Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under fire for his leadership on the Kinder Morgan pipeline, managing the federal stake in the face of opposition from B.C. to block the federally approved project. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Kinder Morgan project a test of Trudeau’s competency, puts his 18 B.C. seats at risk, say pollsters
Whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gets the Kinder Morgan pipeline project built, as he says he will, voters will judge as a test of his competency, say pollsters. And the stakes are high, with the Liberals' 18…
How can we slow down urban sprawl?
Two Concordia researchers have revealed alarming growth patterns. Here are their solutions
UN refugee agency appeals to Canada for funding amid ‘record level of difficulty’
The UN refugee agency is appealing to Canada for funding help in a year it says has been especially tough because of the record number of displaced people worldwide and obstacles in receiving money from…‘We’re not immune’ on the Hill: Sen. Bernard launches Senate debate on anti-Black racism
An Independent Senator launching a debate in the Senate on anti-Black racism nationally and on Parliament Hill says recent accusations of racism against a fellow Black Parliamentarian who called others out for denying that systemic…Politics This Morning
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Les Linklater’s job is to fix Phoenix—including for himself
Les Linklater’s job leading the team fixing the Phoenix pay system can be frustrating, daunting, and pressure-filled, but he empathizes with public servants’ payroll frustrations because he’s dealt with them firsthand. His base salary hasn’t…Canada should change course on Russian relations, say critics
Canada should reassess its approach to Russia, say opposition critics who accuse the federal government of not having a plan and taking cues from the international community rather than leading the way. On March 26, the…Feds sign three more contracts with unions, final four deals held up at labour board
Unions representing the foreign service, border guards, and correctional officers are breathing a sigh of relief, albeit a short one, having recently signed contracts before the next scheduled round of bargaining ramps up once again.…Opposition MPs seek to add teeth to workplace harassment bill
A definition of harassment is among the changes a House committee agreed to Monday as it works its way through amending a government bill aimed at preventing and responding to sexual harassment and workplace violence,…Liberals’ policy convention a ‘litmus test’ of Grit membership, a time for leadership to listen, say Libs
When more than 2,500 Liberals sweep into Halifax for their last national policy convention before the 2019 election, Grits say the party's senior leadership should look to the gathering to gauge, engage, and mobilize the base…Trudeau government in ‘home stretch’ of mandate, political insiders suggest a reset with Throne Speech, summer cabinet shuffle
With the next election only 19 months away, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should focus on governing and hit the reset button this summer by proroguing Parliament, shuffling his cabinet, and starting the fall session with…Experts warn of ‘long-term political consequences’ for Liberals if Trans Mountain pipeline fails, but Trudeau says pipeline will happen
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who met with B.C. Premier John Horgan and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley for more than two hours on the Hill on Sunday, says the government will start negotiating with Kinder Morgan…Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under fire for his leadership on the Kinder Morgan pipeline, managing the federal stake in the face of opposition from B.C. to block the federally approved project. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Kinder Morgan project a test of Trudeau’s competency, puts his 18 B.C. seats at risk, say pollsters
Whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gets the Kinder Morgan pipeline project built, as he says he will, voters will judge as a test of his competency, say pollsters. And the stakes are high, with the Liberals' 18…
How can we slow down urban sprawl?
Two Concordia researchers have revealed alarming growth patterns. Here are their solutions
Can the PM move Mountains?
