Newfoundland and Labrador’s Snowmaggedon shows the power of community helping community
OTTAWA—Last week I was in St. John’s for the memorial service for John Crosbie. It was an excellent occasion, well attended by the mighty and the meek. A fitting testament to the connection Crosbie himself had with so many. The sun split the Rock that day, but shortly thereafter, Snowmaggedon arrived. You have all seen […]
The beauty of billboards
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Maybe this is a sign I’m getting old, but it always pleases me when, in this age of high-tech communication strategies, an “old-fashioned” tactic manages to score a huge public relations success. So when I learned recently that a political message plastered on a billboard—an ancient medium of communication if ever there was one—had […]
Canada’s energy narrative needs an urgent reboot
WATERLOO, ONT.—The positive contribution to Canada’s economic well-being by the fossil fuels resource sector—oil, coal, gas—is well-recognized, a matter of record and fully accepted by Canadians. Primarily Alberta and Saskatchewan, but also British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia have been in the vanguard, bringing technological innovation and business acumen to deliver jobs, prosperity, […]
Joly to hit the six regional development agencies ahead of House’s return
Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly is hitting the road, with a plan to visit all six regional development agencies before Parliament returns next week. Apart from a brief stop in Gatineau, Que., on Wednesday for the Liberals’ cabinet orientation session, Ms. Joly (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que.) said she is spending the remaining days before the new parliamentary […]
Rookie Nunavut MP to push for greater focus on ‘basic human rights’ for Indigenous people in Ottawa
In a province that’s home to 14 million more people than Nunavut, the territory she represents, rookie NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq thought she would be able to fly under the radar in Ottawa. But since being elected on Oct. 21, Ms. Qaqqaq, who just turned 26, has been recognized around the capital city, including at the […]
Western alienation is real, but Kenney, Moe grievances are about entitlement
OTTAWA—Never in the annals of history have white men been so oppressed and subjugated—or that’s what Jason Kenney and Scott Moe would have us believe. In fact, all over the world, we have been inundated by mainstream media about the care and support we must give our fallen white brothers. Two and a half weeks […]
‘Albertans would consider it as betrayal’: Alberta Independent Senators shoot down suggestions of cabinet gig
Two Senators from Alberta poured cold water on the idea that a member of the Red Chamber should be chosen to represent their province at the cabinet table, in interviews with The Hill Times last week. “I don’t know that that’s the best idea for Alberta. I think we need all of our Senators from […]
Trudeau has many options to include Alberta and Saskatchewan in his government
OTTAWA—There are just so many options for the Trudeau government to reach out and involve the citizens of Alberta and Saskatchewan, but there is no single silver bullet. The conundrum is this: on the one hand, the two provinces just declined to elect a single Liberal MP from either province, in part, because they felt […]
The last of the ‘McGill Four’: outgoing MP Dubé on losing to Bloc leader Blanchet
When he noticed the Bloc Québécois surging in the polls, the NDP’s Matthew Dubé says he knew that he faced an “uphill battle” in holding onto his riding. “I arrived in a wave. I survived one, but two is a bit too much,” said the outgoing Quebec MP in for Beloeil-Chambly who lost to Bloc […]
Did Justin Trudeau really wreck Alberta’s economy?
Western alienation has dominated much of the political discussion following the Oct. 21 federal election that brought the Liberals back to power with a minority government without a single seat in Alberta or Saskatchewan. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged it in his election night victory speech, and reporters grilled him about it in his first […]
