Union of Veterans’ Affairs Employees cries foul over private rehab contract that feds say will mean ‘fewer steps’ for vets, case managers

The union representing Veterans Affairs Canada workers is sounding the alarm over a $560-million contract for rehabilitation services that national president Virginia Vaillancourt says is a “contracting out of many of our functions to a private sector entity who does not have the same level of concerns for our clients.” But Veterans Affairs spokesperson Marc […]
‘This can never happen again’: downtown residents launch Ottawa People’s Commission to address failures to keep community safe during convoy protests

Ottawa residents have launched a citizen-led commission into the so-called “Freedom Convoy”—which turned into an occupation of the nation’s capital downtown core for nearly a month in February—to hear the voices of those who lived through it. The Ottawa People’s Commission on the Convoy Occupation was launched on June 27 in the Ottawa Public Library’s […]
Coalition warns of ‘death knell’ to cryptocurrency industry under proposed tax law changes

A new coalition of companies representing Canada’s cryptocurrency sector are urging the federal government not to move forward with a proposed tax law change, which they argue has the potential to kill their nascent industry. “The reality is that by putting in these proposed changes to the tax code, they’re going to increase our costs […]
‘Never been afraid to punch above our weight’: set to retire this fall, Peter Van Dusen reflects on 21 years at CPAC

The face of CPAC for more than 20 years, anchor and executive producer Peter Van Dusen has announced he will be retiring this fall. “When I was hired, CPAC pretty much just covered the proceedings in the House of Commons,” said Van Dusen in a lengthy interview with The Hill Times. Looking to put together […]
Win or lose, Poilievre may already represent ‘heart and soul’ of Conservative caucus

Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre officially secured the support of more than 50 per cent of the party’s caucus last week after Conservative MP Ziad Aboulataif announced his endorsement on June 22, but in a campaign as divisive as this one, endorsements give more insight into the future shape of the party than they do […]
AFN losing credibility after controversial suspension of its national chief, say Indigenous advocates

In the wake of the Assembly of First Nations’ controversial decision to recently suspend its first woman national chief, Indigenous advocates say the controversy could tank the AFN for good. RoseAnne Archibald was suspended on June 17 after she spoke out publicly about what she considers “fictitious attacks” against her by AFN staff. In a […]
Conservative membership verification process to make high-stakes leadership race even more divisive, say top political players

The already tense Conservative leadership race will become even more divisive in the coming days once the candidates receive the preliminary membership list and start to challenge the legitimacy of each other’s supporters’ membership. “The stakes are high, they [Conservatives] have a real chance of winning in the next election,” said Innovative Research president Greg […]
Parliament Hill braces for Canada Day protest as MPs face threats

This year’s official Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill will be lower-key than years past, including before the pandemic. As Centre Block undergoes a rehabilitation retrofit, most July 1 activities are set to occur at LeBreton Flats Park and across the Ottawa River at Place des Festivals Zibi in Gatineau, Que. But what happens unofficially on […]
Government should be ‘pretty pleased’ with first session of Parliament, but summer will be ‘the calm before the storm,’ say observers

The federal Liberals delivered on a few key measures in the first session of the 44th Parliament, but the coming months could be a time increasing inflation and travel delays cause growing resentment towards the government, giving a new Conservative leader a lot to work with in the fall, say observers. Sheamus Murphy, a former […]
Rule change lets MPs charge House up to $36,000 annually for constituency rentals amid office budget pressures

With MPs reporting rising constituency and rental costs over the last five years, the Board of Internal Economy gave Members the ability to charge up to $36,000 a year to the House administration for lease costs rather than pulling from their individual office budgets. Previously, all constituency costs were charged through the Member’s Office Budget […]