Federal public service unions not satisfied with Trudeau government’s first budget
The unions representing federal public servants say there were some welcome investments and gestures in the Trudeau government’s first budget released two weeks ago laying out how it will spend $290-billion this year, yet they also found it fell short on several fronts. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents about 140,000 federal employees, […]
Wernick planning to stick around PCO for a while, push on for ‘nimbleness and agility’ in PS
Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick says he’s in no rush to help establish a process for picking his successor since he doesn’t expect to be leaving the job any time soon. In January, Mr. Wernick was announced as the new clerk in a press release from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), which highlighted, as […]
Engage Canadians on open government: lessons learned from Tony Clement
Tony Clement, the former president of the Treasury Board, is credited with hosting the government’s first Google Hangout. He was criticized by some for trying too hard to “look cool.” On April 6, 2016, Scott Brison, the current president of the Treasury Board, will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, to host a Google […]
‘It’s been quite a learning curve,’ rookie Grit MPs want more House committee training, but veteran Liberal, opposition MPs say time’s up
Rookie Liberal MPs, who are trying to learn the ropes of House committees, say they want more formal training because they’re concerned opposition MPs will try to exploit their inexperience and embarrass them in front of stakeholders and Hill media. But veteran Liberal and opposition MPs say the House committee training is over and it’s time to […]
Public servants flock to PCO’s first-ever behavioural economics briefing
Hundreds of public servants took in the Privy Council Office’s conference on behavioural economics for the public sector last week in Ottawa to learn how to better influence public behaviour. It was the first conference of its kind in Canada. “The use of behavioural economics is an emerging tool for governments seeking to improve the programs and […]
Bélanger not first MP to call for gender neutral O Canada
Mauril Bélanger was not the first Member of Parliament to recommend a gender-neutral national anthem. Hopefully, he will be the last. Last week, the long-serving Liberal MP from Ottawa-Vanier was honoured by all his colleagues as he occupied the House Speaker’s chair in recognition of his contribution to Parliament. The emotional and heartfelt support from […]
House to vote on ISIS mission, continue debate on government bills
The House will vote this week on Canada’s mission against ISIS and will be finalizing procedure to begin debating private members’ bills by the next sitting week. On Monday, March 7, the House will vote on Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act, the Public […]
Secrecy happenings and transparency hopes, Ottawa needs to open up
OTTAWA—It’s a sure sign that it’s still secrecy as usual in Ottawa when Treasury Board wants six months to respond to an access request for records about Trudeau government’s transparency work. That’s before applying policy advice and Cabinet confidences to the records. But it’s far from the only example. Take the case of the request […]
Health experts call on government to increase transparency around drug research
Health professionals and academics are putting the heat on Health Canada to release information about prescription drugs—information that the department deems confidential for the businesses that sell the products. While the 2014 passing of Bill C-17, the Protecting Canadians from Unsafe Drugs Act—also called Vanessa’s Law—opened up some of the secrecy about pharmaceutical products, critics say […]
Conservative MP Wagantall’s private member’s bill causing fissures in Conservative caucus
A rookie Saskatchewan Conservative MP’s private member’s bill is causing fissures in the Conservative caucus with some describing it as “an indirect way for the pro-lifers to advance their agenda from a new angle.” Some are worried it will reopen the abortion debate causing an unnecessary distraction for potential leadership candidates ahead of the party’s leadership convention in […]