Notwithstanding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to double down on the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, the plan faces the same hurdles today as it did before he hauled the feuding premiers of Alberta…Trudeau’s problem is he can’t cut a deal
OTTAWA—Right now, Justin Trudeau has a deal problem. Specifically, the prime minister hasn’t really closed a significant major trade or pipeline project of his making thus far in his mandate. Even his climate change plan…Trudeau puts it all on the line for a pipeline that’s unlikely to be built
OTTAWA—On the evening of July 25, 2010, an oil pipeline owned by Enbridge Inc. ruptured near Marshall, Mich. During the 17 hours it took for the company to turn off the flow, more than three…
Liberals pledge 10 times the money to legalize pot as they do tobacco control
With important elections looming both provincially and federally, it is natural that Canada’s health-care system will a big part of electoral discussions. One in six Canadians is a senior, and that number is expected to…Difference between a green economy and business-as-usual isn’t the economy; it’s the environment
What Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna have been saying for more than two years now is true—Canada can take action on climate change and have a strong economy.…Tories dismiss new format, but will still take part in leaders’ debates
Despite the scathing Conservative objection to a recent House committee recommendation for an independent commissioner to organize leaders' debates, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer will still participate in debates during the federal election. The Liberals say…
How to better help Canadians in trouble abroad
We read about accidents, deaths, kidnappings, child abductions, and arrests overseas. For the Canadians involved, these are real-life tragedies. In Ottawa, the Emergency Watch and Response Centre at Global Affairs Canada works 24/7 to respond…Facebook and Nerdpocalypse: regulating the knowledge gap
In 1984, when the movie Revenge of the Nerds hit theatres, the concept of a nerd uprising was entirely aspirational and constrained to a single fictional college campus. Back then, nerddom was defined by a propensity for…Women and the forgotten emergency response
Fatima Abba Bukar is nine months pregnant. It is her first pregnancy since she miscarried while fleeing Boko Haram late one night more than a year ago in northern Nigeria. She’s safe now and recently…
Seniors’ issues shouldn’t be in ‘silo,’ says health minister facing calls for national strategy
Advocates and politicians are calling on the Trudeau government to take a leadership role in improving the lives of seniors, saying more program co-ordination is needed for citizens over 65, but Health Minister Ginette Petitpas…Agriculture minister most lobbied in February as trade, grain shipments topped industry interests
Lobbyists targeted Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay three times as often as his nearest cabinet colleague in February, as industry groups pushed trade interests and raised the alarm about a “crisis” in grain shipments, according to…Canadian Securities Administrators prepare report on climate disclosure as advocates push for new reporting requirements for businesses
The national body of securities regulators is releasing a much-anticipated report next month on companies disclosing the financial risk they face from climate change, as calls grow from industry and advocates for more fulsome accounting…
Ex-Hill staffer and wife to Conservative minister, Donna Richardson Duncan, dies of cancer
Former Hill staffer Donna Richardson Duncan died on April 11 after a battle with cancer, at the age of 55. She was married to former Conservative cabinet minister John Duncan. She also used to be…
Families Minister Duclos promotes new policy director after Mathieu Laberge departs
Families, Children, and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has a new director of policy in his office following the recent departure of Mathieu Laberge from the role. Up until the beginning of this month, Mr.…
Liberals relying more on ‘omnibus’ bills to fulfil promises before 2019 election, say observers, critics
With the clock ticking down to the next election, the Liberal government is increasingly being accused of tabling “omnibus” legislation, as it puts forward big bills to fulfil its ambitious agenda. With 18 months left…
It will take more than a law to change ‘archaic’ Hill culture, says Senate sponsor of anti-harassment bill
Government legislation aimed at handling and preventing sexual harassment in federally regulated workplaces and Parliament Hill won’t be enough to stop the longstanding problem, says the bill’s Senate sponsor, but it’s a step in the…Training needed to fill staff, MPs’ blindspots on lobbying rules, say insiders
Parliamentarians and their staff need basic training on lobbying rules to avoid scandals and unpleasant post-employment surprises, according to former politicos and insiders, who say many people are left woefully unprepared for the realities of…NDP analyst Capstick leaving world of political punditry
Longtime NDP political analyst and former NDP press secretary Ian Capstick announced in a Facebook note last week that he's signing off from the world of political punditry. The founder of Media Style public affairs…
Federal health agencies failing on Indigenous reconciliation, external review finds
A recent external review commissioned by Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor found the government’s arm's-length pan-Canadian health organizations to be laggards when it comes to engaging with Indigenous groups and communities, something the minister says…
Pakistan celebrates national day in Ottawa as MPs, Senators prepare to see country for themselves
