboxes remain untouched. According to emails obtained by The Hill Times, the ongoing decision not to restart migrations is due to “missing critical functionality” that Bell Canada and CGI Information Systems—the companies contracted […]
Transparency should start before decisions are made
The Liberals and Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion have found themselves in trouble over a lack of transparency in three foreign policy decisions: weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and Thailand, and a “Joint Action Plan” with Gulf allies. This is in contrast to early pronouncements by the Liberals that openness was going to be a hallmark of […]
Treasury Board recommits to Shared Services, committee of deputy minsters to oversee progress
The Treasury Board last week recommitted to Shared Services Canada’s key objectives and introduced a deputy-minister oversight committee aimed at keeping its plans on track. On Wednesday evening, the new information technology plan was released and included new timelines for the core projects Shared Services has been working on, as well as introducing new government IT initiatives. […]
Public service negotiations: government gestures well received but contract offers still unpalatable for unions
Despite the Liberals coming into office with the promise of treating the public service with more respect than their Conservative predecessors, most public servants are continuing to work on expired contacts, and government offers remain a long way from what unions are demanding. “This Liberal government has come to the table with the same Conservative […]
Conservatives promise to push Bill C-14 media leak probe in the fall, Liberals try ‘sweep it under the rug’
Conservative MP Blake Richards says the Procedure and House Affairs Committee’s study into the question of a breach of parliamentary privilege over an alleged leak to media about the government’s assisted dying legislation before it was released “should be the priority” for the committee when Parliament returns in the fall. “At this point right now, I […]
Bad MP behaviour prevents Canadians from pursuing public office: report
With political life having a reputation for mudslinging and heckling, a recent report tabled by a House committee found this behaviour amongst Parliamentarians prevents some potential candidates from entering into politics. NDP MP Irene Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe, Ont.), who serves as the party’s deputy whip, said when she and the late Jack Layton would ask women to […]
Family-friendly Parliament study expected this week, some measures could be implemented this year
A study into how to make Parliament more family-friendly is expected to be tabled this week, and members of the committee say some measures, including changes to Hill child care, could be made this year. “What we have with the report is really a snapshot of the highlights of things that we all feel are very […]
MPs arranging to get rapidly-ailing Liberal MP Bélanger into House for Friday’s vote on his gender neutral national anthem bill
PARLIAMENT HILL—Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger, who is dying of ALS, will try to be in the House on Friday so MPs can move ahead on his controversial private member’s bill which would make Canada’s national anthem gender neutral. His colleagues say Mr. Bélanger’s condition has become “quite serious” and that it might be the last time he […]
Government needs to provide meaningful work to attract millennials to public service: experts
As the federal public service gets older and the government looks for ways to attract younger workers, an idea that comes up regularly from various quarters is that you have to give them the opportunity to “make a difference.” Treasury Board President Scott Brison (Kings-Hants, N.S.) said as much in during an interview in the […]
