Liberals should define Poilievre juggernaut now, or risk losing next election, say top political strategists
With the presumed Conservative leadership front-runner Pierre Poilievre widely expected to become party leader on Sept. 10, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals should start to define their future opponent now before he gets a chance to define himself, say top political players. “In our day and age, the velocity of politics is much faster than […]
Lewis’ leadership campaign ‘one to watch,’ say Nanos, McVety
Despite Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre being considered by most to have the contest locked up on the first ballot, analysts and supporters of the Leslyn Lewis campaign argue she has the potential to shake up not only the presumed top three front-runners but also the future of the party as a whole. “Poilievre, for […]
Feds won’t say if they will implement chief electoral officer’s call to make spread of election misinformation illegal
The government won’t say if it plans to take up the Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault’s recent recommendation to make the spread of disinformation about the electoral process illegal. In response to a list of detailed questions asking whether the government had plans to follow through on this recommendation or any of the other […]
House leaders likely to co-operate on intoxication bill, clash on broadcasting bill in last stretch before summer
Current and former Hill staffers say the government is going for one last big win on the bill to update the Broadcasting Act before Parliament rises for the summer, and introducing new legislation to signal its agenda for the fall. Government House Leader Mark Holland (Ajax, Ont.) said in the House on June 16 that […]
Small modular reactors study raises ‘war on science’ concerns among renewable energy proponents
Renewable energy advocates are renewing alarm calls with the federal government regarding small nuclear fission reactors, which they argue need more scientific review before the emerging technology is funded and deployed in communities across Canada. “I asked the [House Science] Committee, ‘Are we experiencing another war on science right now, when the government is not […]
Canada backs American over Russian candidate on UN body overseeing the internet’s future
Canada says it plans to back an American candidate over a Russian hopeful to head the International Telecommunications Union in the September election deciding who will oversee the obscure, but crucial United Nations body. Two candidates are running for the position of secretary-general, with very different visions on how to run the ITU and direct […]
Lifting travel vaccine mandate ‘politically expedient,’ with feds ‘losing the battle’ on issues management, politicos say
The federal Liberals say their decision to suspend vaccine mandates for domestic air and rail travel was based on evolving scientific and public health information, but critics say the government made a political calculation. Garry Keller, a former senior Conservative staffer, told The Hill Times that the government’s decision to lift vaccine mandates for domestic […]
‘Clumsy and messy’: Mendicino weathers calls to walk over murky Emergencies Act rationale
The explanation that Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino had been “misunderstood” in saying that law enforcement had requested the invocation of the Emergencies Act has done nothing to quell the controversy surrounding the decision—but it’s not likely to be a job-costing controversy, according to politicos and experts. On June 7, Public Safety deputy minister Rob […]
Peacekeeping commitments continue to go unmet as Canada lags on long-promised Quick Reaction Force
Ottawa’s once-trumpeted return to United Nations peacekeeping has gone by the wayside as the Canadian government still hasn’t fulfilled a 2017 pledge for a Quick Reaction Force and has only a scattering of personnel assisting UN peace operations around the world. With added focus on Canada’s military contributions following Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, […]
Precinct expansion report expected this fall, but feds, city already in talks
MPs expected to deliver a report on the possibility of expanding the Parliamentary Precinct this fall are weighing the benefits of wading into the Hill’s complicated tangle of jurisdictional security issues. But, as members of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) recently heard, that work is underway, with the City of Ottawa having already […]