Close to 300 diplomats and senior officials came to celebrate Pakistan’s national day celebration at the Chateau Laurier, just before a group of MPs and Senators set out for Pakistan to foster closer ties. On…
‘We’ve got things moving,’ AFN national chief Bellegarde touts new federal money in re-election pitch
Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde, who's running for re-election in July 2018, says he's the best person to continue the unprecedented momentum right now in Crown-First Nations relations, despite some criticism that's…
Feds have an opportunity to fund health performance measurement, reporting across Canada
In the 1990s, then-health minister Allan Rock proposed a report card for the Canadian health-care system that would track indicators such as utilization and re-admission rates, average lengths of stay, health outcomes, and quality assurance.…A new prescription for cancer treatments
Back in August of 2012, I received the devastating news that my mother had an aggressive form of breast cancer. She was quickly admitted to the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) in our hometown of Montreal,…
Politics This Morning
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OTTAWA—On Saturday, April 7, I awoke to catch a breaking story on CTV’s news channel. It was being reported that a chemical weapons attack had been perpetrated in a rebel-held town in Syria. A veteran…
Canada is the world's second-biggest consumer of pharmaceutical opioids—second only to the United States. To put that in perspective, retail pharmacies across Canada dispensed 19 million prescriptions for opioids in 2016, up slightly from 18.9…
OAKVILLE, ONT.—It seems the plague of partisan party politics (try saying that three times fast) is taking a toll on Canada’s TV punditry class. Or at least, it has claimed one notable casualty—Ian Capstick. If…
OTTAWA—Toronto Pride should be ashamed. Last week’s misguided decision to deny the Toronto Police Service official participation in the country’s largest gay pride celebration is a blot on Canada’s reputation as an open and inclusive…
OTTAWA—Is it just me or is it strange that an independent, secular democracy cannot make simple decisions on who it wants to allow to stay in the country? We are speaking here of immigrants, of…
OTTAWA—At the midpoint between its ascent to power and the next federal election, the Trudeau government gets an overall grade of a B- on its foreign policy, having improved in some areas while underperforming in…The Hill Times in print
Politics This Morning: Freeland goes to Washington; Trudeau meets with Commonwealth leaders; Supreme Court cracks open free-the-beer case
Good Thursday morning, A highly anticipated Supreme Court of Canada ruling will be handed down in Ottawa this morning, as justices unveil their decision in R v. Comeau at 9:45 a.m. The “free the beer”…Indigenous Services Minister Philpott’s chief of staff poised to depart
Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott’s chief of staff, John Brodhead, is set to exit the minister’s team at the end of April. Mr. Brodhead addressed his impending departure in a Facebook post on April 11,…Perreault promoted to PMO lead speechwriter after Armstrong departs for Morneau’s office
Brittany Perreault has been promoted to be senior manager of speechwriting in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, taking charge of the team previously headed by Jeni Armstrong. Former lead speechwriter Ms. Armstrong left the Prime…Donner Prize announces finalists for best public policy books
Five finalists have been shortlisted for this year’s 20th anniversary Donner Prize award, which recognizes the best public policy book by a Canadian author. This year’s shortlist was selected from 78 submissions and the winner…Ambrose’s ex-chief of staff lands new Queen Street job
Garry Keller, the former chief of staff to interim Conservative Party leader Rona Ambrose, has taken up a new job as a vice-president at government relations firm StrategyCorp. “Really pleased to be joining the excellent…Inaugural Women on the Hill shindig draws 500, and MPs from all parties
The inaugural Women on the Hill event, hosted by Earnscliffe Strategy Group's Velma McColl at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building last Monday night, attracted nearly 500 guests who mingled, networked, and celebrated a belated International…MPs hit the red carpet at Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto
TORONTO—Eight Members of Parliament and ministers donned their best tuxedo or gown on March 11 to walk the red carpet at the Canadian Screen Awards. Toronto-area MPs were out in full force at the star-studded…Argentine envoy ‘confident’ Canada-Mercosur deal will wrap quickly
The second round of trade negotiations between Canada and Mercosur countries will be held in June in Brazil, says the new Argentine ambassador, adding that despite a few areas of concern, the four-country South American…Australia’s new top envoy says her ‘focus is firmly on the future’ of CPTPP
Australia’s new high commissioner says officials from her country signalling they would block Canada’s admission to Asia’s top security forum, the East Asia Summit, had nothing to do with tensions that bubbled up when Canada…Liberals flock to Halifax for national convention this weekend
Plus: Ottawa-Gatineau hosts the Youth 7 Summit and a conference on the Internet of Things.
This hockey stick rested against the doors of the House of Commons in Centre Block during Question Period on April 17, in memory of the 16 Humboldt Broncos players and personnel who died when the junior hockey team's bus collided with a semi-trailer in northeastern Saskatchewan on April 6. Canadians have taken to putting a hockey stick outside their front door in remembrance, and posting photos of it on social media. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew MeadeAnnual Features
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