Intergovernmental relations and the pandemic
The moment Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to the airwaves and announced the lockdown on March 13, 2020, it was clear that responding to the COVID-19 pandemic would require unprecedented intergovernmental activity. Since then, first ministers’ meetings have been held weekly, via conference calls, which is a remarkable feat in a federation where such meetings […]
Would-be Conservative leaders wooing Quebec dairy farmers, but organizers say they won’t decide the race this time
The three leading candidates in the Conservative leadership race have all reached out to Quebec’s dairy farmers with promises to protect the supply management system, in a bid to win support from a group that may have swung the last contest in favour of now outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. However, the organizer of a […]
Newfoundland and Labrador’s new premier is one to watch
OTTAWA—Newfoundland and Labrador has a new premier. This past weekend the governing Liberal Party elected Dr. Andrew Furey as its leader. In the next number of days, he will be sworn as the province’s 14th premier. The Furey name will be familiar to many in Ottawa, as his father is Senator George Furey, the Speaker of […]
Christopher Evelyn takes over as chief of staff to Women and Gender Equality Minister Monsef
Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef has a new chief of staff leading her office with the recent promotion of Christopher Evelyn to the top job. Mr. Evelyn has been working for Ms. Monsef since late 2015, and has slowly been working his way up the proverbial Hill ladder since. He started out as […]
Alberta cannot look to Quebec as a model for separatism—it’s not a fair fight
A new political party has entered the political arena in Alberta: the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta—a merger between the Freedom Conservative Party and Wexit Alberta. This new independence party reflects the mood that Albertans will always get a raw deal from Ottawa because federal governments have to cater to the golden triangle of Toronto-Montreal-Ottawa above […]
On the bubble: Atlantic Canada’s plan getting mixed reviews
OTTAWA—The premiers of Canada’s four Atlantic provinces are opening the region up for interprovincial travel among themselves this Friday, July 3. It could be the first step to opening Atlantic Canada to the rest of the country. But in the East, there is concern. Premiers Dwight Ball, Stephen MacNeil, Blaine Higgs, and Dennis King are […]
Quebec’s Dominique Anglade is a woman of many firsts
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—Dominique Anglade heads a lot of lists: first person of colour to be an official opposition leader in Canada; first woman to lead the Quebec Liberal Party; and the first fluently multilingual, as in speaks more than four languages (Creole, French, English, German, Spanish), party leader anywhere in Canada. And, I point out, she […]
‘It’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good’: tourism in the time of COVID
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—The temperature was an unusually hot 30 degrees. The tide was in and the water temperature of the normally frigid Saint Lawrence River was 24 C. As I slipped into the waves, I looked to the west and could see large clouds of smoke blowing over the neighbouring villages. It didn’t look good. Indeed, […]
Social change depends on each of us doing our part
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—As many readers of this column know, I am not much of a monarchist, but I admire the Queen. And while it was a painful childhood duty to watch her annual Christmas message, this year’s resonates with me months later. Recounting the decades of her reign, she said, “positive things can be achieved when […]
Pandemic underlines need for better northern housing: Vandal
Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal has been busy during the pandemic. Phone calls start around 8 a.m. and stop whenever they stop. Mr. Vandal (Saint Boniface-Saint Vital, Man.) is the first person to hold the standalone title of Minister of Northern Affairs. Previously, the responsibilities for northern economic development and relations with Indigenous and territorial […]
